Days 142 - 147: The house is complete (well almost !)

A weeks gap in posting here, but that's been due to me having this week off from work & all the work that's needed doing here.
Since last posting though we have managed to move into the extension, although there is still some work ongoing - though this is all outside in the main, so shouldn't be intrusive to us.


The carpets were layed as planned on Monday by Taylors (Banchory), and they made a fantastic job. The upstairs carpet was the biggest challenge, and it took 5 lads to get the 5m wide roll in there. The difference in feel to the house now that the carpets are in in amazing though, and the downstairs one's work well in letting the heat come through from the underfloor heating.

Jenny got moved into her room on Monday, and the following 2 days involved getting furniture built & the room sorted out for her. She's got it looking really good. I also managed to get moved into the study, though this had to wait until Thursday due to other things on the go. Still got loads of boxes to un pack - all the stuff that hasn't seen the light of day since we moved from Stonehaven !

Tiling was completed in the laundry last Friday, and following that I got the room painted calico to match the rest of the house. Looks much bigger now. Also did the flash coat in the utility room before all the new skirtings & facings went up. We've still to stain the wood, but will do that ourselves.
The sparkies returned on Wednesday and completed their snagging list, which included the mirror lights in both the wetrooms & the extractor switches. All working fine now, though they still need to come back & fit a down lighter & the correct spec switch in the garage. No big thing though.

On the joinery side it's mainly been Henry here, though sometime 2 of them. The structural work has been completed now in the attic (fair sized beam !), and the insulation has all been installed up there too (you notice a difference downstairs now !). The lads also replaced the shower screen in the ensuite, along with installing a proper finishing strip on the bottom of the glass screens in both wet rooms. Looks much better now.

Outside the weather hasn't really been the best, however the ground has now been graded around the new rear entrance, and the landing areas at both doors is now ready for tiling. Just need to hope the frost stays away !

Day 139, 140 & 141 - Laundry floor tiles

Another gap of a few days since I last posted - have been busy with other stuff. However, progress in the house has been steady, and painting has been the main work in hand. All the wood has now been stained to the right colour, and most (if not all) of the varnishing has been completed. That's allowed the joiner to get the window vents & door handles back on, which tidies everything up a good bit.

As well as the varnishing, the 2nd coat of emulsion has gone on a few of the rooms. The lads are concentrating on the rooms that are going to be carpeted next Monday, so upstairs is complete, along with the guest room & ensuite. Still to have the 'coloured' walls done in both Jenny's room & the study. This will be done tomorrow. I really like the crisp feel of the rooms now that the ceilings are white with the walls (mostly) calico.

The joiner has been working in the front vestibule and has tidied things up around the triangular windows. Outside the larch cladding has gone on, and it all looks pretty tidy. We've still to get further coats of paint on the door & frame, but the weather has ben too horrendous. The cupboard doors have also arrived for the vestibule, so looks like they'll be going in over the next few days.
The tiler also returned today to get started to the laundry tiles. This was delayed a wee bit as the floor level needed sorting out after the back door was raised up a bit. Need to move the washing machine out the back room tonight so the tiler can get in properly, so looking at all done tomorrow. After that the skirting & finishings can be installed, then it's ready for a paint.

Day 138 - Vestibule windows are in

At last the remaining two vestibule windows have been installed - and just as well given the dreadful weather than we're currently getting. We had 3 joiners here today to get them fitted, and the plasterboard has been installed inside already. Still some further wood work to do outside, along with insulation etc. This means that the vestibule is almost complete now.
The replacement back door also had to be altered today as it was sitting too low to allow the laundry tiling to be done. The frame has been raised up slightly, and the plasterwork has even remained relatively intact.
Painter continued with the varnishing inside. Not sure if anything was done outside, and there hasn't been any emulsion put on - which is a worry given that we need the painting inside completed within the next 6 days ! (there has been some filling work done though, so that may be the prep work required).

Days 135, 136 & 137 - Front door painted red

I haven't updated the blog for a few days as there's been a few other things going on. However I'll summarise the last 3 days work here - things have slowed down a bit with the bulk of the work tending to be painting.
Painters have been working outside as well as inside. The window frames & garage door have all been painted teal now to match the rest of the house, and the front door & new rear door have been painted a contrasting red - looks pretty good I think. Still needs another couple of coats to bring the colour out a bit more though.
Inside the staining is pretty much complete (only one or two areas left to do), and most of the varnishing is also done. Also great to see that the windows upstairs are all matching stain-wise now, so we're finally in a position to have the emulsion put on up there.

Joiner works have progressed in the house, and the front vestibule now has it's oak floor layed. Looks nice, but I'd rather see the missing windows fitted in there (we're still waiting on these for some unknown reason).
No sign of the tiler this week, which is a shame as we have both the inside & outside tiles waiting here for him. Hopefully this coming week he'll get these jobs done.
For our own part, Wendy has been busy in her workroom and has removed the unwanted varnish and stain from the windows and doors and is busy applying a lime type stain/wash. Looking better now, and matches in well with the wooden floor.

I've been working mainly in the garage workshop, and have installed the data cabinet on the wall, and have run the necessary cables to the media socket I've fitted in there too. Can't do much more in there until the concrete & cement is sealed and the painting done. Need the rest of the building stuff removed from in there to let me get on with this.

Day 134 - Upstairs windows sanded back

Finally all 4 of the upstairs windows have been sanded back to remove the awful stain that had been applied a while back. The painter will now be able to stain them properly, then varnish. This should be the last job before the walls are painted, then that should be that up there.
The painter also carried on with varnishing the internal doors, and also put a first coat on the shelves in both the bedroom wardrobes. Still on the painting side, Wendy is applying white lime stain to the wood in her work room & associated cupboard.
One joiner here today and he's fitted the threshold/step to the garage door, so now it seals properly, and there's no howling draught. He also sorted out the outside tap drain and made a wee water run-off. Also outside the frame was fitted ready for concrete for the rear entrance plinth (we'll be tiling over that soon).
Still no sign of the missing windows, and the electrical niggles from yesterday are still outstanding, however tomorrow is another day, as they say....

Day 132 & 133 - Extractors fitted

The plumber was here on Saturday and fitted the lime chip drain for the boiler condensed water drain. Really neat job & you don't see anything really. He also checked out the heating zones, and replaced some plastic pipework for copper.
Monday saw the painters return, along with the sparky & Doug (for a time). The sparky fitted both wet room extractor fans, though the duct has yet to be properly terminated into the soffits. However neither is working with the light, and comes off a separate switch, which I don't like. To be changed I think. Sparky also fitted the shaver points and the leads for the mirror lights (we have the wrong ones, so a delay in completing this). Not much electrical work to do now though.
Painters were working both inside & out today. The remaining windows & garage door were painted teal, so just the red ones to do now out there. Internally the painter stained the study & main wet room, and also varnished some more of the internal doors. He's also carrying on with the sanding work I started yesterday upstairs.

Day 130 & 131 - Power in the garage and a workshop

There have been loads of folk working here over the last couple of days, as we move towards completion by the end of next week.
The sparky was here on Thursday and prepped up the two wetrooms for the shaver & light fittings. Still to complete though, and the extractor has yet to go in. The garage electrics were mostly completed too though, including the new workshop, so that has made a real difference. Sparky expected back early next week to complete things.

The joiners completed the garage workshop, which is looking really smart. The skirting & door is on (with a lock) and they've fitted a neat window to keep some light in the garage. The joiners have also been working up in the attic and have layed some more insulation - a good thing as the temperature has been dropping a bit of late.
The painter has mostly finished upstairs, though I'm still not impressed by a couple of the windows that were stained incorrectly previously. Looking like we'll need to sort this ourselves to get it right. Still more staining & varnishing to do downstairs, but upstairs should be ready for the emulsion coats early next week.
Unfortunately we're still waiting on the 2 final windows to arrive to finish the front entrance. They were meant to come on Monday - but which Monday !!

Day 129 - Outside tiles arrive

The Quartzite tiles were delivered today (half tonne pallet worth). Not sure when the tiler is due back to lay them, but Doug prepped the front door step ready for them. Hopefully the weather will hold out.
The tapers were back again today & made some great progress. Front vestibule, dining room, laundry, and hallway round by the stairs was done inside the house, and the garage workshop was also tidied up. Still a bit more to do then the painters can get at it.
Talking of painting, our painter returned today and varnished a couple of the internal doors, along with the 2nd coat for the staircase.
Doug and the lads did some further work on the floor at the rear vestibule, and also 'framed' the outside drains rodding points (tidies them a good bit). On top of that some of the driveway was levelled out a bit, and a start has been made to fitting the shower screens. WC pans were also fixed in place.
We also got the order in for the carpets - using local company Taylor's in Banchory. Looking at a couple of weeks before they arrive, which should give the lads enough time to finish the internal works. Almost there!

Day 128 - Garage workshop built

The garage workshop went in today as the joiners weren't able to work in the house some of the day due to the Ames taper being here. Nice & simple stud partition has been put up, with a wee window in the top so we don't lose all the light that the new garage window gives us. Looks great and has a plaster board roof on it too. Still to get a door and electrics etc, but good to see it up.
The joiners also layed the oak flooring on the stair landing, and put up the skirting boards there. Not much more to do now.
Taper was here and did around the staircase and also the laundry. Hopefully he'll be back tomorrow to crack on with the other outstanding areas.
The painter wasn't on site today for personal reasons, so hopefully all is ok with him & his family....

Day 127 - Ensuite cabinet in

The replacement ensuite cupboard was installed today, although the doors have yet to be fitted. Some more of the skirting boards were also put up, so not much left there to do. Apart from that there's not much sign of other work that was completed by the joiners today (although I'm sure there must be more). Still no sign of the replacement front vestibule windows, but hoping they'll arrive soon so that we can get that area finished off.
The painter also carried on, and has varnished some more of the window frames & sills. Unfortunately the ones that were to be reworked in the upstairs lounge don't look to be any better, but have been varnished anyway. Will need to find out more on this. Still no staining done in the main wet room and the study (though the study has a fair bit of oak boards in it yet).

Day 126 - Front steps are revealed.

Posting this update a bit late - the lads never worked over the weekend, but we had the joiners and the painter here on Friday.
Joinery has mainly concentrated on sorting out the doors and putting up the facings & skirting boards. The oak flooring is pretty thick, so the doors have had to be shaved a fair bit. Still more to do, but we can start to see the end in sight.
The painter progressed with the softwood staining - just the entrance halls, study and the main wet room to do from what I can see. He's also varnished some of the window frames and sills - eggshell (satin) finish. Takes a couple of days to settle out, but looks fine after that. The poorly stained windows have yet to be sorted out, but I think they're being kept till later (!).

Other work that we've got after over the weekend included clearing the attic again (needed to make more space for further work up there), sorting out the media trunking in the new attic, and installation of the last two media points in the guest bedroom and study.
This coming week should bring the final windows for the front entrance vestibule, the laundry tiles (replacements for the wrong ones that were delivered), and also the outside quartzite tiles for both the new entrances. That coupled with the painting work should mean a real busy week !

Day 125 - Ceiling painting - second coat

We has 3 painters here today thanks to the poor weather - 2 lads were rained off another job so came here & got on with some of the 2nd coat emulsion (concentrated on the workshop & roofs mainly). The 3rd painter was still here and progressed through the staining, and has also started the top coat varnish on some of the window frames. The guys that are here now are making a really good job - fine and tidy.
Joiners carried on with skirting & doorways today (no new bits of floor layed). The dining room glazed doors are back up, and the facings are part complete. what with the door facings & skirting boards going in, it's looking really finished !
Out & about today checking out carpets - the underfloor heating unfortunately adds a further headache to this as we need to be careful of floor coverings TOG value (otherwise the heat won't come through). Needing to do some further checks on this, as getting some conflicting information.

Day 124 - Flooring starts in front vestibule

Work continued with the oak flooring and associated doors & skirting today. The dining room is all but finished now, and work has now extended into the front vestibule. Still waiting on the 2 outstanding windows for the front vestibule, but we're expecting to see them early next week. That will allow the insulation to be completed there & the larch cladding to be done.
The painter was also here again & continued with the softwood staining & varnishing. Really looking good, and he's managed to get a good match to the oak flooring. The colour has warmed the rooms up a bit too.
Doug was here for a while, which was great as we got a chance to go through the build status & schedule what's coming up. We also made some decisions on the tiles required for the front entrance outside & the new rear door. Will get them ordered up tomorrow.

Day 123 - Dining room floored

Oak floor laying continues, and now the dining room is mostly complete. Makes it look massive, however does show up the poor kitchen floor unfortunately, so we'll need to consider what we're going to do there. There's also quite a height difference now, as the oak is pretty thick (a good thing).
The painter was also here and has continued with the staining & varnishing. The stair case & upper landing have also been varnished (we're using a clear coat here).
The concrete was also poured into the moulds for the front steps (which were put in place yesterday). Haven't seen what it looks like in daylight yet, but will get a chance tomorrow.

Day 122 - Work starts on front door steps

Wooden boards were put in place today to allow the concrete to be poured for the front door steps. I hadn't expected it to be done this way, but it'll be great. Fine solid base of the tiles. We still need to sort out the tiles for these, but we've a good idea what we want.
Joiners were also working away on the oak floor (now into the dining room), and have also been following up with the skirting boards & door facings going in. Looks so much better with the correct wood going in.
One of the painters was also here today, and carried on with the wood staining. He's still to rub back the windows that were made too dark, but the new wood he's done is a pretty good match for the oak flooring.

Day 121 - More plumbing work (and the finial in place)

Although this post is mainly about the plumbing work, I hadn't posted a finial photo, so here it is.
Graeme came round on Saturday morning to complete a few of the outstanding plumbing jobs in the ensuite. The sink is now fully fitted, as is the WC (though both pans have yet to be fixed properly in place). The new outside tap was also fitted just off the workshop, which is in a perfect place for the stables. There's still a gully drain to be fitted at this spot, but the pipework is all in.
I also took the opportunity this weekend to give the attic a good clear up - there was loads of sawdust, wood scraps & damaged insulation up there, so was great to get things looking a bit better. Still a bit of work to do up there, but at least the lads will see what they're doing.

Day 120 - New hall cupboard doors

The sliding doors have now been fitted to the hall cupboard. Same manufacturer as the bedroom ones, and they look really good I think. Match the flooring well.
Oak floor laying has continued a pace, and we've now reached the dining room. A number of the door thresholds have also been installed, as well as some stained door surounds. The wood stain on the soft wood looks good too, and matches the oak boards well.
Even though it's Saturday tomorrow, we're expecting the plumber on site. Still a few things for him to do - he can finish off the ensuite now that the worktops are properly in, and there's also the WC's to fit properly along with the lids. Be good to get a chance to see him as we need to go over how the underfloor heating works !

Day 119 - More oak down

The lads continued on with laying the oak flooring today, and a good part of the new hall at the bottom of the stairs is now complete. Door thresholds in place between the study & workroom, although the work room one had to be planed down a bit due to the height difference between the 2 floors.
Joiners were also working outside & got the North facing windows fitted in the front vestibule. Not sure what's happening with the West facing ones as we're awaiting delivery of a replacement triangular window unit (to replace the incorrectly spec'd one).

Day 118 - First oak flooring boards go in

Work started this afternoon on installing the oak flooring in the new hallway. The planks are really thick & solid, so think they're going to look & feel very good. The more robust underlay also arrived today, so that's going underneath it. Not sure how long it'll take the lads to lay all the floor, but don't think they'll be long !
Joiners also fitted the new wardrobe doors to both Jenny's & the guest bedrooms - look good, and are sliding doors that actually slide !
The draught excluder was also fitted to the garage hall door - may sound like a small detail, but the lads have done a brilliant job by countersinking the excluder into the door itself.
Other work done today was the fitting of the finishing batons on the upstairs windows & both the WC & sink vanity unit worktops were fitted. Some some bits of plumbing to do & that should be that. Fibre board was also layed in the laundry in preparation for the floor tiles (which will be in Aberdeen by next Tuesday).

Day 117 - Bannisters & spindles on first floor

The joiners made some great progress with the stairs today and have installed the spindles & bannisters up the staircase & on the first floor. Still some finishing work to do, but we're almost there with them.
Other joinery saw the airing cupboard door facings installed inside, and the loft hatch installed in the new garage hallway.
The lads also lifted the vinyl tiles in the laundry & prepped some hardboard ready for the tiling to be done in there shortly (heard that the tiles should be in by next Wednesday).
The underlay for the oak flooring is due to arrive tomorrow, so we should see a start being made to that, and I estimated that will be finished by the weekend ready for the painting & plastering squad arriving.