Ah, virtue...

[desperance]

Technically, it's supposed to be its own reward, and one should seek none other; but I was virtuous entirely, I cleaned and tidied and vacuumed the living-room; and the nice man came from the council, and behold: they are titivating the terraces, and they want to do work on my house for no charge. It's a facelift job, basically; they will replace the boundary railing at the front, tidy up the stonework and the guttering, like that. And the big one? New front door. Yay. Technically people are supposed to pay a percentage of the door's cost if they go for that option, but I'm so broke I probably won't need to. Double-yay.

Further to this whole sorting-out-the-house thing, I have ordered a new vacuum cleaner, with supersuck and filtration and designed-to-cope-with-cat-hair and all that. Through the interwebs, where it was remarkably cheap. And I have startled my washing-machine by filling it with pillows, tra-la.

I did also lift a corner of a carpet on the landing, just to see what lay underneath: but the immediate answer is a rather strange layer of hardboard (I think), which I'm slightly less keen on digging up. Because God only knows what's under that, what it was laid down to disguise...

Umm. Shouldn't I be working, or something? Every now and then I open up some half-done stories and poke at them gently, but not with any conviction...

Comments

[dedbutdrmng.livejournal.com]

Lindy swears by the cat-hair retrieving powers of the 'Mr Henry' range of hoovers. I have never been convinced but she gets quite passionate about it.

[ellarien]

Envelope scheme? Rather a small envelope, if it is. In Sheffield they used to do roofs and front windows, I think.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

The hardboard is probably (depending on the age of the house) covering original floor boards. If they were not-terribly-tight-fitting, then you'd get draughts coming up through the carpet weave, which you don't want, and uneven wear where bits of carpet depress into over-wide cracks.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It's always good when the council want to be useful and constructive.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

When this was originally mooted, roofs were included; but the evil council redirected a percentage of the money elsewhere, and couldn't afford roofs any more. We had a bit of an argument about that (which I lost, of course, so I had to pay for my own roof repairs last year, mutter scowl).

Windows I think can be included if needed, but I am newly double-glazed anyway (thanks to another govt scheme: almost everything that gets done here under Project House is done at other people's expense, one way or another. I'm not proud at all, I find).

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yup. This is one reason why I'm hesitating over the whole rip-out-the-carpets thing; the house is cold enough already, and I can do without extra draughts whistling through the floorboards. Presumably one can get sealants, though, to fill the gaps...?

[spaceoperadiva.livejournal.com]

Bummer about the hardboard, but I wouldn't pry it up either, even with my no carpet evangelizing. It would probably require a new wood floor and that would probably require the universe suddenly gifting you with a wealthy and eccentric patron. As nice as that sounds, those wealthy and eccentric patrons always seem to want to be in the center of the painting or star as the protagonist or something equally distressing. Back to the mad hoovering plans.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

I am delighted by the image of a startled washing machine stuffed with pillows.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Yes. One can also take up floorboards and put in semi-permeable membranes so it stops draughts but allows the under-floor space to breathe.

Personally, though, if the floorboards are bad I'd leave the hardboard and do laminate flooring and rugs.

Catching up with LJ backwards

[footlingagain.livejournal.com]

I can do without extra draughts whistling through the floorboards. Presumably one can get sealants, though, to fill the gaps...?

I'm a bit late tuning into this one. Sorry.

My grandparents never had fitted carpets and used to fill in the gaps in their floorboards with papier mache and then sand it level. I have it from a craft-y acquaintance that decent wallpaper paste and The Guardian makes the best of its kind.

It's likely to be a messy and time-consuming job, but at least it should be cheap, if you're up to it.

Re: Catching up with LJ backwards

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[ramurphy.livejournal.com]

You take up the hardboard. You rent a good sander with one of those bags that collects the sawdust you create. Mix up the sawdust with white glue that's been thinned with water, and make a paste. Fill in the cracks between the floorboards with the paste. Voila! When it dries, you'll need to sand again, but you've stopped the drafts and the cracks are filled with a wood compound that exactly matches your floorboards.
Carry on!

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Is a lovely idea, but I am deeply scared of those sanders. I'm chronically asthmatic, and any kind of stirred-up dust in the air will trigger me.