To me, it feels like this building project has been a bit like a seesaw. Until recently the balance was on the side of destruction. This week, it has most definitely reached a tipping point - the balance has changed and we are firmly in the reconstruction phase, which feels wonderful!
Monday 5 November
Today it was the turn of the floor fitter to do his bit. Not all the floor - just the upper level where the kitchen will be installed - but it's been finished. A layer of 6mm ply to give a smooth surface on top of which are laid the floor tiles, with a "tacky layer" in between to minimise the risk of movement in what will be a very heavily trafficked area.
The end result gives the appearance of concrete with subtle shades of light grey, but it has a lovely surface finish which is very pleasant to walk on but also very hard wearing, being designed for heavily trafficked commercial and leisure premises. With close butted joints, there's no grout to worry about and its the nearest thing I could find that gives a "seamless finish" without actually being seamless, so cleaning should be easy.
While this floor fitting work has been going on, I've been on my hands and knees in the loft with the partner of the man in charge working out the detailing and size of the new shower enclosure and tray. Another tricky job with tight tolerances, but we have worked out a solution which will enable a larger shower than originally anticipated - 800mm x 1000mm - to be installed.
By the evening, we had found and agreed a shower tray that fitted the bill and a glazed bi-fold door of the right size for the shower entrance, and both have been ordered.
I had put down some temporary protection on the newly laid floor, ready for the dishwasher I recently sold on eBay to be collected. Now it's gone that's a bit more room to manoeuvre and a little bit more money in the PayPal account.
Tuesday 6 November
While I was out in the morning, the newly laid floor finish has been properly protected to minimise the risk of damage. The area is now being used to store insulation and other materials to free up floorspace on the lower dining area floor level, ready to finish the floor in that area - a DPM, insulation, underfloor heating and screed - which will bring it up to almost finished floor level ready for the final floor finish...more of the same tiles as in the kitchen area.
It's been a long time since the floor has been visible in this area. so it was worth taking a couple of photos for the record:
A start has now been made on the new shower cubicle in the loft:
The edges of the new window have now been finished off, ready for the frame and glazing being installed next week:
As he left, the partner of the man in charge told me he was off the pick up the boiler. I shall have heat soon!
Less than half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Good job I was at home. A mixer has been delivered and the Acro props and another bit of kit have been collected.
The evening was spent with the kitchen designer/fitter to take detailed measurements of the space available so he can finalise the design of the pair of bespoke storage units which will fit under the breakfast bar counter top, but be accessible from the dining area side. He's also happy with the space where the kitchen will be installed, and the position of sockets and lighting outlets.
The vent duct for the extract hood is a little undersized for the cooker hood I plan to use, but it was the only way to accommodate it in the very constricted space available. He said it would be fine, not to worry. Although it would compromise the efficiency of the hood a little, on the upside, its a straight run duct rather than one with lots of bends which he often finds in kitchens, so that will help compensate for the effect on performance.
He's given me the handles for the wall units, which are simple and elegant copper fittings which will complement other copper accents in the kitchen. He's also assured me that there's nothing missing from the tap which was delivered last week, as I was a bit concerned by an empty space in the packing foam. It's all present and correct!
The last thing we picked up on was the position of one of the sockets which needs to be moved a little (about 20cm) so that it doesn't conflict when the door of one of the bespoke units is opened. There's plenty of spare flex so this shouldn't be a problem.
My last job of the day was too finish going through the latest invoice and valuation from the man in charge and transfer a rather large amount of money into the builder's account - a reflection of the progress in the last week or two.
I also took the opportunity to remind him of deadlines that are looming and the need to finish plastering the area of lowered ceiling which accommodates the vent ducts in the kitchen area so that the plaster can dry out and be painted before the wall cabinets are fitted tight to the underside of this area.
Wednesday 7 November
I'm only around in the morning today before traveling to work in the Channel Islands at lunchtime. I won't be back until late tomorrow. It's a bit scary leaving the builders for a day and a half at this crucial stage, but there's no option.
Although I'd warned the builders about my movements, the parter of the man in charge was surprised when I told him - he had assumed I'd be at home to take a delivery this afternoon (just shows you how they rely on me to be here to do things like that on their behalf...) He will have make other arrangements.
I have pointed out to him where one of the sockets will need to be moved. Not a problem.
The boarding over the new window has been partly removed, ready to start installing the boiler which was delivered this morning. It's the first time light has been allowed to flood in through this opening. It's made a difference, even though part of the window is still covered up by the sheet of ply resting against it. With the old French doors also open, you begin to get a better impression of the light and views that I'll be enjoying next week when the new doors and windows are installed.
Here's hoping there are no major problems while I'm away this afternoon and tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
Even though I had left Oxford, the house project had not left me...on the train journey to the airport there was a series of texts between myself and the builder about where the put the thermostat for the boiler. We settled on the extension wall where the Velux windows are, at one end next to - and lined up with - the light switch for the track lights above. Job done.
Thursday 8 November
Arriving home around 9pm at night, I couldn't wait to see what had happened while I'd been away. More progress! The boiler is up on the wall, the floor slab has been insulated over a damp proof membrane (DPM) and pipework laid for the underfloor heating on the lower level dining area. And a socket has been moved as requested, so that it doesn't conflict with the door opening of one of the bespoke storage units being built under the peninsular breakfast bar, on the dining room side.
It looks like there will be just enough room to construct the floor to ceiling cupboard enclosing the boiler and underfloor heating manifold below without protruding into the adjacent window opening. But as with everything in this project, the space is tight and the tolerances are small; that's what happens when you try to make the most of every centimetre of space on the inside, but keep the appearance of the interior as simple, streamlined and elegant as possible.
Only two potential concerns - did the builders lay the second ventilation duct connecting the air brick under the original external wall with the air brick in the new external wall before laying the DPM and insulation? By torchlight outside, peering into the cavity below the new window opening, I could see the periscope connector going down from the new air brick but I'm not sure whether it actually joined up with a vent running under the floor...
The other item I noticed was that there's no sign of the pipework for a new tall, thin radiator to be installed on the stub end of wall separating the kitchen and dining areas.
Two things to talk to the builder about tomorrow....
It was too dark to see what's happened in the loft (the electrics up there have been turned off while they are working on the new layout). I'll have to check and photograph tomorrow. However, what looks like the door for the new shower in the loft is stacked up in the hall downstairs, so hopefully that's a sign of progress upstairs too.
Friday 9 November
Before the builders arrive, I have checked out the loft. There's been a bit more work on the framework for the new shower cubicle, which will incorporate a shallow "between the studs" niche for toiletries in one of the walls. The size of the niche has been determined by the size of the tiles I'm planning to use in the shower to make tiling easier when we reach that stage. Good job I'd already selected a tile and ordered a sample so we could work out sizes. A niche like this will be a good use of what would otherwise be wasted space. And it will make showering easier - no need to bend down to reach toiletries on the shower tray floor (a consideration for someone like me with back problems) or take up wall space with a projecting shelf or storage unit (a bonus when the shower cubicle is not large).
The new purlin has been boxed in along with the newly exposed under eaves space, ready to be plastered.
Plasterboard has been fixed to the side wall of the toilet cubicle.
I've chased up the kitchen supplier to find out when the cabinets will be installed, which is supposed to happen next week. The answer comes back - delivery will be on the afternoon of Thursday 15 November. The date has been forwarded to the kitchen designer/installer and the builder, and the former has confirmed that I'm "booked in" - his firm is going to oversee the delivery, bringing units inside, checking everything is there and undamaged, unpacking and putting the packing materials in the skip. Quite a relief to hand over that job to someone else who knows what they are doing....
During the morning, the guys had made a start laying screed over the underfloor heating pipes downstairs. While they were doing that, I raised my concern about the vent duct with the partner of the man in charge. He assures me that the duct was laid under the floor slab floor and can provide a photo. I look forward to seeing it, as there was no certainly no connection visible between the old and new air bricks after the floor slab had been laid. It may be that they laid a pipe to vent under the kitchen's suspended timber floor below air brick level, rather than trying to connect up to the air brick itself. Hopefully the photo will confirm that. One thing I don't want is to have inadequate air circulation below the ground floor timbers...
As part and parcel of the screed process, boards have temporarily been removed from the window and door openings downstairs. The light flooding in is amazing...a taste of things to come when the new double glazed doors and windows are installed next week!
Work has also been going on in the loft...The base has been constructed for the shower tray which has to be raised above floor level to achieve the drainage falls required. Not ideal in a room with a low ceiling height anyway...any very tall guests will feel rather cramped..But it will be just about OK for most people, I think.
There was a temporary blip with the power late morning, when a fuse was blown on the first floor circuit, turning the main computer off in the process. Everything went back on again when the fuse was sorted out, but for some unknown reason, the wifi wasn't working. I tried all the obvious things but to no avail. However, after talking to my IT consultant on the phone (my son in Bristol), I turned off the router for a second time, left it a bit longer before turning it back on again, and that seems to have sorted out the problem.
The guys spent the day putting in the screed on the lower floor level downstairs. To my surprise, they are not using a quick drying screed, even though the people installing the new doors and window will be walking on it (and probably using heavy equipment) next Wednesday.
You're not supposed to walk on it at all for 24-48 hours after its laid - and then only light foot traffic - so I don't expect any more work to take place in this area until Monday at the earliest, even if the guys come in tomorrow as they say they will....I'm looking forward to the time when I have my Saturdays back - having builders on site 6 days a week (as they tend to be now) is getting tiresome.
Here's hoping the doors and window installation next week doesn't mess up the screed as it won't be anywhere near cured by then...the whole drying out process takes around a day per 1 mm of thickness, so I'm looking at 6-8 weeks before the floor finish can be installed on this level. I'll have to use a rug to cover up the rough screed in the meantime.
Some time after the builders left, I popped my head around the dust sheet to see how far they had got by close of business. The good news is that the screed is finished. The bad news is that the house is still totally open to the elements at the rear; window and door openings have not been boarded up again. The house is totally exposed.
Heavy rain and driving winds are due tonight, and this room faces south west where the prevailing weather comes from, so goodness knows what sort of condition the freshly laid screed will be in tomorrow morning.
There's nothing to stop the rain and wind penetrating into the room, or animals wandering in (the neighbourhood cats are an inquisitive lot)...or people for that matter. The only thing between me and the outside world is a thin sheet of plastic put up as a dust sheet at the entrance to the room, which is already blowing in the wind. My house insurers would have a fit! And I confess I do feel rather vulnerable, even though the chances of a burglar coming in over the back is remote given that I'm in the middle of a terrace. However....I'm not a happy bunny when I go to bed at night and leave lights on as a little bit of a deterrent, just in case.
This evening, I've been contacting stained glass specialist to get quotes for repairing the damaged coloured glass panel in the front door that took a bash from something the builders had carried out, breaking the lead framework in a couple of places but thankfully not the glass. I can then pass on to the man in charge who has agreed to pay for the repair, once he's seen the quotes.
One other thing on the build today...I recently paid most of the latest invoice, but in doing so had pointed out to the man in charge that one of the items on the current valuation had been paid in full last time (coincidentally, the below ground ventilation that has been causing me concern today) so I'd excluded that sum from the payment.
I was surprised when he emailed a reply, saying that this item had NOT been included in the last valuation, so I double checked. It's there, on the valuation in black and white, and I had specifically mentioned it in a covering email when I'd transferred the money, saying that I'd paid that particular item in full, even though the work had not been completed. I've forwarded that email to him again in response so he can see for himself, in case he's lost or deleted it in the meantime. I hope that sorts it out...I don't want to end up paying twice for something that I'm still not 100% sure has actually been done!
Saturday 10 November
Rather than rush to get up and breakfasted by 7.30am, I treated myself to a short lie in this morning and the builder let himself in around 8am. He's tidying up the edges of the stub walls where the new garden doors will be installed, cutting back the brickwork with an angle grinder - noisy, dusty work which won't make me the most popular person with my neighbours...Better make sure he finishes the noisy stuff by one o'clock (the time specified by Environmental Health for Saturday working) or there are likely to be more complaints.
To do this work he's walking on the newly laid screed, which is damp and puddled from last night's wind and rain. So much for keeping new screed dry and not walking on it for 24-48 hours...If it survives this onslaught from the weather and the builder, I'll be highly relieved.
I've been in touch with specialist stained glass people to get quotes to repair the coloured glass panel in the front door, damaged by the builders pushing something very heavy against the glazing from the inside. I've also sent photos on to the man in charge who wants to see the quotes before paying for the repair, so that he is aware of the extent of damage that the quotes relate to:
With the garden doors and window due to be installed next Wednesday and the kitchen cabinets delivery due next Thursday afternoon, I need to give some serious thought (again) to what needs to be done before these two events happen, so that I have a list to go through with the partner of the man in charge on Monday.
The most urgent bit of building work is preparing the openings for the new doors and window. This work is in progress today, so should be finished by Tuesday evening, all being well. The other bit of building work is plastering the section of lower ceiling in the kitchen and dining area which houses ventilation ducts. This needs to be done as soon as possible so that the plaster can dry and be painted before wall units are installed tight under the lowered ceiling - a job that would be difficult to do well once the units are in place, due to the risk of getting paint on the new units.
Likewise, there are still sections of stud wall to be constructed, boarded and plastered in the kitchen area - the wall above the stair stringer at one end of the kitchen, the continuation of the existing stud below the stairs and the boxing in of the gallows bracket supporting the stairs and half landing. Preparation for this work (dismantling parts of the existing balustrade and handrail, cutting and fixing plasterboard) will create dust. Skimming with plaster will result in plaster being splashed far and wide.
I really don't want plaster and paint splashes all over the new kitchen units before I've even had a chance to use them!
It's not just building works...it's the logistics of clearing the right space at the right time to enable the doors and windows to be installed i.e. all building materials and equipment will need to be removed from the deck as both doors and window are outward opening, so can't be installed and tested if the deck outside is cluttered with stuff. If this stuff is moved inside to clear the deck by Wednesday, it will all have to be back outside by Thursday afternoon so there is enough room inside to store the kitchen cabinets when they are delivered, unpacked and checked prior to installation the following week.
That's a lot to get through in just two working days....
Around lunchtime, the grinding and banging noises stopped and I heaved a sigh of relief - that must mean that the opening for the new garden doors is now tidied up, ready for them to be installed next Wednesday. Then the noise started up again around 1.45 pm - after the 1 o'clock "curfew" on noisy work in the contract and local Environmental Health guidelines. I waited for the builder to put down the angle grinder, asked him to stop and then went to apologise to my neighbours who were on the doorstep just about to complain.
Clearly, the noise is getting to them. Not surprising really. I wouldn't want to be living next door with something like this going on for so long...all the disruption, disturbance and inconvenience with none of the benefits at the end of it all. But you can't do a building job on this scale without such effects, so as much as I'd love to be able to wave a magic wand and make it stop, I can't until the work has been completed.
I was out in the afternoon, and by the time I returned home, the builder had gone. To my great relief, the boards have gone up again so the house is now secure and almost watertight.
I can't get into the garden, but I can see its full of materials and equipment when looking down from the home office window upstairs. The skip is just about full, so they may need another to get rid of the bits and pieces that can't be reused. Another thing to talk to the builder about on Monday, along with noisy work on Saturdays after 1pm and the need to clear the decks and remove materials and equipment which is no longer needed on site. Must make some space inside and out!
Sunday morning, it was interesting to see how much light comes in through the Velux windows when all other natural light sources are blocked off...
Something to compare with next week when the new doors and window into the garden are installed...
Monday 5 November
Today it was the turn of the floor fitter to do his bit. Not all the floor - just the upper level where the kitchen will be installed - but it's been finished. A layer of 6mm ply to give a smooth surface on top of which are laid the floor tiles, with a "tacky layer" in between to minimise the risk of movement in what will be a very heavily trafficked area.
The end result gives the appearance of concrete with subtle shades of light grey, but it has a lovely surface finish which is very pleasant to walk on but also very hard wearing, being designed for heavily trafficked commercial and leisure premises. With close butted joints, there's no grout to worry about and its the nearest thing I could find that gives a "seamless finish" without actually being seamless, so cleaning should be easy.
While this floor fitting work has been going on, I've been on my hands and knees in the loft with the partner of the man in charge working out the detailing and size of the new shower enclosure and tray. Another tricky job with tight tolerances, but we have worked out a solution which will enable a larger shower than originally anticipated - 800mm x 1000mm - to be installed.
By the evening, we had found and agreed a shower tray that fitted the bill and a glazed bi-fold door of the right size for the shower entrance, and both have been ordered.
I had put down some temporary protection on the newly laid floor, ready for the dishwasher I recently sold on eBay to be collected. Now it's gone that's a bit more room to manoeuvre and a little bit more money in the PayPal account.
Tuesday 6 November
While I was out in the morning, the newly laid floor finish has been properly protected to minimise the risk of damage. The area is now being used to store insulation and other materials to free up floorspace on the lower dining area floor level, ready to finish the floor in that area - a DPM, insulation, underfloor heating and screed - which will bring it up to almost finished floor level ready for the final floor finish...more of the same tiles as in the kitchen area.
It's been a long time since the floor has been visible in this area. so it was worth taking a couple of photos for the record:
A start has now been made on the new shower cubicle in the loft:
The edges of the new window have now been finished off, ready for the frame and glazing being installed next week:
As he left, the partner of the man in charge told me he was off the pick up the boiler. I shall have heat soon!
Less than half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Good job I was at home. A mixer has been delivered and the Acro props and another bit of kit have been collected.
The evening was spent with the kitchen designer/fitter to take detailed measurements of the space available so he can finalise the design of the pair of bespoke storage units which will fit under the breakfast bar counter top, but be accessible from the dining area side. He's also happy with the space where the kitchen will be installed, and the position of sockets and lighting outlets.
The vent duct for the extract hood is a little undersized for the cooker hood I plan to use, but it was the only way to accommodate it in the very constricted space available. He said it would be fine, not to worry. Although it would compromise the efficiency of the hood a little, on the upside, its a straight run duct rather than one with lots of bends which he often finds in kitchens, so that will help compensate for the effect on performance.
He's given me the handles for the wall units, which are simple and elegant copper fittings which will complement other copper accents in the kitchen. He's also assured me that there's nothing missing from the tap which was delivered last week, as I was a bit concerned by an empty space in the packing foam. It's all present and correct!
The last thing we picked up on was the position of one of the sockets which needs to be moved a little (about 20cm) so that it doesn't conflict when the door of one of the bespoke units is opened. There's plenty of spare flex so this shouldn't be a problem.
My last job of the day was too finish going through the latest invoice and valuation from the man in charge and transfer a rather large amount of money into the builder's account - a reflection of the progress in the last week or two.
I also took the opportunity to remind him of deadlines that are looming and the need to finish plastering the area of lowered ceiling which accommodates the vent ducts in the kitchen area so that the plaster can dry out and be painted before the wall cabinets are fitted tight to the underside of this area.
Wednesday 7 November
I'm only around in the morning today before traveling to work in the Channel Islands at lunchtime. I won't be back until late tomorrow. It's a bit scary leaving the builders for a day and a half at this crucial stage, but there's no option.
Although I'd warned the builders about my movements, the parter of the man in charge was surprised when I told him - he had assumed I'd be at home to take a delivery this afternoon (just shows you how they rely on me to be here to do things like that on their behalf...) He will have make other arrangements.
I have pointed out to him where one of the sockets will need to be moved. Not a problem.
The boarding over the new window has been partly removed, ready to start installing the boiler which was delivered this morning. It's the first time light has been allowed to flood in through this opening. It's made a difference, even though part of the window is still covered up by the sheet of ply resting against it. With the old French doors also open, you begin to get a better impression of the light and views that I'll be enjoying next week when the new doors and windows are installed.
Here's hoping there are no major problems while I'm away this afternoon and tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
Even though I had left Oxford, the house project had not left me...on the train journey to the airport there was a series of texts between myself and the builder about where the put the thermostat for the boiler. We settled on the extension wall where the Velux windows are, at one end next to - and lined up with - the light switch for the track lights above. Job done.
Thursday 8 November
Arriving home around 9pm at night, I couldn't wait to see what had happened while I'd been away. More progress! The boiler is up on the wall, the floor slab has been insulated over a damp proof membrane (DPM) and pipework laid for the underfloor heating on the lower level dining area. And a socket has been moved as requested, so that it doesn't conflict with the door opening of one of the bespoke storage units being built under the peninsular breakfast bar, on the dining room side.
It looks like there will be just enough room to construct the floor to ceiling cupboard enclosing the boiler and underfloor heating manifold below without protruding into the adjacent window opening. But as with everything in this project, the space is tight and the tolerances are small; that's what happens when you try to make the most of every centimetre of space on the inside, but keep the appearance of the interior as simple, streamlined and elegant as possible.
Only two potential concerns - did the builders lay the second ventilation duct connecting the air brick under the original external wall with the air brick in the new external wall before laying the DPM and insulation? By torchlight outside, peering into the cavity below the new window opening, I could see the periscope connector going down from the new air brick but I'm not sure whether it actually joined up with a vent running under the floor...
The other item I noticed was that there's no sign of the pipework for a new tall, thin radiator to be installed on the stub end of wall separating the kitchen and dining areas.
Two things to talk to the builder about tomorrow....
It was too dark to see what's happened in the loft (the electrics up there have been turned off while they are working on the new layout). I'll have to check and photograph tomorrow. However, what looks like the door for the new shower in the loft is stacked up in the hall downstairs, so hopefully that's a sign of progress upstairs too.
Friday 9 November
Before the builders arrive, I have checked out the loft. There's been a bit more work on the framework for the new shower cubicle, which will incorporate a shallow "between the studs" niche for toiletries in one of the walls. The size of the niche has been determined by the size of the tiles I'm planning to use in the shower to make tiling easier when we reach that stage. Good job I'd already selected a tile and ordered a sample so we could work out sizes. A niche like this will be a good use of what would otherwise be wasted space. And it will make showering easier - no need to bend down to reach toiletries on the shower tray floor (a consideration for someone like me with back problems) or take up wall space with a projecting shelf or storage unit (a bonus when the shower cubicle is not large).
The new purlin has been boxed in along with the newly exposed under eaves space, ready to be plastered.
Plasterboard has been fixed to the side wall of the toilet cubicle.
I've chased up the kitchen supplier to find out when the cabinets will be installed, which is supposed to happen next week. The answer comes back - delivery will be on the afternoon of Thursday 15 November. The date has been forwarded to the kitchen designer/installer and the builder, and the former has confirmed that I'm "booked in" - his firm is going to oversee the delivery, bringing units inside, checking everything is there and undamaged, unpacking and putting the packing materials in the skip. Quite a relief to hand over that job to someone else who knows what they are doing....
During the morning, the guys had made a start laying screed over the underfloor heating pipes downstairs. While they were doing that, I raised my concern about the vent duct with the partner of the man in charge. He assures me that the duct was laid under the floor slab floor and can provide a photo. I look forward to seeing it, as there was no certainly no connection visible between the old and new air bricks after the floor slab had been laid. It may be that they laid a pipe to vent under the kitchen's suspended timber floor below air brick level, rather than trying to connect up to the air brick itself. Hopefully the photo will confirm that. One thing I don't want is to have inadequate air circulation below the ground floor timbers...
As part and parcel of the screed process, boards have temporarily been removed from the window and door openings downstairs. The light flooding in is amazing...a taste of things to come when the new double glazed doors and windows are installed next week!
There was a temporary blip with the power late morning, when a fuse was blown on the first floor circuit, turning the main computer off in the process. Everything went back on again when the fuse was sorted out, but for some unknown reason, the wifi wasn't working. I tried all the obvious things but to no avail. However, after talking to my IT consultant on the phone (my son in Bristol), I turned off the router for a second time, left it a bit longer before turning it back on again, and that seems to have sorted out the problem.
The guys spent the day putting in the screed on the lower floor level downstairs. To my surprise, they are not using a quick drying screed, even though the people installing the new doors and window will be walking on it (and probably using heavy equipment) next Wednesday.
You're not supposed to walk on it at all for 24-48 hours after its laid - and then only light foot traffic - so I don't expect any more work to take place in this area until Monday at the earliest, even if the guys come in tomorrow as they say they will....I'm looking forward to the time when I have my Saturdays back - having builders on site 6 days a week (as they tend to be now) is getting tiresome.
Here's hoping the doors and window installation next week doesn't mess up the screed as it won't be anywhere near cured by then...the whole drying out process takes around a day per 1 mm of thickness, so I'm looking at 6-8 weeks before the floor finish can be installed on this level. I'll have to use a rug to cover up the rough screed in the meantime.
Some time after the builders left, I popped my head around the dust sheet to see how far they had got by close of business. The good news is that the screed is finished. The bad news is that the house is still totally open to the elements at the rear; window and door openings have not been boarded up again. The house is totally exposed.
Heavy rain and driving winds are due tonight, and this room faces south west where the prevailing weather comes from, so goodness knows what sort of condition the freshly laid screed will be in tomorrow morning.
There's nothing to stop the rain and wind penetrating into the room, or animals wandering in (the neighbourhood cats are an inquisitive lot)...or people for that matter. The only thing between me and the outside world is a thin sheet of plastic put up as a dust sheet at the entrance to the room, which is already blowing in the wind. My house insurers would have a fit! And I confess I do feel rather vulnerable, even though the chances of a burglar coming in over the back is remote given that I'm in the middle of a terrace. However....I'm not a happy bunny when I go to bed at night and leave lights on as a little bit of a deterrent, just in case.
This evening, I've been contacting stained glass specialist to get quotes for repairing the damaged coloured glass panel in the front door that took a bash from something the builders had carried out, breaking the lead framework in a couple of places but thankfully not the glass. I can then pass on to the man in charge who has agreed to pay for the repair, once he's seen the quotes.
One other thing on the build today...I recently paid most of the latest invoice, but in doing so had pointed out to the man in charge that one of the items on the current valuation had been paid in full last time (coincidentally, the below ground ventilation that has been causing me concern today) so I'd excluded that sum from the payment.
I was surprised when he emailed a reply, saying that this item had NOT been included in the last valuation, so I double checked. It's there, on the valuation in black and white, and I had specifically mentioned it in a covering email when I'd transferred the money, saying that I'd paid that particular item in full, even though the work had not been completed. I've forwarded that email to him again in response so he can see for himself, in case he's lost or deleted it in the meantime. I hope that sorts it out...I don't want to end up paying twice for something that I'm still not 100% sure has actually been done!
Saturday 10 November
Rather than rush to get up and breakfasted by 7.30am, I treated myself to a short lie in this morning and the builder let himself in around 8am. He's tidying up the edges of the stub walls where the new garden doors will be installed, cutting back the brickwork with an angle grinder - noisy, dusty work which won't make me the most popular person with my neighbours...Better make sure he finishes the noisy stuff by one o'clock (the time specified by Environmental Health for Saturday working) or there are likely to be more complaints.
To do this work he's walking on the newly laid screed, which is damp and puddled from last night's wind and rain. So much for keeping new screed dry and not walking on it for 24-48 hours...If it survives this onslaught from the weather and the builder, I'll be highly relieved.
I've been in touch with specialist stained glass people to get quotes to repair the coloured glass panel in the front door, damaged by the builders pushing something very heavy against the glazing from the inside. I've also sent photos on to the man in charge who wants to see the quotes before paying for the repair, so that he is aware of the extent of damage that the quotes relate to:
With the garden doors and window due to be installed next Wednesday and the kitchen cabinets delivery due next Thursday afternoon, I need to give some serious thought (again) to what needs to be done before these two events happen, so that I have a list to go through with the partner of the man in charge on Monday.
The most urgent bit of building work is preparing the openings for the new doors and window. This work is in progress today, so should be finished by Tuesday evening, all being well. The other bit of building work is plastering the section of lower ceiling in the kitchen and dining area which houses ventilation ducts. This needs to be done as soon as possible so that the plaster can dry and be painted before wall units are installed tight under the lowered ceiling - a job that would be difficult to do well once the units are in place, due to the risk of getting paint on the new units.
Likewise, there are still sections of stud wall to be constructed, boarded and plastered in the kitchen area - the wall above the stair stringer at one end of the kitchen, the continuation of the existing stud below the stairs and the boxing in of the gallows bracket supporting the stairs and half landing. Preparation for this work (dismantling parts of the existing balustrade and handrail, cutting and fixing plasterboard) will create dust. Skimming with plaster will result in plaster being splashed far and wide.
I really don't want plaster and paint splashes all over the new kitchen units before I've even had a chance to use them!
It's not just building works...it's the logistics of clearing the right space at the right time to enable the doors and windows to be installed i.e. all building materials and equipment will need to be removed from the deck as both doors and window are outward opening, so can't be installed and tested if the deck outside is cluttered with stuff. If this stuff is moved inside to clear the deck by Wednesday, it will all have to be back outside by Thursday afternoon so there is enough room inside to store the kitchen cabinets when they are delivered, unpacked and checked prior to installation the following week.
That's a lot to get through in just two working days....
Around lunchtime, the grinding and banging noises stopped and I heaved a sigh of relief - that must mean that the opening for the new garden doors is now tidied up, ready for them to be installed next Wednesday. Then the noise started up again around 1.45 pm - after the 1 o'clock "curfew" on noisy work in the contract and local Environmental Health guidelines. I waited for the builder to put down the angle grinder, asked him to stop and then went to apologise to my neighbours who were on the doorstep just about to complain.
Clearly, the noise is getting to them. Not surprising really. I wouldn't want to be living next door with something like this going on for so long...all the disruption, disturbance and inconvenience with none of the benefits at the end of it all. But you can't do a building job on this scale without such effects, so as much as I'd love to be able to wave a magic wand and make it stop, I can't until the work has been completed.
I was out in the afternoon, and by the time I returned home, the builder had gone. To my great relief, the boards have gone up again so the house is now secure and almost watertight.
I can't get into the garden, but I can see its full of materials and equipment when looking down from the home office window upstairs. The skip is just about full, so they may need another to get rid of the bits and pieces that can't be reused. Another thing to talk to the builder about on Monday, along with noisy work on Saturdays after 1pm and the need to clear the decks and remove materials and equipment which is no longer needed on site. Must make some space inside and out!
Sunday morning, it was interesting to see how much light comes in through the Velux windows when all other natural light sources are blocked off...
Something to compare with next week when the new doors and window into the garden are installed...
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