I am going to do a similar thing to Liz. I too have always left the garden tidying until after winter so that the birds have a bit of shelter and maybe a little extra food too.

The skip will probably be January or February, as I will be down under for most of March. After Christmas I am going to rip off the kitchen floor covering and have a look at exactly what and where the damp is. Some may be condensation, so I am going to give it a good clean, and air it off. Then I am going to get a structural surveyor in to try and find out exactly what's going on, and what I can do about it. I am also considering ripping out the old kitchen units from the garage/workshop, as I don't need it like that - stuff just gets dumped there. Also I am not likely to use the big vice in the near future, and most of what I need could be stored in a purpose-made store, which could then move with me. I am also getting a big delivery of logs soon, and they will need to go somewhere, as will the sofa (see next para).

Hopefully, if I can get that sorted, most of what's left to do will be refurb and decorating, although I do have to get rid of the sofa (via the front window, frame out and all) so that it can all be replastered and set back in before the finishing off is done!

Today I intend getting the decorations out of the loft and having a good sort out. I never use them all, so a good chuck-out will help there. I think a shovel would clear a lot of the general sh*te lying around the place at the moment!

Andrea