I eventually got the keys from the agent yesterday morning at half eleven, having to go into their offices in stony Stratford to get them. I was aware that the checkout (if indeed it was happening) was taking place at 9.30am so I took myself to the gym first thing because knowing how impatient I am, I knew I would be at home tapping my fingers. The agent looked nervous when I went in and mentioned that the flat was riddled in damp. Now we knew there was a problem in the bathroom but not anywhere else. I wasn’t unduly concerned, I was glad after all this time waiting, to finally have the keys in my grubby hands.
After coming out of the office I drove straight to Oldbrook to inspect for myself. It’s been a couple of years since we viewed Derek’s flat shortly after he had refurbished so I was disappointed after it being tenanted for that time, to see its condition. It obviously hadn’t been loved or cherished and the nightmare tenant certainly hadn’t ventilated. How she could live in it with a small baby plus another child I do not know, the mould was disgusting. I’m always a little overwhelmed when I start a project especially when it’s so bad that you don’t know where to start, but usually my mood improves once I get stuck in and I get some inspiration.
Yesterday afternoon after a fish and chips lunch with Phil I went straight back around to the flat and got stuck in. I started in the kitchen with the mould cleaner, spraying and scrubbing the ceilings, certainly not an easy walking on top of the kitchen units. Also I sprayed quite liberally and inhaled quite a lot of the stuff. Before going to the flat, I had the forethought to go to B&Q to buy mould remover and whilst I was there, I got a tin of special mould paint. Not cheap at 32 quid a tin but very necessary. I certainly have got my work cut out in this flat.
Phil came to the flat straight after work, the first thing he did was measure up so he can draw up the flat. He always does this when we get a flat, you won’t believe how handy this is and we use it the plans for all kinds of things. Phil took down all the mould infested blinds for me so I can get my toothbrush and the mould inhibitor and scrub the PVC windows. I wanted to miss the rush hour traffic so I took off my rubber gloves and left him to assess what needs doing. There is quite a bit of work; we need to take down the wall between the bathroom and storage cupboard because it is very damp from the shower leaking. We will need to rebuild it to a least a metre high and maybe we will need to replace the bathroom. The French doors in the lounge and the kitchen door are rotten so they will need replacing. The whole place needs redecorating, we need to fit all new blinds and replace all the light fittings. All of the fences need painting and the outside landscaping needs addressing. I suppose it could be worse.
It’s going to be a while before I can start painting. My plan is to remove the mould in every room, then air and ventilate followed by a thorough clean with bleach. This will probably take me all of today; the trouble with mould is that you not only have to get rid of it, but you also need to get rid of all the spores in the air and clean every surface area, and by this I mean everything. If all goes well, I should be able to start with the mould paint. It’s too expensive to use on all the walls and ceilings so I shall cover the worst affected mould areas then fill the rest of the walls with my usual emulsion. Forgive me for such a short post, but lady of leisure no more; there is much to be done and I must get to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment