Divan Inspiration
A few weeks ago, I though that maybe I should get another bed base. I got a new mattress last year, but when I was turning it this srping, I noticed how lumpy and worn the old divan base was. I thought I might as well stick with what I knew, so I started looking for a sprung divan on legs. I wanted legs, rather than drawers, so I can go on storing large and awkwardly shaped things under the bed, that probably wouldn't fit into drawers.
Well, it turns out that the divan base on legs has gone out of fashion; there was barely one to be seen. In desperation, I ordered something from a website, described as a solid frame base on legs. With delivery date confirmed, I contacted Chris, who agreed to take the old base and headboard away in his estate car. Well, I should have checked more carefully with the sellers, because when it arrived, and I'd lugged it all up one flight of stairs on my own, I discovered it was a solid, platform top, not a sprung divan.
I wanted something with a bit more give, so after somethough, decided to return it. There was nothing actually wrong with it, so the seller said the charge for them to collect was £70 - more than half the cost of the base and headboard put together. So I contacted Chris and we made new plans, to return it to the sellers, based near Leeds, on the Saturday. I emailed them thus, and they replied to say that it was their store that was open Sat - the warehouse I needed to return it to was only open Mon-Fri. And as Chris works full time, he clearly couldn't do this. So called Chris yet again, to cancel this arrangement.
Meantime, I'd discovered a site called AnyVan, which acts as an agency for Man With Van business. You put in that you want X moved from A to B, and Men With Vans bid for the contract. I used it, and got a deal, which with the welcome voucher, meant I could get everything returned for £30. A bit of an ouch, but way less than the company wanted to charge, and I should have checked the details of the cheap divan base properly before ordering. The Man With Van and wife were very nice and helpful. The unwanted stuff went back to deepest West Yorkshire and I got my money back a couple of days later.
I gave up on the idea of a sprung divan on legs, as they don't seem to exist, and decided to go for a bed frame with sprung slats. After due consideration, I chose a wooden one, in a 'honey oak' colour - I didn't want white, black or pine, and this stained rubberwood seemed like the best affordable option for me. What's more, it was actually cheaper than the previous divan/headboard combo. It arrived today, and I set about the laborious process of dismantling old bed and erecting the new one, all within the confines of my flat. I managed to move the old headboard and base into the living room; cautiously in the case of the divan, as one of the broken springs is poking through the fabric and is rather sharp. A while later, I gathered the energy to drag the boxes containing the new frame into the bedroom, and began assembly.
Partway through Step One (headboard and footboard), I decided it made sense to call Iain B and ask him to come and help. The instructions did say two person assembly, after all. Together, we got it assembled and Iain's extra strength came in most useful for getting the bolts really tight, and for ramming the slats into place. Then the mattress went on top and I tested it by lying down.
This was a slight mistake, as I then had to make the effort to get up again, but I did, and we had a cuppa and a natter. Iain left an hour or so later, clutching my DVD of The Gamers 2, to watch. I threw the duvet and pillow back on the bed, and tidied away toolkits etc, and put stuff away under the new bed. I still have the old divan and headboard cluttering up the living room, until Chris can come and take them to the tip, later this week, but it will all be worth it in the end.
Yes it will.
Well, it turns out that the divan base on legs has gone out of fashion; there was barely one to be seen. In desperation, I ordered something from a website, described as a solid frame base on legs. With delivery date confirmed, I contacted Chris, who agreed to take the old base and headboard away in his estate car. Well, I should have checked more carefully with the sellers, because when it arrived, and I'd lugged it all up one flight of stairs on my own, I discovered it was a solid, platform top, not a sprung divan.
I wanted something with a bit more give, so after somethough, decided to return it. There was nothing actually wrong with it, so the seller said the charge for them to collect was £70 - more than half the cost of the base and headboard put together. So I contacted Chris and we made new plans, to return it to the sellers, based near Leeds, on the Saturday. I emailed them thus, and they replied to say that it was their store that was open Sat - the warehouse I needed to return it to was only open Mon-Fri. And as Chris works full time, he clearly couldn't do this. So called Chris yet again, to cancel this arrangement.
Meantime, I'd discovered a site called AnyVan, which acts as an agency for Man With Van business. You put in that you want X moved from A to B, and Men With Vans bid for the contract. I used it, and got a deal, which with the welcome voucher, meant I could get everything returned for £30. A bit of an ouch, but way less than the company wanted to charge, and I should have checked the details of the cheap divan base properly before ordering. The Man With Van and wife were very nice and helpful. The unwanted stuff went back to deepest West Yorkshire and I got my money back a couple of days later.
I gave up on the idea of a sprung divan on legs, as they don't seem to exist, and decided to go for a bed frame with sprung slats. After due consideration, I chose a wooden one, in a 'honey oak' colour - I didn't want white, black or pine, and this stained rubberwood seemed like the best affordable option for me. What's more, it was actually cheaper than the previous divan/headboard combo. It arrived today, and I set about the laborious process of dismantling old bed and erecting the new one, all within the confines of my flat. I managed to move the old headboard and base into the living room; cautiously in the case of the divan, as one of the broken springs is poking through the fabric and is rather sharp. A while later, I gathered the energy to drag the boxes containing the new frame into the bedroom, and began assembly.
Partway through Step One (headboard and footboard), I decided it made sense to call Iain B and ask him to come and help. The instructions did say two person assembly, after all. Together, we got it assembled and Iain's extra strength came in most useful for getting the bolts really tight, and for ramming the slats into place. Then the mattress went on top and I tested it by lying down.
This was a slight mistake, as I then had to make the effort to get up again, but I did, and we had a cuppa and a natter. Iain left an hour or so later, clutching my DVD of The Gamers 2, to watch. I threw the duvet and pillow back on the bed, and tidied away toolkits etc, and put stuff away under the new bed. I still have the old divan and headboard cluttering up the living room, until Chris can come and take them to the tip, later this week, but it will all be worth it in the end.
Yes it will.