Day 38 - Bathroom and Clear Out

Today the plumbers and builders worked together to fit the units into the bathroom and access hole to the floor so that we can reach one of the mascerators if needed.  The other mascerator required the carcasses of the fitted units to be butchered.  The plumbers will be back tomorrow to finish off and Marcus and Simon cleared out all their stuff from the loft and the garage and the scaffolding, with the exception of the circular saw and nail gun which will be needed when they pop back to finish off the skirting in the bathroom when the plumbers are done.   Only one problem - when they cut the panel for under the basin, the manufacturer's template was followed - but it was wrong.  So David picked up a new panel and that will be fitted when Marcus comes back.

Day 37 - The Plumbers and Snagging

After a few hours of successful decorating over the weekend, we were ready for the plumbers today.  By the end of the day the three radiators were on the walls and working, and issues regarding the plumbing in of the mascerators and fitted cupboards were discussed and ironed out.  Marcus was still away on his long weekend, but Simon was here to do items on the snagging list, finish off the architrave on the stairs, clear off the scaffolding and again, tidy up with a view to being finished tomorrow.  Marcus and Simon will both be here to clear everything out, finish any snagging and help with the installation of the bathroom (as there will be bits of carpentry to be done).  The end is in sight - or rather the end of the building work and the beginning of the major redecoration programme for the whole house.

Day 36 - Bits and Pieces

Both Marcus and Simon here today. The doors were finished off and then they were both out on to the roof to complete some more work out there including putting in some air vents.  Marcus left early for a long family weekend which left Simon to do more bits and pieces and have a sort out and clean up.  We had asked for all their stuff to be left in the middle of the room so that we can do some decorating over the weekend so that when the plumbers come on Monday the walls behind where the radiators will go will be already painted.  We are also to do our snagging list over the weekend.

Day 35 - Fire Doors and Staircases

Simon carried on with the fire doors today with only the heat strips to be stuck in them tomorrow. Marcus carried on with the new staircase handrails and spindles etc. and also cut out the old ones on the existing staircase and changed them to match. They will be back tomorrow to do a few bits and pieces but essentially their job is done. There will be a bit of skirting to put in once the plumber has finished his bits.

Day 34 - Fire Doors

The order of the day was fire doors - nine of them to be fitted and handles on existing doors that are staying (3!) to be changed. No easy task as the old door frames are not square. One door in particular had to have the top chopped off at a very odd angle. No choice on having fire doors - building regulations. An amazingly time-consuming job which will have to be continued tomorrow.

Day 33 - More Woodwork

Marcus was only here for half the day as he had to go and meet the man who would be doing his yearly electrician accreditation (NICEIC). However, Marcus was back with him in the afternoon as he has to show two of his jobs to be scrutinsed. After a while they left and Marcus will be back again tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Simon got on with more of the time-consuming jobs. We now have a bedroom door with handle! Oh, the smallest thing is so exciting! However, it now really feels like a room and we are much warmer in the hallways. He also worked on the staircase some more.

Day 32 - Woodwork

Marcus and Simon spent today finishing off the skirting boards and making the cupboards in the study area and other bits and pieces, most notable of which were the handrail and spindles for the upper part of the new staircase. That part is still not finished though as more decorative bits of wood need to be added. We are now at the point where all the woodwork to be done is fiddly and time-consuming, especially all the fire doors that need to be fitted throughout the house.

We also had a visit from the plumber who has been away in New Zealand for a few weeks. As a result of this, he can't get to us till next Monday to fit our bathroom and the radiators in the study and bedroom. But for the radiators and the bedroom door, the loft area is no longer a loft but a study and bedroom ready for decorating.

T.V. Aerial Revisited

Having spent a lot of time and money erecting a new telly aerial back in December, I've been rather disappointed by the results. My plan was to be able to receive transmissions from Crystal Palace rather than via the Bishop's Stortford relay. This has worked to some extent, but even with a big masthead amplifier the analogue signal is not really acceptable. I can get some of the digital channels with enough signal quality to watch, but until the switchover in three years I would like a better quality picture. With the scaffolding coming down in a week or so I've had to decide what to do - live with the set-up I've got now, or change it. I decided to keep what I've done so far - and add to it. The other transmitter I can use is Sudbury, so I bought a wideband aerial and pointed it over in that direction. This produces a half decent analogue picture, but due to the lower power on the digital side it doesn't give me enough signal to get a reliable picture on Freeview. I've diplexed the two aerials together so that I get channels 21-37 from Crystal Palace and 39-69 from Sudbury, put them through a variable masthead amplifier turned up full and then through a 4-way distributer to feed the loft, lounge, kitchen and the stereo. This gives the main four channels reasonably well from Sudbury, plus a variable channel 5 from Croydon (just behind Crystal Palace) and some of the digital from Crystal Palace. That should be OK up until the digital switchover - then I'll just have to hope that the increased power digital transissions will give me a useable signal from one side or the other. The fly in the ointment is the diplexer, which is not screened (apparantly no one makes a screened UHF+UHF diplexer). I noticed some interferance on the analogue channels, so I hope that won't lead to fatal crashes on the digital.

Day 31 - Plastering, Electrics, Woodwork

As promised, Jim (and assistant) were back this morning at 7.30 followed a short time later by Marcus and Simon.  Jim got stuck in with the last of the plastering and Marcus and Simon worked on the electrics - smoke alarm, sockets, lights, switches.  Jim was gone by 11am and Marcus and Simon left at 2pm after testing all the aforementioned and having started on the skirting boards and the bedroom door frame.  We then moved up some of the bathroom bits and pieces and put together the carcasses for the fitted units ready for the plumber next week.  It's really feeling like a proper room now and we are so close, but of course so far, as there will be lots of decorating to do. 

Day 30 - Let's Get Plastered!

Bright and early this morning (7.15am), Jim (the plasterer) and his team of 3 turned up and within minutes were busy working on their designated section of the loft and landings.  It was a long day for them and most of the areas they were working on were awkward.  However, they did a fantastic job.  A little bit still to do but Jim says he will come again tomorrow (Saturday) for a couple of hours and finish off.

Marcus and Simon drew the short straw with both of them having to be out of the way and therefore outside in the freezing wind and sleet.  They finished off the cladding and guttering etc. to the outside of the dormer, tidied up various bits and then headed off early as there was nothing more they could do with the plasterers in the way inside.  They will also come back tomorrow to finish off the electrics.

Day 29 - Cladding

Last night Marcus and Simon cleared out the bedroom and office areas so that the plasterers would have easy access to the walls and ceilings (fortunately as the bathroom has been completely done, they put everything in there) but in the end the plasterers didn't come today. However, they will be back tomorrow (3 of them! plus assistant) and if necessary will come on Saturday morning to finish off. Simon started work on the electrics and the smoke alarms (which need to be run off the mains and connected to each other on each floor) while Marcus went to buy the cladding for the outside of the dormer. A little later, Marcus was out on the scaffolding in the rain/sleet putting it up. A very cold and wet job today for Marcus but a nice warm and dry one for Simon!

Day 28 - Last of the plasterboarding

Marcus has already cut a channel in the wall of one of the bedrooms (for mains to go down to the fuse board in the outside cupboard) on the first floor which was plastered over yesterday, and today they finished the other plasterboarding that needed to be done. This included some on the wall by the stairs, part of the bedroom wall and also the whole of the first floor landing ceiling (covering over the loft hatch). Holes for the lights and sockets and switches were cut where the plaster has been done and ordering of other bits and pieces that are required for the project.

Day 27 - Plasterboarding and Plastering

The doorbell went at 7.45am this morning and I thought that'll be Marcus, but in fact it was Jim the plasterer with his assistant Darren. They were unable to get to their Tuesday job because of the weather so had checked with Marcus that they could come and get started on our job. Nice surprise. We now have a fully plastered bathroom, bedroom ceiling and landing area. They'll be back on Thursday.

Marcus and Simon turned up just after the plasterers. They carried on with more plasterboarding and various other bits. The last bits of plasterboarding will be done tomorrow - including the first floor landing where the loft hatch is.

Today - Snow!

Along with a lot of the country, we have woken up today to rather a lot of snow. Having called Marcus at home early this morning, it was decided that it wasn't really a good idea for him and Simon to venture out, so a day to enjoy the snow was agreed upon. As for tomorrow, we'll have to wait and see.