following weeks of work

As we continued to live in the only habitable room in the house the work continued around us with  plaster going up in the second bedroom - ready for me and Dave get started on sanding and painting. It is always exciting to get home from work and see what has changed since we left in the morning


The next major job was for the the foundations to be built in the garden - where our new extension was going to be. Clearly I neither know nor will pretend to fully understand the technical reasons or implications of this. In my head they have to dig down into the ground and lay a concrete base (er....or foundation) beneath what will eventually become the new building....and I think that about sums it up. 

View from the back-bedrom

We (obviously I mean the builders) also needed to have a good check of the pipe-work that lay beneath the existing building to make sure that our new extension would not obstruct or damage them. This is where I really struggled to keep up with the regulations and paperwork - in fact I don't think I could even attempt to convince anyone that me and Dave had much to do with it. Mum and Janusz with their joint experience helped (did) all of the paperwork and sweet talked the council building control that everything was fine and above board. 

The living room.

We did, however run in to a few financial obstacles during this time - once again struck down with the difficult vendors who had not done compete plans for the planning application we had to pay for some new plans to be drawn up. There were also a lot of inventive costs from Thames Water for various bits of paperwork which are unavoidable and you end up having to actively accept them rather than be bitter about them as this would just cause delays. So the foundations were dug and ready to be filled in - this is a big step as it marks up exactly where the lines of the new kitchen extension will be.


It is at this juncture that mum asks us whether we would like to come and stay with her for a couple of days. The next plan is to remove the old water tank from the roof and replacing the old boiler. So we will be without any hot water or heating for a few days. We had already spent one night dressed in about 90% of the clothes we own shivering in bed so obviously before mum can finish her sentence me and Dave were standing at the front door with our bags packed! Also with Dave's exam coming up it is the perfect time for some home comforts and a desk that isn't in a bedroom. So while it is now lovely to be surrounded with home comforts - it is also strange to be away from day to day changes of the house as we only get back once a week or so. Things are going to feel like they are changing a lot quicker from now on.