Stressed?

It's been, yet again, quite a week.  The underfloor heating starts going in tomorrow which means that the floor has to be, like, TOTALLY prepared. Seriously, we have never seen builders work so fast. As of today, not only is the floor 6 inches higher (which weirdly makes all the rooms seem a different shape) but it's covered in a lovely green plastic carpet...

On Monday (that's tomorrow, then) the underfloor heating pipes start to be laid and we need to be there at 8am to point out that they don't go under (a) the kitchen units (b) the music room instrument storage (c) the utility room units and (d) the possible log store in the sitting room.  This 8am start would be fine if either of us were sleeping properly, but we're not because we're awake at 4am thinking about pipes, decoration, floor finishes and oak damage.

Ah, the oak. Very beautiful, but oddly susceptible to the weather. It rained on Thursday. And very possibly Friday too. Which turned our beautiful oak black...

Not a good look. I spoke to Welsh Oak who thought it was down to the lack of a gutter and the continuing presence of scaffolding. 

It can be repaired. A gentle painting of oxalic acid and, hey presto:

No more black. Maybe that's one less thing to keep us awake at night then...

So what else this week? Ah, yes, plastering. We got plastered. Probably more than once, but let's get back to the house...

The plastering is absolutely beautiful. We've done a bit (shed at the old house) and it's a real art - this time all the corners are being kept rounded to get the 'old' feel into the cottage

At the base of each corner the shape changes from curved to square to allow the skirting board to join up seamlessly. Quality or what? We hate to think what it's costing - best not to ask, really...

Outside, spacing panels were applied before the wall on the music room started. These are ingenious plastic panels, a bit like the things you get from garden centres to put pots in, that keep the stone a bit away from the boarding, allowing for an insulating air gap. These were put on to the wall before everybody got sent inside to concentrate on preparing the floors and now, sadly, most of them have fallen off the wall. Sigh.

Outside was tidied magnificently. This is the first time in months that we have been able to take a photo of the front of the house without any insulation panels in the way. Well, ok, only a few...

And there's a new front door. A bit crafty, granted, but it's progress.

We also have a new back door. It's a stable door, as requested...

Although we could do without the ladder to keep it closed. Maybe room for improvement, eh?

This coming week is momentous - we get the floor base laid on Thursday. WOO HOO! Already with 6 inches of insulation inside the cottage feels different... Higher, obviously, which makes the rooms different shapes. No, really, it does!

Purchases of the week:

Bathroom

Utility room units

All the tiles for the teensy weensy en suite and the bathroom. And extra in case we want to tile more.

Almost a dining room table. We went to Warehouse 701 in Hereford (very exciting) and found the perfect table. Except somebody else has reserved it. Pooh. We hope she changes her mind...

Idiot of the week:

The fencing numpty, Adam Alderson (yes I am going to name and shame) who took our money to 'buy the wood' and has since failed to either turn up or deliver the wood. We now have someone else to build a fence to protect the veg beds (but not this week) and we will pursue Adam The Ass through the courts to get our money back. Stressed?  Moi?  Oh yes...