Day 108 - Rails etc

The main wet room is now mostly complete, and just needs the final plumbing bits done on the WC and the sparks to install the mirror light & shaver point. Once that's done there's some silicon to go in, then the shower screen. (Mind you we still need to get the WC vent piped through the roof & the window wood stained before we can get much use out of it !).
The joiners also carried on with the ensuite, and as well as the towel rail etc being installed, the WC cabinet is in place & the wall unit is up. Unfortunately the mirror unit for the ensuite was damaged in transit so we'll need to get a replacement. Not great at this stage of the game.
The weather stayed decent today though, so it looks like the cladding outside is now completed - though there are a couple of planks that look like they need lowered near the new front entrance, and we still have a water leak problem at the new back door, though Doug is onto that one.
Don't know who's coming tomorrow, but it would be good to see the plumber's electrician to get after the underfloor heating work.

Day 107 - New back door

The weather was dreadful most of today, which meant that he lads got on with the work inside (mainly). However they did manage to replace the old back door off the laundry. The new one looks great & at last we have a window in the door that's sealed (the last one fell out). We now need to be strict with the dogs to make sure they don't jump up on it !
In the main wet room the mirror cupboard was installed, with just a few adjustments to be made. The push flush was also fitted to the toilet unit. The plumber didn't come out today due to the mistake with the worktop yesterday. It's going to be a week till we get the replacement top, so don't think he'll be back till them.
Joiners also made a start on door facings (Jenny's room was first to get this) and the remaining window sills upstairs (have even started putting the wooden bars underneath).

Day 106 - Garage harled

The rest of the squad were back at work today following the long weekend. The slaters were also here, which was a boost. They harled the garage & completed the details around the garage windows & boiler exhaust. Looks really good. They also put up the bulk of the gutter downpipes, though one at the back of the house is blocking the outside socket, so something will need to give !
The joiners continued with the cladding, and the area around the new rear door is completed, including the detail work up by the soffits & under the eaves. They also carried on inside & made a start to the ensuite units - though there's been an error in the worktop, so we'll need to replace that unfortunately.
The tiler was also here for a while & completed the grouting in the ensuite, so that should be him I think (though there's some grout to go in at the wall in the shower area).
Tomorrow the plumber is back, so we should see the main wet room completed & a start made on the ensuite brass wear. Still no idea when the plumber's sparky is coming - we need him to get the underfloor heating sorted out.....

Day 105 - Ensuite tiling complete

Despite the Bank Holiday, the tiler came out today & completed the ensuite. Still needs to be grouted, but that won't take him long. As we stand we just need one more border tile for the main wet room, and that will be all the tiling complete in the extension (we still need tiles down on the laundry floor, but that's later on).
The rest of the squad are back tomorrow, hopefully refreshed after the 4 days off.....

Day 104 - More outside lights !

Sparkies were back again today and did a fair bit. They installed all 3 of the outside door lights (the stainless up & down type), and they look really good. These are the IP44 type ones, which is just as well as all of them have been soaked with the heavy rain today. They also got the BT socket moved from the diningroom to the front hall, so finally the lump of wires across the door has been moved. Finally they sorted out the lights in the kitchen & diningroom - got rid of the hideous down lighters & installed ceiling pendants. We'll change these later for different units, but fine for now.
Joiners sorted a few more doors out - the door from the dining room to the front vestibule is in, and the original front hall cupboard door has been modified & put back in. The vanity unit in the main wetroom has also been completed with the door & drawer now fitted.
Plumber was also here and has (mostly) plumbed in the WC. Still needs bolted to the floor & the vacuum flusher needs fitted yet (was some confusion over that one today apparently). The sink is also plumbed in, but the waste isn't what I expected. The sprung plug is different & the bottle trap hasn't been used. Will need to find out what's happened there.
The lads are now off for the bank holiday weekend (yes, another one !), so won't be back until next Tuesday. Guess that gives us some time to catch up on other things....

Day 103 - Wetroom units going in

Joiners & the plumber set about the main wet room today & have started installing the units & brasswear. The shower is in & working, the wall hung vanity unit is also in place, along with the toilet unit. Sink & pan are in place, but wastes need to be connected up yet. Plumber seems to be having a bit of hassle with the waste off the sink, but should hopefully get it sorted out tomorrow. Tap looks really good, and has a nice solid feel to it.
Tomorrow the lads will carry on & we should hopefully see it complete. Still got a mirror cupboard to install, a smaller wall unit, electrics and bits such as the towel rail etc.
Sparks were also here & fitted all the outside soffit lighting. Also did a bit more work inside sorting out switches & sockets. The new BT phone point is also in place in the new hall. They're back again tomorrow too.
Joiners were again carrying on with the larch, but fitted another new door to the new hall cupboard. Still a few doors to do yet..
As well as this activity, the laminate for the work room arrived (the stuff that cost almost as much as the delivery charge !). Also ordered another WC unit counter top from Atlantis, as the original order had missed one out (for the ensuite). Cat6a wall sockets also arrived, so will be able to get after some of them in the coming days - though still waiting for some F-Module satellite connections.

Day 102 - Tile grouting

Tiler was back today and grouted the main wet room almost completely. Still a couple of border tiles to install yet, but we're waiting on delivery of them (end of the week). Not a great deal done in the ensuite, but intention is to get after this when he's back next week. However the work done will let the plumber get in now.
Joiners carried on with the larch outside - taking in the corner near the new back door and the outside of the front entrance. Also more internal doors done, and we've even got a door now separating the back hall from the laundry.

Day 100 & 101: More of the same going on

One of the joiners worked on Saturday & got the new porch internal door fitted at the new back door, along with the double glazed doors being fitted in the diningroom.
Monday has seen the tiling almost completed in the main wet room - grouting tomorrow. The ensuite hasn't seen the same action unfortunately, and we'll be losing the tiler for a week or so after tomorrow to another job, so important we get at least one of the wetrooms functioning.
Joiners have been carrying on with the larch cladding outside, and have also received & fitted the replacement internal door for Jenny's room.
Slaters were also here today & have fitted most of the gutters, started the pointing above the new front entrance (and fitted the 'fold over' tiles), as well as putting the first cement render on the garage outside walls, ready to start with the harling.

Day 99 - Roof tiling over new front entrance

Slaters returned to site today - wasn't expecting that one ! They almost completely tiled the roof over the new front entrance, and are ready to put up the edging pieces. They've got some fancy 'over-hang' type ones for the front of the steep roof. Should look good. Slaters also did some more flashing work at the back of the top floor & hung up the gutters at the rear too. The gutters are pretty smart - Marley ones as you'd expect, but have gone for the deep flow type, and they also come with a coating to help prevent UV damage - we'll see how that goes.
Plumber was here & has sorted out the plumbing for the washing machine. It's now in the right place. He also got rid of all the redundant pipework & tidied a few things. He'll be back next week to get into the wet rooms.
Tiler carried on in both the wet rooms, and now we have tiles in the shower areas, and most of the detail (border) tiles in place. Looking good, but unfortunately we need a couple more borders (in addition to the extra ones I got today) and also some more finishing strip. Looking at the progress I think we should be mostly finished the tiling by Wednesday evening.
Finally the joiners - they were busy today on the internal doors, and also assisting the slaters upstairs. In between times they carried on with the external cladding.
For myself, I installed a power socket in the laundry so that the washing machine will operate. Managed to pick up a spur from above the room, and get it down beside the machine. Only a couple of holes in the wall to plaster over !

Day 98 - Cladding upper level

Decent weather today has meant that the larch cladding has started on the outside of the first floor (West). Starting to take shape there now. Joiners were also working in the house doing the internal doors, although there's a problem with the one at Jenny's room as the dowels have come loose. They'll sort that out tomorrow no doubt.
Tiler also carried on with the wet rooms and has got half way up the walls. Will carry on tomorrow with the detail tiles & then extend the areas at the showers. Few more days work in the rooms, but we should move onto furniture installation by early next week I'd think.
Plumber was also round today and got the new radiators plumbed in in the diningroom & the front entrance vestibule. He also got the hot water circulating pump installed, though it's not wired in yet. Old pipework & drains have been destructed from the hall (where the old bathroom was) and plumbing has ben added to the  laundry - unfortunately the pipes & drain have been put in the wrong place, so that'll need done again....

Day 97 - First internal doors are hung

Work started on hanging the internal doors today. Doors in place now for the workroom (x2) study, guest room & the outside workshop. Even though the edges/trim aren't in place yet, they look pretty smart. One of the doors is also glazed (work room to hall), and it's definitely been the right choice as it brings extra light into the hall.
Tiler was back & has completed the 2 wet room floors, as anticipated. The shower areas have a mosaic tile in place that slopes towards the drains - it's quite gradual, but will do the job. Grouting tomorrow I think, then it'll be time to move onto the walls.
No other trades today, so not clear when the roof will be complete or the sparky work progressed....

Day 96 - Tiling starts

The tiler arrived on site today & started with the wetroom floors. Looking good already, although there's obviously still some way to go yet. The walls have been marked out for the tile heights, so he should get after that tomorrow.
Joiners were busy outside today (it didn't rain for a change). They've now completed the cladding on the South & East sides, and have started on the West (facing the drive). This has also meant that the flashing has finally been installed at the base of the house round the hall & workroom areas, so we should finally see an end to water leaching in there during heavy rain.
Hassle of the day must go to Screwfix Flooring, who want a stunning £95.00 to cover delivery of some laminate flooring because they think Aberdeen is in the Highlands (indeed anything with an AB postcode). It's free otherwise. Really annoys me & will likely cancel the order just out of principle. They were probably surprised to find that I had a mobile phone given that South of Carlisle tends to think we live in trees up here !

Day 95 - Interior doors arrive

Delivery today from Howdens with the interior doors. We went for the oak ones, which feel pretty solid. Ironmongery has also arrived, so good to see what we ordered properly now !
Another poor day weather-wise which has held the joiners up a bit outside. The cladding is now complete on the East side though, and just a wee bit more to do on the South. Will be the West next I guess.
Nobody else came today (tiler was on another job, sparks tomorrow, slaters are never about.....)
Lets see what tomorrow brings.

Day 94 - More coving up

Some of the lads came out on Saturday - unfortunately with the weather being so wet the joiners didn't stay long (they were looking to get after the cladding outside). However both the taper & the plumber were here for a bit. The taper managed to get coving up in the existing hall (so now joined up with the extension), the diningroom & the 'original' front hall.
The plumber fitted new radiators in both the diningroom & the new front vestibule (they're not piped up yet though). He also got the heating back on again - was nothing more than a trip switch (but was labelled up wrong).
For my part I replaced some more of the hideous roof spots in the laundry & hall. Old spots have been removed & the hole replaced with a piece of plasterboard & filled. New ceiling light fittings also popped in. Looks much better & much lighter !

Day 93 - Tiles arrive

The tiles for both the new wetrooms arrived this afternoon, which is a really fast service from Atlantis in Aberdeen. We've kept the floor & wall tiles the same for both, but have changed the detail finishing tiles to differentiate between the two. Tiler is planned for Monday, so we should see the furniture etc being installed towards the end of next week.
Slaters were on site today & tidied a few areas of the roof up (flashing wise), installed the ridge covers on the SE corner, and also got the flashing place at the new front entrance. No sign of the finial going on - maybe they're saving that till last.
Painting foreman was on site & discussion had on the expectations of windows finishing (and general quality of paintwork). Some 'alignment' done, so I think things should move on smoothly from here.
Joiners have been busy outside getting the larch on & have made a brilliant job profiling the lengths to match in with the existing house brickwork.
Tomorrow it looks like there's going to be another house full - plumber is back to carry on with the drains & heating work, whilst the tapers & painters are coming to carry on in both the new & existing parts of the house.

Day 92 - Painting inside starts

The painters have started in the house and have put the first coats on the walls & ceilings. Natural Calico for most of the house, with the exception of the study & Jenny's room. Some of the window frames also had their first coat of stain on them too, however it's not up to expectations, so there's some remedials to be done (unfortunately). Painters back tomorrow, so should get sorted out.
Ames taper was also here today (which we didn't expect) and has made a start where he can to the existing house. Some bits have been done prematurely I think though as there's still some sockets needing re-sited.
Joiners were busy outside (decent weather at last) and have put up some more of the larch cladding. Really starting to take shape out there & looking more like a home.
Spark was here and has got the power onto the extension now (garage still to do yet). This is great though as at last we have light in the evenings in there, which lets us get on with things.

Day 91 - Now we have central heating !

Well, at least there's heating now on in the existing part of the house rather than the new radiators & underfloor heating in the extension. Should get the rest up & running in the next few days.
The new controls clock has been installed in the hot cupboard, and with the heating pipes now going in there it's mucho hot ! Will need to get some slatted shelves in there for towels.
Joiners have been really busy today & got both the new front & back doors installed. Both look really big, bright & airy, which is just what we were after.
Sparky was also here & got on with installing the back boxes (all done now) and has got the faceplates on upstairs now.
Bathroom tiles were ordered today, so we should see them arriving in the next few days. Also picked up the tile steel trim on the way home.

Day 90 - Hot water back on

True to his word the plumber got the hot water back on from the new hot tank today. Unfortunately the sparks didn't pitch up as expected, so he had to sort the wiring up himself. At least we'll get a shower now !
The 3 radiators have also been put in on the 1st floor, so it's looking really god now what with the plastered walls etc. Just waiting really for the top window to arrive now to get that area more complete.
Elsewhere the joiners started back on the external larch cladding. However only managed to get a few planks up on the South & East sides before the driving wind & rain put them off. Not the best of weather & probably as well the slaters never turned up either !

Day 89 - New hot water tank

Plumber here most of the day and has installed the new hot water tank & associated pipework. Unfortunately we've no hot water till tomorrow (once the sparks get the immersion connected up) but at least the hot & cold water is at the same pressure (at last !!). New tank is about twice the size of the old one, and has proper insulation on it etc.
Joiners were working in the garage today & have installed the new windows & the door. Still to complete the finishing off, but it looks really good & is amazingly bright now.
Tomorrow the slaters will be back & we should see the finial installed - will get a photo of that !

Days 87 & 88: Coving goes up

The ames tapers (plasterers) were back on Saturday & Sunday to continue with the plasterboard finishing in the extension. The lads also fitted the coving in place - which looks really good & matches the existing house perfectly. They haven't moved into working the dining room & laundry areas yet as the joiners still have work to do there.
I also stripped the wallpaper off the 2 remaining walls of Jenny's old room in preparation for the new entrance vestibule being decorated. Also removed all the old tiles from the laundry room wall, so we can get that area cleared up a good bit when the decorators are in there.
Not exactly sure what this coming week is going to bring, but think we'll see the finial finally get put into place & the final roof works completed, which will be good.

Day 86 - More internal work done

Work continued in the hall area connecting the 2 buildings & also at the new front entrance. At the front door the outside wall still hasn't been angled out yet, but we're probably waiting for the windows before that happens. In the hall, the new cupboard has been formed & the doorway into the laundry is also in. Feels fine & big.
The joiners were also working in the outside workshop & have now boxed in the underfloor heating zone valve manifolds, so that looks fine & neat.
Although it's Saturday tomorrow, the Ames tapers are due back again, so it'll be all go come 07:30 I imagine...

Day 85 - Old bathroom knocked down

That's the old family bathroom demolished now, so now the 2 ends of the house are joined up, and the view from one end of the hall to the other is huge ! Looks really good, however now it's freezing as the new part of the house has builders in & out of it all day, there's no power & the heating's not on yet. Soon though.
Progress was also made installing the new boiler & pipework, and it's looking pretty tidy. All the old water pipework for the heating has now been removed from the hot cupboard, and once the new tank goes is, things will look a lot neater in there. Still on the heating, and the zone valves manifold has also been installed now & has been mounted on the wall. All labelled up too, which is great.
Bit of work for me to do last night now that we have more internal walls up (and open a bit). Ran TV cables to both Katy & Alice's room, and also a network link to Alice too. They won't be hooked up for a while, but at least the cables are run. Same deal for the network link in the hall, so the DSL connection shouldn't be disrupted again (until the phone point is moved).

Day 84 - Boiler install

The new central heating boiler arrived today along with the underfloor heating manifolds & associated pipework etc. Plumber has started installing the boiler in the garage, and already looking like a mass of pipes (which I like !). Not long now till we do some kind of pressure test on the new underfloor pipework, which should be good.
Slaters were also here today (3 days in a row !!). They've been carrying on with the lead flashing & have also put the ridge tiles on the pyramid roof. Could be the finial install tomorrow.
Joiners have been working mainly in the existing house. Plaster board & insulation has been installed above the new front door, and it's easier to see the shape it's going to be now. Also had to re-route the hoses to the shower in our ensuite as they were in the road.
Still without a landline phone, but we've still got the internet available. Hoping to get the phone point etc sorted out in the next few days.