Weekend Work :(

I spent Saturday taking up the tiles in the kitchen ready to level the new floor.

We borrowed the demolition tool required from Richard but after 1 tile the gear failed leaving old fashioned Bill-Power to finish the job. It looks worse than it was although my blisters say different.This was Sunday, we stripped the hallway with the assistance of a steamer unit from Paul. It worked a treat and comes highly recommended. We only have 1 surface left to scrape clean, my study.

So finally after clearing the kitchen ready for the week ahead I took this shot, from the picture it looks like we are a eauropean peasant family.......

Yes Luce is posing....

Day 91 - We're Cooking!

The oven is in! After a few issues finding various power runs Nigel has got it running and TV Tony is now a long distant memory. The consumer unit is in the utility room at ceiling height to hide the 'mess' (thats a Luce quote). We also have lighting in the bedroom we are using after a couple of days trying to find it. The kitchen has a makeshift light which saves us having to carry a lamp with us everywhere we go like Florence Nightingale.

The kitchen worktops are due to arrive on Monday and on Tuesday we expect the rest of the Magnet kitchen. Richard is on his own next week but Nigel and Richard are starting to make this hosue feel more homely.

Day 90 - More Elastictrickery

Nigel has cracked on with the wiring hopefully we will have a working oven by Friday. We spent a good 30 mins this morning trying to source fire-safe downlights to use and have come to nothing. We are hoping a supplier will turn up with the goods!

We have skirting now in the hallway and architrave to match, things are starting to look normal, something is amiss!

Day 89 - Doors On

The doors I spent sealing last night have been hung, the skirting has begun in the porch and hallway and the skirting and architrave has been started and completed in the front lounge. With the new door on the front lounge and the dining room these rooms are officially complete except for a little electrical wiring and minor PVA seal on the woodwork.

The porch is now looking pretty good, the floor tiles have been taken up by Richard in order to fit the new skirting which is now looking pretty good. The porch is still dark (and always has been) so looks like we will need a light flooring and paint for the porch and hallway. Under the tiles we have this pleasant yellow and brown tile effect, I think it will have to stay :)

Whilst I was taking snaps I thought I would show the step Richard has put in from the kitchen to the lounge.

Looks like TV Tony has gone for good, he hasn't responded to Richards calls or e-mails and so we have now got a new electrician coming tomorrow, we have been left a message by Richard saying 'Cooker and lights in by Saturday'. Sounds promising to me.

Day 88 - Steps

Richard is back raring to go and finish the job, he is moving house and his isn't built yet!

Richard and James got all the steps in for the upstairs and downstairs. The height of the steps on the downstairs may be a little high but Richard assures us all will be OK when the wood/tiles will be put down.

Richard also managed to sort out some of the kitchen layout with Karl at Magnet Trade, looks like its going to be Padstow design (requires acrobat reader installed). We will be sourcing the worktops ourselves as they only do a 27mm thickness and we would like the thicker 40mm worktops so I am off ebaying tomorrow.

We also have the first of our downstairs oak doors as well which I spent the evening sealing ready to be put up tomorrow. The spindles have also arrived along with the handrail. Hopefully tomorrow we will have a complete upstairs.

News on TV Tony.....well he still hasn't returned and is no longer answering calls so looks like we might end up with a new electrician. The ball is now in Richards court who has to make the final decision. Over the weekend the cooker arrived and we are dying to be able to cook real food again rather than defrosting something and nuking it in the microwave. I think the electrician story may run and run.....

Day 87 - Porch complete

The porch has now been completed. Steve has finished the plastering and James has now got the delivery of coving ready to do all the downstairs rooms except the study which still needs more work.....in the future we will have to revisit it.

Its a bank holiday weekend this week so no people present until Tuesday.

Day 86 - Porch Roof

James and Ken arrived and plastered the roof. With Richard away James had to do the running about which meant he didn't get much done himself. The roof looks good though so I can't complain.

Steve carried on working in the porch boarding the walls ready for plastering. He also finished plastering the front lounge.

Day 85 - Front Door

We now have a working front door, a guy from the window company came out and did some tweaks to the door edging and got it straight in the opening. With great success too we now have a working front door.

Steve plastered the ceiling although I am unsure if the roof is rainproof yet as roofer James hasn't showed to get the tiles on. James has removed some more of the trim from the old porch opening and its starting to feel like one room now.

This is what remains of the kitchen. The only unit still standing is the broken dishwasher that would prbably be marked as chemical waste due to whats living round the back of it.

The sink has been moved into the utility room and the old pipework running down the interior walls have been moved as well. The water supply pipe is the only thing left.


Phil has rigged us up a working sink and washing machine and with James help we have at least somewhere to wash up. Its not ideal so the sooner we get this kitchen ordered the better.


Steve said he will be back tomorrow and depending on what else we want doing based on how the finances are that could be it for a while. James will be back too. Still no Tony.....

Day 84 - Porch Boarded

We didn't have roofer James today due to some cock-up but we are told he is due Wednesday. The man came to look at our front door that isn't fitting perfectly square and I am told he will be here Wednesday to make it right.

James got the plasterboard in on the porch ceiling and Steve got the fireplace wall plasterboarded in the lounge so all in all its starting to look like a finished house except for a little woodwork and plaster. We are still miles away from getting some electricity in the new rooms though and using a torch to go to the loo is wearing a little thin......where are you Tony?

Tomorrow is going to be woodwork in the new lounge according to James and Steve might be able to finish plastering the study to make that room ready for Phil.

Day 83 - Plastering Hall

Steve plastered the hall ceiling today bringing in the new area from the kitchen, the cloakroom has also been completed. A rough skin has been done on the kitchen wall ready for skimming and the study has the same.

Plastic fascias have been put on the porch but doesn't match the existing peak on the sitting room so thats going to require a few words with James tomorrow. Paul has completed the brickwork ready for roofer James on tuesday. TV Tony has made a shock appearance and done a couple of bits here and there but still hasn't completed the first fit.

James is in charge tomorrow so its any guess what happens :)

Day 82 - Goodbye Kitchen

The kitchen was next to the skip. It has served us well for the past couple of years but quite frankly it had to go. The cooker is now stationed at the front door prior to delivery to the tip and the cupboards were destroyed by yours truly.

Steve continued his endless plastering this time the cloakroom and parts of the kitchen were done. Richard was here with Paul finalising construction on the porch roof and getting it ready for roofer James on Tuesday of next week

James will be here on Monday to put the fascia on ready and Paul will be on site too. Richard is away next week as he has a holiday taking his Mum on a cruise....isn't he a nice boy to him Mum.

At the end of the weekend here is the state of play. Upstairs is pretty much complete except for facia plates on all the electrics and lighting fittings. Some more minor woodwork to do on the stairs and in the second bedroom. Downstairs the plastering still needs work on two rooms, the kitchen needs a minor skimming on a couple of walls. Again the electrics need work as do the plumbing for the extra radiators we have discussed with Phil. Making a guess I would say we have 2-3 weeks left. We are still awaiting kitchen quotes.

Our sad looking kitchen.

Day 81 - Porch & Plaster

Today we have seen some good progress. Ashley and Steve along with James and Richard have screeded the new extension in the utility and lounge.

We have been told to stay off it until Saturday when it should have dried out enough to take our weight.........most of us are keeping to the rules.

The walls in the cloakroom and the study have been prepped ready for a final skim to complete these areas ready for woodworking to commence.

And whilst we are on getting near normality now is a good time to show how we are living....

This is our existing lounge at the front, complete with plastered on carpet and brickwork as well as trailing electric wires. Fun.

But thats nothing compared to the kitchen which is looking rather sad now lit only by a builders halogen lamp.

No kitchen picture would be complete with yours truly washing up.

Day 80 - Power Cut

Today the chaps didn't get very far due to a powercut, we have some bits done but without power that means no power tools, no cutting, no mixing, no screwdriving. In short today was a write off, some minor work was done on the walls in the kitchen and some light switches were run in but basically not good :(

Day 79 - New Fireplace

We have a new fireplace courtesy of Paul and Derek, Paul got a nice hug from Luce at the news of a fireplace being fitted, it made his day. Probably due to the fact she was only wearing a dressing gown at the time!

Richard and James have nearly completed the skirting and architrave upstairs and its looking really nice, upstairs is starting to feel more complete. Phil has fitted the second towel rail in the main bathroom as well. We are missing lights, electric/TV/Ethernet points and some tiling and we will be feature complete upstairs.

Downstairs Steve has completed (almost) the plastering in the old bathroom, now the new seating area of the kitchen. TV Tony has also been about today doing some electric points in the kitchen and DISCONNECTING THE COOKER! We had to beg cooking facilities off the folks who as always were diamond in making us welcome.

Paul and Derek have done a fine job creating the look that Luce was after in the old lounge, with a bit of plaster and a lick of paint I think we will get a nice feature fireplace.

Day 78 - En suite fitting

Phil was here this morning with Richard and James, Richard is off this afternoon but they are hoping to get the kitchen plasterboarded ready for the plasterers to finish the job ready for kitchen fitting. James will then be on skirting and architrave in the afternoon.

We had one quote back from B&Q at around the £7k mark fitted for the new kitchen but are still awaiting quotes from Magnet and Howdens before we make a final choice.

Update: Got home and they have completed the plasterboarding of the kitchen ceiling and James has got the skirting done in the new master bedroom.

Phil has the sink, toilet and towel rail in the en suite.

Lucie has three designs from Howdens, Hazel the designer has done a cracking job and the designs are all fresh and quite modern looking whilst keeping the traditional look we want to keep in the house. The next question is how much they will cost!

Day 77 - Upstairs Doors

We now have five more upstairs doors to finish the job all with handles and looking pretty good. When the architrave and skirting is on it will look almost complete. Tomorrow I am going to be laying the floor tiles in the en suite with Dad and then Phil can carry on Monday with fitting the en suite fittings.

Tony has finished the lights in the ceiling in the new kitchen. This will allow Richard and James to do the ceiling plasterboarding next week.

Day 76 - Nobody

Nobody here this morning, Richard is having the roof put on his bungalow down Park Road so he is trying to juggle at the moment.

Expecting people tomorrow.

Day 75 - Utility Walls Done

The utility room walls are now complete. Phil has connected the old radiator from the old bathroom and made use of it in the utility room, the other two radiators and the moved one have also been piped up ready for the flooring over the top.

Hazel came round to talk to us about Howdens kitchens and said she would go away and draw up some plans for room designs, hopefully for early next week.

Tony has been about too doing pieces here and there. We have electric points inside the old lounge now and the white trunking on the outside of the house has been removed. He can't really move on with the kitchen due to waiting for the designs to return so we are a little held up now.

Day 74 - Bye Bye Porch

The porch has gone, pretty quickly too, this was the porch as we left at 8.30 this morning.

The plasterers have been busy too prepping the utility room walls ready for skimming which will finish that room except for the floor screed.

The hallway looks like this now with our hanging light switch.

Richard was at our house till 11pm last night helping us choose skirting and architrave(sp?), also chosen were handles for the 16 doors and the doors themselves, we are going for oak 4 panel doors downstairs and standard white 4 panel for upstairs. After he left we finished clearing the house of anything left around, we now have two storage rooms looking like this.


Phil has been busy today, not only do we have an upstairs sink now but we also have two radiators.

One in the new master bedroom and one in the new rear lounge.

Richard has been busy out and about today, he dropped in on Lucie at work to make sure she was happy with the handles and then picked up the doors, by the end of play 5 doors have been fitted in our new storage areas.

We have Hazel from Howdens tomorrow evening to talk to us about the kitchen design.

Day 73 - Full House

Lucie had a call from Richard today, the house was full, Tony, Phil, Richard, Derek, James, Ashley and Steve.

Tony has been finalising some runs and doing some preperation work for the plasterers who want to carry on with the utility room.

Phil has removed the pipework from the old shower to prepare for the plasterers coming into the kitchen. The radiator in the study has also been removed ready for one more in keeping with the new shape of the window.

Richard & James have removed some final beams from the kitchen ceiling and removed the old kitchen door and brick surrounding it, now making it part of the hall. The plasterboard from the old bathroom ceiling has been removed in preperation for plastering.

Derek has finalised the brickwork around the window in the study and done the final bricks in the new cloakroom.

I am guessing tomorrow the plasters will move into the old bathroom/new kitchen area and make the ceiling and walls good.

Lucie and I spent a good part of the weekend talking to kitchen fitting companies. We spoke to www.kitchensdirect.com and had someone draw up a plan but at 10.5k it was a little steep for our budget considering we already have some extras chalked up on APR's bill and likely on TV Tony and Phils too.....only time will tell.

Day 72 - New Lounge Plastered

The new rear lounge is now complete. The room has been fine skimmed and cleared up, its looking big and a lot cleaner now!