@Sofia Thorne Yeah that's pretty common to be honest Sofia, self leveller always seems to take more than you think once you find the low spots, so good thing you measured it up with the laser first and didn't find out halfway through the pour. I'd generally grab an extra bag on top of what you've worked out, because once you start it's pretty hard to stop and go get more, and you can usually take an unopened one back. With any materials I generally allow 10 to 15% for wastage when I'm ordering, it's saved me a lot of mad dashes over the years. Sounds like you've done all the prep the right way though. Hope it goes well, put a photo up when it's done, keen to see how it comes up.

@Sofia Thorne Looks like you did a great job there Sofia, and how good that you had a few bags spare. It's much better to be looking at them rather than looking for them, and you can usually take the unopened ones back. That's impressive if you estimated that by guessing on a job that size!! Going from 6mm to 8mm doesn't sound like much, but over a whole floor it adds up pretty quick. Now it's time to wait and let the compound work its magic and level out. Generally it's a couple of days curing time, but worth checking the bag for how long it wants before the flooring goes down. Once it's set, run a straight edge over it like I showed in the video and see how flat it's come up. I'm keen to see it once it's dry and once the floors have been laid.

@Sofia Thorne after our chat about plumber mistakes on the job, I thought I'd better put one of mine up.

@Jess Lange It's a bit hard to say what cheap looks like without knowing your budget, everyone's different, so if you can give me a rough number that'll help. But if it's only got to last a couple of years until you do it properly, the cheapest options are usually a paving paint over the tiles, or laying something on top like a roll of lino if it's under cover and stays dry. With the paint just be aware it can lift where it gets walked on a lot, so the prep matters. Another one is the clip together deck tiles, @Sofia Thorne just done her balcony with them and they came up really well. Fake grass is an option too but it's usually a bit more expensive. And good that the balustrade's on your list, I'd keep it there. Anyone else done a cheap fix on a landing or a patio? Keen to hear what's worked for you.

@Sofia Thorne Lucky the extension kit was available, but yeah that's super frustrating with the plumber. With the vanity, if it's possible to get the plumber to alter the pipes then that'd be my preference, because you keep the full drawer. But to be honest it's pretty common, if the pipes haven't been set back far enough or put into the wall, a little notch usually gets taken out of the back of the drawer. You do lose a little bit of drawer space, but it's another option. Four things on the one job is a lot though. Over the years I've been through a lot of trades, and I always give people the benefit of the doubt because everyone makes mistakes, but if the same things keep popping up over and over, I end up letting them go and finding someone new. For example, I had an electrician a few years ago and there were little things popping up on every job. First he chopped through an exposed copper pipe for the sink taps when chasing cables in plain sight, then he cut through structural timbers to run his cables, when the cables could have just gone on the face. He was always on the phone in his earpiece, so I don't think he was paying much attention. After that I let him go. The guy who does our electrical work now has been with us for a few years and his work is almost flawless. He's a little bit more expensive, but I'm happy to pay that, because it saves a lot of time, stress and headaches. so sometimes you just need to shop around to find the right people but you dont really know until you have given them a go. Let us know how you go with it.

@Teresa De Sousa Hey Teresa, great that you're starting out. And 100% agree, if it's your forever home you want it done once so you never have to touch it again. That's where spending a bit more on quality makes sense, because you're living with it long term, not chasing a return on a sale. Still worth keeping an eye on not overcapitalising, but durability counts for a lot more in your case. If you want to start small, the laundry is a good test run, it's the smallest of the lot. But if you can handle it, doing the laundry and one of the bathrooms at the same time usually works out cheaper. Plumber, tiler and deliveries all come once instead of a separate call out for every room. and if you have the option to do it all at once then that's the most efficient way in terms of cost and schedule. With four rooms on the list, Module 5 in the Classroom is worth a watch before you start. It's all about planning it out before anything gets ripped out.

@Jess Lange Amazing, sounds like you've got a lot to renovate there with 7 bedrooms. It's great that you're a quick learner and you're persistent and focussed, to be honest that matters more than anything right now. With the asbestos I'd definitely get a licensed asbestos removalist to do it, and once it's off you generally want to get the cladding straight back on so the house isn't left open. What other areas of the house are you planning on renovating?

@Jess Lange Yeah that's a really common one. Without knowing which rooms you're doing it's hard to say exactly, but generally I'd get the shell of the house right first, so the roof, the walls, the framework, anything structural. Then start on the parts that are going to have the most impact on how you live in it. If you can do a few things at once it usually helps with managing the trades and it can work out cheaper. So for example getting the plumber to disconnect the bathroom, the laundry and the kitchen all in the one visit, so you're not paying for 3 different call outs. I did a video on that for Michael, it's the Ask the Builder #1 post, worth a watch. If you tell me a bit more about what needs doing I can help you work out the order.