Monday 11 February
The kitchen designer has returned to sort out the few remaining bits and pieces.
One of the bespoke units now has an extra shelf (there should have been two extra shelves, so he'll be back again...) and tidy up the base of the interior which had to be adapted to fit behind the standard kitchen carcass units while making best use of the space. The glasses will eventually be housed in a new sideboard which won't arrive until mid March, but this cupboard makes a good temporary home.
He also fitted a vent in the plinth below the fridge freezer unit, just in case the lack of adequate ventilation is the cause of the freezer temperature dropping below 18C every few days. However, the problem persists, so an engineer from Miele is coming to take a look at it next week.
He's also adjusted the doors of one of the wall cupboards so that its now aligned better....
..and got rid of some of the pencil scribbles un the under side of other wall cabinets which were reflected in the mirror glass splash backs.
He'll be back as soon as the one remaining shelf for the bespoke unit has been made to size and is ready to fit. I hope that then he'll arrange to have the masons fill the very small gap where the two bits of worktop join. With wear and tear since installation, it has opening up slightly (either that, or the filling has shrunk). It's a small thing, easily fixable.
Then that will be that on the kitchen front, although I'll still be organising - or reorganising - the storage space as a few more things get unpacked (there are still some odds and ends in boxes) and fitting the under sink waste and recycling bin unit which is on its way.
Tuesday 12 February
I had a meeting with my accountant first thing this morning (hello Victoria!) so asked "Dad builder" to arrive late morning, around the same time as my son who is here for the day to help me shift heavy things ready for the first phase of floor finishing in the dining area tomorrow.
The floor tiles have been delivered and dad builder helped me move them inside and cut up the palettes they were delivered on so I can offer as firewood on Freegle.
Still waiting for the plywood shelves...However, I have put up a rail in one of the narrow cupboards in the utility/WC where the broom, mop, ironing board etc are stored so its not so jumbled now and things are easier to get at.
By the close of business, dad builder has filled all the holes in the loft and finished off some strips of plastering by the shower door and door into the room which were probably left because they were thin and difficult to get at. He's also managed to remove most of the silicone spilt on the glazed panel between the shower and the loft loo, switched round hot and cold water feeds which had been put in to Polish standard with hot on the right rather than the English standard with hot water on the left, and adjusted the bath panel to fit around the new pipework. The list of snags is gradually being ticked off!
Between us, son and I have cleared the dining area ready for a layer of latex to go down tomorrow and moved some of the big pots in the garden back on to the deck (too heavy for me to lift on my own).
The rest of the house is cluttered up again the things now that have been moved out of the dining area, but we are ready for the floor fitter to come tomorrow.
Wednesday 13 February
The first phase of finishing the floor in the dining area is done. Already looks better for a thin layer of latex to smooth out the bumps. Everything is now ready for the floor tiles to be laid once a bit of remedial work is done where necessary and the whole lot smoothed off. I rather like it like this, but the shine will go as the latex dries out and the colour will be lighter. Shiny floors are too much like hard work to keep clean and looking good, so I'm using the same tile as in the kitchen area which is very forgiving and feels good underfoot.
The waste/recycling bin unit for under the kitchen sink has been delivered and I have fitted it. There are three compartments (food waste, recyclables and the rest) plus the drip tray on top provides space on top for dishwasher salt, tablets and cleaning materials. Very organised!
That's a much better and more efficient use of the space than the old peddle bin and food caddy that was there before. I'm glad I didn't believe the builder when he said he didn't think it could be done...
Still no sign of the plywood shelving, so I've phoned up the suppliers to chivvy then along. They were ordered on 4 February...So much for delivery in 3-5 working days.
Thursday 14 February
I've spent most of Valentines Day with the floor fitters. By close of business, the final floor finish in the dining area has been completed. Looking really good!
Just a couple of flies in the ointment....the process of smoothing the latex sub-floor created a huge amount of dust. More housework to clean everything!
The floor fitter was unable to finish the cill under the single door/window opening into the garden using the tile, so that will be another item added to the builder's snag list...
...plus one unanticipated thing - with the floor finish adding another 10mm or so to the hight of the floor, the doors on the bespoke cupboard units which open in to this area will no longer open fully when the sisal mat is in place. Will have to think about how to deal with that...probably a new, slightly smaller mat...
Friday 15 February
I have kept myself busy today, rather than think about the anniversary of a sad life event. As it happens, there was a lot to do anyway...With more help from son who arrived back last night after a few days in his own home, we have put up the plywood shelves in the dining room alcoves and started unpacking boxes of books to clear space around the edges of the room where boxes have been stacked ready for the skirting boards to be fitted next week.
No time to sort out books properly, or finish the shelves before putting the books on them. That's a job that can be done in my own time and at my own pace at some point in the future when the time pressures ease off a bit.
The arrival of a friend for the weekend also meant a quick tidy, clean and making up the bed in the loft ready for my staying guest and thinking about food...and the pleasures of a sociable few days in good company.
The loft was given a thumbs up as a guest room, even in its unfinished state ...just one problem - the WC leaks a little when flushed...another item for the builder's snag list... But the rest of the house project was pronounced a success. Good to have second and third opinions from more family and friends which confirm my own reaction.
Next week, the carpenter will be back at some point to fit skirting boards and replace the door to the kitchen diner...and more of the snagging and list of outstanding works will be ticked off, I hope. The end is nearly in sight, at long last!
The kitchen designer has returned to sort out the few remaining bits and pieces.
One of the bespoke units now has an extra shelf (there should have been two extra shelves, so he'll be back again...) and tidy up the base of the interior which had to be adapted to fit behind the standard kitchen carcass units while making best use of the space. The glasses will eventually be housed in a new sideboard which won't arrive until mid March, but this cupboard makes a good temporary home.
He also fitted a vent in the plinth below the fridge freezer unit, just in case the lack of adequate ventilation is the cause of the freezer temperature dropping below 18C every few days. However, the problem persists, so an engineer from Miele is coming to take a look at it next week.
He's also adjusted the doors of one of the wall cupboards so that its now aligned better....
..and got rid of some of the pencil scribbles un the under side of other wall cabinets which were reflected in the mirror glass splash backs.
He'll be back as soon as the one remaining shelf for the bespoke unit has been made to size and is ready to fit. I hope that then he'll arrange to have the masons fill the very small gap where the two bits of worktop join. With wear and tear since installation, it has opening up slightly (either that, or the filling has shrunk). It's a small thing, easily fixable.
Then that will be that on the kitchen front, although I'll still be organising - or reorganising - the storage space as a few more things get unpacked (there are still some odds and ends in boxes) and fitting the under sink waste and recycling bin unit which is on its way.
Tuesday 12 February
I had a meeting with my accountant first thing this morning (hello Victoria!) so asked "Dad builder" to arrive late morning, around the same time as my son who is here for the day to help me shift heavy things ready for the first phase of floor finishing in the dining area tomorrow.
The floor tiles have been delivered and dad builder helped me move them inside and cut up the palettes they were delivered on so I can offer as firewood on Freegle.
Still waiting for the plywood shelves...However, I have put up a rail in one of the narrow cupboards in the utility/WC where the broom, mop, ironing board etc are stored so its not so jumbled now and things are easier to get at.
By the close of business, dad builder has filled all the holes in the loft and finished off some strips of plastering by the shower door and door into the room which were probably left because they were thin and difficult to get at. He's also managed to remove most of the silicone spilt on the glazed panel between the shower and the loft loo, switched round hot and cold water feeds which had been put in to Polish standard with hot on the right rather than the English standard with hot water on the left, and adjusted the bath panel to fit around the new pipework. The list of snags is gradually being ticked off!
Between us, son and I have cleared the dining area ready for a layer of latex to go down tomorrow and moved some of the big pots in the garden back on to the deck (too heavy for me to lift on my own).
The rest of the house is cluttered up again the things now that have been moved out of the dining area, but we are ready for the floor fitter to come tomorrow.
Wednesday 13 February
The first phase of finishing the floor in the dining area is done. Already looks better for a thin layer of latex to smooth out the bumps. Everything is now ready for the floor tiles to be laid once a bit of remedial work is done where necessary and the whole lot smoothed off. I rather like it like this, but the shine will go as the latex dries out and the colour will be lighter. Shiny floors are too much like hard work to keep clean and looking good, so I'm using the same tile as in the kitchen area which is very forgiving and feels good underfoot.
The waste/recycling bin unit for under the kitchen sink has been delivered and I have fitted it. There are three compartments (food waste, recyclables and the rest) plus the drip tray on top provides space on top for dishwasher salt, tablets and cleaning materials. Very organised!
That's a much better and more efficient use of the space than the old peddle bin and food caddy that was there before. I'm glad I didn't believe the builder when he said he didn't think it could be done...
Still no sign of the plywood shelving, so I've phoned up the suppliers to chivvy then along. They were ordered on 4 February...So much for delivery in 3-5 working days.
Thursday 14 February
I've spent most of Valentines Day with the floor fitters. By close of business, the final floor finish in the dining area has been completed. Looking really good!
Just a couple of flies in the ointment....the process of smoothing the latex sub-floor created a huge amount of dust. More housework to clean everything!
The floor fitter was unable to finish the cill under the single door/window opening into the garden using the tile, so that will be another item added to the builder's snag list...
...plus one unanticipated thing - with the floor finish adding another 10mm or so to the hight of the floor, the doors on the bespoke cupboard units which open in to this area will no longer open fully when the sisal mat is in place. Will have to think about how to deal with that...probably a new, slightly smaller mat...
Friday 15 February
I have kept myself busy today, rather than think about the anniversary of a sad life event. As it happens, there was a lot to do anyway...With more help from son who arrived back last night after a few days in his own home, we have put up the plywood shelves in the dining room alcoves and started unpacking boxes of books to clear space around the edges of the room where boxes have been stacked ready for the skirting boards to be fitted next week.
No time to sort out books properly, or finish the shelves before putting the books on them. That's a job that can be done in my own time and at my own pace at some point in the future when the time pressures ease off a bit.
The arrival of a friend for the weekend also meant a quick tidy, clean and making up the bed in the loft ready for my staying guest and thinking about food...and the pleasures of a sociable few days in good company.
The loft was given a thumbs up as a guest room, even in its unfinished state ...just one problem - the WC leaks a little when flushed...another item for the builder's snag list... But the rest of the house project was pronounced a success. Good to have second and third opinions from more family and friends which confirm my own reaction.
Next week, the carpenter will be back at some point to fit skirting boards and replace the door to the kitchen diner...and more of the snagging and list of outstanding works will be ticked off, I hope. The end is nearly in sight, at long last!
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