Back Online

Since the disaster with the drains and the plumbing and the rapid house move (or should that be 'bungalow move'?) we've been without internet connection for over three weeks, during which time the renovation has moved on considerably and I've driven myself to distraction trying to look for bathroom taps on Dr B's i-Phone (no, I don't have an i-Phone, I have an old fashioned version that only rings 2.5 times before cutting off and not even the shop can figure out why).

We're now at the beginning of week 6 and the ground floor brick and blockwork was finished about a week ago, though things were then held up due to the late delivery of the steelwork (which cost us an extra £2,500 since the structural engineer has apparently over-engineered the building such that it can now take the weight of a multi-storey car park - reassuring I suppose, but I'd already mentally spent that money on a Multi-York sofa).

And then they waited for the scaffolding and as of last Friday, we were waiting for 'more scaffolding' to help them reach the highest brickwork and to provide access for the roofer. You'll see from the photograph that the front of the build now proudly displays two new window openings (bathroom to the left, en-suite to the right) as well as new windows to the existing building, which completes the replacement of all windows on the front elevation and marks the beginning of that horrible cedarwood cladding being ripped off (hurrah!).

Bricks, we want more bricks.

August 25th - I find myself scanning the skies all day hoping the rain will hold off so we can get this up and get the roof on.

Spent today trying to get our name on the utility bills at the rental cottage, moving our phone number and re-directing our Sky TV. I'll be glad when this is over. Top picture shows the opening for the bifold doors.

Blocks

August 23rd and the blockwork and brickwork are taking shape. I always assumed they constructed the breezeblock and then the outer skin of brick but they actually seem to do it simultanously. Note the cavity wall insulation in yellow. This picture shows the edge of the family room - the opening for the bifold doors will be across the back with french doors on the side.

Oh and we have permission to build it from the original builder (well not the original - he's dead, I suspect). Before we bought the house we read all the small print in the original deeds, which included any alterations requiring permission from the original builder. As this is legally binding, we had to sort it our before we could start work - this meant tracing which company had taken over the original builder's company and obtaining permission from them (£80 thanks very much) - any oversights would lead to problems if we ever decided to sell. Aside from that, our latest bill was £680 from building control at the council, who want the said sum to pay them for coming out and making sure it's being built to the required standard.

Am beginning to feel like a cash machine.

Fenced Off

The house really does look like a bombsite. That's 'Harris Fencing' and it's all over the place - you learn all sorts of new vocabulary during a build.

Onwards....and upwards!

This floorspace represents the playroom and kitchen/family room. The door you can see used to divide the kitchen and utility room until the utility room was obliterated.

Foundations

At least we came home to quite significant progress on the house. August 20th - garage demolished, foundations and damp proof course visible - the blue plastic sheet is the damp proofing. Note the makeshift plumbing hastily cobbled together to allow us to drain the kitchen sink - similar drains soon emerged from every hole in the house and ran directly into the open manhole. Going to the toilet involved quite entertaining sound effects.

Unwelcome Home

This is our new home. Oh yes, we have a new home - it's news to me as well. We've been away in Cornwall for a fortnight, during which time the builders set to work on our house and managed some quite magnificent breakdown in communication which led the man with the digger to think we'd moved out. And if we've moved out, we don't need drains, right? We don't need gas or toilets that you can flush or sinks you can drain.

Home from Cornwall without a clue about the plumbing, our six year old flushed the toilet and the colour drained from my face. An hour later we had the keys to the builder's empty bungalow (and I do mean empty - no curtains even) and 21 hours later we'd moved house on the back of two tipper trucks. The sight of the Clampits leaving town set curtains twitching up and down the road.

Gin was taken quite soon after.