Ginger Bisquite

Lifestyle, DIY, Family & Food

Tag Archives: Decor

Moving House Tips Roundup

October 3, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 1 Comment

moving house tips

I am ecstatic to announce that we get the keys to our new house tomorrow! I can barely concentrate, constantly returning to the excited butterflies in my stomach. I am already thinking about all the things I want to do and feeling giddy with excitement that we will soon be settled in to our new home.  In an attempt to be vaguely productive I have been scowering the internet for moving house tips.  Lots of tips and advice are very US centric, so I have done my best to collect some posts which I have found useful when thinking about all that there is to do!

REMOVALS

  • Find local firms – I am by no means an expert when it comes to removals but as I have just moved twice in the space of 2 months.  I therefore feel I am at least slightly experienced!  On both occasions I have used the website reallymoving.com to get a list of firms to get quotes from.  Some have been local family businesses, others are local branches of national chains.
  • Read reviews – I was very weary in London to make sure that anyone who quoted actually saw how much stuff we had.  There are loads of firms and to get business some seem to quote without even visiting the property.  I have read horror stories about doing this and there not being enough space in vans which is not ideal if you are on a deadline to leave your house!
  • Get quotes – You would be astonished by the range of prices that I have been quoted for the same service.  I would definitely recommend getting more than one quote, I got 4 on our last move and 5 for this move as we have been in less of a rush.
  • Check hidden costs - Each removal company seems to have a different take on packing materials and insurance. For some you will need to pay a separate deposit or indemnity, others will offer insurance and all packaging materials free of charge.  Make sure you know in advance so you can factor this in when assessing value for money on quotes.

PACKING

  • De-clutter – When we moved into our last house I swore I would learn my lesson and make sure I was only bringing things with me that I needed.  There is nothing more frustrating than extra boxes to unpack, with stuff in that you will only get rid of later.  When you move your bins fill up quickly with packing tape and all the rubbish the previous occupiers have left.  You really don’t need your own stuff taking up yet more space in your bins.
  • Get rid of unwanted furniture – When we were selling our house we used a combination of the British Heart Foundation free furniture collection, freecycle and gumtree to get rid of furniture.  Getting rid of excess bulky furniture allowed us to give buyers a better idea of the space.  However, although this is a great tactic for selling a house it’s also vital to purge your house of furniture when moving house. I particularly liked the British Heart Foundation free collection service because it is the most reliable (no wondering whether someone will or wont turn up).  I even got a note telling me how much they got for my donated item!  If you are using an expensive removal company to move you, you will kick yourself if you find yourself taking up van/lorry space with things destined to be donated later!
  • First night box – There will be certain items that you need before others, let’s say a kettle, tea bags and toilet roll etc.!  I think that this is a great first night list to use as a starting point
  • Label Boxes Clearly – It is worth labeling boxes clearly so you know which boxes you will need first, there are some great labels online that will save you a bit of time. (You’d be surprised how tiresome it gets writing on boxes!)
Moving House Tips

Free packing Labels from The Purple Pumpkin Blog

CLEANING

  • Deep clean – when moving you will probably want to give the new house a deep clean. In an attempt to be more organised I have used two fantastic cleaning posts from A Thrifty Mrs to make sure I am prepared.  There’s an overall house cleaning kit post as well as a specific bathroom cleaning kit, perfect for trying to get organised.  (I must admit it was secretly quite fun to go out and stock up on supplies in anticipation of the new abode.) Our cleaning cupboard here is horrendous, full of toxic chemicals and cleaners I never use.  I’m going to try and use up any extra products I have cleaning our current rental ready for the end of the tenancy and stick to the new kits in the future.
  • Cleaning check list – There are a million and 1 cleaning checklists, but here is one I can appreciate.

GETTING ORGANISED

  • Re-directing Post – Paying for a royal mail redirection is expensive but can be worthwhile if you have a lot of post to re-direct and no time to contact all the relevant providers.  I also found the iammoving.com online re-direction website several years ago which I think is a fantastic (and free) service if you’re looking to save on redirecting post.
  • To Buy List – Have you checked the fixtures and fittings to see if there are any urgent items you will need? We left our fridge at our old house and the vendors are taking theirs with them so I’m in the process of urgently ordering one online for asap delivery!
  • Find your local GP – I wouldn’t normally be so fussed on signing up with a GP straight away, but as I am 7 months pregnant this is imperative.  It’s also important if you take any regular medication which you need to have prescribed.  I have used the NHS Choices website to find what’s available where I’m moving, but beware, as even those that are listed may not cover your area. (Their practice boundaries are impossible to fathom without calling to ask.)
  • Phone and Broadband- If you are anything like me you will be needing the internet asap.  It normally takes *at least* a week for these to be connected. On a more  practical note you may also want to have a phone line to give meter readings and chase deliveries and connections. So basically, make sure you have arranged a home move with your current provider or looked into a new one as soon as you are able to.  Our current phone and broadband provider doesn’t cover our new house so I used Money Saving Expert to look up the best deals.

I think it’s bed time for me now, I just need to pack up my painting clothes ready for tomorrow and get a good nights sleep!  I have added all these tips and a few more for good measure to my  which you may find useful.

DIY Children’s Tent – UK Version

June 27, 2013 by Jenni Clutten | 0 comments

Nye is now 18 months old, and I have been wanting to find some more creative activities that will provide opportunities for imaginative play.  Den’s are an excellent example of toys that can be used for multiple purposes, inside and outside and will last and be enjoyed for years.  I still remember being addicted to making dens in our house as a child so this months Center Parcs June Challenge was the perfect push I needed to create our very own DIY Children’s Tent.

DIY Children's TentI remembered immediately that I had pinned a DIY A Frame Tent on some time ago and sought immediately to track it down on one of my numerous boards.  I eventually found it, wrote down all the measurements and headed out to look for some suitable material in local charity shop and DIY store.  However, it soon became apparent that I wouldn’t be able to find the exact measurements as the widths of wood in the UK are different to America (mm here and inches there.)

So, with that in mind I thought it might be helpful to share the measurements I used so that the DIY is a little easier for people this side of the pond.  I also took the advice of  Rubyellen who suggests that you could use a single bed cover instead of fabric.  For me this meant the cover was double sided (fishes on the inside and out) and also that I did not have to hem the fabric. (Hurrah) I was also feeling extra cheeky as I had no elastic to sew to the cover and managed to clip the edges of the fabric to the frame using elastic bands and string.  But, having used this for a few days, I think sewing on the elastic will mean I don’t have to keep tying the edges down every 24 hours.

YOU WILL NEED

For the Tent Cover

  • 1 x single duvet cover (135mm x 200m) – you could also use fabric cut to any size you would like and just alter the length of the wood to accommodate.
  • 1 meter of elastic
  • Scissors
  • 4 x Elastic Bands

For The Frame

  • 2 x 18 x44mm x 2.4m
  • 1 x 18mm x 2.4 dowel rod
  • Drill
  • 18mm or 19mm flat wood drill bit (I used 19mm because that’s the closest we had to 18mm)
  • Hand saw
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil
  • String

First of all I must say the instructions on the original A-Frame blog post are really clear and include pictures that are incredibly helpful.  I am going to write a quick run down of what I did, just because I did make a few alterations to try and make the whole process a bit quicker.  But if you get stuck, please click on the link and the photos there will help you!

  1. Start by using the hand saw to cut the 2 x 2.4m wood lengths in half.  Once this is done you will have 4 x 1.2m lengths which will make the A frame.
  2. Next use a hand saw to cut the circular dowel that creates the top of the tent.  I cut mine to 147cm.
    I calculated this length by using the width of the fabric (135cm) and then adding 6cm on to each end (135 + 6 + 6) = 147cm.  This then allows for the a frame to be added on to the end with a little room keep it all together.
  3. We then measured up to drill the holes in the 4 x A frame.  To do this I used a tape measure to mark 15cm down from the top of each leg the marked a cross in the centre of the wood (22mm) which showed where the drill bit needed to go.
  4. Once each leg was measured up we used a 19mm drill bit to create a hole for the top dowel of the tent to be inserted.
  5. Next I inserted the dowel into the four holes to create the basic frame of the tent and stood it up ready for its finishing touches.
  6. Once the frame has been created you can then hang the fabric over it and line up the legs at each end.
  7. As I was unable to find a 18mm drill bit and used a 19mm one instead,  I then used some string to secure the legs into place.
  8. Finally once I was happy with how the cover was hanging, I used an elastic band on the bottom of each leg to secure the four corners of the fabric.  For good measure I then tied some string around to keep them as tight as possible. (You could sew some elastic directly on to the fabric to make for a more hard wearing tent)
  9. Enjoy your new DIY Children’s Tent by adding some cushions and blankets!

I am writing this post in my capacity as a Center Parcs family blogger.  For a chance to become a Center Parcs Family Blogger and to win a family break to a Center Parcs village of your choice, simply share pictures of your outside hideout on your blog, letting Tots 100 and Center Parcs know that it’s your entry into this month’s challenge. Then just tweet us a link to it – be sure to include the Center Parcs and Tots 100 handles in your tweet, and don’t forget to use the #CPFamilyBreaks hashtag before the challenge closes on June 28th.

This gallery contains 0 photos