End of Week 12

Progress is at a bit of a 'stutter' at the minute.

Plastering was finished Wednesday. All looking good just dying out.

Power was jointed Thursday but I don't get my meter till this coming Thur, then it's bye bye to the old genny. Plumber didn't get there Friday, but should start tomorrow. Sparks is going back in late week to coincide with getting the meter and mains electric.

As plans stand now i'll probably be fitting the kitchen late week, minus end panels and plinths, which will go on after the finished floor. Still, there will be plenty of other second fix joinery to go at with the skirting's, arc's and cupboard shelves.

Have chosen the bathroom tiles and a picture is below. Using a ceramic 'stone effect' tile on the floor and up the walls, with the travertine mosaic as a border and for the shower floor. Need to get the shower enclosure ordered and on site before any bathroom tiling. As it's an offset quadrant shape, the tiles around the shower will have to be cut to the metal profile of the enclosure. The joint between the ceramics and mosaics will then be underneath the enclosure. Obviously grouted and done neatly, so if anyone ever wanted it as a wet room suitable for a wheelchair then all they would have to do is unscrew the enclosure and replace with a curtain.

End of Week 11

No post last week, not a great deal had changed and time was at a premium. Bad combination for updating this blog.

Anyway, plastering is well under way now. A couple more days and should be done. Plumber back Friday to start second fix. Will call electrician tomorrow and get him booked in.

Have dug a trench from where my electric supply runs into the house up to the boundary. Western Power will take care of the rest. Was going to buy the ducting for the electric cable but could only buy in 50 metre lengths. Instead I called up western power and asked them to drop me 20 metres off. Same old story - don't ask don't get. On for the connection this Thursday but wont be getting electric till the 3rd of May. Bit disorganised with regards to providing a supplier with my MPAN number there. Lesson for next time, they need about 10 days. Have also dug up my duct for where the water supply goes into the house. Took this through the footings and up through the slab in the early days. I'll organise for the water to be connected now the plastering is finishing. The way it works you pay a flat fee for building water unless you have a metered supply. The supply would of been metered if i'd of had the water connected early doors. With the amount of water that goes into building a house i've preferred to pay the flat building water fee and not worry about how much i'm using. Gas connection is 'in the pipeline' excusing the pun. Early next month sometime. Gas seems to be the cheapest and easiest out of the lot.

Sorted the soil vent on the back so can start backfilling against my retainer with any muck I dig out from the soak-away and where the hard standing to the side of the house is. I though i'd have loads of spare soil so had a 6' wide raised planter built. I was thinking 4' but talked into 6'. Looking at it now I'm not so sure i'll have enough to spread about! Ironic if I have to buy any. Have paid for about 6 x 20 tonne loads to be taken away. It's top gear as well, this ground used to be allotments years ago!

Got to start choosing & buying sanitary and tiles now. Don't think interior design is my forte'. Have chosen the kitchen and have tried to keep it light, simple and traditional. Have been offered some white gloss 'slab' door kitchen units but don't know if I can dull it down from the modern look that gives off. I'm paying a bit more to have 'shaker' style doors, but clinically, does it add to the property...probably not.

Have had the gyppos take away my 'white elephant' bright yellow, diesel stained water butt. Took a couple of stumps that refused to burn to the tip as well. A few of the smaller ones may have gone into the bottom of the raised planter. Starting to tidy up a bit now. All the hardcore knocking about will soon get swallowed up by the soak-away.

Did roll out the loft insulation last week and lay it 300mm all around. It is the absolute worst job I have EVER done. Low pitched roof and prefab trusses just made it hell. Wont be doing this again in a hurry!

End of Week 9

Plumber and Sparky finished their first fixes this week. Due to me wanting a couple of changes though there will be a couple of areas I can't board over yet. Sparks is away till Monday so beware last minute changes.

Got the ceiling boarded yesterday. Hired an auto-loading screwgun but it didn't work properly so went back to the normal cordless. Also hired a plasterboard lifter which was an amazing bit of kit. I'll never do any decent amount of ceiling boarding again without one. The time and agro they save is immense. Got the loft insulation and chucked it up into the roof space beforehand, 23 rolls later!

Start the walls next week. 25mm Acoustic roll in-between studs with sound-block boards both sides.

End of Week 8

Late with the posting this week. Have also not had my camera on me so photo's will be off phone.

Scaffold is down and all is watertight. Good job, snowed today. Have done most of my joinery first fix inside. Still have window boards to drop on and a few linings.

Sparks and Plumber have done their first fix as of today and all is ready for boarding.

Can't make my mind up on what to do with the kitchen. At the moment I have a door into off the hallway, a back door leading outside and have also put a direct door into the lounge. Trouble is this reduces space and how the room works. I've come down to two options of laying out the kitchen of which pictures are attached. One way retains the door yet I feel there isn't a lot of worktop. The other does away with the door into the lounge, and gives you an extra 2 feet of worktop. I'm used to having the extra worktop, but others have suggested you adjust to what you've got so the smaller option will be fine. Decisions decisions...