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.