Best place to buy, bedding, towels etc in UK

[Bellywobble]

Nuthatch, can you explain what the M&S cashback site is please?

[Nuthatch]

There's lots of cashback sites but I use topcashback(co.uk). You just click through to the M&S site from topcashback and order stuff in the normal way. Somehow the M&S site knows you've clicked through from the cashback site and logs the transaction and you get your % back via the cashback site. It takes a few weeks, though.

When we converted our barn into a holiday rental I bought everything I possibly could through the site (bathroom fittings, furnishings, linens etc) and got a few hundred quid back! (Likewise, I used my Tesco clubcard credit card to pay for everything and got a free holiday on clubcard points!)

I don't think I could be bothered for just a few quid but if you're spending a lot of money I think it's worth it.

[kendalcottages]

Another vote for Dunelm here. We went for their hotel range.

[Moira]

We're just buying another property and when I was looking at King of Cotton in relation to our earlier discussion I had a look at their zip and link beds. Came across this website tonight, may be of interest to King of Cotton fans. Another voucher site
http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/discoun ... tton.co.uk

I usually use Quidco for discounts.

[Blue Shutters]

Out of Eden for very deep fitted king and super king sheets.....

[Val]

I've just bought some lovely duvet sets, valance sheets and extra pillow cases from TJ Hughes. We live in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. The single duvet sets, for example, were only £5.99, really nice 'Country Cottage' style.
Also, if you have them where you are, B&M Bargains are good, also Wilkinsons. And Home Bargains.

We're thinking of putting an offer in on our first holiday let on Thursday, when we're due to go for a second viewing on a Barn conversion. Am not sleeping too well at the moment due to thinking about this all the time.

[Blue Shutters]

Hi Val and welcome There are some great tips there, thank you.

Just to say that the "not sleeping" bit is normal, it was for us, I still feel very "new" to the business eventhough we have just completed our 2nd season.

These forums have a wealth of information, use the search facility, and it would be lovely to know about your potential purchase, where is it? There is a "Just Starting Out" forum and country specific ones as well.

Join in and good luck!

[Val]

Hello Moira, and it's nice to be in touch.

The place we're interested in is an-about-to-be-completed barn conversion in Burton , on the Wirral. It's a very tranquil, peaceful place overlooking an RSPB nature reserve.
As it's not yet finished, we'll have input into the finish, for example we've asking for wood floors rather than carpet, and for plumbing for a dishwasher, whereas there wasn't any before.

Tomorrow's the day of the second viewing! One more (broken) sleep before we put in an offer!
We've re-mortgaged the house; hope we're not entirely insane. but reading throught this forum a lot of people have raised the finance this way.

[Blue Shutters]

That sounds wonderful, I know the Wirral quite well, brought up near Chester, lovely nature reserves. Certainly a dream to finish off a barn conversion....you can tailor it specifically for rental market.

Yes, a lot of "us nutters" (I'd better just speak for ourselves) remortgage, in our case so that hopefully it will be our pension if we ever manage to pay for it, and can be used in the meantime too

[greenbarn]

Definitely sounds good!

If you can still influence the finish, a couple of thoughts from our experience of converting our barn for holiday lets.

Think maintenance - ease of cleaning and longer term, as in your decision to avoid carpet. Rather than tiles, we opted for wetwall panelling; expensive, but infinitely easier to clean at a changeover, and no grout lines to discolour.

We avoided fully integrated kitchen appliances where possible. They look great, but a real headache if you need to swap one out. When it becomes necessary, I can horse out the dishwasher, washing machine, fridge etc etc and replace in about 20 minutes, and can be pretty sure to be able to get a machine that will be a direct replacement the same day - even on a Sunday changeover. Fitting a fully integrated (which is usually more difficult to lay hands on in a hurry, and requires checking that it's correct for the size of the existing door panel) is time consuming, swapping the door panel even more so. The one I did in our house took me the best part of a day (including mistakes!) Oven and hob are far less of an issue. BTW - look at touch control hobs if electric - no knobs for muck to collect under.

We put in whirlpool baths - not a huge amount more expensive when installing from scratch, and becoming more commonplace and less of a luxury item. They're welcomed by walkers (and birdwatchers!) as is a decent shower with a thermostatic valve and some pressure behind it, and not an electric dribble machine stuck on the wall.

Those are a few thoughts - there's plenty more, but in summary it's a case of bite the bullet and spend up front to avoid later disruption when you're up and running and you don't want to be forced to close for a couple of weeks, or get an expensive tradesman in on a weekend.

Have fun!

ps Being insane is not a disadvantage in this business! Just read a random selection of postings.......

[Val]

These are excellent tips. I'm so pleased I've found this website!

[courch1850]

Hello everyone!

How many towels do you provide per person? We're in a ski resort so I assume people take a shower here more often (e.g. in the morning and after the skiing).

Curious what your thoughts are.

Best,

Michael

[Hells Bells]

Michael , welcome to LMH, I don't think skiers shower any more often than mountain bikers do in summer, or people in a hotter environment who are lying around the pool all day.