Monday 17 December
I woke up not long after 4am and unable to get back to sleep, ended up writing lists...a list of all the outstanding items from the schedule of works; a list of snags and areas which need to be made good; a list of things that need to be repaired or replaced at the builders expense due to loss or damage in the course of the works.
It all made rather alarming reading, given that there are only five working days now to finish everything off...second fix electrics still need to be completed, including power supply to all new appliances, sockets and light switches and connection to main consumer unit; 9 light fittings to be installed; 4 doors to fit or ease; 3 sinks to be fully functioning, with both water supply and drainage; 2 extraction units to install in the loos; 2 toilet pans and 1 Saniflow to be plumbed in; one shower to be installed...The 12 days of Christmas comes to mind as I type this...
....not forgetting tiling around loft wash hand basin; replacing radiator valves throughout the house; installing a central heating drain valve; connecting the new radiator; installing thermostat / controllers for underfloor heating and boiler; putting in a connection for a rain water butt; connecting the main under-eaves gutter to the new hopper/drain pipe; making good damaged plaster and fitting skirting boards; clearing and clean up....oh yes, and a final inspection from Building Control to issue a Completion Certificate.
Having itemised the outstanding works, I noted with irony that the man in charge has now sent the final invoice and asked for payment to be made as soon as possible! If he wants final payment, he'll have to wait until all this stuff is finished...
As this is the start of the last working week before Christmas, and bearing in mind how much there is still to do, I assumed that the guys would be here bright and early in an effort to make progress. Imagine my frustration when no one turned up until approaching 11am. No word of apology or explanation...
By 5.30pm there had been some visible progress up in the loft.
The loft room now has a door...
....But the closing mechanism (a discrete spring thing built into the thickness of the door about the height of the door knob) has yet to be attached. It's a fire door, so the Building Inspector won't sign that off until this small but important item is finished.
The replacement windows now have cills....
.....but not exactly what you would call a good fit. That will have to be tidied up!
The combined light/extract unit is now up and running in the shower...
.....but it doesn't have its own switch yet - its on the same switch as the loo light next door so comes on if you turn the light on in the toilet even if the shower isn't being used. Another little thing to sort out....
Downstairs, there's not much visible progress. However, the cooker hood is now connected up so you can switch on the light and/or the fan when using the hob...
...and the gas works too. Yippee!
However, not much else seems to have happened, which is scary with only four more days to go before the Christmas break and so much to do. The electrician says they will be back around 7.30am tomorrow morning and aim to finish the 2nd fix electrics and connect the new consumer unit with the old one in the living room. Then I hope he will replace bits of the floor he's taken up and I can move the sofa in (if I can find someone to give me a hand) so we have somewhere comfortable to sit over Christmas. I'll also be able to use kitchen cupboards currently out of action pending the installation of spurs and switches for appliances...
...He also said they will put up the remaining doors to the kitchen/diner and downstairs WC/utility room, and install the extract in the loo too, which would be good. However, that's not much help until the toilet pan is plumbed in and there's running water in the wash basin. Plus, having a working kitchen sink is my priority. I'm STILL having to go upstairs to the bathroom to fill a kettle, wash fruit and veg, do the washing up (and bring it down again). The kitchen fitters will be here on Thursday to finish off their bits and pieces so all this stuff had better be done by then. They certainly won't come back again before Christmas if it isn't!
Much of my time today has been spent number crunching - looking at the final invoice and responding to the man in charge. Back in October we had a full and frank discussion about progress (or rather lack of it) and payments, during which certain agreements were reached. This included an agreement that he wouldn't charge any variations in costs for additional works which had been carried out prior to that date (none of which had been caused by me). In return, I agreed to pay the price quoted in the contract (other than the cost of the garden doors and windows which we had agreed I would order and pay for so as to speed things along while he had cash flow problems) even though this price included certain works specified which had not been done or were no longer necessary.
However, he seemed to have forgotten that agreement in his final invoice, charging for variations which predated the October meeting (luckily I have dated photos to demonstrate when just about every bit of work was done!) He also forgot that I had paid the supplier directly for the garden doors and window, even though this was part of the contract price and should have been treated as a deduction. Thank goodness I had followed up that meeting with a note of what we had agreed and he had come back to me in writing to confirm...
There were other things to sort out, such as which works were zero rated for VAT purposes as they are specifically designed to help me with my back problems (deleting 20% VAT makes a significant difference when you are talking big numbers) and the cost of replacing various bits and pieces belonging to me which the builders had used and broken, or taken away with their own tools by mistake (I assume) when they had finished their bit of the job.
But the thing that wound me up was his request to pay the final invoice as early as possible this week, even though the bottom line has not been agreed. In particular, it seemed a cheek to make such a request when there are so many items on the schedule of works have yet to be completed, let alone snagging and making good...and heaven knows when the Building Inspector will be called in to do the final checks before issuing a Completion Notice! As far as I know, the man in charge has yet to sort out calculations for his loft beam design with the structural engineer to forward to Building Control. If he has, no one has told me!
So, having worked through all that, he's now aware of my concerns and that he won't be paid the full and final invoice for whatever sum is finally agreed until all the works are completed, snagged, outstanding "making good" has been carried out, and a Completion Notice issued. And that's unlikely to happen by Friday at the rate things are currently going, so he needs a Plan B if he wants to be paid for the work that has been carried out. Over to him!
Tuesday 18 December
The guys have been working on the electrics. I was out most of the day and to be honest, there wasn't much visible difference by close of business. Well no visible difference actually...so no photos.
However, there have been deliveries. A mattress for the loft bed, a replacement mirrored cabinet for the downstairs WC/utility room (the builders managed to break the glass on the first one) and the replacement bits and pieces for the kitchen - a couple of doors, fascia for the oven housing unit, and replacement internal wirework fitting for one of the small base units - so that should be finished on Thursday, when the fitters are due back.
My email to the man in charge yesterday which mentioned all the items still outstanding seems to have woken the builders up. The partner of the man in charge sent a text asking for a list of work which still needed to be done.
This is it:
So much for finishing the jobs by Friday. I think not somehow...
Wednesday 19 December
The jobs list seems to have galvanised the builders into action. By close of business, the downstairs loo had a door (the old kitchen door, stripped and refurbished with new brass fittings)...
...A tap had appeared on the kitchen sink and had been plumbed in...
...the oven is now working....
....upstairs in the loft, the light fitting which had been removed to build the shower cubicle is back in place...
The door to the toilet has been eased so that it now shuts easily....
....There is now water supply to the wash hand basin...
...The light switch is in place next to the door on the loft stairs landing (it's been hanging off with wires exposed up until now...)
...and almost all of the builder's clutter has been removed...
That's progress! But there's still quite a long way to go...
Thursday 20 December
I had high hopes for today...it was supposed to be the day the kitchen was finally finished, but an early morning text from the kitchen designer poured cold water on that dream.
He's been unable to contact the kitchen fitters who did the original installation; they are not responding to texts, calls or emails. Other fitters are not available until January. However, the joiners who are building the bespoke cabinets will be here tomorrow morning to deliver and install those units.
My reply was a heartfelt plea..family arriving at the weekend for Christmas - can't even set up table and chairs to eat as there is a big box with the microwave/grill sitting in the middle of the dining space; there are light switches hanging off the wall which need to be fitted to the side of the tall pantry unit, but that can't be done until the end panel is in place. This very tall end panel is getting in the way of everything else and risks being damaged every time the builders move it around. I can't even bring the Christmas tree inside until until there's space to move around the furniture and boxes which came out of storage on Friday....Please, please, please find a way of getting someone here to finish the job before the weekend when family start arriving....
The next disaster was when I went to put something in the freezer, only to find that it had been switched off!
The appliances has two on/off buttons - one controls both fridge and freezer, the other just the fridge. It also has an alarm which beeps if there is a problem such as the power supply going off. Yesterday, the electrician switched off the power supply to the fridge freezer to move it from a temporary light switch to a proper power circuit. That had set the alarm beeping. To stop the sound, he had randomly pressed control buttons and in the process managed to turn off the whole appliance, then turn just the fridge back on again, leaving the freezer switched off. Try explaining that to someone whose first language isn't English and your only words of Polish are 'good' and 'yes'.
Satisfied that the freezer was now working again, I went off to buy food for the festive season and left the builders to it. The upside of the kitchen fitters not being here today is that they could make more progress unhindered. And there was some progress...up in the loft the shower has been installed at long last...
Some of the making good has been done around the windows...
...and the self closer has been reinstated on the fire door to the loft room.
Sadly, its a different story downstairs...The effort I had put in to organise boxes and furniture in the dining area for the kitchen fitters to work in was a wasted. The builders have moved everything around to start putting up the light fittings, including very heavy boxes that are impossible for me to shift on my own.
Good job the kitchen fitters didn't come today!
While they were making a mess in the kitchen diner, I was making the front room look a bit festive...
...and rejoicing in having a working washing machine and drier...no more trips to the launderette!
It was such a relief to put the first load of washing in before going out again to do more Christmas shopping. But I was surprised to see that the washing machine had been turned off mid cycle when I got back home. The builders had done it because it had been shaking like mad and moving out of the laundry cupboard. They thought it was because the machine wasn't level, but wouldn't touch it as it had been installed by the partner of the man in charge and it was his job to put it right.
I couldn't open the washing machine door to retrieve the laundry until the cycle had finished, and couldn't allow the washing cycle to finish because of all the juddering and moving. So still no clean clothes. Not sure how to deal with this...
While I was pondering my problem with the washing machine, the electrician was working on the lighting. He managed to fit the track light, two wall lamps and the rise and fall ceiling light for over the dining table, but the three pendant lights over the peninsular unit defeated him, the under cabinet lighting hasn't been started and the external lights are still in their boxes...
...As I left to join neighbours for festive drinks, the guys were still there. It was agreed that they would finish fitting the three pendant lights over the peninsular worktop, move the heavy furniture back to where they had found it, then call it a day. It seems they are knocking off for Christmas from tomorrow, when families come to join them for the festive season. Who can blame them?
The builders had left for their Christmas break by the time I returned a couple of hours later. Only one of the three pendant lights had been fitted and the heavy boxes had not been moved back to their original positions. With the kitchen fitters due to arrive tomorrow, I had no choice but to try to move the heavy stuff myself (not a good idea when you have a back problem...).
In the course of tidying up the kitchen area, my arm brushed against a length of flex trailing down between wall cupboards, which turned out to be live - giving me a nasty shock and tripping the fuse again. I ended up texting the man in charge late at night to get someone in the next day to make the live wire safe and sort out whatever the problem was with the washing machine installation.
Friday 21 December
The kitchen fitters arrived at the same time as one of the builder's guys. While the fitters set up to work in the kitchen, the builder taped off the end of the live wire and pushed it back up into the void between wall cupboards. He also got to to the bottom of the problem with the washing machine. Turns out it was nothing to do with the machine not being level. The chap who had installed it had forgotten to remove the bolts that stop the drum spinning when the machine is in transit. Every time the machine went to a spin cycle, the bolts prevented the drum spinning, causing the violent shaking as the drum tried to free itself. I hate to think what damage has been done, but at least it seems to be working now and I can have some clean clothes without another trip to the launderette....
The kitchen designer and fitters worked hard during the day, but still didn't manage to get everything finished. The internal wirework fittings to two cupboards, most of the plinths and the end panel to the tall larder unit have yet to be fitted, likewise the replacement doors to a wall cupboard and base unit. However, the bespoke plywood units are in place on the dining area side of the peninsular run of units, together with the plywood backing in the recess where the plan is to put a couple of bar stools (somewhere for me to sit to prepare food if my back pain is triggered by standing still for too long).
They also installed the microwave oven and grill, but the moment they plugged it in, the fuse tripped on one of the circuits. Try as they might, they could only get one of the circuits to work at any one time. So I was left with power to only a limited range of lights and sockets, no working oven and no working boiler for heat and hot water.
Not what you want just a few days before Christmas...so another text to the man in charge saying please sort it out before my family arrive for Christmas. He promised to send someone around first thing tomorrow morning to assess the problem and take it from there...
Saturday 22 December
8am, and the first of the builder's men arrived. Not an electrician, but apparently someone who knows enough about electricity to work out what needs to be done to fix the problem. He says its fixable, but it needs to be done by a proper electrician.
11am, the second lot of people arrive to look at the problem. Proper electricians this time. They are aghast at what they find. They can't fathom out what the builder's so called electrician has done. The connections to fuse terminals in the two circuits don't make sense when they start turning things on and off. Nothing is earthed. It's dangerous to touch any electrical appliances with metallic elements. They switch off the power supply to the ovens and fridge freezer full of Christmas food and advise me to get back in touch with the builder at once and insist that the electrics are made safe.
In tears by this point, they take pity on me and reconnect one of the ovens and the fridge freezer so that the food doesn't spoil and I can cook something, even if nothing else works. But they refuse point blank to do any more.
11.30am, I am on the phone to the man in charge telling him the electrics his people installed are dangerous and need sorting out today, otherwise we will have to spend Christmas in a hotel (at his expense) for safety's sake.
Shortly thereafter, the third lot of electricians arrive. These guys appear to know what they are doing, although it takes them a long time to figure out where to start. We discuss priorities. First, make everything safe. Then sort out the power supply to the main oven and the fridge freezer, plus enough light to see what I'm doing in the kitchen area. Anything else after that is a bonus.
They work through lunch (my treat to keep them going) and on to about 6pm, missing a Christmas party to make sure that I'm safe and have a working oven and fridge freezer. The extractor over the gas hob is also sorted out so I can cook on that too, it use the integrated light to see what I'm doing. They have even connected up a socket so I can put on the Christmas tree lights. We will have Christmas at home after all!
I spend my time vacuuming and scrubbing the floor in the loft room and loft stairs so that its clean enough to lay down a couple of carpets, ready to set up the bed where my daughter and partner will be sleeping while they are staying with me over Christmas. I also manage to layout a large 2.5m x 3.5 m sisal mat in the dining area, so we aren't walking around on the rough and dusty floor screed in the dining area over Christmas. I'm exhausted by the end of the day, but at least another step closer to being ready for the family visit.
It's even beginning to look a bit festive downstairs in the new kitchen diner, with the table and chairs set up, even though the tree is naked except for fairy lights.
Sunday 23 December
With my daughter and her partner arriving later today, it's a mad rush in the morning to take down the dust covers from all the doors, pull up and dispose of the filthy plastic sheeting that's been protecting the stair carpet for the last 7 months and take up and remove the layers of hardboard protecting the floor finish in the kitchen area. And dust the front room and hall downstairs.
By the time the family arrive, I have even prepared a meal which is cooking on a low heat for a long time in the now working oven. The first meal cooked in the new kitchen. Something to celebrate!
A bed which has been on loan to my daughter for a while now has come back to Oxford in the car with them, along with Christmas presents, their own luggage and the boss's dog who is staying with them temporarily while he's abroad. Quite a car load of stuff.. .By the evening, they have carried the bed and new mattress upstairs (to heavy for me to lift on my own), assembled the bed and made it up ready for sleeping, and we can sit down, relax and enjoy the first family meal in the new dining area at long last.
Result! After the nightmare before Christmas, we can at long last look forward to to the festivities now.
I woke up not long after 4am and unable to get back to sleep, ended up writing lists...a list of all the outstanding items from the schedule of works; a list of snags and areas which need to be made good; a list of things that need to be repaired or replaced at the builders expense due to loss or damage in the course of the works.
It all made rather alarming reading, given that there are only five working days now to finish everything off...second fix electrics still need to be completed, including power supply to all new appliances, sockets and light switches and connection to main consumer unit; 9 light fittings to be installed; 4 doors to fit or ease; 3 sinks to be fully functioning, with both water supply and drainage; 2 extraction units to install in the loos; 2 toilet pans and 1 Saniflow to be plumbed in; one shower to be installed...The 12 days of Christmas comes to mind as I type this...
....not forgetting tiling around loft wash hand basin; replacing radiator valves throughout the house; installing a central heating drain valve; connecting the new radiator; installing thermostat / controllers for underfloor heating and boiler; putting in a connection for a rain water butt; connecting the main under-eaves gutter to the new hopper/drain pipe; making good damaged plaster and fitting skirting boards; clearing and clean up....oh yes, and a final inspection from Building Control to issue a Completion Certificate.
Having itemised the outstanding works, I noted with irony that the man in charge has now sent the final invoice and asked for payment to be made as soon as possible! If he wants final payment, he'll have to wait until all this stuff is finished...
As this is the start of the last working week before Christmas, and bearing in mind how much there is still to do, I assumed that the guys would be here bright and early in an effort to make progress. Imagine my frustration when no one turned up until approaching 11am. No word of apology or explanation...
By 5.30pm there had been some visible progress up in the loft.
The loft room now has a door...
....But the closing mechanism (a discrete spring thing built into the thickness of the door about the height of the door knob) has yet to be attached. It's a fire door, so the Building Inspector won't sign that off until this small but important item is finished.
The replacement windows now have cills....
.....but not exactly what you would call a good fit. That will have to be tidied up!
The combined light/extract unit is now up and running in the shower...
.....but it doesn't have its own switch yet - its on the same switch as the loo light next door so comes on if you turn the light on in the toilet even if the shower isn't being used. Another little thing to sort out....
Downstairs, there's not much visible progress. However, the cooker hood is now connected up so you can switch on the light and/or the fan when using the hob...
...and the gas works too. Yippee!
However, not much else seems to have happened, which is scary with only four more days to go before the Christmas break and so much to do. The electrician says they will be back around 7.30am tomorrow morning and aim to finish the 2nd fix electrics and connect the new consumer unit with the old one in the living room. Then I hope he will replace bits of the floor he's taken up and I can move the sofa in (if I can find someone to give me a hand) so we have somewhere comfortable to sit over Christmas. I'll also be able to use kitchen cupboards currently out of action pending the installation of spurs and switches for appliances...
...He also said they will put up the remaining doors to the kitchen/diner and downstairs WC/utility room, and install the extract in the loo too, which would be good. However, that's not much help until the toilet pan is plumbed in and there's running water in the wash basin. Plus, having a working kitchen sink is my priority. I'm STILL having to go upstairs to the bathroom to fill a kettle, wash fruit and veg, do the washing up (and bring it down again). The kitchen fitters will be here on Thursday to finish off their bits and pieces so all this stuff had better be done by then. They certainly won't come back again before Christmas if it isn't!
Much of my time today has been spent number crunching - looking at the final invoice and responding to the man in charge. Back in October we had a full and frank discussion about progress (or rather lack of it) and payments, during which certain agreements were reached. This included an agreement that he wouldn't charge any variations in costs for additional works which had been carried out prior to that date (none of which had been caused by me). In return, I agreed to pay the price quoted in the contract (other than the cost of the garden doors and windows which we had agreed I would order and pay for so as to speed things along while he had cash flow problems) even though this price included certain works specified which had not been done or were no longer necessary.
However, he seemed to have forgotten that agreement in his final invoice, charging for variations which predated the October meeting (luckily I have dated photos to demonstrate when just about every bit of work was done!) He also forgot that I had paid the supplier directly for the garden doors and window, even though this was part of the contract price and should have been treated as a deduction. Thank goodness I had followed up that meeting with a note of what we had agreed and he had come back to me in writing to confirm...
There were other things to sort out, such as which works were zero rated for VAT purposes as they are specifically designed to help me with my back problems (deleting 20% VAT makes a significant difference when you are talking big numbers) and the cost of replacing various bits and pieces belonging to me which the builders had used and broken, or taken away with their own tools by mistake (I assume) when they had finished their bit of the job.
But the thing that wound me up was his request to pay the final invoice as early as possible this week, even though the bottom line has not been agreed. In particular, it seemed a cheek to make such a request when there are so many items on the schedule of works have yet to be completed, let alone snagging and making good...and heaven knows when the Building Inspector will be called in to do the final checks before issuing a Completion Notice! As far as I know, the man in charge has yet to sort out calculations for his loft beam design with the structural engineer to forward to Building Control. If he has, no one has told me!
So, having worked through all that, he's now aware of my concerns and that he won't be paid the full and final invoice for whatever sum is finally agreed until all the works are completed, snagged, outstanding "making good" has been carried out, and a Completion Notice issued. And that's unlikely to happen by Friday at the rate things are currently going, so he needs a Plan B if he wants to be paid for the work that has been carried out. Over to him!
Tuesday 18 December
The guys have been working on the electrics. I was out most of the day and to be honest, there wasn't much visible difference by close of business. Well no visible difference actually...so no photos.
However, there have been deliveries. A mattress for the loft bed, a replacement mirrored cabinet for the downstairs WC/utility room (the builders managed to break the glass on the first one) and the replacement bits and pieces for the kitchen - a couple of doors, fascia for the oven housing unit, and replacement internal wirework fitting for one of the small base units - so that should be finished on Thursday, when the fitters are due back.
My email to the man in charge yesterday which mentioned all the items still outstanding seems to have woken the builders up. The partner of the man in charge sent a text asking for a list of work which still needed to be done.
This is it:
Henry Road – outstanding works as at close of business Tuesday 16 December
Ground Floor
Kitchen/diner
Power and light
· Dimmer switches
· Light fittings (2 wall lamps, 1 rise and fall ceiling light, 1 track light + 6 spots, 2 pendants, external lights, under cabinet lighting (? or kitchen people)
· Move under sink sockets closer to rear of cabinet (waste/recycle bins going at front)
· Scaleguard install/connect
· Finish/tidy up switches/sockets in wall cupboard and above oven housing
· Check Velux electric opening working
Heating
· Timer/controller for boiler
· Thermostat for underfloor heating
· Commission under floor heating
· Connect radiator to central heating system
Plumbing
· Sink – water supply and drainage
· H&C water supply to tap
· Water supply + drainage for dishwasher
Woodwork
· Skirting boards (difficult in places now stuff out of storage)
· Door + door furniture
Finishing
· Make good rough areas of plaster where channels cut
· Make good around mantlepiece (gap on left hand side)
· Replace cover strips inside chimney breast opening
· Make good hole above cooker hood (visible when open)
· Tidy up floor around gas point in chimney breast
· Check screed condition
WC/utility
Plumbing
· Connect toilet
· Cold water supply to wash basin
Electrics
· Mirror cabinet and connect to power supply for integrated light/shaver socket
Woodwork
· Skirting boards
· Finish door fitting and door furniture
Making good
· Silicone wall to floor joints where no skirting boards
Lobby /hall
Electrics
· Socket on outside wall of coat store
· Dimmer switches
Plumbing
· Central heating drain valve on pipe by front door
Woodwork
· New skirting boards on new walls and put back original skirting boards
· Re-fix door to under stairs consumer unit
Making good
· Make good rough areas of plaster where temporary dust covers screwed into plaster and where skirting boards removed if necessary
· Replace brass trim on floor at front door flattened during building works
Front room
· Replace section of picture rail removed when steel knocked through with matching section
· Plaster and make good to surrounding wall
First floor
Office
· Make good plaster where skirting removed and replaced (need to move desk to access)
Bathroom
· Replace skirting on external wall
· Adjust and refit bath panel to accommodate new water pipes
· Re-fix cistern back to wall and straighten WC and cistern if possible (put back not quite square)
· Change Hot and Cold caps on wash basin taps (on the wrong way around)
Landing and middle bedroom
· Fill and make good cracks in walls
Loft
Landing
· Make good under window sill
· Refit 2 gang light switch
· Refit ceiling light
· Skirting boards
Loft room
Electrics
· Replace dimmer switch
· Put wall lamp back up
· Fix Saniflow switch
· Fix Shaver socket
Plumbing
· Mixer shower - complete installation
· Connect wash basin (water/drainage)
· Temp fix toilet pan to floor pending final floor finish
Woodwork
· Finish fire door installation (self-closing mechanism not connected)
· Skirting boards to new plaster (difficult where stuff is now stored)
· Ease door to WC and trim bottom for new floor finish
Finishing
· Plaster/finish right hand return to shower enclosure
· Tiling around wash basin
· Refit bathroom fixtures/fittings
Making good
· Make good around window sills (gap where one cut too short and make good underneath)
General inside
· Replace radiator thermostats throughout (difficult at present)
· Clear/clean/remove carpet protection and dispose on completion of works
Outside
· Complete downpipe connection from main roof to new gutter/hopper
· Fit connection for water butt to extension downpipe
· Clean paving rear garden and front path/porch
· Replace heavy pots in rear garden to original locations
· Make good paint damage to front door
· Remove all surplus materials and skip following final clearance/clean up
So much for finishing the jobs by Friday. I think not somehow...
Wednesday 19 December
The jobs list seems to have galvanised the builders into action. By close of business, the downstairs loo had a door (the old kitchen door, stripped and refurbished with new brass fittings)...
...A tap had appeared on the kitchen sink and had been plumbed in...
...the oven is now working....
....upstairs in the loft, the light fitting which had been removed to build the shower cubicle is back in place...
The door to the toilet has been eased so that it now shuts easily....
....There is now water supply to the wash hand basin...
...The light switch is in place next to the door on the loft stairs landing (it's been hanging off with wires exposed up until now...)
...and almost all of the builder's clutter has been removed...
That's progress! But there's still quite a long way to go...
Thursday 20 December
I had high hopes for today...it was supposed to be the day the kitchen was finally finished, but an early morning text from the kitchen designer poured cold water on that dream.
He's been unable to contact the kitchen fitters who did the original installation; they are not responding to texts, calls or emails. Other fitters are not available until January. However, the joiners who are building the bespoke cabinets will be here tomorrow morning to deliver and install those units.
My reply was a heartfelt plea..family arriving at the weekend for Christmas - can't even set up table and chairs to eat as there is a big box with the microwave/grill sitting in the middle of the dining space; there are light switches hanging off the wall which need to be fitted to the side of the tall pantry unit, but that can't be done until the end panel is in place. This very tall end panel is getting in the way of everything else and risks being damaged every time the builders move it around. I can't even bring the Christmas tree inside until until there's space to move around the furniture and boxes which came out of storage on Friday....Please, please, please find a way of getting someone here to finish the job before the weekend when family start arriving....
The next disaster was when I went to put something in the freezer, only to find that it had been switched off!
The appliances has two on/off buttons - one controls both fridge and freezer, the other just the fridge. It also has an alarm which beeps if there is a problem such as the power supply going off. Yesterday, the electrician switched off the power supply to the fridge freezer to move it from a temporary light switch to a proper power circuit. That had set the alarm beeping. To stop the sound, he had randomly pressed control buttons and in the process managed to turn off the whole appliance, then turn just the fridge back on again, leaving the freezer switched off. Try explaining that to someone whose first language isn't English and your only words of Polish are 'good' and 'yes'.
Satisfied that the freezer was now working again, I went off to buy food for the festive season and left the builders to it. The upside of the kitchen fitters not being here today is that they could make more progress unhindered. And there was some progress...up in the loft the shower has been installed at long last...
Some of the making good has been done around the windows...
...and the self closer has been reinstated on the fire door to the loft room.
Sadly, its a different story downstairs...The effort I had put in to organise boxes and furniture in the dining area for the kitchen fitters to work in was a wasted. The builders have moved everything around to start putting up the light fittings, including very heavy boxes that are impossible for me to shift on my own.
Good job the kitchen fitters didn't come today!
While they were making a mess in the kitchen diner, I was making the front room look a bit festive...
...and rejoicing in having a working washing machine and drier...no more trips to the launderette!
It was such a relief to put the first load of washing in before going out again to do more Christmas shopping. But I was surprised to see that the washing machine had been turned off mid cycle when I got back home. The builders had done it because it had been shaking like mad and moving out of the laundry cupboard. They thought it was because the machine wasn't level, but wouldn't touch it as it had been installed by the partner of the man in charge and it was his job to put it right.
I couldn't open the washing machine door to retrieve the laundry until the cycle had finished, and couldn't allow the washing cycle to finish because of all the juddering and moving. So still no clean clothes. Not sure how to deal with this...
While I was pondering my problem with the washing machine, the electrician was working on the lighting. He managed to fit the track light, two wall lamps and the rise and fall ceiling light for over the dining table, but the three pendant lights over the peninsular unit defeated him, the under cabinet lighting hasn't been started and the external lights are still in their boxes...
...As I left to join neighbours for festive drinks, the guys were still there. It was agreed that they would finish fitting the three pendant lights over the peninsular worktop, move the heavy furniture back to where they had found it, then call it a day. It seems they are knocking off for Christmas from tomorrow, when families come to join them for the festive season. Who can blame them?
The builders had left for their Christmas break by the time I returned a couple of hours later. Only one of the three pendant lights had been fitted and the heavy boxes had not been moved back to their original positions. With the kitchen fitters due to arrive tomorrow, I had no choice but to try to move the heavy stuff myself (not a good idea when you have a back problem...).
In the course of tidying up the kitchen area, my arm brushed against a length of flex trailing down between wall cupboards, which turned out to be live - giving me a nasty shock and tripping the fuse again. I ended up texting the man in charge late at night to get someone in the next day to make the live wire safe and sort out whatever the problem was with the washing machine installation.
Friday 21 December
The kitchen fitters arrived at the same time as one of the builder's guys. While the fitters set up to work in the kitchen, the builder taped off the end of the live wire and pushed it back up into the void between wall cupboards. He also got to to the bottom of the problem with the washing machine. Turns out it was nothing to do with the machine not being level. The chap who had installed it had forgotten to remove the bolts that stop the drum spinning when the machine is in transit. Every time the machine went to a spin cycle, the bolts prevented the drum spinning, causing the violent shaking as the drum tried to free itself. I hate to think what damage has been done, but at least it seems to be working now and I can have some clean clothes without another trip to the launderette....
The kitchen designer and fitters worked hard during the day, but still didn't manage to get everything finished. The internal wirework fittings to two cupboards, most of the plinths and the end panel to the tall larder unit have yet to be fitted, likewise the replacement doors to a wall cupboard and base unit. However, the bespoke plywood units are in place on the dining area side of the peninsular run of units, together with the plywood backing in the recess where the plan is to put a couple of bar stools (somewhere for me to sit to prepare food if my back pain is triggered by standing still for too long).
They also installed the microwave oven and grill, but the moment they plugged it in, the fuse tripped on one of the circuits. Try as they might, they could only get one of the circuits to work at any one time. So I was left with power to only a limited range of lights and sockets, no working oven and no working boiler for heat and hot water.
Not what you want just a few days before Christmas...so another text to the man in charge saying please sort it out before my family arrive for Christmas. He promised to send someone around first thing tomorrow morning to assess the problem and take it from there...
Saturday 22 December
8am, and the first of the builder's men arrived. Not an electrician, but apparently someone who knows enough about electricity to work out what needs to be done to fix the problem. He says its fixable, but it needs to be done by a proper electrician.
11am, the second lot of people arrive to look at the problem. Proper electricians this time. They are aghast at what they find. They can't fathom out what the builder's so called electrician has done. The connections to fuse terminals in the two circuits don't make sense when they start turning things on and off. Nothing is earthed. It's dangerous to touch any electrical appliances with metallic elements. They switch off the power supply to the ovens and fridge freezer full of Christmas food and advise me to get back in touch with the builder at once and insist that the electrics are made safe.
In tears by this point, they take pity on me and reconnect one of the ovens and the fridge freezer so that the food doesn't spoil and I can cook something, even if nothing else works. But they refuse point blank to do any more.
11.30am, I am on the phone to the man in charge telling him the electrics his people installed are dangerous and need sorting out today, otherwise we will have to spend Christmas in a hotel (at his expense) for safety's sake.
Shortly thereafter, the third lot of electricians arrive. These guys appear to know what they are doing, although it takes them a long time to figure out where to start. We discuss priorities. First, make everything safe. Then sort out the power supply to the main oven and the fridge freezer, plus enough light to see what I'm doing in the kitchen area. Anything else after that is a bonus.
They work through lunch (my treat to keep them going) and on to about 6pm, missing a Christmas party to make sure that I'm safe and have a working oven and fridge freezer. The extractor over the gas hob is also sorted out so I can cook on that too, it use the integrated light to see what I'm doing. They have even connected up a socket so I can put on the Christmas tree lights. We will have Christmas at home after all!
I spend my time vacuuming and scrubbing the floor in the loft room and loft stairs so that its clean enough to lay down a couple of carpets, ready to set up the bed where my daughter and partner will be sleeping while they are staying with me over Christmas. I also manage to layout a large 2.5m x 3.5 m sisal mat in the dining area, so we aren't walking around on the rough and dusty floor screed in the dining area over Christmas. I'm exhausted by the end of the day, but at least another step closer to being ready for the family visit.
It's even beginning to look a bit festive downstairs in the new kitchen diner, with the table and chairs set up, even though the tree is naked except for fairy lights.
Sunday 23 December
With my daughter and her partner arriving later today, it's a mad rush in the morning to take down the dust covers from all the doors, pull up and dispose of the filthy plastic sheeting that's been protecting the stair carpet for the last 7 months and take up and remove the layers of hardboard protecting the floor finish in the kitchen area. And dust the front room and hall downstairs.
By the time the family arrive, I have even prepared a meal which is cooking on a low heat for a long time in the now working oven. The first meal cooked in the new kitchen. Something to celebrate!
A bed which has been on loan to my daughter for a while now has come back to Oxford in the car with them, along with Christmas presents, their own luggage and the boss's dog who is staying with them temporarily while he's abroad. Quite a car load of stuff.. .By the evening, they have carried the bed and new mattress upstairs (to heavy for me to lift on my own), assembled the bed and made it up ready for sleeping, and we can sit down, relax and enjoy the first family meal in the new dining area at long last.
Result! After the nightmare before Christmas, we can at long last look forward to to the festivities now.
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