The Council pledged to invest over £450m in works to make council housing meet the Lambeth Housing Standard (LHS) agreed by residents. Works to improve homes in 2017/18 include electrical wiring upgraded to meet all modern safety standards in many homes, plus updated kitchens and bathrooms.
Valencia explains why it’s important to see past any worries you might have about building work in your home and keep looking forward to the completed work.
All’s well that ends well
“First of all I nearly went crazy with all that drilling and dust, and not being able to take my regular showers. For meals, I just had the microwave on top of the fridge in the living room. I could have planned it better. But you know what? After 15 days my beautiful kitchen and bathroom made it worth every headache.”
Dedicated to the task
“If they’d done a bad job I’d be the first to complain – but they were truly dedicated to the task. They worked through the day, only stopping for a cold drink – which they’d brought themselves – and they always cleaned up after themselves and said good night politely. I kept saying ‘drink more water, stay hydrated!’ That didn’t help my diet much as I had bought coffee and biscuits for them and ended up eating all the chocolate biscuits myself – alas, I could not resist.
More than a facelift
“Before they came, I had mismatched kitchen cupboards and a worktop where you could see a piece had been added. I got more than a facelift, they moved the WC just a tiny bit so my leg isn’t right by the radiator now, and reorganised the cupboards to make things easier to reach.
Finishing touches
“Romero, the handyman, took so much care finishing up. I peeked in and he was checking that all the screws in the kitchen cupboards were tightened, and that the door runs smoothly. When he was finished, I told him my kitchen should be in a magazine, that’s how lovely it looks. If I’d paid for this out of my own pocket I’d still be happy.”
