Plaskitts' Column

All Gone

A different look to the column this week. We are writing surrounded by packing crates in our home office. Next week we will have left Strensall and headed back into the City of York to our Monkgate 'mansion'.

Research shows that moving house is nearly as stressful as divorce. Having moved house seven times since 1980 we should be gibbering wrecks but we are pleased to say we are as excited as two children on Christmas morning.

Our working lives revolve around creating homes for other people so it is a brilliant challenge to work on our own home for a change.

This time the move has been the most radical. We have decided to sell the contents of our house to enable us to start with a clean sheet of (design) paper. We thought new millennium, new home, new look.

But the next dilemma was how to clear the house. To the rescue came auctioneer Tim Summersgill and his lovely sister Nicky from Summersgills Auctioneers (tel 01904 791131).

We felt a little intimidated having strangers assessing some of our most personal and quite humble possessions but Tim immediately put us at our ease. We did not own anything that the Antiques Roadshow would have entertained, but many decorative items that had been bought with thought and a lot of love over the years.

Some friends were horrified when they found out what we were doing, others thought we were brave and the rest thought we were just plain crazy. When the day dawned for everything to be taken away we felt a great deal of trepidation. Then, suddenly it was all over, the van was packed and a chunk of our lives drove off down the road.

Our tips on auctions

1 Never bid for items you have not inspected first, even if they appear to be going cheap, it could be an expensive mistake.

2 Have a good look round and carefully note the lots you are interested in and make a note of how much you think they are worth to you.

3 Always check to see if there is a 'Buyers Premium', this is usually between five to ten per cent on top of the hammer price.

4 Leave a bid with the auctioneer if you're unable to attend the sale in person and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf.

5 Set yourself a budget, decide what you want to pay and stick to it. Don't get carried away, if someone is bidding against you the sky is the limit, so be careful.

6 If you decide to sell items at auction take the advice of a good firm of auctioneers. The great incentive for the auctioneer is the more he gets for the goods the more commission he earns.

PS: Our auction will be at Huby Village Hall on February 12

Each week we will answer your interior design queries. We cannot reply individually so please do not send an sae. We aim to ensure that all products and companies mentioned are reputable, but readers must deal with them and follow advice in this column at their own risk. Write to Plaskitt & Plaskitt, 8 Walmgate, York,Y01 9TJ.