Monday 30 July
Distancing myself from the building site for a birthday weekend away, highlighted just how far behind schedule the build has become (a bit difficult to appreciate fully when you are living in it, and dealing, with it on a day-to-day basis). The implications of further delays also loomed large....So taking a deep breath, I emailed the man in charge to express my concerns and say we needed a revised programme based on the current state of play, and an agreed firm end date for the works, so that I can sort out things that I'm responsible for like ordering and installing the kitchen units and appliances, redecoration and new flooring.
I also reminded him of his contractual obligations to start and finish the works within the agreed 10 week period (or any extension to it) unless extra time is needed to deal with changes to the scheme I have made, or he cannot finish the work for reasons outside his control.
Having got that off my chest, I spent the rest of the day closeted in my bedroom where the work computer is set up, doing work relating to the day job and only going downstairs to make a hot drink or eat.
The guys arrived early, not long after 8am and left late, about 5.30pm. When I heard the front door close, I ventured downstairs to see what they had been doing. Materials, equipment and appliances stored for reuse had been moved away from structural walls. The ceiling has been taken down in the old kitchen. I was relieved to see that a timber beam spanning the width of the room does not appear to be structural so can be removed without a problem, making life a little bit easier.
Parts of the kitchen floor have been taken up as well, I'm not sure why but I assume there's a good reason. You now have to walk across a short bridge of steel beams to get into the old kitchen from the old dining room.
Plaster has been hacked off from the top few courses of brickwork in both the old kitchen and the old dining room. This is where the new structural steel beams will be lifted into place before the rest of these walls are demolished to make the big open plan space of the new kitchen/dining/living room.
Although the old kitchen had been sealed when work had been going on in that room (as I noticed when coming down for a break during the day), there was nothing to contain the dust when the plaster was hacked off in the old dining room. As a result its flown everywhere. Not so much a problem in the rooms off the hall, as I've covered all the doors with dust covers.
But the dust has settled all over the carpeted stairs and upper landing, which is open to the old dining room. This is particularly annoying as I had messaged the man in charge last Friday to request that a temporary screen be put in place to contain dust at this stage of the build, or at the very least, the carpet on the stairs and landing be protected as I'm not planning to replace that....So he's had another reminder today and tells me in response he's instructed them to put protection in place in the morning to retain the dust as much as possible. Let's hope so!
Tuesday 30 July
I thought it would be good to start the day with some positive news, so sent a photo of the exposed kitchen ceiling to the man in charge to let him know that the timber beam spanning the width of the room did not appear to be structural (the ceiling/first floor joist cross above it, but do not rely on it for support). If I'm right, this element can be taken down without a problem.
In response, he said he was on his way to site and would look at when he arrived. The good news is that he has confirmed my view. One less thing to worry about.
He looked at the gutter on my neighbour's conservatory, as requested and said he would bring in some panels to close off the gap between the corner of my extension and the existing garden fence as a temporary measure, until the fence is completed when the building works are over.
He apologised for the delays in the build and promised to let me have a revised programme and end date by the end of this week, together with details of the new and replacement windows and new sliding/folding glazed doors to the garden which he is proposing to use. He thinks that things will move forward quickly once the structural works are carried out. I mentioned the need to contain dust as best possible during these works and, right on cue, the guys arrived with dust panels, carpet protector and a new vacuum cleaner, bringing a smile to my face.
There was a discussion between the man in charge and the new site foreman about the order of structural work and height of the steel beams.
They are going to start by "stitching in" the steel at ceiling level which runs the length of the old kitchen and supports the wing above, where the bathroom and my home office is located. They will move on to "stitch in" the steel spanning the width of the house, across the back of the old dining room. This will be at the same level as the beam in the old kitchen with a "T" shaped connection. He didn't think the end of this steel would be higher than the sloping roof of the extension, but if it was, he assured me there were ways to deal with it without raising the side wall any higher and risk aggravating my neighbours even more.
The next step will be to install a smaller steel beam tight under the ceiling in the old dining room to support the retained chimney breast above when the remains of the structure at ground floor level are removed to facilitate the layout of the new kitchen and downstairs WC/utility room. Lastly, some "gallows" brackets will be put in place in the old kitchen, so that part of the old chimney breast can be removed to provide more space for open shelving (I've got lots of books and artwork!) whilst retaining the main fire place opening, timber mantlepiece and surround which is a pleasing original feature of the house.
When the structural work at ground floor level is completed, they will finish the roof and garden elevation of the extension, put in the below ground drainage and extract ducts and lay the floor screed really for the underfloor heating. Then the old external walls will be taken down, and the whole space opened up at last!
At this point, I disappeared myself up to my temporary office in the first floor bedroom and worked while I could hear the guys putting in the temporary dust protection measures and getting on with preparation for the structural work.
By close of business today, more plaster had been hacked off and more floors boards lifted in both the old dining room and old kitchen, and more of the ceiling has been removed in the former. Some really old redundant power cables running in metal conduit have been taken out, so its a bit less of a spaghetti junction up in the celling when the electricians come to do the first fix.
I also discovered a temporary water standpipe in the old kitchen which I hadn't noticed last night. This will make watering the garden easier with the return of the heatwave predicted this week! The garden is just about surviving the twin assaults of drought and builders. Indeed, the weekend rain has woken up some plants with new growth apparent, including some new fronds emerging on one of the ferns rescued for the sideway before work started, which I thought had died.
In addition, the hardcore has been spread over the footprint of the extension, but thankfully it appears to be below the level of drains and ventilation duct so won't have to be removed when these bits of kit are installed - I hope!
I had one last job to do before relaxing for the evening...re-fixing the dust covers over the living room and bedroom doors, which had become unstuck over the weekend and were beginning to peel off from the top down. As the Duck Tape didn't appear to be doing the job, I ended up pinning up the dust covers with thumb tacks, using a tack hammer (my thumb wasn't up to the job) and then covering the joints with Gorilla Tape, which appears to be stronger. Fingers crossed this different approach will work - it's frustrating to keep re-sticking the covers, only to find them falling down after 24-48 hours.
I was just finishing the last door, when my neighbour on the other side rang the front door bell to ask that the banging stop. He thought the builders were still at work at 7.30pm (in fact they had left around 3.30pm) and was surprised to see me - hammer in one hand and tacks in the other - opening the door. When he realised what I was doing and why, he was understanding (even more so, when I told him I was almost finished).
So the day ended on a good note: dust protection in place; happy client; one understanding neighbour; a programme and end-date in the pipeline; visible progress on site and an order of business for the structural work due to take place later his week. And I managed to do some work too....
Wednesday 1 August
After letting in the builder's guys first thing, I spent the morning working upstairs. Although there are occasional noises off, I'm surprised and relieved that it's not so disruptive that I can't concentrate. I'm doing as much as I can now work-wise, as the noise and disruption will undoubted get worse at certain points in the future.
Late morning, I was disturbed by the sound of a large lorry reversing down the street (there's no turning area at the end, so you always know when a commercial vehicle is approaching by the loud warning beeps). It's the builder's merchant's truck delivering something. Roof timbers, maybe? I let the builders downstairs deal with that and carried on working.
I head out after lunch, returning just as the guys are leaving. Keen to know what they've been up to while I've been out, I squeeze through the narrow gap in the dust protection panels to enter the old dining room.
I'm greeted by a forest of props holding up a board across the width of the house, from ceiling to ground level, below the floorboards (so that's why the boards were taken up...obvious really). There are more props on the other side of the wall, in the old kitchen, and a couple more outside in the footprint of the extension supporting boards poking through the open window.
Goodness...I hope this lot is strong enough to take the weight of the upper floors. And why haven't they used the metal "strongboys" in between the top of the props and the boards? They are still in a pile on the floor.... I resist the temptation to text the man in charge. I'll ask the guys when they return tomorrow.
A small bit of good news - the dust covers over the doors are still in place. Looks like the combination of thumb tacks and Gorilla tape have done the trick :)
Thursday 2 August
Having done a little online research about propping structural walls, my concern about the method used by the guys so far is growing. It seems to me that the correct approach is to provide support spanning the underside of the wall to be propped using "strongboys" steel supports (as in the photo below) or timber "needles" rather than lateral support with boards running parallel to the wall on both sides, as the guys have done in my house.
I text the man in charge, send him a couple of photos to show him what's been done so far, point out that the "strongboys" provided have not been used, and ask whether what they have done is safe? I also query why they have begun the process on the cross wall in the old dining room, rather than the side wall in the old kitchen. At the meeting on Tuesday, the steel supporting kitchen wall was agreed as the starting point for structural works as the height of this beam will determine the height of other structural steelwork.
The man in charge replies saying that he will call them and run through the method again. This suggests that what they have done is not correct; they will have to undo the work they did yesterday and start over. The guys won't be happy (it was hard work yesterday as the heat began to build again, and will be even harder today as it gets even hotter). Starting over also means another delay, but I would rather the walls are properly and safely supported before the steels are inserted and demolition takes place, than risk the house falling down!
As I hear a mobile phone ringing downstairs, I'm glad I decided to contact the man in charge first thing. And I heave a mental sigh of relief that I have a rudimentary understanding of how buildings are constructed and am able to keep an eye on things to avert potential disaster, even if it does mean living in a building site for the duration, with all the inconvenience that entails...
I leave the guys alone during the day to get on with my own work and then take a break to read a book and relax in the park at the end of the street now I can no longer enjoy the garden. By the time I return home, they are just leaving so I can have a look to see what they have been up to.
The good news is that more props have been put in with "strongboys". The bad news is that the most of the supporting brackets are still the wrong way round; some of those that are in the right way round are poorly fitted with bits of wood stuffed in the gap between the support and the brickwork its supposed to be supporting; some props don't go down to the ground, but are supported by a bit of wood spanning a couple of floor joists; one prop goes right up into the bathroom floor above, taking out the floorboard that supports the metal "cradle" underpinning the bath...one end is now free floating in space!
I send more photos to the man in charge asking is it safe? The answer comes back that he's not concerned with the structural integrity from the photos I sent him, but will ask the guys to tidy up the props tomorrow, prior to doing any further demolition.
I guess that's reassuring, up to a point (although I'm slightly concerned he's made that assessment based on some photos rather than a site visit) and I'm still unsure whether its safe to stand in the bath to use the over-bath shower, when one end of the supporting framework is unsupported.
Friday 3 August
Shortly after 8am, the guys arrived mob-handed. That can only mean one thing. A steel is being lifted today!
The front door is taken off its hinges to make space to bring the beam lift inside, and I leave the men manhandling the steel into position, ready to lift into place across the rear wall of the old dining room. I can hear the Polish equivalent of "up a bit, up a bit, up a bit....." then "stop". This process is repeated a few times, followed by some loud banging, which I assume are the timber joists at first floor level in the old kitchen being persuaded to into the [ - shape of the steel beam which will support them when the wall below is knocked down.
I go out after lunch and by the time I return home, most of the guys have gone. The front door is back in place, as is the dust protection which had fallen down the night before. And the last two guys are "bricking up" i.e. filling the small gap under both ends of the steel so that it sits on something solid.
There's a text from the man in charge to say they are having to drop the ceiling in the old kitchen by 40mm to accommodate the height of the beam specified by the structural engineer. I can live with that - 1.5 inches won't be noticeable when the ceiling is replaced.
When the last two guys leave, I'm able to have a good look at the steel that's now in place. Another milestone on the build, at last!
The bad news is that the the frame supporting the bath at first floor level is still free-floating, visible through a hole in the old kitchen ceiling which was made to locate one of the props...so best not to use it at the moment. The other bad news is that the guys are coming back tomorrow, which also coincides with a visit from my daughter and her partner (and the dog, which I am dog-sitting over the weekend). No lazy lie in for us, as the builders will be banging away in the morning, but only for an hour or so, I'm told.
Saturday 4 August
As promised, the builders arrive before 9am, and proceed to take down some of the props used in the old dining room. I assume its so that they can put them up in the kitchen to support the rear wing of the house when the second steel beam is put in next week. However, they are as good as their word and are gone again around an hour later.
The only other action on the house project front is a valuation and invoice for the work carried out since the last payment instalment. Or at least, that's what its supposed to be...In fact, at first glance, it's apparent that quite a number of the works listed have yet to be done or have only been partially carried out. I will have to go through it carefully, calculate what I actually owe and transfer the appropriate amount to the builders account. Why do they do this, I wonder?
....And I still haven't received the revised programme and firm end date, which the man in charge promised to send me by the end of this week. I'm tempted to delay paying the next instalment until this information is in my "in box".....
Distancing myself from the building site for a birthday weekend away, highlighted just how far behind schedule the build has become (a bit difficult to appreciate fully when you are living in it, and dealing, with it on a day-to-day basis). The implications of further delays also loomed large....So taking a deep breath, I emailed the man in charge to express my concerns and say we needed a revised programme based on the current state of play, and an agreed firm end date for the works, so that I can sort out things that I'm responsible for like ordering and installing the kitchen units and appliances, redecoration and new flooring.
I also reminded him of his contractual obligations to start and finish the works within the agreed 10 week period (or any extension to it) unless extra time is needed to deal with changes to the scheme I have made, or he cannot finish the work for reasons outside his control.
Having got that off my chest, I spent the rest of the day closeted in my bedroom where the work computer is set up, doing work relating to the day job and only going downstairs to make a hot drink or eat.
The guys arrived early, not long after 8am and left late, about 5.30pm. When I heard the front door close, I ventured downstairs to see what they had been doing. Materials, equipment and appliances stored for reuse had been moved away from structural walls. The ceiling has been taken down in the old kitchen. I was relieved to see that a timber beam spanning the width of the room does not appear to be structural so can be removed without a problem, making life a little bit easier.
Parts of the kitchen floor have been taken up as well, I'm not sure why but I assume there's a good reason. You now have to walk across a short bridge of steel beams to get into the old kitchen from the old dining room.
Plaster has been hacked off from the top few courses of brickwork in both the old kitchen and the old dining room. This is where the new structural steel beams will be lifted into place before the rest of these walls are demolished to make the big open plan space of the new kitchen/dining/living room.
Although the old kitchen had been sealed when work had been going on in that room (as I noticed when coming down for a break during the day), there was nothing to contain the dust when the plaster was hacked off in the old dining room. As a result its flown everywhere. Not so much a problem in the rooms off the hall, as I've covered all the doors with dust covers.
But the dust has settled all over the carpeted stairs and upper landing, which is open to the old dining room. This is particularly annoying as I had messaged the man in charge last Friday to request that a temporary screen be put in place to contain dust at this stage of the build, or at the very least, the carpet on the stairs and landing be protected as I'm not planning to replace that....So he's had another reminder today and tells me in response he's instructed them to put protection in place in the morning to retain the dust as much as possible. Let's hope so!
Tuesday 30 July
I thought it would be good to start the day with some positive news, so sent a photo of the exposed kitchen ceiling to the man in charge to let him know that the timber beam spanning the width of the room did not appear to be structural (the ceiling/first floor joist cross above it, but do not rely on it for support). If I'm right, this element can be taken down without a problem.
In response, he said he was on his way to site and would look at when he arrived. The good news is that he has confirmed my view. One less thing to worry about.
He looked at the gutter on my neighbour's conservatory, as requested and said he would bring in some panels to close off the gap between the corner of my extension and the existing garden fence as a temporary measure, until the fence is completed when the building works are over.
He apologised for the delays in the build and promised to let me have a revised programme and end date by the end of this week, together with details of the new and replacement windows and new sliding/folding glazed doors to the garden which he is proposing to use. He thinks that things will move forward quickly once the structural works are carried out. I mentioned the need to contain dust as best possible during these works and, right on cue, the guys arrived with dust panels, carpet protector and a new vacuum cleaner, bringing a smile to my face.
There was a discussion between the man in charge and the new site foreman about the order of structural work and height of the steel beams.
They are going to start by "stitching in" the steel at ceiling level which runs the length of the old kitchen and supports the wing above, where the bathroom and my home office is located. They will move on to "stitch in" the steel spanning the width of the house, across the back of the old dining room. This will be at the same level as the beam in the old kitchen with a "T" shaped connection. He didn't think the end of this steel would be higher than the sloping roof of the extension, but if it was, he assured me there were ways to deal with it without raising the side wall any higher and risk aggravating my neighbours even more.
The next step will be to install a smaller steel beam tight under the ceiling in the old dining room to support the retained chimney breast above when the remains of the structure at ground floor level are removed to facilitate the layout of the new kitchen and downstairs WC/utility room. Lastly, some "gallows" brackets will be put in place in the old kitchen, so that part of the old chimney breast can be removed to provide more space for open shelving (I've got lots of books and artwork!) whilst retaining the main fire place opening, timber mantlepiece and surround which is a pleasing original feature of the house.
When the structural work at ground floor level is completed, they will finish the roof and garden elevation of the extension, put in the below ground drainage and extract ducts and lay the floor screed really for the underfloor heating. Then the old external walls will be taken down, and the whole space opened up at last!
At this point, I disappeared myself up to my temporary office in the first floor bedroom and worked while I could hear the guys putting in the temporary dust protection measures and getting on with preparation for the structural work.
By close of business today, more plaster had been hacked off and more floors boards lifted in both the old dining room and old kitchen, and more of the ceiling has been removed in the former. Some really old redundant power cables running in metal conduit have been taken out, so its a bit less of a spaghetti junction up in the celling when the electricians come to do the first fix.
I also discovered a temporary water standpipe in the old kitchen which I hadn't noticed last night. This will make watering the garden easier with the return of the heatwave predicted this week! The garden is just about surviving the twin assaults of drought and builders. Indeed, the weekend rain has woken up some plants with new growth apparent, including some new fronds emerging on one of the ferns rescued for the sideway before work started, which I thought had died.
In addition, the hardcore has been spread over the footprint of the extension, but thankfully it appears to be below the level of drains and ventilation duct so won't have to be removed when these bits of kit are installed - I hope!
I had one last job to do before relaxing for the evening...re-fixing the dust covers over the living room and bedroom doors, which had become unstuck over the weekend and were beginning to peel off from the top down. As the Duck Tape didn't appear to be doing the job, I ended up pinning up the dust covers with thumb tacks, using a tack hammer (my thumb wasn't up to the job) and then covering the joints with Gorilla Tape, which appears to be stronger. Fingers crossed this different approach will work - it's frustrating to keep re-sticking the covers, only to find them falling down after 24-48 hours.
I was just finishing the last door, when my neighbour on the other side rang the front door bell to ask that the banging stop. He thought the builders were still at work at 7.30pm (in fact they had left around 3.30pm) and was surprised to see me - hammer in one hand and tacks in the other - opening the door. When he realised what I was doing and why, he was understanding (even more so, when I told him I was almost finished).
So the day ended on a good note: dust protection in place; happy client; one understanding neighbour; a programme and end-date in the pipeline; visible progress on site and an order of business for the structural work due to take place later his week. And I managed to do some work too....
Wednesday 1 August
After letting in the builder's guys first thing, I spent the morning working upstairs. Although there are occasional noises off, I'm surprised and relieved that it's not so disruptive that I can't concentrate. I'm doing as much as I can now work-wise, as the noise and disruption will undoubted get worse at certain points in the future.
Late morning, I was disturbed by the sound of a large lorry reversing down the street (there's no turning area at the end, so you always know when a commercial vehicle is approaching by the loud warning beeps). It's the builder's merchant's truck delivering something. Roof timbers, maybe? I let the builders downstairs deal with that and carried on working.
I head out after lunch, returning just as the guys are leaving. Keen to know what they've been up to while I've been out, I squeeze through the narrow gap in the dust protection panels to enter the old dining room.
 |
| Props in the old dining room |
 |
| Props in the old dining room |
 |
| Props on the other side of the wall in the old kitchen |
I'm greeted by a forest of props holding up a board across the width of the house, from ceiling to ground level, below the floorboards (so that's why the boards were taken up...obvious really). There are more props on the other side of the wall, in the old kitchen, and a couple more outside in the footprint of the extension supporting boards poking through the open window.
 |
| Props on the outside too |
Goodness...I hope this lot is strong enough to take the weight of the upper floors. And why haven't they used the metal "strongboys" in between the top of the props and the boards? They are still in a pile on the floor.... I resist the temptation to text the man in charge. I'll ask the guys when they return tomorrow.
A small bit of good news - the dust covers over the doors are still in place. Looks like the combination of thumb tacks and Gorilla tape have done the trick :)
Thursday 2 August
Having done a little online research about propping structural walls, my concern about the method used by the guys so far is growing. It seems to me that the correct approach is to provide support spanning the underside of the wall to be propped using "strongboys" steel supports (as in the photo below) or timber "needles" rather than lateral support with boards running parallel to the wall on both sides, as the guys have done in my house.
 |
| This is what the propped walls should look like.... |
I text the man in charge, send him a couple of photos to show him what's been done so far, point out that the "strongboys" provided have not been used, and ask whether what they have done is safe? I also query why they have begun the process on the cross wall in the old dining room, rather than the side wall in the old kitchen. At the meeting on Tuesday, the steel supporting kitchen wall was agreed as the starting point for structural works as the height of this beam will determine the height of other structural steelwork.
The man in charge replies saying that he will call them and run through the method again. This suggests that what they have done is not correct; they will have to undo the work they did yesterday and start over. The guys won't be happy (it was hard work yesterday as the heat began to build again, and will be even harder today as it gets even hotter). Starting over also means another delay, but I would rather the walls are properly and safely supported before the steels are inserted and demolition takes place, than risk the house falling down!
As I hear a mobile phone ringing downstairs, I'm glad I decided to contact the man in charge first thing. And I heave a mental sigh of relief that I have a rudimentary understanding of how buildings are constructed and am able to keep an eye on things to avert potential disaster, even if it does mean living in a building site for the duration, with all the inconvenience that entails...
I leave the guys alone during the day to get on with my own work and then take a break to read a book and relax in the park at the end of the street now I can no longer enjoy the garden. By the time I return home, they are just leaving so I can have a look to see what they have been up to.
The good news is that more props have been put in with "strongboys". The bad news is that the most of the supporting brackets are still the wrong way round; some of those that are in the right way round are poorly fitted with bits of wood stuffed in the gap between the support and the brickwork its supposed to be supporting; some props don't go down to the ground, but are supported by a bit of wood spanning a couple of floor joists; one prop goes right up into the bathroom floor above, taking out the floorboard that supports the metal "cradle" underpinning the bath...one end is now free floating in space!
 |
| The "strongboy" should be supporting the lintel on the left, not the first floor joists |
 |
| The "strongboy" is in, but its supporting floor joists, not the structural wall to be demolished |
 |
| The cradle supporting the bath upstairs is hanging in mid air - no support! |
 |
| three in a row - belts and braces? |
 |
| Two strongboys in the correct position, other brickwork supported by half bricks sitting on joists |
 |
| First floor wall supported by a half brick sitting on a joist |
 |
| bits of wood stuffed between the "strongboy" brackets and the lintel they are supposed to be supporting |
I guess that's reassuring, up to a point (although I'm slightly concerned he's made that assessment based on some photos rather than a site visit) and I'm still unsure whether its safe to stand in the bath to use the over-bath shower, when one end of the supporting framework is unsupported.
Friday 3 August
Shortly after 8am, the guys arrived mob-handed. That can only mean one thing. A steel is being lifted today!
The front door is taken off its hinges to make space to bring the beam lift inside, and I leave the men manhandling the steel into position, ready to lift into place across the rear wall of the old dining room. I can hear the Polish equivalent of "up a bit, up a bit, up a bit....." then "stop". This process is repeated a few times, followed by some loud banging, which I assume are the timber joists at first floor level in the old kitchen being persuaded to into the [ - shape of the steel beam which will support them when the wall below is knocked down.
 |
| The first steel is almost in position! |
I go out after lunch and by the time I return home, most of the guys have gone. The front door is back in place, as is the dust protection which had fallen down the night before. And the last two guys are "bricking up" i.e. filling the small gap under both ends of the steel so that it sits on something solid.
There's a text from the man in charge to say they are having to drop the ceiling in the old kitchen by 40mm to accommodate the height of the beam specified by the structural engineer. I can live with that - 1.5 inches won't be noticeable when the ceiling is replaced.
When the last two guys leave, I'm able to have a good look at the steel that's now in place. Another milestone on the build, at last!
 |
| The props are still there, but the first steel is now in place! |
The bad news is that the the frame supporting the bath at first floor level is still free-floating, visible through a hole in the old kitchen ceiling which was made to locate one of the props...so best not to use it at the moment. The other bad news is that the guys are coming back tomorrow, which also coincides with a visit from my daughter and her partner (and the dog, which I am dog-sitting over the weekend). No lazy lie in for us, as the builders will be banging away in the morning, but only for an hour or so, I'm told.
Saturday 4 August
As promised, the builders arrive before 9am, and proceed to take down some of the props used in the old dining room. I assume its so that they can put them up in the kitchen to support the rear wing of the house when the second steel beam is put in next week. However, they are as good as their word and are gone again around an hour later.
The only other action on the house project front is a valuation and invoice for the work carried out since the last payment instalment. Or at least, that's what its supposed to be...In fact, at first glance, it's apparent that quite a number of the works listed have yet to be done or have only been partially carried out. I will have to go through it carefully, calculate what I actually owe and transfer the appropriate amount to the builders account. Why do they do this, I wonder?
....And I still haven't received the revised programme and firm end date, which the man in charge promised to send me by the end of this week. I'm tempted to delay paying the next instalment until this information is in my "in box".....
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