Solicitors and Surveys

I have written a few times about my frustration with various professionals who have to be involved in house sale and purchase.  Specifically, I have had such trouble with solicitors who seem to live in a world of their own, and seem to think that since they will be paid regardless, does it matter who they annoy by taking so long?  We had trouble when

Lethargy Strikes

Well, we just managed to get the plastering finished before Christmas - last Thursday to be exact - so we were right to defer any further work on the extension until the New Year.  The week included another day when no-one turned up, with just a "sorry" by text but no actual reason. Thus the five or six day job took 8.5 days of work, spread over 17 elapsed days.  No wonder the timescales have slipped; I really did want to have a functional extra

A Rest at Christmastime

The plasterer and his mate have been here for four days this week - no explanation as to what happened to Monday - and there's still a couple of days' work left on the extension.  However, the work so far looks very good and I'm very pleased with the finish.  Unfortunately, the delay has meant that there isn't really time to do the plumbing and floor before Christmas - we would have been still doing the floor on Dec 23rd instead of

The Plasterers' Return (See *** below)

Yes, the plastering has recommenced, not to mention the Return of My Favourite Electrician (see this link). Actually, Kurt came and did the whole extension in just a day, so I'm not complaining this time - I just haven't forgotten his lack of empathy with old buildings.


I've had a fair bit of work to do before the plastering, such as the installation of three windows.  The first was the sash window which we bought earlier in the year for a bargain £80 - and it's a 95% match to the existing two-over-twos.  This was a bit difficult to fit, due to the previously mentioned cavity closers (see this page), which got caught on the fixing brackets as the window was pushed in as it was all very tight.  The trick was to use a scraper to depress the closer whilst pushing the window, so I did this with the help of my son.  I have also fitted a window board.

The second window is my restored casement window.  The frame and casements were fitted very easily but then I had to fit the glass.  My masterplan here was to use a pair of old sash window panes (from the replaced front window), and cut them down to replace two broken smaller sash panes (see this link for the story on how one got broken), and then I could use the broken bits to cut down to 9x12 casement windows.  Although I thought I might do this myself, I found that a local company would do it very cheaply and with a far greater chance of success, so I invested £9 in this enterprise (much cheaper than buying a good glass cutter!).  Amazingly, the plan has worked, and we now have two draughtproof sash panes (fitted in the hall and back bedroom) and a complete pair of casements - so the extension is fully weatherproof for the first time since we bought the house.

I've also done a stud wall, above a door in the extension.  This was quite straightforward, apart from the fact that the blockwork around the door isn't straight, as both the carpenter and the plasterer have pointed out.  Ho hum.

I realise that I never posted any photos of the exterior of the finished extension, so for starters here is one of the extension itself.  80% of the bricks used were reclaimed from the old building, despite the patchy appearance.  Jane and I reclaimed these ourselves; ones with lime mortar were easy but where cement had been used they were a real pain.  The white ones were on the inside and I expect that they will clean up in time, as the white is old emulsion paint.  My restored casement window is on the left, obviously, although when this was taken there were still 5 panes empty of glass.

I did the gutter a week later and added the offset and downpipe on Wednesday evening (as we were expecting rain that night!).

And here's one (left) of the side of the house, showing the extension with the bargain new sash window which balances the old one at the far end.

Finally, here's the one (right) from the back, behind the stone wall. I have still to add the bargeboard but apart from that the exterior is finished.  Happy days!

Inside, once the plastering is done the plumber will come back, followed swiftly by me and Chris laying the limestone floor flags.  Second fix electrics and plumbing will finish things off, apart from decorating...

Today (Sunday) we held an Open House for friends and neighbours to see the inside, with some early mulled wine and mince pies.  We did this  the same weekend last year, when no-one took their coats and gloves off as it was still so damp and cold inside.  This year, people could not only see all the work that has been done but could also really feel the difference.  I lit the lounge fire and the woodburner just for the effect, but they weren't really needed as it is a very warm house.  One amusing thing was the couple from along the road who live in an even older house; they came in and both stood right in front of the woodburner as their house is always so cold and draughty!  It's this sort of event that makes you realise how much work has been done in twelve months.  No wonder I'm tired.


**** "The Plasterers' Return" (as there's two of them) or "The Plasterer's Return" (as there's actually only one plasterer and a labourer) or even "The Plasterers Return"???  Is "return" a noun or a verb in this usage?  I don't know the answer, but I've put this question in to forestall the comments of my even more pedantic daughter, who might be able to give me an answer.

Scaffolding, and the Driveway again

As I write, it has all gone quiet outside.  The scaffolders are here removing the scaffolding, but I think after 30 minutes work they have decided it's lunchtime so they have downed tools.  Mind you, these are probably the same wussy ones who didn't put it up (see "The Rebuild Continues") for fear of a bit of rain, so I shouldn't be surprised.  Why turn up at 12.30 and then stop for lunch 30 minutes later? Why not have lunch first and then

Roofing and Tree-Felling

Well, we slated the roof last week, which took longer than I thought it would.  After Saturday doing the insulation and battens as reported in my last entry, I spent a day and a half (Monday and Tuesday) doing as much of the tiling as I could on my own as Chris hadn't shown me how to do soakers at the edge. I covered an area with diagonal edge from the base of the wall up to the level of the rooflight, which I reckon means I did over half of the total required (photo right).  I also fitted the rooflight myself before Chris came on Wednesday and we then spent a lot more time doing not much slating; the window was tricky to secure due to

Doors, Roofing and Insulation

I've had the replacement chippie (who did the rafters last week) back to fix our new FLB (***see below) external back door, complete with a rim lock and brass knobs, into the frame.  Of course, I forgot to buy a weatherboard so I'll do that myself later this week.  He also did a new frame for the old door from the kitchen into the extension, which was hanging

The Extension Arises Anew

Well, 'Er Indoors has been away for the last two weeks, and I have been VERY busy.  The main visible task has been completion of the brickwork for the rebuilt extension (mostly using bricks reclaimed from the previous structure), despite the efforts of both the weather and the scaffolders.  On Saturday the replacement joiner did the new roof without cutting himself as his predecessor has done (at his own workshop, I hasten to add).  So, we are now ready (photo right) for the roofer who I hope will be able to come fairly soon to do the slate roof and the leadwork.

I have also been trying to do numerous small tasks inside (plus a few large ones) in an effort to give the appearance of making some real progress while she's been away.  I've been diverted by a number of other tasks: some of these were house-related, such as collecting the new rooflight, and going to the reclamation yard for more bricks.  However, others were total diversions, such as helping my daughter put up shelves in her new (first!) flat in London, playing with grandson, attending a hearing of the Council's

The Rebuild Continues

Colin completed the foundations (left) several weeks ago, and at last Pete the brickie has started.  He has been in for most of the last two weeks, and we now have the internal block walls (photo below left) and external brick walls (photo added belatedly, right) erected up to head height.  I am pleased that all the materials I bought were the right ones, apart from a couple of things: a window was the wrong size - far too small (I don't know what I was thinking!) - and the door ordered, with the help of staff who assured me "Of course, we wouldn't sell you a door and frame of different sizes", and then did exactly that!  The door frame was easily fixed the same day and a larger window has been ordered, although I will still have to pay for the smaller one.  However, I was very pleased today to discover a use for the smaller window in the block wall above the toilet door, to give more light in what could be a very dark little cell! There was one error in construction when Pete filled in the wall where the sash window is meant to be fitted; fortunately this was spotted very quickly and easily rectified. There is one other issue with the materials - despite careful use of an Excel spreadsheet, I seem to have bought at least 60 too many blocks.  Offers on a postcard...

We are essentially rebuilding the old extension exactly as it used to be, but in modern materials with a lime mortar finish to match the rest of the house.  This does mean that we have to rebuild the chimney (which extends to the second floor fascia) even though we won't use it as such.  Although I did intend to keep the old one, it was much easier to knock it all down and start from scratch.  One side benefit of this is that the chimney breast can be a lot smaller than the old one, thus allowing better use of the space in the room.

The only real issue this week was the scaffolders, who declined to come as planned on Thursday due to the weather, which was correctly forecast as very light rain for much of the day.  I never thought that scaffolders could be so "wussy" (to use the word said by their receptionist).  So they promised to be here first thing on Friday.  Their idea of "first thing" is not the same as mine, as they turned up at 9.20am, went for a drink and the first pole was unloaded at 9.50am!  The job itself took far longer than they had said, so Pete only got going on site at 12.45, and so we lost more than a full day.  I hope they are better when they come to add the second lift next week, but I'm not holding my breath.

I have been refurbishing a double Georgian style casement window, as illustrated previously (see "The Lull before the Storm").  The frame was totally rotted (and the new one has been delivered already), but the two attractive casements are in not bad condition (see detail right), considering they are probably over 100 years old.  One needed a few epoxy repairs at the base joints, but the other (which was fixed, not hinged) needed the bottom section of frame replacing, as well as the bottom of both verticals.  I have now completed all this and primed them as well, ready for fixing hinges - I really do find this sort of repair joinery very satisfying, especially the stage at which you paint primer over the lovely wooden detail.  I am looking forward to finishing this task soon, but of course I can't fit the window now as the scaffolding is in the way.

Most of the glass was old, wavy and thin; just one sheet was new and thick (and also very badly cut).  However some of the eleven old panes are cracked, and I have a plan:  I have two very large panes left from the old 2 over 2 sash window which was replaced (two were already broken), and I'd like to cut these down to replace two not so large broken sash panes elsewhere in the house.  I then want to cut those smaller panes to provide three or four small panes (about 12 x 9") for the casement window.  However, I am thinking of getting a professional to cut the glass for me as it's a one shot task - right first time or not at all.

Finally, I have had to find a new chippie for the roof joinery as Barry, who did the main roof last year, has cut his hand badly and will be out of action for several weeks.  He has recommended Colin who lives nearby - I reckon recommendations from tradesmen are pretty reliable: a good tradesman is not going to recommend a useless mate, is he?

Well, Well, Well

I think I have found a well.  Between the two gardens at the back of the house is a 6ft brick wall which has an arch at the base (photo right).  I had seen this feature some time ago from the neighbour's side but on our side there had been a hawthorn tree growing right in front of this spot.  When I cut it down last year, I left two 3" stumps about a foot high; more recently, doing the groundworks for the extension, Colin pulled these stumps with his digger and they just came up without difficulty, because the tree had been growing on top of the concrete!  The arch then became more visible on our side when we removed the concrete slabs and a foot of soil (notice the tidemark on the wall!). 

I had been wondering if this brickwork could hide some water item such as a well or ditch, then we found a lead pipe under the tiled floor of the old extension.  Colin reckoned that in his experience this was probably the supply from a well.  He didn't want to rip it up at that time as there was still a live cast iron water pipe which might have been disturbed inadvertently.  This was the supply which fed my neighbour's outside tap (see previous), but it has now been disconnected so today I dug it up.  After retrieving 6 ft of two inch lead pipe (££ scrap), I realized that the bit left in the ground has an echo sound when moved.  Moreover, when I dropped a small stone down it, I'm sure that there was a watery sound.  The foul sewer goes in the other direction, so I think it is most likely to be a well! 

Presumably the wall was built over the well, and it was used during the 19th C by both houses.  Then at some later time the well was covered and the archway was filled in.  I think the important question now is how well was the well capped?  Or was the concrete slab (which covered the entire yard, 10' x 20') part of the capping?  The next question is how high is the water?   Do I dig out the rest of the pipe and see, or do I leave well alone?
 

The Lull before the Storm

It might appear that not a lot has happened in the last two weeks as the new floor and foundations for the extension are still untouched (photo right).  However, we have fitted new carpet on the stairs and landing which really makes a huge difference to the feel of the house.  I have been making plans and the brickie is coming this Monday, and then the work will begin again in earnest.  The materials are here (see below) and I have the joiner, roofer, plumber, electrician and plasterer all lined up (in that order) for the following weeks; the hope is to have the new "look-alike" extension done by the end of November.

I forgot to mention an oddity that we found while doing the excavations.  The extension had its own rising main, fed from the same main in the street as our "proper" rising main in the kitchen, but what we found was that the cast iron pipe carried on under the garden wall and supplied next-door's external tap!  This might seem insignificant, but while the community centre was being built at the back, this was the tap which supplied their water.  Fortunately, I only had a water meter fitted in June this year, which was after the construction had been completed...

Since the foundations for the extension have been done I have been busy reclaiming bricks to re-use for the external wall; we now have 1800 in three piles in the garden (right), which should be about enough; the remaining ones are difficult as they are in cemented blocks of three or four; on these you can spend ten minutes with bolster and mallet, and still only end up with one or two good ones.

The materials for the brick/block work was all ordered and delivered last week.  It was unloaded from the road and dumped in my front garden using one of those lorry-cranes with a good reach.  Then I had the task of moving it all round the back so as not to attract the attention of people who like to appropriate things.  There were lintels, wall plates, blocks, insulation batts and lots more.  I had been quite surprised that we require 450 blocks as well as the reclaimed bricks.  I was even more surprised to find that "lightweight" blocks weigh over 7kg each, so yes, muggins here had to hand every single one (that's over 3 tonnes) into the wheelbarrow, trundle it round the back 50 times (!) and then stack them all again on pallets so they don't get muddy; this all took four hours...  (photo above left).  I could only take 9 blocks each journey as I thought the tenth might be the straw that broke the wheelbarrow for good - it really is on its last legs after being abused by too many overloads.  The really annoying thing was that it was only as the last pallet was being unloaded that I remembered a good idea I had had a long time ago - if I asked nicely, perhaps the lorry could go round the back to the community centre car park and unload over the wall? D'oh!

One task that has been keeping me busy is the refurbishment of a pair of casement windows from the original extension (photo right). I wanted to re-use these as they both have mostly antique glass, as well as being very nice old bits of joinery.  The right hand window has never been hinged but was simply nailed in place, with a rebated edge for the other window to close on as there is no central pillar (mullion?).  The window frame was past retention, being totally rotted by the long-term ingress of water in the old roof, probably from the leaking chimney flashing.  (NB I was unaware that the same water ingress had also rotted the purlin which I thought was the only good bit of wood in the entire roof structure! Isn't ignorance bliss?)  The right hand window needed a new bottom piece of frame, and then I found that both the vertical bottom ends were also rotten, so there was more work than I expected.  The old glass was carefully removed (mostly successfully) and all the replacement wood was found from an old sash which had been taken out of the front window in June.  Now it just needs priming and re-glazing, and the new frame is being made by a local joiner.

Now, as I said, tomorrow it all starts again!

The End of the Old Extension

 
Well, a week is a long time in building.  It's Friday and the last eight days have been most productive, as it was only the previous Friday that we demolished the old extension (above and right).  My trusty friend Chris came to do this task, accompanied by Dwayne (or Duane?), as Shane has broken his leg quite badly in a motorbike accident.  NB The brickie (see below) is called Shaun so I'm in danger of getting confused by these young men - well, I reckon they are young as they are half my age.

After all the hassle about our proposed new extension, everything has been refused and I just want to repair rebuild the old one "as is".  My original intention was to leave a large part of one wall including the chimney, although this would have made the foundations a bit difficult.  Having unintentionally got permission to demolish the whole extension, I decided to do it as per the permission as that would make the whole task much easier.  However, this meant that Chris had to demolish the tall chimney, which proved to be quite well built.  I won't post the photos of this as it would only generate a lot of comments about health and safety.  Suffice it to say that he did it safely and we were most relieved.


The rest of the extension was in a worse condition than we realised, and it took less than seven hours to reduce the whole thing to separate piles of bricks and wood (photos above).  Jane and I then spent the whole of Saturday sorting, burning and tidying as the apparently spacious garden had quickly assumed the role of an untidy and very crowded building site.

On Monday the groundworkers Colin and Ryan arrived with the digger (right) and dumper to clear the site and reduce the level of the topsoil and concrete which has been the Achilles heel of this property for decades.  When we first saw this house, there were two distinct problems: the water falling on the house and the water coming in through the high ground all around it.  We tackled the roof first, but now almost a year later it was great to see a start being made to rectify the high ground issue (caused largely by adding layers of concrete up to the side of the house!).

Huge amounts of soil and rubble were removed, piled in the front of the house and taken away by the 18 ton grab lorry (left). This did five trips over the next four days, so it was probably almost 90 tons removed.  This is hugely more cost effective than using skips.

Tuesday was a special day - the (expensive) archaeologist was coming at 8.00am to observe the digging of the foundation trenches.  She hoped to find a mediaeval grave or two, while I stood beside her hoping for exactly the opposite.  I'm pleased to say that I won!  I had also booked the Building Control Officer (BCO) to come at some stage to agree on the required depth so the whole process was a bit fraught but it all turned out OK.  Then to my surprise the ready mix concrete turned up that afternoon and we poured the foundations as well (photo right)!  Colin does not hang around.

On Wednesday the oversite brick and block work was done (i.e. up to damp proof course level), and more soil was removed; on Thursday the base and Celotex was laid for the floor, the old drains along the side of the house were removed (plus the soil on top!) and new plastic pipe was laid up to the existing inspection cover near the front.  The old soil drain is just visible in the photo left, running up beside the new block wall.  Getting rid of this was a nasty smelly job as there was not much fall on the foul drain...  Lastly, on Friday morning, more ready mix arrived for the floor, and the job was done, although the lowering of the inspection cover near the front will wait until we have finished the extension.

NB I wrote most of this on Friday but didn't post it until Sunday, partly because on Friday I fell asleep watching TV at 6.45pm!

Let's Start Again

Well, after much hassle, we now have permission to rebuild the service wing (photo right), and so the fun starts again, very soon.  The story on the conservatory has fully justified my caution in an earlier blog when I said that I was not counting chickens as far as the council went.  I WAS RIGHT!  We had originally proposed rebuilding the service wing and adding a similar size extension on the large blank brick wall (photo below), but this was refused as it "would harm the symmetry of the pair of listed buildings".  (The service wing of the other half of the semi can been seen in the left hand photo in the distance.)  At a meeting in June, the Conservation Officer (CO) actually suggested what we could do instead of the original proposal - an oak conservatory.  Although it wasn't really what we wanted, it seemed a good compromise, so that is what we applied for; unfortunately the dear person has now gone back to her original comments about the conservatory harming the symmetry.  So the meeting was utterly pointless and has cost us time and money for no good reason.

When I saw the CO's objections posted on line, I suggested to my architect that we should withdraw the application for Planning Permission (PP) and modify the one for Listed Building Consent (LB), as the work would not now require PP.  However, although the application was revised to delete the conservatory, we now have both LBC and PP for just the service wing - even though we don't need PP at all.  The subtle point here is that the archaeological requirements were only specified on the PP application, so if that had been withdrawn as I suggested, we would not have had to pay for any more archaeology.  I'm actually in favour of history and archaeology but they are a bit expensive!

Anyway, we shall get on with the new project as quickly as we can, as winter is approaching and we want to have it fully functional well before it gets cold. Talking of temperature, we've noticed that the house maintains a pretty constant temperature at all times, between 16 and 17.5 deg C, even when the outside temperature fell overnight to 7.5 deg C.  I reckon this is pretty good with no heating on at all, especially as this was noticed before I plugged up the draught holes around the new windows.

Following some comments from within the family ("how can you have a new toy and not play with it?"), I finally lit the woodburning stove (right) for the first time the other day.  The process was very simple and the stove worked as advertised; it is wonderful to see a real flame in the kitchen, and the heat from the stove is most noticeable.  I think the size (4.5kW) is about right, apart from the fact that, being small, it needs fairly frequent attention.  I lit it, stoked it up and went to my doctor's appointment; when I returned 90 minutes later, the fire was burnt out (but I was kept waiting for 30 minutes and then the doctor was particularly talkative!). 

The following day I tried the new "decorative arch" open fire in the lounge (left) for the first time. Unfortunately Jane was late home and so didn't see it until it was just a few embers, although I kept it going for four hours.  Like the woodburning stove, it burned a lot of the stuff that I had kept from the house renovation, such as the very old roof battens.  These were so old that they had not been treated - you mustn't use any painted wood (a lot of mine was lead painted) or treated wood (e.g. cut ends of battens or joists, or pallets) whose vapours could damage the very expensive flue.).  I suspect that the acquisition of suitable wood will become a major topic of daily life for me.


Anyway, whilst writing the above my groundworker called by, to see how things were going.  So we agreed to start next week and now I just need to make sure that we can do the demolition this weekend, get the archaeologist to turn up next Tuesday morning and also submit a Building Control application.  Back to the grindstone!

Slight Progress Again

I've been enjoying the last few weeks, in a lazy fashion.  Planning for the "service wing" re-build is still a major pre-occupation; sorting out the contractors is now almost second nature, and quite easy when you use the same ones!  (I must have done something right the first time as they are all happy to do another job for me.)

However, there is still a planning issue with the County Council's archaeologist who is interested in our footings.  I think we can get round all that, but it means that we will, after all, have to pay for a professional archaeologist - another thousand or more down the drain.  I should point out that Jane is actually quite excited by the thought of an archaeological dig on our own property.  I think I would be as well, were it not for the expense and the delay (as winter is rapidly approaching).
 
Recent work has been slight; the fireplace people came back to install our woodburning stove (left), with which we are very pleased (although of course we haven't actually lit it yet!).  The whole thing is a huge improvement over the fire and floor which used to be there (below right, obviously, although it didn't actually slope).  They have also just fitted a cowl on the chimney above the decorative arch fire which they fitted in the lounge; this had to wait until the bird's nest was empty.  They did NOT have much fun clearing it - there had been a considerable effort by the big black things (I was never exactly sure whether they were crows or what) in completely blocking up a chimney which was swept only last November.

In preparation for emptying the "service wing" for demolition repair, I have purchased and erected a small (7' x 5') garden shed with a pent roof (i.e. a single slope, not an apex).  The next task will be to fill this!  NB I have it on good authority that, although we have no "Permitted Development Rights" in this conservation area, this is still legal as it is less than 10 cubic metres in volume, so we don't need any permission.

Apart from finishing off around our new double sash window, I have also been tiling in the kitchen, using 10cm square tiles.  If you've never used these, they are quite tedious to put up, being so small; I much prefer the 25cm x 33 cm ones we've used in the bathroom as you cover the space so much quicker.  Another disadvantage of the small ones is that it is very easy to get out of square, especially on uneven lime plaster.  (I must hasten to point out that I am not criticizing the plasterer's work, but rather just pointing out a fact of life in old buildings.)

The Next Phase

With the impending arrival of autumn (given that we have hardly had a summer, again), I've had a breather this week and done very little on the house.

Our thoughts are now turning our focus to the question of the "service wing" extension at the back of the house.  My understanding is that the house has had three major phases: firstly (in 1834?), it was a rectangular schoolhouse of squared limestone with a ridge roof running east to west; the front was at the eastern end where there is part of an archway visible in the wall.  Then they converted it to a pair of semis, facing south (we own the western half, on the left of the photo right), adding a larger rectangular structure (in coursed rubble) to create the back rooms and allow for the front doors to be positioned on either side (just visible on either side of the photo right); we have dated this to prior to 1870.

Finally they built the brick extensions at the back on either side as the kitchens. This extension (left and right) is a brick built, single storey structure with a simple slate roof, set at an angle which appears too shallow for slates.  The brickwork is now in poor repair, one wall (photo below right) is bulging badly with loose bricks and daylight visible!  Additionally the roof structure is rotten after the years of damp neglect, and the ground around has been concreted at the level of the floor inside, adding to the damp problems.


Our plan is to repair this building with a new roof and re-positioned doors and windows.  Originally we wanted to extend it but this application was refused as it would have spoiled the symmetry of the pair of buildings.  Our plan now, with the Conservation Officer's verbal agreement, is instead to add a conservatory which, being obviously new, does not have the same effect on the symmetry.  This conservatory will be a solid piece of structure, hopefully from 6" square oak in a natural finish (if we can afford it!), although the CO has said that it should have a brick wall at one end so that the conservatory is not visible from the front... words fail me.  I'll do anything that gets it done and saves me having to have further interaction with such an unpredictable person.  The application is in and so now I need to come up with some decisions.

The major decision is how to do the repair work.  The building is single brick but we will have to make the walls thicker to meet Building Regulations; hence, does everything have to be done in lime?  I am all for it as a general principle but if this is not actually essential for breathability, it would make sense to make the entire finished extension using modern materials, even with Thermalite blocks on the inner skin!  Then a builder I know just threw a huge spanner in my works by suggesting that the inner structure could be an insulated wooden frame.  I have no idea as to whether this would be acceptable to the CO.

Then the next question will be the materials for the conservatory - the ideal desire for green oak will be simply a matter of whether we can afford it.  Hopefully, as it's not large the cost will be vaguely sensible...

Then all I have to do is to enlist the required contractors and we're off!  Firstly the lads to demolish most of it, then the groundworker to remove a lot of concrete and earth, then also do the foundations and drains, then the brickie for the footings and walls, then the same demolition lads to do the roof structure, slates and lead.    Finally, we'll get the same plasterer, electrician and plumber back.  Sounds simple, doesn't it?

[Edited 6 Sep to include photos of service wing]

We actually live here now

Never move house just before you have a holiday.  We have just returned from a 16 night camping holiday to our "new" house, and it just feels so strange; after all, we had only spent 13 nights here before the holiday, so we didn't really know what it was like to live in this house after spending so long restoring it.  We came inside and walked around admiring the handiwork as though we had never seen it before!  Do we actually live here now?  We own it, it's all ours!  We had even forgotten where things were - which drawer contained the cling film in the kitchen; more importantly, where was my clean underwear?  I didn't realise how bad it was until Jane came home tonight and asked why there was so much stuff in the sink.  "Have you forgotten that we now have a dishwasher again?"  Or is that just my age?

Apart from my memory, the other trouble now is motivation.  For the last nine months I have been working to a plan (sort of) which basically was to do all the necessary things so that we could move in.  Having achieved that, I now have serious problems in personal motivation and prioritization.  There is so much to do in the house, quite apart from our plan to re-build the brick extension (which is about to fall down) and sort out the garden/drive.  I can see why people talk about taking ten or more years on their period property renovation, so I must stick with the weekly lists of tasks and make sure that I achieve what I aim for each week.  There are also loads of boxes containing the assorted miscellanea of 37 years of marriage, and for once I do not have a storeroom or garage to hide them in; in fact, I don't even have a store for my tools which are now getting in the way.

The good news is that we have submitted our revised planning application for the brick extension and conservatory; my aim is to start the repair of the existing building in September (for which we don't need planning permission) and hope that the full approval is forthcoming soon after.  However, after previous encounters, I am not counting any chickens as far as the council are concerned!

Taking a breath in the new house

Slowly the chaos is reducing and we are settling in.  The rented house was handed back successfully on Friday, so for the first time in our lives, after four previous owned properties and a lot of rented ones (mostly RAF married quarters), we are responsible for just one house which we own completely with no mortgage; we can now just concentrate on this one.  The key now seems to be to settle in and take it slowly; at least, that's what it will be like when we have all the basics working.

Unfortunately our shower is not working yet, as I had a problem with the installation, and there are bits everywhere with the shower screen standing on the landing.  In trying to avoid such a situation, I prepared carefully by reading and understanding every step of the instructions but then found that there was a fundamental task which was impossible without a right-angled screwdriver (which I do not possess).  The need for this tool was not mentioned in the instructions and, when I rang the technical centre, they could only say that they sell lots of these showers and no one has ever complained before!  One suggestion they offered was that the attaching screws should be fixed into the wall at an angle to allow the task to be done.  I refused this suggestion as (a) the aluminium channel would be distorted by a pan-headed screw at an angle and (b) the pan-headed screw would not be long enough to get through the plaster at an angle***, and (c) I had already drilled the holes at right angles, since the need for some odd angle was not mentioned in the instructions.  Also, I said that if I did that then my plumber would laugh at me!  I don't often stand on my qualifications but I'm a Chartered Engineer and have never encountered such an idea except, for instance, in screwing wooden studs together.

I found that a certain company had a branch 11 miles away (through horrendous traffic) and their website said that this branch had a right-angled screwdriver in stock, so we went to get it.  Of course, their computer was wrong and so I had to order the thing, and we have to wait for a shower.  Hence an annoyed e-mail regarding their out-of-date website...

The screwdriver should come on Monday, so I can then finish the shower; I'll also do a few other important things this week, like finish the wardrobe and put up a bedroom curtain, and then we're off camping for 17 days, so I won't be posting again for another four weeks.  The plan then will be to get ready for the extension re-build which hopefully will happen in September/October.  In the meantime I just hope this rain stops by next weekend!



*** Of course, in a recently lime plastered wall, any hole which does not penetrate brick or stone is going to cause a big lump of plaster to fall off and create a large hole when you fit a wall plug, and this would be worse if you drill two holes close together...

A Milestone Achieved

There is a very odd satisfaction of sitting on a settee surrounded by boxes in a house that could only be described as a mess.  There's a bunch of cables which connect me and my computer to the outside world - amazingly the broadband is working (after last year's experience with well-known company, I had VERY low expectations!); there's a TV aerial on the arm of the settee which, much to my surprise, gives a good digital picture (better than at our rented house), and we've just had a meal cooked on our new range, preceded by a well-deserved G&T.  There is no mortgage on this house, and most tasks are done.  Can life get much better than this?

We still have to hand back our 12 year old rented house, and I'm glad to be getting rid of it.  It is a cheap and cheerless modern box, made with haste and no love, using poor materials and a pretty bad design.  For instance, we could not fit our king-size bed into any bedroom with any other furniture at all, so for the last year we have been in a small bed which gave me cold feet.  I've never known a house before where the HOT water supply to upstairs could freeze in winter - OK, I know last winter was pretty cold at times but surely there are rules about where the pipes are laid?  Also, it was always cold in the kitchen - I cannot believe that there was the correct amount of insulation under the floor, and it had some very cheap uPVC doors and windows.  You could actually see daylight between the two seals on the French doors in the kitchen, and the step outside was not supported (until I put some blocks of wood underneath it).  Overall, that modern house really made me pleased to be the owner of this lovely old house, even when it was overgrown, cold and damp!

This week, we have been doing various finishing touches to enable us to move, which we achieved on Friday.  Phil and Jaye, the plastering duo, helped us to move, using Phil's van which was given its first ever spring clean in order to be fit for the purpose.  The weather was wet and so I was glad that we had not fitted new carpets throughout.  However, we had decided to have two new bedroom carpets done, and these were fitted on Friday morning; an earlier date was not possible as I wanted to fit the new bedroom wardrobe before the carpets came - it was a close run thing as I was still doing the wardrobe at 5pm on Thursday.  We also had BT come along on Friday to install a telephone line to the house for the first ever time; initially the technician said that it should have been surveyed first and he was going to leave us, but then he relented and we discussed possible solutions.  The job took him more than five hours and then he left in a hurry, leaving his ladders behind.  Consequently the first incoming call on our new number was from the BT man himself, enquiring about the whereabouts of his ladders!

I'm now making a list of priority tasks outstanding: top of the list is fitting the shower screen and sealing the edge of the bath; next the completion of the wardrobe so that all our (i.e. Jane's) clothes can be hung up again.  Hopefully our last extravagance, a large purpose built bookcase, will be installed early in August so that a lot of boxes can be emptied, and then there's just the kitchen tiling, sash window refurbishment (x7), curtains, the rest of the carpets and the small matter of the decrepit old extension which we haven't yet touched...  But it's now our home, and we love it!

We're Moving In!

It really seems odd after eight months of work, with numerous contractors and much personal effort, to realise that we can actually move in next week.  It's a sort of end-of-term feeling - relief and deep satisfaction mixed with a kind of hollowness.  Note that I'm NOT saying that the house is finished, merely that things are done sufficiently to allow us to move in (so long as the boiler is commissioned on Monday!).  This pair of photos shows how the public view of the house has changed in the last eight months:

I still have plenty to do as there are many remaining tasks, such as refurbishing the sash windows, finishing the decorating and rebuilding the old "service wing", plus most of the garden/driveway tasks.  For ages I have been giving priority to tasks that get us out of our rented house and into our own place (with no mortgage!).

The last major task was the installation of the newly-made window cill for the new kitchen window.  Chris cast the new cill in cement and did a remarkable job of making a colour which matches the Cotswold stone and pointing.  Although it should have been done before the installation of the window, circumstances dictated otherwise (i.e. Chris broke the first cill, then he broke his foot...)!  It was VERY heavy but it was lifted up by four strong people and slid into place without too much difficulty, leaving me with the task of making good the stonework and pointing around it.  It was a great feeling to realise that this was the last major task and that the house was now effectively finished and secure.  Jane became quite emotional when she saw it - surprising that a cement object could actually be a thing of beauty!
 
The window above used to look like this (below): 

I think that the new wall filling in the bottom of the old door is the thing of which I am most proud of having done with my own hands on this project.

I'm still in progress with my wardrobe which is a major bit of woodwork, and there is still decorating to be done.  However, this week I was helped by Wayne (not Wayne the kitchen fitter, but the brother of Neil the electrician) who has done a sterling job at some of the tasks which I found really tedious like sanding and painting skirting board.

I was visited this week by my son, daughter-in-law and grandson, who last visited only three weeks ago.  Their amazed reaction on seeing what had been accomplished since their last visit has given me a yardstick to show just how busy that time has been.  The list is quite long: front garden cleared, dropped kerb and driveway laid, 30 tons of hardcore cleared, kitchen units, kitchen appliances and two new windows fitted, kitchen floor grouted, bathroom tiled and fitted out, electrics finished, fireplace installed and painted, and lots of decoration done.  Finally, I fitted a net curtain in the new lounge window which made it look as though the house was occupied.

One fundamental thing that is missing at the moment is a toilet seat.  This was an oversight on our part as the soft close type we wanted was about to be introduced when we ordered our bathroom fittings and we forgot to go back in May and order it when it became available.  There's always something that catches you out!

Edit - I'm adding here a few extra photos of the house:

Suddenly, we're nearly finished

The Scent of the Past?

I had my first slightly spooky experience in the house this week. I was stripping the thick layers of paint on the window cill in the main bedroom with my heat gun and favourite scraper.  The window was open and suddenly there was a really strong smell of perfume, as though someone wearing half a bottle had walked past the first floor window.  Then it happened again and it seemed that the smell was actually coming from the paint!  Was I really disturbing the accumulated smell of perfume bottles set on the window cill by the spinsters (first Miss Coleman and then Miss Dealey) who lived here from 1925 until 1984?  I'd just love to know what perfume they wore!

Nearly Finished

It seems strange after so many months work to realise that we are mere days from being able to move in.  Of course, it won't be finished then, just liveable, but moving in will be a great step forward, of course.  Many jobs have been prioritised on the basis of whether they assist the moving-in day, so refurbishment of the sash windows, for instance, has taken a back seat, as has the rebuild of the Victorian "service wing" (as the conservation officer calls it), which has a roof still covered in green tarpaulin and a brick wall in danger of collapse.

The last two weeks have seen huge leaps forward, with many tasks coming good in quick succession; I reckon that 14 different tradesmen have worked in the house in that fortnight. After the driveway (see last week's entry), we have seen the delivery and installation of two new windows, the fitting of the kitchen units, delivery and fitting of the kitchen appliances, installation of the gas boiler, installation of the lounge fireplace and mantel, and the fitting of the bathroom units, not to mention the rest (almost) of the second fix electrics and plumbing.  In that time I myself have tiled and grouted the bathroom (mostly), grouted half the kitchen floor, repaired mortar around the soil pipe, and sanded/painted doors, skirting boards etc, not to mention continuous tidying up!

The one failure was the installation of the new cill for the kitchen window. First, Chris dropped and broke the newly cast cill, then he broke his own foot in a small motor bike accident.  Hopefully, we can muster enough muscle to fit the new cill in a few days, as it lets the draught in under the newly installed window (left) which at least is already a huge improvement on the old galvanised steel door and windows (right).

 The kitchen looks wonderful; the two excellent fitters worked hard and most skilfully, although it did take them from Monday until Friday morning to turn the packs (left) into the finished article (right).  It looks even better with the range installed (below).

I like our new decorative arch on the fireplace in the lounge; this is how it has progressed from horrible (as bought) to great with an intermediate step this week:

My list of tasks is still quite large - it includes making a wardrobe (before we can lay carpets), as well as lots of decorating and tiling.  So, we're on course to move in early in July (and this is June 24th!); then we can start on the service wing, for which we are putting in the necessary applications very soon.

Finally, I was much amused by the fact that our new range has a dog chain.  Honestly.  Apparently it is to ensure that the range does not fall forward when the heavy doors are all opened.  Presumably this has happened to someone and I feel sorry for them.  I guess that someone then at the major range manufacturer has decreed that, to avoid a similar event, a chain should be attached at the back of the range.  However, commonsense has been lost along the way: this range does not have heavy cast iron doors, but rather its doors are light, similar to an oven, and the chain is totally redundant!  Another stupidity done in the name of Health and Safety!

The Enchanted Forest is no more

The Enchanted Forest is no more - well, it's now just a few overgrown trees with a slightly mysterious shade underneath.  Now it is no longer be possible to hide in the undergrowth which gave this blog its name (see the very first entry last year). I've been putting off the moment for a long time, but this week it was time to do the driveway, together with cutting a gap in the low stone wall and installation of a dropped kerb.  I have been gradually cutting things back in a surreptitious way, but now the public can suddenly see a spacious garden where previously (for over twenty years) they had only seen overgrown shrubs and trees, with lots of ivy and litter.

I had engaged a contractor to clear this overgrown stuff (old photo, left) - especially as it contained lots of brambles which I hate as they seem to hate me first.  However, the contractor failed to appear on Saturday morning, with some excuse about not usually working Saturdays, despite this being the agreement only a week previously; more likely they had too much alcohol on Friday night.  With work on the driveway due to start on Monday I reverted to Plan B and did it myself, thus saving a good deal of money.  However, although successful, I was totally shackered (shattered and knackered) by the end of the day.  The result is a huge clear area (as seen in the top photo) where there used to be hawthorn, brambles, yew and a proliferation of some unidentified shrub, although there were a few bits left which I intended to do on Monday while Colin, my driveway contractor, was doing the dropped kerb.

On Monday I arrived at the house at 8.00am to find that there was already a huge pile of yew branches on the lawn as Colin had already started, having arrived at 7.15 with his own digger and dump truck.  Colin is an absolute whiz on his digger and Ryan, his mate, drives the neat little articulated dump truck.  On one occasion while Colin was scraping the natural layer, I saw a nice looking bit of limestone uncovered and just pointed to it; Colin casually picked it up with the shovel, placed it at my feet and carried on scraping.  Neat.  Part of our contract was the removal of all the plaster, hardcore, slate etc which had accumulated around the site in untidy piles, either loose, bags or plastic tubs.  By the end of the day there was a clear excavation for the driveway (down to the natural brash) and a huge pile of debris near the gateway, as well as a large pile of shrubbery on the lawn.

My contribution was the removal of a 4 metre section of the low front wall, which felt almost a crime as it was probably 180 years old.  (NB That's Colin not me in the photo, with Ryan in the background.)

I arrived on Tuesday to find the huge pile was a lot smaller as the grabber lorry had already visited and removed about 16 tons of it.  I was doing some bathroom tiling later when he returned for the rest and was so quick that I almost missed him.  TOP TIP - if you have more than two or more skips of hardcore for landfill, consider using a grabber lorry which has a capacity of 18 tons, is much easier than filling skips and costs only £150.

By the end of the day the new kerbs and the granite setts were in place, ready for tarmac, and the drive excavation was ready for the ballast.  After the removal of Mount Etna I felt guilty about the greenery on the (shared) lawn, so I moved it all to the back of the house for burning somewhen.  Home for a shower and beer.

Wednesday saw the laying of the hot tarmac, as well as the return of the grabber with 18 tons of ballast.  He also then took away the smaller version of Mount Etna comprising the old tarmac from the pavement plus more hardcore which had been found around the garden.  It turned out that the driver/operator was Ryan's Dad - I do like working in a fairly small place where people know each other.

All that was left to do was for me to point the setts with cement and building sand. It's been a good week already!  We'll revisit the driveway in the autumn when the other trees will be felled and the layout will be revised in the light of experience; then we'll put in the edgings and add the top layer of gravel; at some time I will also have to rebuild the wall ends with my nice bits of coping.  This is the result so far, with our car (just visible) parked on our driveway for the first time (what a pleasure after over seven months of finding a legal parking space every day!):