Monday 13 August
Over the weekend, I have emailed the man uncharge with details of the doors and windows I would like installed on the garden elevation of the new, extended dining/living room, when the extension is completed.
They are a "frameless" design with bars only at the top and bottom so nothing of any substance to interrupt views into the garden, just the junction of two leaves of glass on the main door. Both will open outwards, hinged to fold back at either end of the deck so there will nothing to get in the way of the sitting out area when the doors/window are open.
In the morning, the guys arrive and the installation of steelwork continues...this time, it's the steel beam in the old dining room which will enable the complete removal of what's left of an old chimney breast. The beam will span the length of the room, with two steel bars connected at right angles to the main beam. These will support the chimney breast on the upper floors which is to be retained.
I leave the guys getting on with this job and head off in the afternoon for a work-related trip to Guernsey for a few days...wondering what will greet me on my return...
Wednesday 15 August
I'm back early evening from working in the Channel Islands and curious to see what's happened while I've been away - the first time I've deserted the house while building work has been in progress....
The third steel beam has been installed in my absence. This one spans the width of the old dining room, close to the party wall so as to support the chimney breast on the upper floors when the remains of the chimney breast are removed on the ground floor.
However, it doesn't look like its been installed in the right place - too far below the ceiling level and too close to the party wall. As installed, it will not support the solid hearth in the bedroom above which projects forward of the chimney breast itself. There is also a gap between the top of the steel and the ceiling/floor joists above, so the structures its supposed to support will be sitting on thin air, unless they back fill above the beam - something that wouldn't be necessary had it been tight below the ceiling, sitting on top of the cross beam, rather than connected to it at the same level.
The way its been done doesn't accord with either the architect's drawings or the structural engineers details either....
However, there's been some other progress. They have started removing part of the chimney breast in the old kitchen, and some more of the internal wall between the old kitchen and former dining room. The space is beginning to open up at last!
I just about have the energy to text the man in charge about the misplaced steel beam before calling it a night.
Thursday 16 August
Today has been a day of noises: banging, thumping and grinding, on and off for most of the day. As a result, I was expecting to see huge changes when I finally ventured downstairs after the guys had gone. However, it was difficult to spot the difference at first. Then I noticed that the first gallows bracket has gone up in the old kitchen. One more to go, then the remains of the this part of the chimney breast can be removed, leaving the main structure in place.
Then I noticed that the big steel beams which have been installed are now bolted together so much stronger and more stable. Yay!
I have also paid the third invoice - or at least most of it. Some money has been held back as there is still structural work to complete. The balance will be paid when it's all done.
I'm beginning to look ahead a bit more now. Some tile samples arrived while I was away. Although I've chosen the floor finish for the open plan kitchen/ dining/ living room, I'm still considering how to treat the entrance hall floor and the lobby serving the coat store and downstairs WC/utility room. These samples might help me decide! And the tap I had chosen for the new wash basin in the loft was delivered today. A tall, sleek, slimline number, which will go well with the contemporary Italian design of the wash basin, I hope!
Friday 17 August
The day started with a visit from the man in charge to look at the steel beam which hasn't been installed in the position shown on the architects drawing. We have sorted out a way of dealing with it without having to take the beam out and reposition it, which would have been very disruptive. Provided they do the necessary remedial work, all will be OK. See what happens when I go away and leave the guys to get on with it? At least its not a disaster....
Later in the day, the plant hire man came to take away the beam lift. I assume this means they can lift the lintels into place over the new doors and window using muscle power alone. At least there's a little bit more space now in the old kitchen to move around...
Sounds off during the day suggested a lot of work was going on downstairs, while I was working upstairs. But it was "spot the difference" time when the guys left and I got to see what had been going on. All that effort and the end result is a second gallows bracket now in place and a bit more of the chimney breast removed in the old kitchen. But looking at the photo, the two brackets appear to be at different heights. That's not good...Need to check that again in the cold light of day....
However, it's fascinating to see the smoke blackened interior of the old chimney flue exposed for the first time since it was built in 1906! I also noticed a modern flue liner still in place in the main chimney. This flue liner used to serve our first central heater boiler, a floor standing model which had been installed in the late 1970s. All being well, the liner can be used again if and when I put a wood burning-type stove (but actually run on gas) into the fireplace at some point in the future, should the new underfloor heating yet to be installed prove to be inadequate.
So here we are again at the end of another week - now 11 weeks since work was due to start in early June. The revised programme has already slipped by a whole week, as all the structural steelwork was due to finish last Friday.
However, I think things will move forward next week. The roof is due to go on the extension. The Velux roof lights have been ordered, paid for and should be on their way. The half gabled end of the extension's garden elevation ought to be finished, so that the man in charge can measure up for the new window and garden doors, which were scheduled to be ordered today according to the revised programme. The week's slippage means that it will be now next week at the earliest. But as a friend reminded me...On a building project you can be sure of two things. It will take longer and cost more than planned. Such is life...
...But we are getting tantalisingly close to the tipping point when the destructive phase of the project (at ground floor level at least) will be over and the building back up phase will begin. I'm looking forward too that!
Over the weekend, I have emailed the man uncharge with details of the doors and windows I would like installed on the garden elevation of the new, extended dining/living room, when the extension is completed.
They are a "frameless" design with bars only at the top and bottom so nothing of any substance to interrupt views into the garden, just the junction of two leaves of glass on the main door. Both will open outwards, hinged to fold back at either end of the deck so there will nothing to get in the way of the sitting out area when the doors/window are open.
In the morning, the guys arrive and the installation of steelwork continues...this time, it's the steel beam in the old dining room which will enable the complete removal of what's left of an old chimney breast. The beam will span the length of the room, with two steel bars connected at right angles to the main beam. These will support the chimney breast on the upper floors which is to be retained.
I leave the guys getting on with this job and head off in the afternoon for a work-related trip to Guernsey for a few days...wondering what will greet me on my return...
Wednesday 15 August
I'm back early evening from working in the Channel Islands and curious to see what's happened while I've been away - the first time I've deserted the house while building work has been in progress....
The third steel beam has been installed in my absence. This one spans the width of the old dining room, close to the party wall so as to support the chimney breast on the upper floors when the remains of the chimney breast are removed on the ground floor.
However, it doesn't look like its been installed in the right place - too far below the ceiling level and too close to the party wall. As installed, it will not support the solid hearth in the bedroom above which projects forward of the chimney breast itself. There is also a gap between the top of the steel and the ceiling/floor joists above, so the structures its supposed to support will be sitting on thin air, unless they back fill above the beam - something that wouldn't be necessary had it been tight below the ceiling, sitting on top of the cross beam, rather than connected to it at the same level.
The way its been done doesn't accord with either the architect's drawings or the structural engineers details either....
However, there's been some other progress. They have started removing part of the chimney breast in the old kitchen, and some more of the internal wall between the old kitchen and former dining room. The space is beginning to open up at last!
I just about have the energy to text the man in charge about the misplaced steel beam before calling it a night.
Thursday 16 August
Today has been a day of noises: banging, thumping and grinding, on and off for most of the day. As a result, I was expecting to see huge changes when I finally ventured downstairs after the guys had gone. However, it was difficult to spot the difference at first. Then I noticed that the first gallows bracket has gone up in the old kitchen. One more to go, then the remains of the this part of the chimney breast can be removed, leaving the main structure in place.
Then I noticed that the big steel beams which have been installed are now bolted together so much stronger and more stable. Yay!
I have also paid the third invoice - or at least most of it. Some money has been held back as there is still structural work to complete. The balance will be paid when it's all done.
I'm beginning to look ahead a bit more now. Some tile samples arrived while I was away. Although I've chosen the floor finish for the open plan kitchen/ dining/ living room, I'm still considering how to treat the entrance hall floor and the lobby serving the coat store and downstairs WC/utility room. These samples might help me decide! And the tap I had chosen for the new wash basin in the loft was delivered today. A tall, sleek, slimline number, which will go well with the contemporary Italian design of the wash basin, I hope!
Friday 17 August
The day started with a visit from the man in charge to look at the steel beam which hasn't been installed in the position shown on the architects drawing. We have sorted out a way of dealing with it without having to take the beam out and reposition it, which would have been very disruptive. Provided they do the necessary remedial work, all will be OK. See what happens when I go away and leave the guys to get on with it? At least its not a disaster....
Later in the day, the plant hire man came to take away the beam lift. I assume this means they can lift the lintels into place over the new doors and window using muscle power alone. At least there's a little bit more space now in the old kitchen to move around...
Sounds off during the day suggested a lot of work was going on downstairs, while I was working upstairs. But it was "spot the difference" time when the guys left and I got to see what had been going on. All that effort and the end result is a second gallows bracket now in place and a bit more of the chimney breast removed in the old kitchen. But looking at the photo, the two brackets appear to be at different heights. That's not good...Need to check that again in the cold light of day....
However, it's fascinating to see the smoke blackened interior of the old chimney flue exposed for the first time since it was built in 1906! I also noticed a modern flue liner still in place in the main chimney. This flue liner used to serve our first central heater boiler, a floor standing model which had been installed in the late 1970s. All being well, the liner can be used again if and when I put a wood burning-type stove (but actually run on gas) into the fireplace at some point in the future, should the new underfloor heating yet to be installed prove to be inadequate.
So here we are again at the end of another week - now 11 weeks since work was due to start in early June. The revised programme has already slipped by a whole week, as all the structural steelwork was due to finish last Friday.
However, I think things will move forward next week. The roof is due to go on the extension. The Velux roof lights have been ordered, paid for and should be on their way. The half gabled end of the extension's garden elevation ought to be finished, so that the man in charge can measure up for the new window and garden doors, which were scheduled to be ordered today according to the revised programme. The week's slippage means that it will be now next week at the earliest. But as a friend reminded me...On a building project you can be sure of two things. It will take longer and cost more than planned. Such is life...
...But we are getting tantalisingly close to the tipping point when the destructive phase of the project (at ground floor level at least) will be over and the building back up phase will begin. I'm looking forward too that!
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