If you are a first timer, delving into the home improvement/house renovation world for the first time, you may want some help with the initial choosing of the house. Often your heart speaks louder than sense, but at a time like this, when there is so much money involved, it is important to suppress your heart somewhat and go with what the facts are saying.

Here, I’ve enlisted my top five tips when it comes to choosing the right renovation project:

1. The most important, and indeed obvious, thing to do when buying any home is to get a proper building report carried out by a professional building surveyor. This will highlight any structural defects the property may have and will simply save you from parting with your money on a house that is due to fall down next year. Some areas may offer additional property reports, often held at the local council offices. Ours were called LIM report and Property Bag. The LIM (Land Information Memorandum) basically told us everything the property had been through since it was built, i.e. any additions, extensions, refused permissions to build, past issues, etc. The Property Bag had the blueprints for the original house, details of how the septic tank was installed and operated and lots of other information on the building. I strongly recommend you view these or their equivalents, where available.

2. Are cosmetics the main problem with the house? Can you envisage the interior looking fantastic with just a new coat of paint and a new carpet? If so, this is looking good.

3. Get a second opinion. Take a friend or family member, preferably someone with DIY or renovation experience to have a look around the house with you. Ask them for their opinions and ideas. Attempt to suss out whether they would buy the property, if in your situation. Don’t try and cannonball them into agreeing to help at this stage! Save that for the house-warming…

4. Write down the first five or ten things you want to change and have a look online for some job costs. I know you will probably do the work yourself, but it’s a good idea to get a worse case scenario quote, just in case you decide against carrying out the work yourself.

5. What chattels are included in the sale? Often chattels will include the stove/cooker and an open fire/log burner. They usually won’t include paintings, vases or anything of this nature, even if the home isn’t lived in. Real estate agents often hire items like these in to assist with the sale. If you are going to be relying on any of these items being included in the sale, ensure you check they are in good working order. Also, from the time you declare the sale unconditional to the time you move in, try to make a final inspection visit. Check these items are still present and in the same condition.

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Even the most inexperienced with DIY will have spent some time down at their local DIY centre or store. The more experienced or addicted, probably spends every weekend or evening down there.

Whatever your level, there are a few things you can do to ensure you get the most out of your trip to your local DIY store. Here’s my top five tips:

1. Most stores will have an array of leaflets offering masses of DIY tips, how to advice, instructions and guidance. Pick up as many as you think will apply in the future and file them at home for when you need them. Some DIY centres will also offer free training classes, usually at weekends. These are excellent for learning the basics or gaining improvement tips. I also know of people who have been inspired for ideas from attending these.

2. The staff at your local DIY store will usually work there because they love DIY. Don’t be intimidated by them: Talk to them, make use of their knowledge and passions. You don’t have to buy anything to receive their advice.

3. Some stock is delicate and may be subject to breakages before it’s even been touched by a customer. A lot of damaged stock is thrown away each year, often just because nobody bought it. DIY stores can limit their loss by selling this damaged stock off cheap, so do not be afraid to ask! Split bags of compost, dented paint cans, broken paving slabs, broken terracotta pieces, wood offcuts are often available at a bargain price. Remember, it’s saving the store on waste collection costs, so don’t feel guilty about asking!

4. Be aware that demand for some items is a lot higher than others. Some nails and screws are regarded as ’specialised’ just because their length isn’t a particularly common one. If you are not after a specific item, look for the common size in the range. You will be able to spot these as they will have the lowest price per packet!

5. I hate to write one against the DIY stores, but it’s true that with a little thought, planning and time, you can make some items yourself, sometimes to a better standard. This often applies to mass produced wooden items like decorative planters. Use the store as your ideas showroom, then go away and search online for similar designs. You can save heaps this way.

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One thing I have always been a fan of is composting. Packing your food scraps up in bits of plastic and sending them to landfill really makes no sense, especially if you have a garden. Even an apple core still has useful nutrients locked up in it, so why pay for a bag of compost, or ten, when you can make your own?

I have already discussed our plans for the stretch of land down the side of the house in a previous post. This stretch of land also represented the perfect spot for a compost bin. I once lived in Surrey, England, and the local council sent us a free compost bin, but being a student household, we weren’t there long enough to benefit from it. Unfortunately, upon arrival at this house, Waitakere City Council did not furnish us with a free compost bin. A trip to the local shops also revealed them to cost around $50 NZD, which isn’t a massive cost for what it provides, but I wanted to do better. That’s when I spotted the plastic drum tucked down the side of the house. This plastic drum became our compost bin, which was a darn sight better than throwing the drum away and buying a new compost bin!

The first thing I did was cut both ends off the drum. Using an old saw, I scored a straight line, parallel with the top edge of the drum and then began to cut along it, removing the top. I then did the same with the bottom, leaving just the body of the drum, open at both ends.

A short length of leftover framing timber was cut into three cubes, roughly 10cm in length. I then used some old screws that I’d found elsewhere in the house to screw them to the body, roughly 2cm from the top, on the inside of the bin. These are to hold the lid of the bin.

I screwed a longer piece of framing timber into the bottom of the bin, to act as a handle. This made up the lid.

The final job was selecting a position for the compost bin. Due to the lid’s design, a sheltered place was preferable, as I didn’t want it collecting too much rain. It is also important, for the creation of compost, that the bin isn’t too cold.

Having selected a location, I drove the body of the bin into the ground slightly, by rotating it and pushing down at the same time. This helps with keeping it in position. I placed the lid on top and there it was! My own, home made, compost bin, made entirely from re-used materials.

The only thing I am not entirely happy with is the blue colour. Whilst this has been partly covered by the vine growth on the side, it has not completely solved this problem. Any ideas will be greatly accepted…

Tags: compost bin
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