Things I learnt:

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1. It's worth getting one of the rooms to a liveable standard. You never know when you are going to need it. It doesn't have to be perfect but should be comfortable. I wish i'd done this in retrospect, maybe a bit of off-cut carpet foam underlay put down, an off-cut carpet, a couple of pallets to raise a mattress off the floor, mattress etc. Just in case you ever need to spend time on site unexpectedly.

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2. On that note, do not, NOT be tempted ever to touch insulation rolls or perhaps, use it as padding for under your mattress. As soft as it looks, insulation is actually made of fibreglass and will make you very very very ill indeed as the microfibres get into your lungs.

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3. If you are moving into or doing up an uncompleted project with teens or kids, prioritise wifi & TV. Kids are resilient. But they will need escapism from the fact that there will be dust EVERYWHERE and bare floors and unfinished plumbing. TV is cheap escapism. You can go back to wholesome, no-TV upbringing after your project is complete.

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4. If you need things done urgently, be open with the tradesmen. The carpet fitter rearranged their schedule to fit me in 3 weeks early just to provide us with one carpeted room so that at least one room was cosy.

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5. When tradesmen are nice to you, be nice back. In fact, be nice first. I always offer tea/coffee, biscuits, cake, even a sandwich. They always, always appreciate it and will do you more favours than they have to.

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6. Never delay paying the tradesmen: even if their invoice states payment within 28 days. If you have the funds, endeavour to pay them on the day. They will subsequently prioritise you/ your projects in future. Treat them as you would like to be treated. Ask for their names and use it when you speak to them

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7. With some care, you can do some of the very minor improvements yourself (provided you are fairly sensible and a little practical). Spending £150-£200 on simple tools like a drill, hammer, and a not so simple saw, will save you £200-£300 a day in getting in someone to do relatively straightworward tasks. Obviously do not use an electric saw if you are clumsy. It can go horribly wrong very quickly. In fact, leave it all alone if you are accident prone. Ive had years of building internal wooden frames for large or heavy cakes so I am fairly comfortable with a drill and hammer. The electric saw was a slightly uncomfortable step for me and Ive only used it once.

Note: never knock any nails or holes into a wall directly above a plug socket. The electricity wires run in a straight line above (and maybe below) sockets.​​