Thought it would be worth a quick update. The builders are on their two week break – which is a blessing for the neighbours but also a well-earned rest for us too. At least it gives us two weeks to “get ahead” of them again. The decisions, plans, requirements and designs required to keep them moving is quite exhausting sometimes.
We had a bit of a confrontation at the end – we didn’t want to pay them all they thought was due. Mainly because we’ve been taught to hold back at least 10% of the total cost until completion and the payment schedule didn’t really match that. So the chaps had to go away with half what they wanted – but hopefully it’ll mean they return keen to win back the last bit in January. This aint no charity.
The good news is there’s only a couple of weeks of work left by the Polish crew (although some of that will be at the end). The major items are:

• Kitchen installation (cupboards, electrics, water, gas)
• Replace skirting boards
• Fix/repair cornicing/coving
• Replace/repair dado rail (architrave)
• Prepare all the old gloss wood for painting
• Sand all the fireplaces
• Complete window installation (two bays)
• Patio doors (remove, supply new and install, including lintel over)
• Complete utility room (sink + worktop)
• Label all electrical wires
• Commission electrics
• Stop cock under stairs/sink
• Re-glaze the front door
• Complete plastering round windows
• Storage cupboard under stairs (inc light with door switch)
• Extractor fans in WC and bathroom

And the other even better news is that we had our pre-start meeting with “Barry” – the guy who is leading the other two projects and he’s set up to start on the 7th January – with scaffold going up on the 3rd. The party wall surveys are all done and the “Award” is due to be delivered just after Christmas.
Finally the house itself is looking tidy (and secure) – they went through and cleared up before they left. They’ve done a fab job really.

The new windows, this one from the main bedroom:

Chrome window furniture:

Chrome window closer:

The loft, ready to receive it’s renovation:

Extraction fan switch, bathroom:

Mysterious damp patch – needs further investigation:

New radiators now warming:

Board on the floor protecting the floor which is now down:

Since I last wrote we’ve been away from holiday but progress has been swift. He’s an update:

• Boiler – we have one and it’s warming the house. It’s great to have the place warming up and gently drying out
• Utility room – the first cupboards are in and despite a sink being the wrong side, it’s starting to take shape
• Flooring – probably the biggest improvement, the oak flooring is down in the hall, downstairs loo and most of the lounge and dining room – looks really fab, just hope we can protect it enough until all the heavy work is done
• Windows arrived – and they look great. They’ve been prefabricated off site and are already first-coat painted which saves them from the winter weather. I can’t wait to see them in.
• Doors and handles on – looks great
• Lounge fireplace is in – really grand, it’s the original one from the rear dining room with a refurbished grate, and a new black slate hearth.
• Dining room secured and almost complete
• Bathroom calamities – we need to make some changes to the bathroom layout cause we cocked up – more later…

The original fireplace from the rear dining room is now reinstated rather grandly in the lounge (needs cleaning):

The brick feature in the dining room looks good – although we’re getting rid of the dodgy brick hearth which didn’t turn out as planned

New doors between the lounge and dining room:

Dining room door into kitchen, just waiting for the extension to be built…

Refurbished original fireplace – it’s going to have a gas fired coal-effect fire installed in due course

Door handles now on:

Utility room starts to take shape:

Nice detail in the cupboards – that’s hard to do right:

Storage cupboard from Ikea:

Bathroom, we have some changes to make here:


Door frames are on –

We’ve got a bunny boiler in our house

The house is warm now and the plaster is drying out

I want to honour S for bravery under fire – she got our toilets back.
We have been ordering stuff for the house – and doing our best to economise by buying everything from places on the internet with the keenest prices. So S managed to find three of the toilets we wanted (concealed cisterns, decent amount of flush and a wide-bore pipe, if you catch my drift) for a good price on a site called diy-home-solutions.com.
Perhaps we ought to have known better – and maybe we tried too hard to economise – but anyway, three days later they took the cash for the toilets – £750 – but mysteriously failed to respond to any of S’s emails to enquire when the goods would arrive.
S got a sinking feeling and we looked up the DNS registry to find the address of a Mr Steve Upton who runs the show and a phone number which unfortunately didn’t work. Getting more and more suspicious as the days wore on – the only hope we had was that delivery was stated as “up to 14 days” on the site.
At 14 days, S sends a letter registered post to request a refund immediately otherwise we’ll go and speak to Trading Standards.
And as it happens, S is on her way to Bristol to see friend M, and on the way is Trowbridge where Mr Upton runs his show. M, who’s a small lad, puts on three jumpers and a beany hat and acts as the “heavy” while S turns up in her highest boots to knock on the door of the residential house on an estate where he.is.
Mr Upton is somewhat apologetic and sheepish and rather than being the fraudster we imagined, turns out to be just a rather terrible business man whose business is “going down the pan” (no pun intended) and who rather dishonestly tried to put £750 of our cash into the hole his sorry little enterprise had left behind.
All credit to S and M for their illustrious work – perhaps a new career in loan sharking awaits?
We have new toilets, delivered for a lower price in 2 days by another supplier. And I have to say all the other suppliers we’ve used have been superb.