Cue lyrics 'Working on site from morning till night..... that's living alright.' So this blog is dedicated to all those living on a building site.
Well I
confess I haven't watched this year's choice; largely it's been Jules
late night TV of choice while I've pretty much passed out in
hibernation mode. I start to come back when the clocks turn. Anyway
the lyrics seem very apt considering all that's happened since the
New Year.
I first
wrote a draft of the blog in February, but it was so depressing I've
waited until we've got something positive to say to publish! But for continuity I have to include the
original blog, and I did promise to give you it all; good and bad.
The
February draft started “Our project is turning out to be so
boringly predictable, like the plethora of building shows, it's mind
numbing. Planning issues, financial issues, weather issues and then
throw in a hideous vomit bug that debilitates most of the Lerway team
for two weeks. I don't think they'd want to film that bit though.
(You get
the gist!)
Firstly
we've been sitting tight during the hideous storms that have hit
Britain. We have got used to the buffeting of the wind and staccato
of the relentless rain. We've been really lucky compared to many as
we've not flooded, and not blown away. But the tragic story of the
teenage girl who was killed in a static – her family also
renovating their house – when a tree fell on her has been in my
head, a lot. The worst night, just about Valentine's Day, the wind
drove huge gusts against the end of Eric that we sleep in. Well to
be more precise we didn't sleep a wink that night. I heard creaking
that I don't want to hear again. And I will never read the
description of the trees 'roaring' in the wind again without thinking
of that night. They truly roared; for hours on end.
(Close your eyes and say 'There's no place like home; there's no place like home)
But thankfully we
didn't end up in Kansas.
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| A pile (!) |
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| Ringbeam |
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| Will ill watching the muck away lorry |
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| The soakaway that doesn't soak away |
So at
the end of February we still are not 'out of the ground'. The
foundations are laid (we just threw £20k into the ground and watched
it disappear!) and we have two steel joists sticking out of the
ground. At the end of the week the block and beam floor will be laid
and then the brickies can start getting the structure up.
Finances
are also a challenge. Without going into the nitty-gritty everything
is costing more and taking longer than expected (again so predictably
'Grand Designs'). We've had to readdress the plan and make some hard
decisions about what to do and not to do. The lovely double storey
bay has been scrapped for example. This is the double storey bay
that we fought for in our second Planning Application (that in
horrible irony got approval this week). We're also going to focus on
getting the existing house ready to move into then take longer to get
the extension liveable.
Let's
say this is no longer a 6 or 9 month project. There'll be no
gorgeous reveal at the end, where we take visitors through a fully
finished property! It'll be years of working on rooms as we learn
the skills ourselves. We're up for it, mind! Not ones to shy from
hard work we're planning polished concrete floors that I will do, and
we're working with tradesman on a consultative basis to help us get
it done. Where's Bob the Builder or the lovely Nick Knowles when
you need them?
And in
amongst the blows to our plans – the finances and the weather –
four of us contracted the worst vomiting bug I've ever encountered.
A full two weeks of illness in Eric was truly depressing. Our close
proximity to one another with the sick bowls, flat Coca Cola and
constant washing of dirty bedlinen was something I never wish to
repeat. Truly soul destroying.
(Oh woe
is us!)
That's
over now and morale was restored with a sleepover with Nana Mo, a
visit from Granny Annie, a trip to Southwold and a family party
complete with the impromptu rock and roll gig – Dad on cajon, Anne
on drums, Jules on guitar and Sue/Tam on tambourine!”
That was February's draft.
So
that's January and February done with; March brought with it some
better weather and activity on site. We now have brickwork up to
first joist level, a large skeleton of steelwork and holes for
windows! Suddenly views that we imagined are real. To see the birth
of something you've imagined every day and night for seven months is
just exhilarating! And the perfect antidote to the days where
nothing happens. Which is frequent.
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| It's not an extension; it's a swimming pool |
We've
commissioned, with our last pennies, some beautiful windows in an
anthracite grey colour. We've got a plumber and electrician sorted
out for the next Phase. And last weekend Jules completed a monumental
demolition of the front conservatory. Saving £2.5k in the process
by doing it ourselves.
A friend
commented when visiting the first house Jules and I bought together
that it looked like it smiled. Well Jules commented after his
backbreaking work on the conservatory that he feels our house now
smiles; amen to that!
In other
news we're loosing more teeth; Hattie's first top tooth has come out
and Livvy's lost a few more! All to give way to adult teeth I'm
happy to say and not because they're rotten. Abi has just sung in
the Royal Festival Hall, London and we've celebrated Jules, William
and my birthdays. Tomorrow is the littlest hobo's sixth birthday.
I'd like to bet that we'll be in by the next birthday – Abi's at
the end of June. Not sure I'm going to win that bet.......
Happy Easter
everyone!
Here follows the usual download from my iphone......
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| Another garden find; our friendly Forensic Scientist tells us it's a fox |
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| Post-Asbestos Removal sophistication |
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| Asbestos Removal fashion |
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| Will's 9th Birthday |
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| Playing in a steaming mulch pile |
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| Hattie's subtle tooth loss |
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| After Abi's first full rugby training |
