New kitchen, floors being laid

It's the last day of May and in about 6 week's time I'll be able to send our "20 week project" a 1st Birthday card, so it's a race to completion to avoid the stigma and get the builders out of our hair once and for all (in the nicest way) Not unlike some of the projects that I inherited in the new job - at least this project has a project manager/accountant called Emma Howell so the project, while late is still on target to hit budget (apart from the additions like the kitchen and the bigger patio)

The last month has been very stop/start with greater emphasis on the stop element but this week things are really starting to take shape.

Our new kitchen has been installed and we're absolutely delighted with the result.

The screed on the extension floor finally dried out nearly 10 weeks after it was laid and Hertford Flooring (a sponsor of Hertford RFC) are now laying the wooden floor in the kitchen and extension.  The carpets will be laid next week.

The groundworkers also turned up this week to dig the foundations for the patio.  The concrete was delivered today and I have to confess that I had no idea that every litre of concrete is wheel-barrowed from the concrete mixer lorry to the trench - I had assumed it was pumped into the hole.  The lads explained that it was cheaper to move it manually for that amount of concrete than for the firm to hire the pump attachment for the day - bloody hard work, their sole amusement was getting the driver, who dispensed the concrete barrow-by-barrow, to stitch up one of their colleagues with a bigger load to carry than everyone else. Anyway not the best way to spend your Friday afternoon I suspect, but amazingly completed in less than an hour - so they we're still away in time to get to the pub.

The patio will be bigger than the original plan, principally on the recommendation Mark of the builder who actually built the extension commenting that we'd want to sit on the patio in the sun and that where it was currently planned it would be in the shade.  Goes to show that you don't have to be a RIBA qualified architect to work out where the sun rises and sets...Mark starts laying the bricks for the patio on Monday.

Last 2 1/2 months of photos

Screed finally laid

More snow in March!

Freshly plastered kitchen

Re-decorated kitchen

Flat-packed kitchen

First units going in

New stone fireplace

Just the worktops to add

Finish fireplace with wood -burning stove

Floorboards laid

Trench for the patio foundations

Starting to look like the finished article

Working up a thirst before going home for the day

Catching up - 3 months on...

Progress over Christmas was painfully slow at times - a 3 week cessation for festivities was followed by  a row with the decorators over the poor finish in the bedroom.  This lead to the plasterer being recalled and the walls being re-skimmed.

Early January heralded me starting a new job, and the project management baton was handed to Emma - the snow arrived.  The morning after the snow arrived, I woke up at 5.45am and headed for the shower, turned on the tap and....nothing all the pipes had frozen.  Gav went to work smelly and Emma called out the plumber and the builder.  By midday the pipes were unfrozen and the pipes were properly lagged in the downstairs part of the extension.  The decision had been taken that little more could happen now until the downstairs was airtight....which meant waiting until February for the doors to be fitted.

February and finally the doors for downstairs arrive from Germany and are installed, immediately the pace picked up again as plasterers arrived and the electricians prepared their first fix.

Late Feb early March and the major work commences inside the house.  Emma and I also decided that we would relocate the kitchen at the same time and have had a new kitchen designed that will be located in what was our dining room.  The floors were all pulled up - revealing slate tiles, on York Stone on gravel over floorboards!  It's amazing that the cellar ceiling didn't fall down after holding that lot up.  The old doorway that had been boarded up was now revealed which will now be the new entry into the kitchen /extension with the old one being boarded up.  The underfloor heating has been laid and the screed is being poured in this week - this will have to cure for a number of weeks before the wooden floors can be laid.