Last Updated on May 9, 2026 by HodgePodgeDays
About a year ago I bought my first solo home. I was post-divorce and I’d never in my life had the privilege and pleasure of living by myself. So far it’s been a joyous 12 months, where I’ve been able to more or less decorate my house and organise my home exactly how I’d like it.
When I bought my house, it needed quite a lot doing to it. A friend kindly painted it from top to bottom for me. Another friend recommended a budget friendly handyman who helped out with some of the trickier things that were beyond my skill set. A terrible plumber replaced my boiler and fitted some radiators really badly, and the rest was mostly me, occasionally helped by my brother or my lovely partner (who lives in a different city and mostly pops up every other weekend to check I’m eating vegetables).
My teenage son is a reluctant assistant, though he does like helping me in the garden. Though in truth, it’s no garden. I’ve got a front and back yard, both pretty tiny, but that’s not stopping us from filling them with plants and flowers.
I’m not very good at looking at a problem and just ignoring it. If I spot something that needs sorting, I usually quickly google how to fix it, buy the things I need online and then set to work making my home a slightly better place. My budget is tiny, but each month I try to chip away at my to do list.
Last week, it was fixing some collapsing drawers, painting a corner by the front door where the dog had chipped the paint, fixing a fence panel where all the wood was falling off and potting up some nice herbs, so I can at least be self sufficient in herbs when the world bursts into flames.
When I moved in, I was constantly finding things that were wrong and then patiently waiting for my long distance partner to come and fix it, which is no way to have a relationship. He’s in my life so we can show each other a good time, not to spend his time with me elbow deep in a toolbox. There are some things I do need his help with, but, you know, I’m a grown up and I’m discovering that I’m actually remarkably capable. There’s also quite a lot of pride to be found in doing things your-bloody-self.
For years I’d been told that I couldn’t possibly live alone. I wouldn’t cope. I needed someone to fix all of the things and do all the man stuff and the DIY. It turns out, I can manage to do the bins all by myself, and I can fix things around the house too, and the man stuff I wasn’t thought capable of is just stuff, and I can do it.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, I’ve decided I might start blogging about my DIY and home improvement exploits. In the last year, I’ve made a warm and welcoming home, and in so many ways it’s still a work in progress, and I’d like to share that with you.
Note: The photos in this post are just snaps I took last year when I was desperately scrabbling to make my house a nice place to live before I had to leave our rental property. Teenage son helped a lot!