On Monday the underfloor heating went down - how the plumber didn't get giddy going round in endless circles is anybody's guess.
Before he started Guy and I used a big marker pen to draw all the units and cupboards onto the green plastic so that the UFH (as us in the building trade call it) didn't go under those bits. We could finally see how big our kitchen is going to be - it's ok!
We also gained front and back door frames. All we need now is the doors...
We're getting to the 'almost habitable' bits of the build, this week we got BT to reconnect the phone line. Bearing in mind we had actually physically cut the cable and taken it back to the last telegraph pole it was actually very kind of them to label it as 'a fault on the line' and reconnect it for free. We'd actually go so far as to say that BT were brilliant.
And that's a down pipe attached to the wall too...
On Thursday the floor was laid. This was astonishing to watch - two young men wheelbarrowed about 12 tons of a dry sand and cement mix through the house, leaving it in piles. Then the boss levelled it at the sides using a laser, and then through the floors BY EYE. Really remarkable to watch - and we did watch too. Very skilled.
So what else this week? A lot! In brief:
Front porch almost finished:
A flower bed dug. I know - an actual flower bed!
Chimney on the extension nearly finished - none of us are sure what to put on the top so we're leaving it like this until the log burner is installed. We're hoping the log burner people will have some ideas...
The rain and sunshine means the grass seed is growing - look, GREEN!!
This is one of our favourite views - it's a bench in front of the shed looking across the veg beds to the newly green paddock. Sadly today we have realised that when the veg plot gets fenced what we'll actually have in front of us is, er, fence. We may have to move the bench...
And in case you were wondering, no, Adam The Idiot didn't get in touch and didn't give us our money back. A new chap is starting the fence tomorrow (at twice the cost) and we'll sue The Idiot for our money. Prat.
The scaffolding came DOWN on Friday - that's the last of the scaffolding. Hooray!! Such a relief to get it gone, although we all find we're still ducking when we walk round the back.
At the music room end of the house, wall building has begun - it will be wall up to the window (to where it's reached, then) and oak cladding above. Gorgeous!
The extension at the other end will be oak clad - battens are being put on ready, that should start this week.
Mopsi searched for rabbits in the sand pile. Or sandpit as she likes to think of it...
It's a mucky job, but somebody has to do it.
For the record, no she didn't find a rabbit. But Guy and I watched two run out of the sand pile... She missed them both.
And we had a lazy weekend. We went to dog training, did food shopping, went to B&Q for paint and varnish, mowed the rental grass, sorted out rubbish in the big barn and re-upholstered the wing back chair.
Don't be fooled by the photo - it is absolutely atrocious! Those large cushions are VERY strategically placed. I thought upholstery would be fun. Pah! Three stab wounds, two broken staple guns and a lot of swear words later we have a hideous green chair very badly covered. We were aiming for 'cool funky lime' and thought we had bought lovely fabric. What we actually have is 'care home green'. It will be upholstered again when we have the energy. By a professional.
On Sunday of last week we had visited what may well become our New Favourite Place, Warehouse 701 in Hereford. It's a salvage yard. Forget M&S, John Lewis and designer clothes shops, THIS is my kind of shopping... We fell in love with a table, the perfect size, industrial underneath and scrubbed pine on top. It was already reserved... We left our details at the office just in case the woman who'd reserved it didn't want it and, hey presto, on Tuesday we were phoned to say she wasn't contactable so it was ours if we wanted it. Oh yes! Sometimes these things are just meant to be. Warehouse 701 have kindly said they'll hang on to it until we actually have a house to put it in...
An honourable mention this week to my pal Alison, who is helping to re-colour the world in Ronseal Willow, starting with this beautiful bench:
She says she has also painted her garage door and back door. As she says, "I'm doing Herefordshire one item at a time." You and me both!
In place of 'Purchases Of The Week' you can have 'The Week Coming Up' instead:
Monday - Oak cladding starts, veg fencing starts, porch roof gets finished (we have beer for the topping out ceremony. None of us knows what it is other than that beer should be involved).
Tuesday - Utility room units from IKEA arrive, staircase and external doors arrive. Plasterers start downstairs, painting outside or upstairs too maybe?
Wednesday - stairs get fitted, everything else continues
Thursday - Western Power visit about putting electric into the house, we go to a forge to talk stair handrail and curtain poles.
Friday - er, not sure. Breathe, maybe?
We've agreed a moving out date on the rental. End of June. Gulp.
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