Renovation
Building progress report
Monday 5 July, 2010
Dan, Lorna and I shot up to Dalmore today with a trailer load of "stuff". The caravan is being delivered THIS Friday 9th July - definitely.
The builders have finished for the moment - they're on holiday for two weeks, so the joiners have moved in. They now have all the downstairs floors out - without collapsing the staircase, thankfully - and have started dwanging. Now, I thought this might be illegal - apparently it's called "nogging" in England - but Graeme assures me it's fine. It's nice to see something being built rather than ripped out.
Building progress report
Wednesday 30 June, 2010
Well, the builders have been in this week. The old fireplaces have gone, except for the one in the living room; the subfloors are filled ready for the membrane and concrete screed; the old flue for the range has gone and the bricking up that needs done is almost complete. Tomorrow, they start breaking up the concrete floor in the kitchen, for the underfloor heating.
Linda has managed to burn all the lath, so the garden is a lot tidier, and with our new super-duper strimmer, we should soon be able to cross the garden without pith helmet and machete. We're still finding the most wondeful plants, though. Again, photos to follow.
Building progress report
Wednesday 30 June, 2010
Well, the plastering is finished, the Ames taping is well underway and the old woodburning stove has been taken out. The electrician is coming tomorrow to lay the underfloor matting in the bathroom, finish off the sockets and get the power on. The digger and the dumper were delivered last night, so the ground works start on Monday, as does the tiling in the bathroom.
There are a few of areas of groundworks - the coil for the heatpump, the trench for the PV cables, the gateway in Sheepfold, the trench for the new water pipes to the house and West range. The PV cells are being installed in the week beginning 15th November.
Building progress report
Wednesday 30 June, 2010
Well, the floor is well and truly set, so that's good news. The builders have been here all week fitting roof vents, replacing any damaged slates, re-fixing any slipped ones and renewing guttering and downpipes. They assure me it's a great roof, which is a comfort. They've also put up some scaffolding so that part of the wall can be repointed and concreted the pantry floor. It's been really windy, so I've been watching them on the roof, with some anxiety.
Harry and Kevin, the electricians (Harry's my cousin and Kevin's his son), were here yesterday doing some bits and pieces. We had them have a look at the wiring in the West range; it looks "home made" so it's coming out and the professionals will put in some additional features, like a few more double sockets, another strip light, an outside light and an infrastructure to support it. At the moment, we get regular shorts and trips and since our freezers are in there, that's not a good thing. Harry and Kevin will be back at the end of the week, once the plaster boarding has started.
Building progress report
Saturday 5 June, 2010
The joiners were on site three days this week and have done a fair bit.
The kitchen is stripped out of its units and appliances and the wall between the kitchen and utility taken down. It's quite a big room at 2.5m x 7m - bt as you can see from the dimensions, it's long and narrow. We're keeping the existing cupboard under the stairs to use as a pantry.
Upstairs, much of the lath and plaster on the external walls and ceilings has been removed to allow the installation of the new insulation. Thankfully, everything looks nice and sound, including the latha nd plaster on the internal walls.
Building progress report
Saturday 5 June, 2010
The joiners have been in all week, framing and putting in the insulation. The plumber was here on Friday and will be here all next week, I think. The joiners should be back the following week with the new windows. My job this week, in terms of the house, is to find a tiler who can lay slate, terracotta and encaustic tiles.
