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?