Finished

Bar the exterior paintwork, which will wait now until the spring, it's finished. The last of the builders left yesterday for the final time. It'll be odd to have the place to ourselves again after seven months.

The past week has seen some great work done, laying and pointing slabs, building fences and profiling the soil in the garden. We are delighted with it all.

If you ever want a good builder on Skye - we will be happy to recommend one!

The new entranceway

All is well after yesterday's adventures. This morning we watched in some fear as the big digger eased out the second huge tree stump from uncomfortably close to our aged concrete septic tank. Thankfully, it is still intact.

Then, with a few lorry-loads of hardcore and some very skilful earthmoving, a new set of levels and a new alignment of the entranceway appeared. We are more than pleased with it all.

Where has our driveway gone?

Mostly to the quarry at Drumuie I'm told...

At breakfast time this morning we became aware of someone wheelbarrowing a pile of sand away from the corner of the house. "Moving stuff out of the way, because the digger is coming to re-profile the ground around the end of the extension", apparently. We relaxed over our cereals. It didn't sound very interesting really, and it was a bit wet to go out to check what was happening. But it didn't take long to realise that it was about to become more than a slight re-profile.

Have a look at what happened next...

By nightfall, some 100 tonnes (7 loads of about 15 tonnes each) of tarmac and earth had been dug out and ferried away. The main rainwater drain had been pulled up, to be replaced in a deeper trench at some point, and the huge tree stump - that I had plugged with dozens of dowels impregnated with oyster mushroom spores - had been ripped out and taken away.

After dark, the tipper returned a couple of times with loads of hardcore, and the big digger thrummed away moving it around, lights blazing. All is quiet again now, but I think they will be back tomorrow for a bit of Saturday working. I hope so. Our car is on the wrong side of the hole, and I need it out to get to Inverness Airport on Monday morning!

Meanwhile, the workshop has gained a nice cushioned rubber floor and a rather fine workbench. It is taking shape nicely.

Finished inside

Other than in the workshop, the internal works are now complete. The fitting of the flooring in the bedroom today was the last task before we move in our furniture and hang pictures. It has been a quick - and rather strange - transition from building site to cosy, private spaces.

Happiness is a busy utility room

The finished en-suite

Floored and curtained bedroom

Since the snow melted, the chaos around the building has reappeared from below its frosty covering. There will be a lot of work to be done before it looks right again. There are still paths and drains to be laid, gates and fences to be replaced, trenches to be filled, walls to be painted, ground to be profiled and lots to be tidied.

Pictures will follow in the new year...

For John...

A couple of photos; my poor boy can't get home because of the weather :-(

I have been filling my cupboard with stuff:


I know - it won't stay that tidy for long! And, despite the weather, work has started on the path:


No sign of the white goods today, just lots of white stuff falling from the sky.

Floors and trap doors

Another busy day back at the ranch. We now have flooring in the kitchen, hall and utility, and have opened up the door between the old and the new:


John is now the proud owner of a funky trap door with integral ladder - what more could a man want? Mind you, there was talk of an illicit still up there ...

It is beginning to feel like a home rather than a building site now. I can't wait to move in!

Taps and things

The shower room is coming together nicely:


As is the utility room:

John Lewis hopefully bringing white goods tomorrow.

As for today; three vehicles have so far disgorged their cargo of workmen, who are now doing their busy bee impressions. Davie expected around 10 to lay flooring in the kitchen, utility and hall. Lachie was here till 9 last night putting screed down in preparation.

Me? I'm just about to sand down the filled wall (remember the wardrobe) and paint it.

Let there be light...

and water


and more workmen than you can shake a stick at...

Yesterday was manic. I managed to leave home for a couple of hours, but returned to find:

1. The Hydro had been and moved our power from 'overground to the old house' to 'underground into the extension'. Power was still off at this point so no cup of tea for me.


2. Donnie the Plumber had arrived and moved the water supply so that it too arrives into the extension rather than the old part of the house. This gives us much improved mains pressure. So, no power and no water, and I was desperate for the loo... In my absence, Donnie had also had to clear the contents of the bathroom cupboard. Some things should only be between a girl and her Maker...

3. The young electrician's mate lurking outside our bedroom trying to clear up the mess resulting from moving the consumer units. Poor lad - I dont think his Mum had introduced him to a vaccum cleaner.

4. The wardrobe which had been to get refurbished chose this moment to arrive, and then wouldn't go up the stairs. Half an hour later, after much bullying, mutterings and several chunks out of the plasterboard, it finally reached the bedroom - and slotted nicely into place - phew. Luckily there was a painter on site, (workmen everywhere me!) and he has kindly filled the damaged walls, so I just need to rummage in the shed to see if I've got some of the right paint that hasn't solidified.

5. Power and water were restored - wonderful. You remember that mains pressure I was telling you about? Well - went to wash my hands and soaked myself. Think it might need a restrictor on it.

6. Girls came home from school with friend in tow, all requiring feeding.

After a couple of glasses of the restorative stuff, and a decent night's sleep, it is all lovely this morning. Painter and joiner here already. Plumber awaited. Not sure if we get to see electricians again today.

We may have flooring arriving tomorrow too. That will mean opening up between the old house and the extension for the first time - very exciting. I'll let you know.

The Digger Returns

We awoke this morning to find the digger, last seen in July, sitting patiently on the frozen driveway. A trench for the power cable was about to appear.

By the end of the day the channel had been cut, right across the driveway and up the garden to the power pole. The big coil of black conduit was uncoiled into the trench and buried, leaving just a dirty line running through the snow. Having passed that big coil every day for so many months now, the place looks distinctly odd without it.

The electricians have begun to decode the spaghetti of cables and assemble them into the consumer units high on the wall of the workshop. We seem to be very close to being ready for the big electrical changeover episode on Friday.

Indoors, things have been busy. The painters arrived to do some panic work ahead of the flooring arriving in the utility room. The panic was wasted - the flooring is in Glasgow. With the current weather, Glasgow is about as handy as Gliwice. Still, the decoration is moving ahead well. We are very pleased with the effect of the oil on the oak doors - they've really come to life.

Behind the big doors of Angela's cupboard is an installation of heavy duty shelving, to her own specification. They should support the weight of plenty of fruit cakes and pots of jam.

In the bedroom the wee doors into the top of the wardrobe have been fitted. I can't get close to reaching the handles, so they should be a great place to hide all sorts of stuff.

They do however remind me of something I've seen before. Perhaps constructing our own life-size version would make a good project for next winter...

The oft-promised plumber hasn't been seen so far this week. Here's hoping we see him soon - there's a lot to be done on his list if we are to have the use of the building before Christmas.

Lots of joinery

Good news - we won't be needing the sledge hammer. Kudos to John Lewis for a fast, straightforward and helpful cancellation and reorder process. So we will be getting a slightly narrower freezer, to fit the emerging gap to the left of the sink in the utility room (and yes, the worktop will be cut to expose the top of the Belfast Sink.)

 The start of the utility room fittings

 Doors on Angela's big cupboard

The correct architraves and skirtings arrived without too much delay and have begun to appear around the place. We wanted the skirtings to be 150mm tall. The ones we had chosen can be supplied in either 120mm or 170mm, so the joiners have had the pleasure of cutting 20mm off metres and metres of the bigger size just to keep their fussy clients happy. These things matter you know - and I've got lots more kindling for the fire into the bargain!

 Sliding doors on the wardrobe

The four sliding doors on the wardrobe match the room doors. We had asked for recessed handles to be fitted to them, but as soon as we saw them hung we realised they will look much better without. They are very easy to move as they are. Like the rest of the doors they await the return of the decorators to treat them with oil. We are not sure when that will be now - the decorators missed their opportunity to get back in this week because the place was too busy and the air was too full of sawdust.

Shower Room - fully tiled and ready for grouting

All the tiles are now on in the shower room and we expect the plumber to be here on Monday to begin the fit-out. There is still no water in the extension. That is waiting for the electricians to connect a supply for the water heating and to move the controls from the old house to the new. The electricians are waiting for the builders to dig a trench to the supply pole in the garden and for Scottish Hydro to reroute the cable underground and move the meters from the old house to the new workshop. When that happens, the plumber will remove the hot water tank from the old house and make good the pipework, and the electricians will reconnect the old house to the new meters via the new cabling through the attic.....Simple!

Provided the tundra that once was our garden thaws out in time, all this will be done on Friday 10th. During the process we will have no hot water, cold water or electricity anywhere. I think we'll be spending that day somewhere else.

Ups and downs

Great news. I said in my last post that I'd be impressed if Chris managed to get the wall tiles to line up with the floor tiles and to sit symmetrically around the shower valve. He's done it - at his first (and only available) attempt. "Well," he said in true joiner style, "I measured it, so of course it worked."

The bulkhead is in too, so nothing now should stand in the way of the rest of the tiling.

Not everything this week has gone so well. The decorator was here for his usual early start on Monday. By mid-morning he had disappeared, leaving a Marie Celeste of open paint and dirty rollers. According to the joiners he had gone home "to spend some quality time with his toilet". He hasn't been seen since, but we do have some sunny yellow walls in the utility room to remind us that he was once here.

Yesterday afternoon we placed an order with John Lewis (they do free deliveries to Skye, so are a popular supplier around here) for a washing machine, a tumble dryer and a freezer. Today we found that the ones we ordered have a combined width about 15cm longer than can be accommodated in the utility room.So, it was onto the phone this afternoon to plead for a change to the order. Failing that, we may have to slide them gently under the worktop with a sledge hammer. They will let us know tomorrow. We have our fingers crossed.

Monday also saw the first of our nice oak doors hung. I was so pleased with the look of it, even before it has been oiled, that it was about an hour before I realised it was the wrong door for the doorway it had been hung in!

 

Yesterday there was a solid door on the shower room - today there is the one with glass panels instead. Much better, if a bit of a pain (no pun intended) for the joiners.

The next bit of fun began with the arrival of the skirting boards this morning. They were not what we wanted at all. The source of the confusion is complex and not very interesting, but confusion there was - and it lasted for a while. Late this afternoon we resolved things with the builders' boss. New skirtings and architraves will be arriving...sometime. Meanwhile, the doorways will have that 'unfinished' look for a wee bit longer.

All outside work is off for the time being. Daytime temperatures are relentlessly sub-zero and the garden is under frozen snow. That's a thin excuse to add a picture that's nothing to do with the extension - but it is very pretty around here at the moment...

A busy Friday

Well, it’s all been happening today. In the midst of a bit of a snowstorm, two of the decorators arrived at 8.00am to sand the filler on the walls ready for painting to begin. Almost immediately the whole building was filled with a fog of white powder and an ever-deepening layer on the floor. Inside was starting to look spookily similar to outside.

Then came the arrival of a big flatbed lorry loaded with pallets of sandstone slabs. Robert and Richard offloaded them by hand, remarkably quickly, and then failed to make any headway with the empty truck back up our snow covered driveway. After a bit of futile slithering and sliding, I towed them up with the Land Rover – diff locks on and in low ratio reverse gear. Nae bother. There’s nothing like having the right tool for the job...

 Two of the pallets of sandstone slabs

Half an hour later they returned with the final couple of pallets, arriving at the same time as Donnie the plumber, with shower tray and shower fittings. He was quickly followed by Chris the joiner, here to build the bulkhead that goes at the end of the shower. Much measuring and discussion went into us all agreeing the exact positions of the shower valve and the shower heads. I think it took less time to fit them!

 The start of the shower installation

The shower tray (yes, it is white under that blue wrapping) is an even lower profile than I expected, which is a nice surprise. By the time the floor tiles are laid, the step up into the shower will be less than 20mm.

The multi-skilled Chris will be working tomorrow, Saturday, to begin tiling the bathroom. His attention to detail is brilliant, and that’s before he starts. Everything is planned, measured and marked up so that the floor tiles will be laid first, the wall tiles will be aligned with the ones on the floor, and the wall tiles will arrive at the shower valve with symmetry. I’ll be impressed when and if that comes to pass.

Skye Express, our local carrier, had brought the tiles over here from Inverness several weeks ago. They kindly agreed to hold them in their depot in Portree until they were needed. When Chris went to collect them this morning they were not in the depot. Early this morning, with the main roads on the island covered by fresh snow, Skye Express had put the pallet of tiles into the back of the delivery van heading up to Staffin - as ballast. They liked the idea of that half ton of extra weight over the back axle to help the grip! The van arrived back in Portree this afternoon. Chris had them loaded onto his van and got them to the top of our drive. From there we shuttled them down the icy slope in a wheelbarrow. They are now stacked safely in the bedroom.

 The 'Ballast'

By close of play the sanding was finished and all the walls are ready for the first coat of paint. The decorators may be working tomorrow as well.

For the past 24 hours it has been much warmer in the extension than it has been here in the house. There have been two free-standing heaters running non-stop to help dry the filler. The temperature they are achieving is a good sign that the insulation is working well. Perhaps we should take chairs and torches through and sit in there this evening.

Working long hours

Up here, the days get rather short at this time of year. There were just seven hours between sunrise and sunset today. But since the decorators arrived yesterday, the working day has become longer.
The taper (who tapes and fills the joints in the drywall boarding) arrives at 8.00am and works on late into the evening, head torch on. Another coat of filler tomorrow and he'll be ready for sanding it all down on Thursday. That will be a day for us to to keep well away until the dust has settled. Then it will be straight on to painting.

The excitement today (I think the joiners might call it something other than that) has been the fitting of our glass pocket door on the utility room. When open, it sits in a metal frame inside the partition wall, completely out of sight. Never having had one before we weren't quite sure what to expect - but we are delighted with it. It slides out really smoothly, and it takes up none of the room space that a conventional door does. I'm now wondering why all houses don't all have doors built like that.

Remember these?

Back in August we posted this picture showing the cables from the underfloor heating mats coiled on top of the concrete base.

Now they have appeared through holes in the wall where the timer/thermostat controls will be.

It's always good when a plan comes together...

Concrete and curbs

Angus has started putting in the rolled topped curb stones today:

As well as laying the concrete on the path:

Where these two sections meet, and what that junction is going to look like, is the topic for discussion with the builder and architect tomorrow. We'll let you know!

No progress at all today on the inside. This project is supposed to be fully completed on 3rd December - but we weren't banking on that anyway :-)