Bought a new home -- tips to outfit home with new appliances, flooring etc.

scrimshaw on 14/05/2015 - 21:48

So as the title reads — I'm moving into a new town house and the condition isn't so great….

My concerns are as follows—

  • The walls are plasterboard instead of the usual concrete (?) walls that are found in my current unit. There are quite a few drill holes, pock marks, scuff marks and drywall. Should I attempt to fix them DIY method or get someone to do it?

  • The flooring is currently carpet, but the foot impact noise is ridiculous — the sound of two people walking upstairs would be enough bass to mix with dubstep music… Any ideas on which company I should approach to get this fixed? And how do I ensure they do a good job and use proper branded underlays instead of cheap imported chinese crap?

  • The built-in oven doesn't seem to work — it's an electrical one and either seems to need replacing or repair. Anyone know approximately how much a repair would cost?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Edsanwong on 14/05/2015 - 22:14

    For the plasterboard, I think you can DIY. You can go further with repaint the whole house?

    For flooring, cant help much. How about go to Bunnings and Masters first? Second step will be servicecentral or serviceseeking?

    Oven, you didnt check on the last inspection before settlement? Oven can be expensive to repair, hows the condition of oven? If it is too old, may be need to replaced. Try WAM electrical.

  • xoom on 14/05/2015 - 22:49
    +2

    The only thing i can recommend is to not buy everything in one go. Do it over time. See a sale in furniture get an item or two. Then later on see another sale buy more stuff. Rinse repeat.

    • scrimshaw on 14/05/2015 - 22:58

      Thanks. Good tip. I intend to scrounge around for second hand furniture, rather than buying new.

  • FirstNameLastName on 14/05/2015 - 22:54

    It can be daunting but if you try some of these diy things, you may surprise yourself and you will take pleasure seeing the results day after day. (or, worst case you will try, lose some $ on materials and some sanity/hair).

    1. paint/plaster.
      if you do decide to paint and it's Se qld, let me know as i know a great painter who will fill the holes as he goes. he's cheap, quick and honest (I'm not actually friends with him, he did my house, and a bunch of my family's houses.)
      but filling in is pretty easy if they are simple holes.
      there are tonnes of youtube videos on this.
      bunnings also may run an instore diy lesson on this.. they do on a bunch of stuff.
      you'll then need to match some paint up, to paint over your patchwork.
      bunnings can instruct you on this.

    2. flooring, I've found this situation is common in townhouses.
      i guess cheap crap underlay is too.
      i guess do your own research online and instore.. and make sure you are there to see the good stuff being installed.
      it may be the actual substrate is cheap crap or loose, which is a big job to replace.

    3. i assume oven is built-in. you may get lucky and it may be simply plugged into a 15A powerpoint at the back, rather than hardwired in.
      if so, you can probably go to ikea and get one.. come back and plug it in. You would probably have to work on space it sits into a bit.

    If it is hardwired.. definitely get an electrician to replace it as you'll be uninsured and possibly dead if you have a housefire from your mistake. Probably not worth repair in any case.

    • scrimshaw on 14/05/2015 - 23:05

      Regarding the oven — yes, it's a built in type. The stove is gas, the oven is electric. We'd like to convert the gas stove to either induction or ceramic because a flat surface is super convenient to clean, and safety issues… and we don't really cook that much anyway.

      I do use the oven quite a bit though. I currently have a fan forced Westinghouse in my old house… it's a decent oven but doesn't really cook food through because it doesn't have bottom heating elements. Thinking my next oven should have bottom elements — is there something, electrical wise, that I have to upgrade If I choose a more powerful oven and a electric cooktop?

      Also: Should I splash out for a high-tech Westinghouse one with digital dials that resemble a Star Trek console or just a no-brand one with analogue dials?

      • FirstNameLastName on 14/05/2015 - 23:25

        i don't really know ovens so can't recommend.
        i bought my last one from ikea in the as-is section.. they sometimes have them there half-price.

        despite yours being built-in.. it still may be plug-in rather than directly wired.
        your next step should be to work out which yours is.
        i guess you could google for the manual, or pull it out and have a look, or look in the cupboards to the side of it for a powerpoint.
        that may alter your decision, on what you get.

        you'll probably save $$ if you get your oven, and get the cupboard ready yourself, so the electrician just has to wire it.
        mind you, you are supposed to have the electrician remove the old one too.
        (a nice electrician should only charge the one call out fee for this sort of job.. i'd hope).

  • pennae on 15/05/2015 - 01:18

    A subscription to Choice Magazine helps with purchasing decisions! Or access it a a library :) I'm sure there's more than just an oven you'll be after.

  • YTW on 16/05/2015 - 20:27

    Fixing the walls is easy. If you are looking to save money then definitely do that yourself - same with painting. Learning to do basic stuff like this will save you a fortune in the long run.

    Depending on the age and quality of the oven, you would probably be better with a replacement as at least you get a warranty that way. That said, if it's a high end oven and not very old then it could work out better to get it fixed. Try looking up your model and finding out more about it.

    Floors - just look up a couple of local carpet companies who do free quotes. I try to look up the local family run ones that aren't overly flash and paying huge franchisee fees. Get them out and ask what they would recommend to fix your issue and get a quote off them. I find once you start speaking to a few people in the trade it rapidly becomes clear what your options are and what your prices to do it will be. Make sure you get at least 3 quotes and find out the quality of the carpets (you can look up a lot of them online - there's often reviews) as there are a lot of cheap crappy ones out there these days.

  • FirstNameLastName on 16/05/2015 - 23:17

    regarding the noise upstairs.

    as upstairs is a part of your townhouse.. and you own it, can't you demand people only get around by doing parkour wall stunts, or by having cats strapped to their feet?

    perhaps wait a couple of months to see if you adjust to the noise.
    when you first buy a place, it's common to freak out about the small stuff, and things can get thrown out of perspective a bit.

    unless of course, the carpet is crap and needs replacing anyway.

    • scrimshaw on 17/05/2015 - 09:42

      I'm replacing the carpet with wooden flooring. Much easier cleaning.

      • FirstNameLastName on 17/05/2015 - 09:52

        ah cool idea. yeah you'll want the best underlay you can get then.. because wood flooring will amplify footsteps much more.

        it main walking areas.. hallway etc you can always throw down a rug if it's still too intense.

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