The Bothy 13
Monday 31 October, 2011
The plumber's finished so there is now water and flushing toilets.
We had dinner in the Bothy on Saturday and Sunday night because Dan was stripping and sealing our kitchen floor - tressle table and garden chairs but it was great.
John's laying the path; once that's done, Building Standards can inspect and, hopefully, give a temporary habitation certificate.
The Bothy 10
Monday 24 October, 2011
We've had a lot of very nice tradesmen here over the last 18 months. I've become rather fond of some of them. But now I just want them to be finished and go away. John and Linda, and Dan, are blessed with more patience than me, I'm afraid.
At this stage of the work, all the trades have wee bits to do and they are all very dependent on each other. Still, the septic tank is now fully connected and the pump wired but it can't be commissioned until the plumber's finished and the water's on. The sparks were here yesterday, so the wiring is complete - water heaters, shower, cooker, fridge, cooker hood - and the outside lights are up - but again, it can't be commissioned and tested until the water's on for the shower and water heaters. The plumber has promised to be here on Thursday and finish his stuff.
The Bothy 9
Wednesday 12 October, 2011
The kitchen is now in and the worktops on - they're lovely, pitch pine and made by the joiner. The pine came out of an old BB hut that was being renovated. Tiles on walls and floor in the shower room and on the floor in the wc and utility; the tiler's back on Friday to do the wall at the back of the wc, the splashbacks in the kitchen and the grouting.
The stonemason is almost finished the front of the house and it looks fabulous - it should be completed tomorrow and pointed on Friday.
The Bothy 8
Thursday 29 September, 2011
The stonemason is working away on the front face of the Bothy, despite the soaring heat. Can you believe it's the end of September?
Bothy stonework in progress
The kitchen was delivered this evening - it comes ready built, so we could see it in situ right away. It's from Pineland, where we bought ours. It looks great and John and Linda are really pleased with it.
The Bothy 7
Monday 26 September, 2011
The Bothy now has a proper electricity supply and a working septic tank. Oh, and wall lights. The stone mason has started in the stone front - it's looking good. Only problem is the absence of the tiler - and that's holding things up. Until he tiles the bathroom and the wc floor, the plumber can't put in the sanitary ware and the joiner can't finish the skirtings until the floor is down in the wc and utility.
Oh, and Steve the brickie has been here today building the walls in the barn.
The Bothy 6
Friday 16 September, 2011
The drains, the electricity supply and the septic tank have been going in this week, so the place looks a bit like the Somme with all the heavy machinery that's been in and out. Fortunately, the weather's been dry.
Bothy, 16th September 2011
The septic tank gave a bit of concern. John thought it was the wrong one after checking the label; Scott, the contractor, said it measured the same as the one on the drawings. Turned out that the manufacturer only has one label so they put it on all the models - work that one out :-)
The Bothy 5
Tuesday 13 September, 2011
Looks like the Somme here today. The chaps doing the drains and putting in the septic tank are here - the tank itself goes in tomorrow. We're connecting our house to the new tank as well; only the outside WC will go into th old tank.
The plasterers are almost finished and Tony is coming to put in the shower tray tonight; the tiler's coming in the morning for a look and the sparks are back tomorrow or Thursday. If the plasterers finish tomorrow, as expected, the joiners will be back at the weekend to put on internal doors, skirtings, architraves.
The Bothy 4
Wednesday 7 September, 2011
The brickie is now finished. The plasterer has started and will take about ten days - then the sparks, plumber, chippies, tiler will be back en masse to get the inside finished.
John's preparing to stain the external roof timbers and get the rainwater system up. The chap doing the septic tank has promised "not to let us down", which is good, since he's also pouring the concrete floor in the barn and laying hardstanding at the gate to the Triangle.
The kitchen's being delivered on 1st October so, all things being equal, John and Linda should be moved in early in October.