November (1st - 15th)

Wahay! This month is looking promising! Things are happening (about time too in everyone's opinions).

Where do I start?

Kitchen - Blockwork is currently up to roof level, lintels are all in place. Hopefully the roof will be going on next week - all bits and pieces were ordered and (I think) are at Jewsons waiting for delivery.

Dining room - Not much happening in this room although the blockwork has started on the second floor and is now up to the top of the windows. Lauren was most impressed when we pointed out the 'gap' that would be her bedroom window eventually! Kelvin delivered the doors, sidelights and door frames and they are ready to go in (although I'm not sure when they will be fitted as they need to have glass put in them!). The back door frame (which contains French doors and two lots of side lights) was too big to fit through the house so had to come in the 'back way' - through a field and over the back hedge!

Lounge - The plaster has all been picked off the walls in the lounge - we were originally going to have all the walls rough plastered but we have decided to keep the front wall as stone - it looks pretty impressive and seems a shame to cover it over. The window has been removed and the frame for the new window is in place (and of course has been boarded up as there is no glass in this either!). The builders had a bit of an accident with the front door - in gale force wind they left the door open, it slammed shut and all the glass fell out! That is also now boarded up.

The A frame above Lauren and our bedroom.

Main bedroom - The ceiling is here has been completed ripped down exposing the A-frame in the roof - you would not believe the dust and muck! We were originally keeping the wall between our bedroom and currently the 2nd bedroom but as everything is being updated this wall has now come down too. We have decided to move the wall by 6 inches to give us much needed extra space. The window in here has been replaced (and boarded up!).

Second bedroom - The ceiling in here is down now and also the window has been replaced.

Outside - The patio has been completely dug out now and I was quite amazed at the size of it, also around the back of the kitchen has been dug out too. I was getting quite concerned that my French doors in the kitchen would open into a bank of earth but obviously not! The chaps doing the digging worked tremendously hard and shifted alot of earth and huge rocks. They were duly dumped in the driveway AGAIN! A digger was hired and Kelvin like a kid with a new toy got to drive it for a whole Saturday loading up Gary who was there with the tractor and trailer. Lauren was very impressed to sit in the digger with Daddy and learn what to do - which she picked up very quickly! We now have a semblance of driveway back again (but for how long?).

November - 16th - 30th

Dining room - The beams have been put up for the ceiling/floor (whichever way you look at it!), they are all the way along but stop where the upstairs needs to be knocked through. The side lights and door frame have been fitted for the dining room patio doors (no glass in them yet though). They have had their first coat of stain and look quite good.

Kitchen - The door frame was put in the doorway between kitchen and dining room - no doors yet though. The kitchen roof has gone on - the battens are up and the velux windows have gone in plus the insulation. Some of the tiling has been done as well. The idea is that the kitchen will start to dry out - trouble is we have no windows yet.

Porch - The foundations have been dug out and laid for our porch and Kelvin's parents and a few rounds of blockwork have been laid.

November - a conclusion

Quite alot took place the beginning half of the month which was wonderful, the second half of the month was a bit slower. Our completion date of January is looking a bit optimistic though ........