Gutting a house - Advice please

[MrHfromBath]

I am shortly getting access to my new house (4 bed, 4 rooms downstairs)which is in need of a lot of work, although nothing structural. I will be having new heating, electrics, plastering, etc, but firstly need to clear the place out so I can have a good look at everything and start again. I need to: take out the (very) old kitchen, all carpets, built in wardrobes, strip wallpaper, take off skirting boards, take down a small stud wall, etc. I am still debating whether to board over old ceilings, or take down, but I'll almost certainly take down the large kitchen ceiling.

I have a friend coming to help with a transit van to take stuff to the tip and I think I'll need a skip too. I just wondered if anyone had any time/energy saving advice about which order to do things in, quicker ways of doing it, etc, based on experience.

I am steering clear of anything complicated and will pay tradesmen to put it back together again, but would like to save money doing the simple stuff myself.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Deluks]

Take out carpets last, less chance of tripping up on uneven floorboards whilst you're taking stuff out, and you can roll 'em up dust 'n' all for a quick cleanup at the end.

If feasible a large bonfire will save the cost of a skip or two.

Have a careful look behind chimney breasts if boarded up. You might uncover an old cast iron fireplace, which could be refurbed or sold.

 

[IJWS15]

Transit and tip means trade waste to the tip operator!

 

[MrHfromBath]

Yes I called the council about that and they said it should be ok as long as I take my council tax bill and id. Additionally the van is a pharmacy van, so not as suspicious as a builders van for example. They don't issue permits, but it's the best I can do. I'll take a load of evidence and tell the truth and see what happens. I could hire a van, but as a friend has offered his for free it seems a waste. We'll see...

 

[ColJack]

tap all the walls and any that sound hollow in spots will need re-plastering, so scrape it all off with a shovel..

 

[MrHfromBath]

Will also be taking lathe and plaster ceilings down which should be fun. Any advice on how to do it? Will do the worst one and if it's as bad as everyone says I might overboard the rest. I just want to do a proper job and take advantage of the house being empty and dust not being an issue.

 

[cmother1]

Leave the laths in place and just knock the mortar off. De-nailing a whole ceiling full of joists is a pig of a job. (Oh - and wear a decent respirator mask. Much better than the disposable paper type.)

 

[ColJack]

do it from the room above.. easy from the loft, just put your foot through..

grab a couple of kids off the street, give them a sledge hammer each and paper overalls and a mask and goggles, and let them loose..
nothing a kid likes better than destroying something..

 

[noseall]

Organise the rip-out so that you end up with a pile of wood in time for Guy Fawkes night. Saves on expensive skip space.

Don't be too hasty to chop 'n' burn, you may be in need of some of the original elements later on.