Sunday 27 March 2011

All is Calm on The West Front

Today I am calm...the stress of last week did not continue, which made for a pleasant few days. No major issues, no sending things back and no problems.

Hmmmmm. Saying that we haven't really had a lot of people on site this week. Mostly it's been me and 'Derek' who is a very nice man, conversation is a bit stilted as his English isn't the best, but we were attempting to select paint colours together!?

No doubt you've been anxiously waiting for news on the doors (God.. this blog is edge of your seat stuff!)... and I am pleased to report they are back! Woo hoo! They have been delivered, but our hopes of having them in place for the weekend were firmly dashed as the fitter can't come back until Monday. Damn!

This coming week, however we are 'thinking' progress will be plentiful. The Saviour that is 'Kris the builder' who is a multi-tasking genius will be back! He has been in Poland for the last three weeks and we are awaiting his return with baited breath.

But still we have progress - we now have a shell of the downstairs loo and utility room complete with floor.




The kitchen had an initial white wash and is starting to take shape until I started trying out paint colours!  The first colour is not good! I hate mushrooms but I wanted a mushroom colour for the wall (work that out!?). Having painted over the plaster, Paul (boss man builder) then got his roller out to try the colour for size, and the result...it looks like it's just been plastered again! Back to the drawing board and to Brewers we go.




We are now opting for a pale grey for two of the kitchen walls, mainly to break up the white mass of cupboards and tiles. Then for the utility room we're thinking bright but not quite sure what and how yet. We've spent most of the week trying to work out how we can get a washing machine, tumble drier and sink into the weirdly shaped room.



Then for the toilet we are going muted, having seen the space we need to go lighter to make it look like the walls aren't closing in on you! So instead will be adding interest using dogs or deer...samples are en route from wallpaperdirect.






Flooring in utility and toilet is coming courtesy of the lovely Forbo flooring company and the even lovelier Madge who is back from illness and probably wishing she was still tucked up in bed able to avoid Mrs Doyle's requests!

ETA for end of build is now end of April, so marathon soiree will take place in a house of publicness instead. But we are hoping this week we might have the plasterer back, a sink and washing machine plumbed into the utility room, the final electrics fix and the doors will be on. We're also going to have a couple of coats of paint before the kitchen arrives which is now next Saturday.

As this week is quite nicely quiet on the work front I have time to continue my search for either a chaise longue or two Louis XV chairs for the 'vestibule'. Ebay here we come!
Mrs Dx

Sunday 20 March 2011

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

An eventful week of the build. We finally, after six years of living here, have a house with a central heating system that works properly and... wait for it.... a thermostat!! Oh thermostat how we adore thee and your controllability!

This weekend we have felt smug in the knowledge that our radiators work, and I, for the first time since we started the build haven't felt cold. In fact I have even been wearing short sleeves in the Doyle household ... (the forearms are out!) something which is unheard of!

Here's where we're at in the kitchen, electrics are in we have spotlights, extractors, sockets and lightswitches (if you notice any additional holes in the ceiling all will be revealed!)



The most loveliest thing at the moment and the reason for us feeling warm and fuzzy is the boiler..



BUT.. forget warm and fuzzy.. I was in fact rather hot under the collar in the week that was, number of reasons for this:

  1. Deliberations with door company continued - five days later the doors eventually got picked up after we spent a lovely Tuesday evening with a roll of clingfilm wrapping them back up again. Apparently they will be re-delivered next Wednesday
  2. My beautifully plastered ceiling was punctured repeatedly in an attempt to 'find' where the electrics for the spotlights had gone, I have never seen so many stressed men in one room in my life
  3. Two different electricians doing two different parts of the job threw up all sorts of problems.. problems... problems
  4. While back in the old kitchen we had holes in ceiling, walls ripped apart, floor ripped up and more dust and dirt than you ever imagine
  5. Boiler we had purchased in good faith was wrong and had to be sent back - it was only B rated and we needed an A rated boiler. Charged a ridiculous £100 to send it back and the new boiler cost an extra £300. NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM PLUMB NATION!
  6. Hot water cylinder didn't fit in the airing cupboard, had to be sent back. New cylinder ordered didn't arrive in time, another cylinder bought in the interim and the second cylinder is being sent back
So it was a tad a stressful, coupled with water leaks, builders accidentally turning the boiler off on Friday night and the need to mop 24-7. BUT I am remaining optimistic and the end is drawing ever near.

I have also been making friends with delivery drivers, I know them all - UPS, Royal Mail, Foldingslidingdoors (coming back this week for a cup of tea!), and I have had more men than I could ever imagine in my understairs cupboard. It certainly hasn't been boring.

Madge has been very poorly this week and no deals to speak of, but we went and bought some rather lovely yet inexpensive floor tiles yesterday, oh and then there's the mirror. I fell in love with a mirror 4 weeks ago and after a luncheon with a certain Ms Foster decided I would purchase and it is gorgeous. Fab interiors shop called Just Interiors in Petts Wood. Only downside is it wouldn't fit in the mini but hey they deliver!



This mirror will be mostly hung in what I am now calling the 'vestibule' which is in fact the old kitchen and will be the 'transition room' into the new wing...



The garden is also in need of a 'bit' of TLC. But the build continues and we are about 4-6 weeks away from the finishing line...and I can't wait.



The kitchen arrives on Saturday by which time we will have doors fitted... we live in hope...Until next time.

Mrs D x

Friday 11 March 2011

Getting Plastered

This week has been somewhat calmer. No gas disasters, no water leakages, no noise and no men with big drills. Just me, a plasterer, a window fitter, and a kettle = Mrs Doyle behaving just like her alter ego and making ALOT of tea! Go on go on go on...



Despite a distinct lack of 'staff' on site The West Wing is still coming along nicely. Below is how it looks now the windows in place.






The kitchen has had a plasterer working in it for three solid days but the end result is worth it. A huge expanse of space and smooth as you like! Lovely! 




The windows provided a few challenges - the smallest window has the georgian bars in the wrong place so that's going back, one of the kitchen glass panes them cracked but that's been replaced. But the big issue in the Doyle household is the doors.

The window fitter spent two hours scratching his head trying to work out how to fit the doors, because at the moment these are our current doors....




... then the revelation. We thought we ordered doors that opened outwards, in fact the company took the info we gave them, misinterpreted it and we have doors that open inwards. Not ideal but I thought OK we'll just have to deal with it. But it wasn't meant to be.

Paul the builder has OCD and needs clean lines so didn't want there to be a step up to the doors he wanted the doors to be at the same level as the floor so it looks seamless. Can't fault the attention to detail but it means the doors can't physically open inwards and they have to go back.

Well if only it were that simple. Two days dealing with customer services and we have to pay for someone to come and change the doors over. I won't go on and on as my blog will then become even more dull than it already is. But suffice to say if the company doesn't sort the issue I will be naming and shaming next week! Do they know I work in PR!?!?!?

The rest of the building 'team' have been rather elusive this week, but we have had a bloke digging a hole in the garden! Hmmmm....

Anyway next week we need to get the floor finished, electrics are being sorted lights going in. We are also hoping the hot water cylinder currently nestled in our forest AKA lounge will go in and the plumbing will be organised. Then we will no longer have to hit the existing boiler to get the pilot light working. Joy!

Next week the attention also turns to the rather neglected utility room and toilet - they are in dire need of some TLC!!



Over and out until next time when we will have light... I hope!!!

Mrs D x

Thursday 3 March 2011

Hole In The Wall

What a week!! Monday marked the start of a new chapter in Mrs Doyle's life, it also was the start of what was THE noisest and most stressful week of the build so far... it was the week that they knocked through!

This is the inside of the wing before they took a sledgehammer to the house - plasterboard is up, electrics started...




This used to be the kitchen wall and that is a rather scared me standing in what we used to call the garden but now just resembles a non descript muddy area.



Working from home is ordinarily a nice idea, I had visions of me with my feet up in front of This Morning, drinking tea whilst on the laptop. The reality was somewhat different... holed up in a small bedroom surrounded by 'stuff' with just a small desk area and chair. The only untouched rooms by clutter are the bathroom and our bedroom. The rest is amass with objects, contents of understairs cupboards, contents of kitchen cupboards and random items. My 'lunch break' involved making a sandwich on a cardboard box in the spare room and washing up in the bathroom sink...just not what I had in mind for my first week of freelancing.

For two solid days the builders got their BIG drills out, two solid days of crazy noise and dust but there was a real treat when they accidentally drilled through a gas pipe... a short five mins of panic followed before they managed to turn the gas off. Then we breathe again....until that is around 30 minutes later when they accidentally drill through a water pipe... another short panic.... water turned off. Oh what fun we had!! I am pleased to report that we didn't cover every utility and no electric cables were drilled through. And no one was killed on site.

The up shot is the Doyles are now missing a wall. Boarding covers a rather large hole in the wall (where's Anton Du Beke when you need him?!?) and you'll see below our current 'kitchen' which is yet to be plumbed in. So stylish.....!! We now have a very valid reason to eat out.




So this is the part when I normally waffle on about interiors but I am so worn out by all the banging and drilling I haven't had a moment to think about interiors. However do not fear... the rather lovely news is what used to be one of my most coveted items is now officially one of my favourite things. On Friday I bid a sad farewell to lots of fab people at work and as well as being presented with an amazing This Is Your Life book of memories I GOT AN ORLA KIELY RADIO!!!! Woo hoo!!!


Those who know me, know how obsessed I am with Orla and now I have THE radio, something I have longed for since it was launched. It is now going to take pride of place in the West Wing, when it is finally finished!

So that was the week that was...this weekend birthday treats await (I hope!?!) and next week we're going to get plastered!

Mrs D x