Sunday 18 September 2016

TRYING TO CATCH UP ON SUNDAY!

Where to start that is the question? So lets see last Saturday we went to East Sussex for a week, well the plan was for a week but since the plumber had confirmed he'd be arriving on the 19th, we planned to return on Friday morning, so Paul could take down the old bathroom wall and rebuild it with two doorways, one for the new utility room and one for the new downstairs toilet.

We had wonderfully dry weather , quite a bit hot being in the upper 80's and a 90 one day, which would be great for me if I could have stayed out of it but being away and looking round castles and old buildings and walking up lovely old high streets and looking inside some great shops meant not! But we did have a great few days away and decided in the end to return on Thursday late afternoon after visiting a National trust property that was about 40 minutes into our way home, so it made sense to load the car up and then continue on home after our visit.

Glad we did as Thursday night it rained and caused travel chaos and was still raining when we got up Friday morning. It also meant we got a good start with taking down the wall in hallway which turned out to be a lot harder than we thought!.

 going going...

gone! also the part where the door is !was removed after this photo.

Lots of bags of rubble , that were taken to the local recycling centre Saturday afternoon by Paul and Lauren but still a pile of bricks which we will clean up and reuse in the garden.


Framing starting to go up and decisions being made about if we should straighten wall and regain the corner of the hallway!
While Paul's been doing this Saturday I have been clearing out the soon to be bathroom! Having taken two boxes and five big bags of paperbacks down to my Sasha studio I'm wondering if I need a Library and not a utility room! I did mention this to Paul who said...no!
Also when the wall first was down the space was so lovely, even with the bath sitting in it! That I was tempted to tell Paul just to box in the downstairs toilet and I'd keep the rest as hallway! That he said okay if I wanted! But as much as it appealed I know the utility room will be a well used and great space so I said no fill it in!.
 And so today's been spent with Paul putting up the new wall and me continuing to clear the bedroom.


So now we have two doorways,with the walls plaster boarded on the inside, with our temporary door of Celotex for privacy!


Looking in from the front doorway you can see the extra space we have gained by making the wall straight. There is still a small piece of wall to be taken down but that can wait until next weekend as It's not in the plumbers way.
I'd love to show you a photo of the empty bedroom ready and waiting for the plumber but since he told us yesterday that he'll not be here until Tuesday I've not quite finished it!!

So we've had two weeks off and poor Paul's worked most of it getting all this done! I've helped where I could and will be spending the next x o many weeks finding places for things to go and deciding what we really could part with etc.

We did get to order our real wood flooring and also the tiles for the utility and downstairs toilet floors all of which were on offer , which is why we sorted them out now.

All this sorting out as turned up lots of furniture, books, paintings etc that we no longer really need or have space for! I may have to hold a carport sale! and see if I can shift some of it that or open a stall in the market and hope it all goes !

Well it's back to work for both of us tomorrow, If it was not for the moving of the retirement goal posts I'd be staying happily at home sorting out all this mess! However since that's not going to be happening quite yet, I'll be  trying to sort it all out over the coming weeks!

So I wish you all a great week ahead and hope you all achieve your goals .


*******************************************************************************

12 comments:

  1. Rather you than me as I could/can never cope with this kind of house alteration changes...so this is why I tend to move into new show or recently built homes. Nevertheless you are doing really well and all is looking good to go.

    Really looking forward to seeing the next instalment and good luck with the sorting out/or moving on of unwanted or not now needed items!

    PS. Could well do with you two up here to help me with mine when your finished down there with yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is so messy when it's happening but so worth it once we get through it and out the other side! My friend says I should build my own house as I am always knocking walls down and changing things but that's the part I love, bring out the best in a house and making it shine :)

      I cannot believe just how much stuffs come out of that room! and just how long it will take to re-home or sort through!
      I'd happy come and do yours Kendal because it would be so much more organised than mine is ! However I bet you'd be terrible at agree to part with anything! ;)

      Delete
  2. Ooooh - sorry I missed this yesterday, we were without internet for most of the day (again).
    It is wonderful to see the progress being made at St. I's Towers. I am in awe of Paul's expertise and your own directorship of operations. I am almost as keen to see it finished as you mut be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hate it when the internet won't work! lol

      It's slowing beginning to take shape and Paul's realised just how much will be down to him once the plumbers finished and although I will help as much as I can, he's the one with the skill. I'm his assistant ? site manager! lol
      It's going to take a good few months to finish everything but I'll share the journey with you all :)

      Delete
  3. Gosh! You really have so much going on while you are still living at home. This is very brave of you.

    So is the bathroom and a toilet going upstairs?
    I somehow have missed (or failed to grasp) what you are actually doing. I thought you were just gaining a downstairs cloakroom cupboard and re-vamping the bathroom!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We've never moved out of a house while we've had work done on it, we once had two bedrooms and a bathroom put into the two lofts of our Edwardian Semi, a job they said would take 8 weeks and took 14 and started in December!
      We are moving the Bathroom which is tiny and downstairs, upstairs into the smallest bedroom. Then downstairs we are changing the old bathroom into a separate Utility room and cloakroom, hence the need for two doorways in the old bathroom wall.
      Hopefully it will all make sense by the end :)

      Delete
  4. A lot of changes with walls and doorways. Really look forward to seeing the finished work. Paul is working so very hard and so are you Dee keeping up with everything coming and going. Hang in there! :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Ginger lots! I have to say although it's going to be a lot of hard work I'm so looking forward to the end result.
      Thanks Ginger :) xxx

      Delete
  5. It is going to be wonderful when it is finished - and roll on your retirement so you can enjoy it fully x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope so :) yes I must start a count down for my retirement! x

      Delete
  6. Oh dear I can so relate to all this mess as we've "been there, done that" with building work here! It's just the dust that seems to get into everything, doesn't it! No matter how hard you try to keep it out, it has a way of finding it's way into the smallest space! But you're doing well Dee and Paul, and soon the mess will all be a distant memory and you'll have your nice new bathroom upstairs and your utility room downstairs. And yes, I definitely think it's a good plan to have a utility room, it keeps everything out of the way! ;) And hides a multitude of sins :)
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's amazing just where the dust turns up!and so many days later! lol
      I know it's going to be well worth the mess and that's good to know a Utility room is a good choice, I am planning on it hiding a mass of things!! lol xxx

      Delete