Monday 26 November
I'd set the alarm for 6:45 this morning. Good job too! At 7am there was a phone call from the people delivering the dishwasher today. The lorry has broken down. They will be late. Not a problem, as long as I know when to expect them.
The kitchen fitters arrived by 7.30am. The designer had told them about the small modifications needed to a couple of the base units in the peninsular run, but had neglected to mention that one of the tall cabinets installed last week would have to be taken out in order to slide the L-shaped worktop into place. They were not best pleased about that, but didn't shoot the messenger....
...Still, there's plenty for them to be getting on with today...putting doors on, and internal fittings in, the units that have been installed....putting up the cooker hood in the gap that's been left between two wall units. The latter will be a bit more tricky than expected due to the way it has to be fixed. They have to leave a gap between the top of the hood and the underside of the duct box directly above, big enough to tighten up a couple of grub screws on the wall fixtures by hand. That gap will reduce the space between the top of the gas hob and the underside of the cooker hood door. Fingers crossed it will still meet the "gas safe" requirement for a minimum of 650mm vertical distance when the hood is in use....
When the builder's guys arrive, their first job is to shift bags of cement and wall tiles out of the hall so that the dishwasher can be carried through when it's delivered later today. Then they set to work in the loft, replacing electric sockets and light switches which had been removed when constructing the shower cubicle. We have agreed where these items will go. I also reminded them that the wall light which had also been removed will have to be put back. They'd forgotten about that...but at least it's cleaned up, ready to be re-fixed. I hope it doesn't mess up the new plaster too much.
At lunchtime, another phone call from the dishwasher delivery people. Their truck is terminal. It will have to be towed back to base. The dishwasher will be delivered tomorrow. I have told them that I'll be out of the house from just before 9am until lunchtime so it will have to arrive early or in the afternoon. It seems my delivery is No 1 on the list, so I should expect them from 7am onwards. Another early start tomorrow...
By close of business, the kitchen fitters have taken out the tall oven/microwave unit ready for the worktop to be installed, whenever that happens...the cooker hood is in place ready to be plugged in when the sparks has done the second fix electrics, and all the wall cupboards now have their doors on...apart from the one that was delivered too large, where the door will have to be replaced. All nicely aligned a the moment. Here's hoping the gas fitter will let them stay like that, rather than requiring the one over the hob to be raised...
The copper trim has been fitted to all the base units; the special corners give a pleasing neat finish and the copper tint livens everything up just a bit. Will look even better when the proper lighting and the worktops are installed.
Upstairs in the loft, the builders have been skim plastering...most of the new purlin has been done...
as has the stud to the toilet cubicle (above) and the shower cubicle (below)....
Another meeting late afternoon with the partner of the man in charge, going through design details again, and order of business to gets works finished in the next couple of weeks. He's now keen to get the floor in the downstairs WC/utility room finished before the toilet and cupboards are built, so I need to get quotes in for that job ASAP (its one of the things I'm dealing with direct).
He also said that the electrician will be coming tomorrow to install socket boxes where there are cables coming out of the wall. Easier to do this if the kitchen fitters aren't there. There's not a lot they can do at the moment pending the arrival and fitting of the worktops, so probably better that they don't come back until then...
Once the gutter, flashing, hopper and downpipes are completed on the extension (no...those jobs still not done yet!) the guys will remove the sheet of ply that's been separating my garden from my neighbours since the extension was built, and I can extend the existing "eco" fence right up to the corner of the extension. He advised that the best way to do this was to attach the last fence post to the building itself, rather than try to dig a post hole in the ground up against the foundations (makes sense when you think about it..)
I've been given a price for the removal and disposal of the old soil vent pipe (something I'd overlooked in the original schedule of works, so it's a justified extra). I've agreed subject to the price quoted including fixing the last fence post to the wall of the extension. Those two jobs, plus the replacement of the deck immediately outside the garden doors which the builder is doing at this own expense given the mess they have made of it, and the remaining works to the extension mentioned above, will complete the exterior works other than clearing the garden and cleaning up.
My last jobs of the day were to clear a space downstairs for the sparks to come in tomorrow and install socket boxes; protect the kitchen cabinets and doors and make space for the dishwasher which will be delivered tomorrow; start the process of getting people in to quote to tile the floor in the WC/utility, lobby and hall, and liaise with the kitchen designer to make sure the kitchen fitters don't turn up at 7.15am tomorrow morning (I don't have their details to contact directly). It was quite late by the time I'd done all this. Project management is a full time job at this stage of a build!
Tuesday 27 November
Up early to be ready for the dishwasher delivery any time from 7am onwards. It arrived around 7.45am, was delivered to the room of choice, packaging removed and put in the skip. Job done.
Before I left the house for a morning appointment, there was a text from the kitchen designer to say that the worktops were due to be delivered next Monday, and the fitters had been stood down until then. I'd also arranged for two tilers to give quotes for finishing the floor in to WC/utility room, lobby and hall, and contacted the suppliers of the eco fence I'm using to find out about delivery times. Not bad going considering it was still before 9am!
I left the builders to get on with it while I was out, keeping my fingers crossed that the kitchen cabinets and appliances wouldn't be damaged in my absence...
Back home in the afternoon, I took delivery of the radiator for the kitchen area, had my first visit from floor tilers to look at the site before quoting for the job and arranged for another to come on Sunday.
The kitchen designer has been in touch again (second time today) to say that the worktops were running a couple of days behind schedule - not good news - but that he would drop in later this week to check all the remaining kitchen cabinets and fittings, so that we can go back to the supplier with a list of things that need sorting out. Plus he has a chap coming in on Saturday week "to tackle various fitting things" if that's OK with me. Not a problem. I've given up on my weekends now. Just grinding through things to get everything ready in time to have a civilised Christmas here with the family!
By close of business, socket boxes and switches have been installed downstairs...
...and upstairs.
In the loft, the shower bar has been installed in the shower cubicle...
...and, if you are careful, you can turn on the lights in the toilet, the main loft room and at the top of the stairs. They aren't wired up properly but they have been reconnected into the lighting circuit (I've been fiddling around with a torch and work lamps up until this evening).
Last but not least, the kitchen designer tells me that the mirror glass back splashes will be templated next Friday, 7 December...the last weekend before I'm planning to get my stuff out of storage the following Friday. It will be tight for Christmas but, all being well, the important things will be installed and functioning. And to think this all started back in early June.....
Wednesday 28 November
Slow start today. The guys didn't turn up until after 10am - just a few minutes after I'd sent a text to the partner of the man in charge asking if anyone was coming today.
They stayed till about 6pm and have been working, but there's not a lot of visible progress on the ground. More sockets have gone in, upstairs and downstairs, including the fancy ones which will be set in the mirror glass splash back in the kitchen area..
...and more skim plastering has happened in the loft.
I must now make a decision about whether to leave some areas of brickwork exposed when the old under eaves cupboards were removed...
The only other progress on site was a start being made on the stud behind the loo in the loft which will have an access hatch to service the Saniflow macerator and the concealed cistern which will sit in their own little compartment behind the "back to wall" short projection lavatory pan.
For my part, I've been very busy spending yet more money.
I've ordered the 3m track light which will be fitted in the kitchen diner, on the long wall with the Velux windows above. These spotlights will illuminate artwork which I plan to display in this area, above the shallow bookshelves for the paperbacks.
I've also bought a tall pull out storage unit to fit into one of the cupboards in the downstairs WC/utility room which (I hope) will be large enough to store DIY tools, spare paint, cleaning materials and things like light bulbs....
...and arranged delivery next Wednesday of the fence panels and post which will fill in the gap between the extension and the existing fence when the temporary sheet of OSB is removed.
Thursday 29 November
I updated the spreadsheet today with all the latest outgoings; a scary amount of money. However, I keep telling myself it's an investment in the house which is my biggest financial asset, and quite a lot of the old appliances were on their last legs and would have had to be replaced anyway, sooner rather than later.
Having decided to get my stuff out of storage on 16 December, I've also been thinking about the absolutely essential things that must be done the next two weeks so we can have a civilised family Christmas and those works that can, if necessary, wait until the New Year. So I now have a Plan B...
However, next week should be a big leap forward if all goes to plan. The kitchen worktops are due to be fitted. Then the rest of the cabinets can be installed, the sink and tap connected, appliances put in place and connected up ready to use, and the templating for the splash backs carried out next Friday.
While all this work is going on in the kitchen, the builder's guys can be progressing - and hopefully completing - works in the loft (installing the shower, loo, wash hand basin and Saniflow, ventilation/extraction, tiling, connecting everything up and making good around the new windows).
All being well, while the kitchen is being completed, the floor finish can be going down in the ground floor WC/utility room and a start made on the storage units in this space ready for the delivery of the laundry appliances the week after.
The next two weeks will be really intensive. How I'm going to find time to get ready for Christmas, I really don't know!
I managed to get out of the house to pick up a 3 gang dimmer switch for the kitchen lights (one for the under cabinet lighting, one for the pendant lights over the peninsular run of units, and one for the recessed ceiling lights). Also picked up some brass door furniture for the toilet door - handles and a privacy latch.
Meanwhile, back at home I've been taking deliveries...the track light and spots for the dining area has arrived, along with what looks like a gutter, hopper and downpipe for the extension roof. The guys have been busy plastering upstairs in the loft...under the eaves and new purlin, where the old storage cupboards have been removed...a decision as to whether to leave the brickwork exposed has been overtaken by events. It's now under plasterboard and skim...
...and they have skimmed around the doors to the stairs and toilet...
On the ground floor, they have started preparing the framework for boarding out under the stairs, and constructing a stud above the stringer on the kitchen side of the hall door....
...and working on the frame for the door into the downstairs loo/utility room...
...not forgetting the boarding around the gallows bracket put in to support the underside of the stairs and half landing when the doorpost to the under stairs cupboard was removed...
I've re-thought the relative proportions of different elements of the built in storage in the downstairs WC/utility room and decided to go for a slightly narrower element in the middle of the run to accommodate the wash hand basin with mirror cabinet above and a slightly wider storage unit for tall things like a step ladder, ironing board, broom, mop and vacuum cleaner components. It's only a 10cm shift from one element to the other, but I think it will be more practical.
Last job of the day is to reply to a text received in the evening from the partner of the man in charge asking the thickness of the old kitchen door which is being reused in the new downstairs toilet, and asking whether I wanted an architrave around the door frame...Out with the tape measure again, and back online to find an architrave design similar to that used elsewhere in the house....
Friday 30 November
Another busy day...early morning meeting with the partner of the man in charge to talk about the detailed design of the storage cupboards he's making for the downstairs loo/utility room and coat store. Simple, plywood construction with clean lines...He now wants to build these first before the floor is laid. It was the other way around at the start of this week! That makes it difficult for me to know when to get the floor tilers in. Oh well, if the floor finish has to wait until after Christmas/New Year so be it. We'll get there in the end.
There have been more orders (the mirrored cabinet for the downstairs loo) and more deliveries (lots of building stuff and the pop up-power point to go in the void where wall cupboards meet at a corner in the kitchen).
The big deal of the day as far as I'm concerned is that I've given two weeks notice on my storage unit rental. The stuff will be coming home on 14 December, come what may. The partner of the man in charge said book it, so I have. I doubt whether all the building jobs will be finished by then, but it looks like the important stuff will be completed. The clearance countdown has started. 14 days to the deadline, so lots to do in the next two weeks!
Having made that commitment, I must now hire a van and a couple of men to move the stuff out of the unit and into the house; make final decisions about storage for books, games and other bits and pieces that used to live in the old dining room and loft room; get the storage ordered, delivered and in place so there's somewhere to put things when they come home. And before then, I must paint bits of walls where any storage units will be fitted and around where light fixtures and fittings will be installed. It would be good to do all the decoration, but if timing doesn't allow, then the priority areas are clear. Much easier to do it before stuff is fixed to walls and ceilings than after.
The builders have also been busy. All the action has been downstairs. The frame for the door between the kitchen/diner and the hall has gone up.
Even without the door, you now get the feeling of going into a room as you walk through it into the new large open plan space, while the area outside feels very much part of the hall. The old dining room which was subdivided to form the WC/utility room on one side and part of the open plan kitchen/diner (together with the old kitchen and the new extension) on the other side has well and truly disappeared. The end of another era, but the start of a new one...
A start has been made on the partition above the stringer on the stairs on the kitchen side of the door. The under stairs area will remain open and used to accommodate a sideboard of some description - my overflow storage for kitchen/dining items that aren't used on a day to day basis.
Also downstairs, the lighting cables hanging from the ceiling have had their sheaths removed, exposing the wires ready to be connected up to the recessed light fittings which are in a box nearby, ready and waiting to be installed.
All the clutter has been moved out of the toilet/utility room and plywood sheets are stacked in there ready to be made into fitted storage cupboards for the washing machine, tumble drier, DIY and cleaning stuff, and other odds and ends that haven't got a home somewhere else in the house...The photos don't look inspiring, but it's another step forward!
More stuff has gone in the skip, which is now full again. Surely we won't need another one?
Nothing has happened up in the loft, apart from the door to the new shower being taken upstairs and left close to where it will be installed. I've been working on a room layout and storage solutions up here, making the most of furniture and fittings here already. But with clutter like the Christmas decorations which were once hidden under the eaves but now exposed, I'll have to get new boxes, baskets or storage units of some sort to tuck things neatly out of site, albeit more easily accessible than before. Maybe most of the paperbacks will live up here too, rather than all of them being downstairs as planned originally. Mmmm...something to think about before investing in lots of shelving downstairs...
Saturday 1 December
Today, I have mostly been waiting.....
...Waiting for the builder's guys to arrive. When they hadn't shown up by 11am, I sent a text to the partner of the man in charge to find out what was going on, and reminded him that the kitchen area had to be cleared by 7.30am on Monday morning, when the kitchen fitters are due to return.
...And then I waited for a reply. Eventually at 12.30pm it arrived. Their car has broken down. Not to worry about clearing the kitchen space, he would be on site at 6.30 to do what was necessary. I assumed he meant 6.30 that evening, so I waited some more...
...I was also waiting for a site visit from a floor tiler to give me a quote for tiling the hall, lobby and WC/utility room. He was due to arrive between 11am and 1 o'clock. He eventually turned up about 1.45pm, but at least he came. The other floor tilers who promised me a quote have yet to be in touch. I've sent them a reminder, but I'm still waiting for a reply...
Determined not to waste any more time, I went to look at carpet samples for the loft room, hoping to get that done before Christmas when family are due to arrive. Over optimistic. First available fitting slot is early January. However, I have the estimator booked in for next Thursday, so at least that ball is rolling...
Spurred on by this action, I returned home and set about painting ceilings and walls where lighting fixtures are due to be installed - a productive way to pass the time while waiting for the partner of the man uncharge to come at 6.30pm. It was only as the clock ticked on past that deadline, that it dawned on me he meant 6.30 am on Monday morning before the kitchen fitter were due to arrive, rather than 6.30 pm that evening! That's the earliest start so far...
However, being at home in the daylight with no builders on site was a good opportunity to see what they has been up to!
Most of the lead flashing is now in place on the roof of the extension, a hopper has been fixed to the extension's end wall, but not the gutter or down pipes as far as I can see. And a rather ugly bargeboard has appeared on the half gable end. That will have to go, I think...just a simple fillet of mortar is all that's necessary..the traditional way of sealing the gap on a gable end around here.
The only other noticeable thing is what a mess everything is in...
...the stairs to the loft are splattered with plaster. They didn't bother to put down any protection when skinning overhead.
The kitchen area is full of clutter. It's an obstacle course just to move around. Going to fun shift this lot in the early hours of Monday morning without disturbing the neighbours ...
The garden is even more trashed than before...
I can't get into the shed at the end of the garden. The way is blocked by a huge sheet of insulation board. As for the plants...well, if they survive it will be a miracle...
While I was painting in the kitchen/diner there were a couple more deliveries - something from "Plumbworld" for the builder, and the mirrored cabinet for the downstairs loo which I had ordered. Later in the evening, another item arrived. An Ikea storage unit from Freegle which will go in the bottom of the coat store - somewhere to put outdoor shoes, shoe cleaning kit, bags for life, umbrellas and walking poles. I think it will work. Have to wait and see. If it doesn't I'll just pass it on to someone else. It hasn't cost me anything...
My mission for tomorrow is to finish the first coat of paint on the kitchen/diner ceiling, chase up the floor tiling quotes, make sure there's enough money in the current account to pay of this month's credit card bill, finish this week's blog, sort out information for my tax return and company accounts (a task that has fallen by the wayside with so many other things going on and an inaccessible office for many months) .... and have an early night, so I'm up and ready to let in the partner of the man in charge at 6.30am on Monday morning.
The countdown to bringing things back home has started and the next two weeks will be manic, getting everything ready for 14 December and preparing for Christmas at the same time. Deep breath....
I'd set the alarm for 6:45 this morning. Good job too! At 7am there was a phone call from the people delivering the dishwasher today. The lorry has broken down. They will be late. Not a problem, as long as I know when to expect them.
The kitchen fitters arrived by 7.30am. The designer had told them about the small modifications needed to a couple of the base units in the peninsular run, but had neglected to mention that one of the tall cabinets installed last week would have to be taken out in order to slide the L-shaped worktop into place. They were not best pleased about that, but didn't shoot the messenger....
...Still, there's plenty for them to be getting on with today...putting doors on, and internal fittings in, the units that have been installed....putting up the cooker hood in the gap that's been left between two wall units. The latter will be a bit more tricky than expected due to the way it has to be fixed. They have to leave a gap between the top of the hood and the underside of the duct box directly above, big enough to tighten up a couple of grub screws on the wall fixtures by hand. That gap will reduce the space between the top of the gas hob and the underside of the cooker hood door. Fingers crossed it will still meet the "gas safe" requirement for a minimum of 650mm vertical distance when the hood is in use....
When the builder's guys arrive, their first job is to shift bags of cement and wall tiles out of the hall so that the dishwasher can be carried through when it's delivered later today. Then they set to work in the loft, replacing electric sockets and light switches which had been removed when constructing the shower cubicle. We have agreed where these items will go. I also reminded them that the wall light which had also been removed will have to be put back. They'd forgotten about that...but at least it's cleaned up, ready to be re-fixed. I hope it doesn't mess up the new plaster too much.
At lunchtime, another phone call from the dishwasher delivery people. Their truck is terminal. It will have to be towed back to base. The dishwasher will be delivered tomorrow. I have told them that I'll be out of the house from just before 9am until lunchtime so it will have to arrive early or in the afternoon. It seems my delivery is No 1 on the list, so I should expect them from 7am onwards. Another early start tomorrow...
By close of business, the kitchen fitters have taken out the tall oven/microwave unit ready for the worktop to be installed, whenever that happens...the cooker hood is in place ready to be plugged in when the sparks has done the second fix electrics, and all the wall cupboards now have their doors on...apart from the one that was delivered too large, where the door will have to be replaced. All nicely aligned a the moment. Here's hoping the gas fitter will let them stay like that, rather than requiring the one over the hob to be raised...
The copper trim has been fitted to all the base units; the special corners give a pleasing neat finish and the copper tint livens everything up just a bit. Will look even better when the proper lighting and the worktops are installed.
as has the stud to the toilet cubicle (above) and the shower cubicle (below)....
Another meeting late afternoon with the partner of the man in charge, going through design details again, and order of business to gets works finished in the next couple of weeks. He's now keen to get the floor in the downstairs WC/utility room finished before the toilet and cupboards are built, so I need to get quotes in for that job ASAP (its one of the things I'm dealing with direct).
He also said that the electrician will be coming tomorrow to install socket boxes where there are cables coming out of the wall. Easier to do this if the kitchen fitters aren't there. There's not a lot they can do at the moment pending the arrival and fitting of the worktops, so probably better that they don't come back until then...
Once the gutter, flashing, hopper and downpipes are completed on the extension (no...those jobs still not done yet!) the guys will remove the sheet of ply that's been separating my garden from my neighbours since the extension was built, and I can extend the existing "eco" fence right up to the corner of the extension. He advised that the best way to do this was to attach the last fence post to the building itself, rather than try to dig a post hole in the ground up against the foundations (makes sense when you think about it..)
I've been given a price for the removal and disposal of the old soil vent pipe (something I'd overlooked in the original schedule of works, so it's a justified extra). I've agreed subject to the price quoted including fixing the last fence post to the wall of the extension. Those two jobs, plus the replacement of the deck immediately outside the garden doors which the builder is doing at this own expense given the mess they have made of it, and the remaining works to the extension mentioned above, will complete the exterior works other than clearing the garden and cleaning up.
My last jobs of the day were to clear a space downstairs for the sparks to come in tomorrow and install socket boxes; protect the kitchen cabinets and doors and make space for the dishwasher which will be delivered tomorrow; start the process of getting people in to quote to tile the floor in the WC/utility, lobby and hall, and liaise with the kitchen designer to make sure the kitchen fitters don't turn up at 7.15am tomorrow morning (I don't have their details to contact directly). It was quite late by the time I'd done all this. Project management is a full time job at this stage of a build!
Tuesday 27 November
Up early to be ready for the dishwasher delivery any time from 7am onwards. It arrived around 7.45am, was delivered to the room of choice, packaging removed and put in the skip. Job done.
Before I left the house for a morning appointment, there was a text from the kitchen designer to say that the worktops were due to be delivered next Monday, and the fitters had been stood down until then. I'd also arranged for two tilers to give quotes for finishing the floor in to WC/utility room, lobby and hall, and contacted the suppliers of the eco fence I'm using to find out about delivery times. Not bad going considering it was still before 9am!
I left the builders to get on with it while I was out, keeping my fingers crossed that the kitchen cabinets and appliances wouldn't be damaged in my absence...
Back home in the afternoon, I took delivery of the radiator for the kitchen area, had my first visit from floor tilers to look at the site before quoting for the job and arranged for another to come on Sunday.
The kitchen designer has been in touch again (second time today) to say that the worktops were running a couple of days behind schedule - not good news - but that he would drop in later this week to check all the remaining kitchen cabinets and fittings, so that we can go back to the supplier with a list of things that need sorting out. Plus he has a chap coming in on Saturday week "to tackle various fitting things" if that's OK with me. Not a problem. I've given up on my weekends now. Just grinding through things to get everything ready in time to have a civilised Christmas here with the family!
By close of business, socket boxes and switches have been installed downstairs...
...and upstairs.
In the loft, the shower bar has been installed in the shower cubicle...
...and, if you are careful, you can turn on the lights in the toilet, the main loft room and at the top of the stairs. They aren't wired up properly but they have been reconnected into the lighting circuit (I've been fiddling around with a torch and work lamps up until this evening).
Last but not least, the kitchen designer tells me that the mirror glass back splashes will be templated next Friday, 7 December...the last weekend before I'm planning to get my stuff out of storage the following Friday. It will be tight for Christmas but, all being well, the important things will be installed and functioning. And to think this all started back in early June.....
Wednesday 28 November
Slow start today. The guys didn't turn up until after 10am - just a few minutes after I'd sent a text to the partner of the man in charge asking if anyone was coming today.
They stayed till about 6pm and have been working, but there's not a lot of visible progress on the ground. More sockets have gone in, upstairs and downstairs, including the fancy ones which will be set in the mirror glass splash back in the kitchen area..
...and more skim plastering has happened in the loft.
I must now make a decision about whether to leave some areas of brickwork exposed when the old under eaves cupboards were removed...
The only other progress on site was a start being made on the stud behind the loo in the loft which will have an access hatch to service the Saniflow macerator and the concealed cistern which will sit in their own little compartment behind the "back to wall" short projection lavatory pan.
For my part, I've been very busy spending yet more money.
I've ordered the 3m track light which will be fitted in the kitchen diner, on the long wall with the Velux windows above. These spotlights will illuminate artwork which I plan to display in this area, above the shallow bookshelves for the paperbacks.
I've also bought a tall pull out storage unit to fit into one of the cupboards in the downstairs WC/utility room which (I hope) will be large enough to store DIY tools, spare paint, cleaning materials and things like light bulbs....
...and arranged delivery next Wednesday of the fence panels and post which will fill in the gap between the extension and the existing fence when the temporary sheet of OSB is removed.
Thursday 29 November
I updated the spreadsheet today with all the latest outgoings; a scary amount of money. However, I keep telling myself it's an investment in the house which is my biggest financial asset, and quite a lot of the old appliances were on their last legs and would have had to be replaced anyway, sooner rather than later.
Having decided to get my stuff out of storage on 16 December, I've also been thinking about the absolutely essential things that must be done the next two weeks so we can have a civilised family Christmas and those works that can, if necessary, wait until the New Year. So I now have a Plan B...
However, next week should be a big leap forward if all goes to plan. The kitchen worktops are due to be fitted. Then the rest of the cabinets can be installed, the sink and tap connected, appliances put in place and connected up ready to use, and the templating for the splash backs carried out next Friday.
While all this work is going on in the kitchen, the builder's guys can be progressing - and hopefully completing - works in the loft (installing the shower, loo, wash hand basin and Saniflow, ventilation/extraction, tiling, connecting everything up and making good around the new windows).
All being well, while the kitchen is being completed, the floor finish can be going down in the ground floor WC/utility room and a start made on the storage units in this space ready for the delivery of the laundry appliances the week after.
The next two weeks will be really intensive. How I'm going to find time to get ready for Christmas, I really don't know!
I managed to get out of the house to pick up a 3 gang dimmer switch for the kitchen lights (one for the under cabinet lighting, one for the pendant lights over the peninsular run of units, and one for the recessed ceiling lights). Also picked up some brass door furniture for the toilet door - handles and a privacy latch.
Meanwhile, back at home I've been taking deliveries...the track light and spots for the dining area has arrived, along with what looks like a gutter, hopper and downpipe for the extension roof. The guys have been busy plastering upstairs in the loft...under the eaves and new purlin, where the old storage cupboards have been removed...a decision as to whether to leave the brickwork exposed has been overtaken by events. It's now under plasterboard and skim...
On the ground floor, they have started preparing the framework for boarding out under the stairs, and constructing a stud above the stringer on the kitchen side of the hall door....
...and working on the frame for the door into the downstairs loo/utility room...
...not forgetting the boarding around the gallows bracket put in to support the underside of the stairs and half landing when the doorpost to the under stairs cupboard was removed...
I've re-thought the relative proportions of different elements of the built in storage in the downstairs WC/utility room and decided to go for a slightly narrower element in the middle of the run to accommodate the wash hand basin with mirror cabinet above and a slightly wider storage unit for tall things like a step ladder, ironing board, broom, mop and vacuum cleaner components. It's only a 10cm shift from one element to the other, but I think it will be more practical.
Last job of the day is to reply to a text received in the evening from the partner of the man in charge asking the thickness of the old kitchen door which is being reused in the new downstairs toilet, and asking whether I wanted an architrave around the door frame...Out with the tape measure again, and back online to find an architrave design similar to that used elsewhere in the house....
Friday 30 November
Another busy day...early morning meeting with the partner of the man in charge to talk about the detailed design of the storage cupboards he's making for the downstairs loo/utility room and coat store. Simple, plywood construction with clean lines...He now wants to build these first before the floor is laid. It was the other way around at the start of this week! That makes it difficult for me to know when to get the floor tilers in. Oh well, if the floor finish has to wait until after Christmas/New Year so be it. We'll get there in the end.
There have been more orders (the mirrored cabinet for the downstairs loo) and more deliveries (lots of building stuff and the pop up-power point to go in the void where wall cupboards meet at a corner in the kitchen).
The big deal of the day as far as I'm concerned is that I've given two weeks notice on my storage unit rental. The stuff will be coming home on 14 December, come what may. The partner of the man in charge said book it, so I have. I doubt whether all the building jobs will be finished by then, but it looks like the important stuff will be completed. The clearance countdown has started. 14 days to the deadline, so lots to do in the next two weeks!
Having made that commitment, I must now hire a van and a couple of men to move the stuff out of the unit and into the house; make final decisions about storage for books, games and other bits and pieces that used to live in the old dining room and loft room; get the storage ordered, delivered and in place so there's somewhere to put things when they come home. And before then, I must paint bits of walls where any storage units will be fitted and around where light fixtures and fittings will be installed. It would be good to do all the decoration, but if timing doesn't allow, then the priority areas are clear. Much easier to do it before stuff is fixed to walls and ceilings than after.
The builders have also been busy. All the action has been downstairs. The frame for the door between the kitchen/diner and the hall has gone up.
Even without the door, you now get the feeling of going into a room as you walk through it into the new large open plan space, while the area outside feels very much part of the hall. The old dining room which was subdivided to form the WC/utility room on one side and part of the open plan kitchen/diner (together with the old kitchen and the new extension) on the other side has well and truly disappeared. The end of another era, but the start of a new one...
A start has been made on the partition above the stringer on the stairs on the kitchen side of the door. The under stairs area will remain open and used to accommodate a sideboard of some description - my overflow storage for kitchen/dining items that aren't used on a day to day basis.
Also downstairs, the lighting cables hanging from the ceiling have had their sheaths removed, exposing the wires ready to be connected up to the recessed light fittings which are in a box nearby, ready and waiting to be installed.
All the clutter has been moved out of the toilet/utility room and plywood sheets are stacked in there ready to be made into fitted storage cupboards for the washing machine, tumble drier, DIY and cleaning stuff, and other odds and ends that haven't got a home somewhere else in the house...The photos don't look inspiring, but it's another step forward!
Nothing has happened up in the loft, apart from the door to the new shower being taken upstairs and left close to where it will be installed. I've been working on a room layout and storage solutions up here, making the most of furniture and fittings here already. But with clutter like the Christmas decorations which were once hidden under the eaves but now exposed, I'll have to get new boxes, baskets or storage units of some sort to tuck things neatly out of site, albeit more easily accessible than before. Maybe most of the paperbacks will live up here too, rather than all of them being downstairs as planned originally. Mmmm...something to think about before investing in lots of shelving downstairs...
Saturday 1 December
Today, I have mostly been waiting.....
...Waiting for the builder's guys to arrive. When they hadn't shown up by 11am, I sent a text to the partner of the man in charge to find out what was going on, and reminded him that the kitchen area had to be cleared by 7.30am on Monday morning, when the kitchen fitters are due to return.
...And then I waited for a reply. Eventually at 12.30pm it arrived. Their car has broken down. Not to worry about clearing the kitchen space, he would be on site at 6.30 to do what was necessary. I assumed he meant 6.30 that evening, so I waited some more...
...I was also waiting for a site visit from a floor tiler to give me a quote for tiling the hall, lobby and WC/utility room. He was due to arrive between 11am and 1 o'clock. He eventually turned up about 1.45pm, but at least he came. The other floor tilers who promised me a quote have yet to be in touch. I've sent them a reminder, but I'm still waiting for a reply...
Determined not to waste any more time, I went to look at carpet samples for the loft room, hoping to get that done before Christmas when family are due to arrive. Over optimistic. First available fitting slot is early January. However, I have the estimator booked in for next Thursday, so at least that ball is rolling...
Spurred on by this action, I returned home and set about painting ceilings and walls where lighting fixtures are due to be installed - a productive way to pass the time while waiting for the partner of the man uncharge to come at 6.30pm. It was only as the clock ticked on past that deadline, that it dawned on me he meant 6.30 am on Monday morning before the kitchen fitter were due to arrive, rather than 6.30 pm that evening! That's the earliest start so far...
However, being at home in the daylight with no builders on site was a good opportunity to see what they has been up to!
Most of the lead flashing is now in place on the roof of the extension, a hopper has been fixed to the extension's end wall, but not the gutter or down pipes as far as I can see. And a rather ugly bargeboard has appeared on the half gable end. That will have to go, I think...just a simple fillet of mortar is all that's necessary..the traditional way of sealing the gap on a gable end around here.
The only other noticeable thing is what a mess everything is in...
...the stairs to the loft are splattered with plaster. They didn't bother to put down any protection when skinning overhead.
The kitchen area is full of clutter. It's an obstacle course just to move around. Going to fun shift this lot in the early hours of Monday morning without disturbing the neighbours ...
The garden is even more trashed than before...
I can't get into the shed at the end of the garden. The way is blocked by a huge sheet of insulation board. As for the plants...well, if they survive it will be a miracle...
While I was painting in the kitchen/diner there were a couple more deliveries - something from "Plumbworld" for the builder, and the mirrored cabinet for the downstairs loo which I had ordered. Later in the evening, another item arrived. An Ikea storage unit from Freegle which will go in the bottom of the coat store - somewhere to put outdoor shoes, shoe cleaning kit, bags for life, umbrellas and walking poles. I think it will work. Have to wait and see. If it doesn't I'll just pass it on to someone else. It hasn't cost me anything...
My mission for tomorrow is to finish the first coat of paint on the kitchen/diner ceiling, chase up the floor tiling quotes, make sure there's enough money in the current account to pay of this month's credit card bill, finish this week's blog, sort out information for my tax return and company accounts (a task that has fallen by the wayside with so many other things going on and an inaccessible office for many months) .... and have an early night, so I'm up and ready to let in the partner of the man in charge at 6.30am on Monday morning.
The countdown to bringing things back home has started and the next two weeks will be manic, getting everything ready for 14 December and preparing for Christmas at the same time. Deep breath....
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