What cheek!?

The answer in this case is, lead cheeks! - on the middle bedroom dormer sides.  That just about completes the roof.

Inside, sanitary ware is being fitted as are the utility room cupboards.  The Template Man measured up the main island and the toaster nook yesterday and they've gone away to mill out the holes in the worktop. 

There had been a problem with the double glazing units which apparently got damaged in transit and had to be remade - the team have been fitting those today.  And as you can see James-the-Digger has been at work laying the base for the driveway.


The pic below shows some of the boys, who are there around 7am in the morning,  collapsed with a cuppa at the end of the day.

Everything [but] the kitchen sink...

We spent yesterday afternoon happily measuring up exactly where the holes need to be in the worktop as the Landford Stone Templating Man is coming to template it this morning.  Here is Alan demonstrating that we have everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink.  In case you're wondering, the Dalek on the left is to mark where the top of the worktop comes out to over the 'knee nook' which is our cut-down breakfast bar slot.  All will become clear at some point...

And this morning, the 'Great Site Shed Conundrum' - how will they get the site shed - green, in the background - onto the lorry that already has a mighty great pump on it?  Today the team move officially indoors - although they're complaining that it's too hot inside, they're used to the cold!

Hot hot hot!!!

Just a quick update to give you the oh-so-exciting news that the boiler was commissioned today and the heating system run up!!  There was a brief moment of panic as water-pouring-out-of-somewhere-you-didn't-want-it-to noises rent the air, rapidly drowned out by cursing as the plumber discovered that the shower valve was open.  Swifly rectified, and now the heating's on helping the humidifiers dry out the screed.  The other wildly exciting news is that the repairs to the septic tank have been completed...

I can see clearly now the frame has gone

Most of the scaffolding has been taken down - so we can start to see what it really looks like.

Inside the decorators have started. It's impressive how fast some of the work gets done. It may be "only a mist coat" (the painter's words) but they painted the entire house, walls and ceilings, upstairs and downstairs, before lunch.

Islands from the stream

The kitchen units have arrived and Sean is puzzling how to put together the island from the stream of bits supplied by DIY Kitchens... (ok, it was a pretty poor pun but the best I can manage on this damp November Friday morning).  I've just checked the packing list and there seems to be one cupboard I'm not expecting... that's this afternoon's  job to resolve.

Indoors feels cosy now it's all closed up! The house increasingly starts to feel like a house rather than a building site, very gratifying.


 Meanwhile in the glorious weather yesterday we popped over to Landford Stone to pick our worktop - you can just about peer through the rain to see OUR piece of stone  here.  The island will be made of a slice all the way across the top, and the toaster nook will have the bottom left-hand corner.  If you think we've picked the wrong bits, don't bother telling us!

But possibly the highlight of the day is the hanging of the front door - here's Ray the Builder posing with it.  On completion they've covered it up with Kingspan to stop people using it so enjoy it now, it may vanish from the next few pics.

And we hope there WILL be a front view to show you soon - they're taking the scaffolding down at the front and sides as I'm writing this.  So as at Friday lunchtime:
Rear roof is now mostly tiled, scaffolding still at rear.
Patio and external works are due to start on Monday.
Kitchen island and toaster/oven block being assembled.
Plumbing including MVHR and hot water tank being connected - the garage roof space looks like a nuclear reactor control room!
Dehumidifiers are in and drying out the screed - we are on duty to empty the reservoirs every few hours over the weekend.

The light fantastic

With the electricity connected we've now got some of the lights working. Outside...

...and inside.

We are trying to firm up on a finishing date without, it must be said, much luck. We're still hopeful of being in before C********. (We're not mentioning the "C" word.) The biggest uncertainty seems to be whether the floor screed will have dried out enough to put the wood flooring down.

Meanwhile there's lots of fitting out work now being done - including windows, tiling, doors and wardrobes.

Another screed from us...

...this time though we're talking about the screed on the floor downstairs - I don't actually have a pic of it as we're not quite organised after our few days away last week. Having the floor in place makes it all look quite finished downstairs.  The key question now is how quickly it will dry out to enable the wood flooring to be laid.  Other progress in the last few days includes:  the rear roof en route to being slated; the plastering is finished; glass in several windows, second fix electrics mostly done (including lights that work!!) with all non-downlighter light-fittings now in place, bath and shower trays fitted and the rest of the sanitary ware delivered, bathroom walls in the course of being tiled.