28th October 2018
October 28, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
So, today saw my last required visit. Since a couple of weeks ago, the fence plinths and posts have been dug out and put in, the panels have arrived and all bar one were dropped in. We went last week and fetched all the remaining tools and ladders home as Sharons Antara was swapped this weekend so we carted everything home in that. That car has served us very well, it’s been an extremely versatile and reliable work truck for the last year. Anyway, that left us a few jobs today which we have polished off and are happy with.
The clocks went back last night so ideally means an extra hour in bed. Just meant I was up an hour earlier. I got a few little jobs done at home early on and then we went to Snackattack when Sharon got up for a nice big breakfast. It’s official, they do the bestest breakfast as they will do me chips with it 👍.
We came back and loaded the car up, tried to run through all the jobs in my head as so not to forget any tools. My dad and I went up at 10.00am and were pleasantly surprised to see most of the fence panels dropped in, something we thought we would have to do. We did have one to put in which needed cutting down. We cut the plinth down with a brick cutter and then sawed the panel down. Took a bit of buggering about but we got it in and level and it looks great.
Next we moved on to fitting the original temporary front door that JB fitted over a year ago to get access in to the house. Its been all over that door but it’s final resting place will be the coal house round the back. We removed the rotten wooden door and then marked up the wall with the new door. It was a couple of inches wider than the existing hole so again the brick cutter was put in to action. The cutter didn’t cut deep enough but was good enough to get us a start and we chisel’d the rest out. We managed to get a really nice fit, again a bit of messing about but we got it in. Screwed and plugged it up, put some wooden packers above and that was that. It could do with a bit of white plastic to cover the packers, but it’s fully functional and lockable which again is a good job done.
Next we needed to extend an earth cable and put an earth bonding strip on the gas meter. A tiny job that I was going to do ages ago but never really got around to. No dramas there, done and fixed the crap job the gas company did fitting the meter box whilst we were at it. We removed that and refitted it correctly.
Finally we connected up the pressure relief valve on the boiler. It was sort of connected but only in situ as we were worried about soldering that close to the circuit boards. After taking a bit of advice we were told to try a compression fitting. Unfortunately we weren’t able to fit it as we couldn’t get the grips in to tighten it. So we nipped off to B&Q and bought a push fit, fitted a treat. It’s one of those pipes on the boiler that will only ever get used if there is s fault, so hopefully never but will be fine if there is now.
I dropped one ever so tiny goolie, I’d moved the condensate pipe out of the way to connect the valve, I forgot to reconnect it. Gemma had a bath and the boiler cupboard got a free wash !! 2 second job to fix so Sharon and I popped back up this afternoon to sort it.
And that my friends is it. The garden at the back is going to be rotivated next weekend, Paul and his team will then level it and seed it which will transform it.Read more
30th September 2018
September 30, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
A very busy but productive weekend this weekend. The twins (Kian & Ethan) our adopted nephews came along to help us on Saturday. The plan was to remove a small tree 🌲 at the bottom of the garden and make a start on digging the holes out for the fence posts. It was a beautiful day, so we went to Sharons work early, picked up the trailer and then the boys before calling at B&Q and loading up with 15 bags of postcrete. We then set off for Langold. Prior to our arrival, Uncle Spok snd Gemma has organised me some fence posts and plinths and had taken some time off work on Friday to collect them using Gemma’s work van. That was a massive help and not very easy work I wouldn’t have thought. Spok has also collected 5 railway sleepers if got for Gemma a few weeks ago ready for the front garden which she is tidying up.
As we arrived on Saturday we decided that really the first job was to remove the tree from the bottom of the garden. Spok’s petrol chainsaw was fired up and off we went. The small tree was actually a lot bigger than we thought. Ethan took a big shine to the chainsaw but to be honest was actually quite responsible whilst using it. The challenge we had was that the tree was so out of control it leaned massively over 2 neighbours adjoining gardens and we couldn’t risk it falling in there. After much messing about to try and get a rope which we failed at, we enlisted the help of an old hose pipe. We doubled it up, wrapped it round the top side of the tree, the dots pulled towards them and I cut it. Bingo down she came. We then set about cutting all the branches up in to small pieces and building a bonfire.
Spok came up in the afternoon to help. We tidied up and made a start getting the first hole dug out in the corner for the first 2 fence posts. I’d bought a petrol auger which is basically s drill with an engine on it to dig the holes. Man was that a beast. It was fab but definitely needed 2 people to operate it as if it hit s rock (of which there are hundreds) it jars and you basically know what it feels like to become s helicopter blade !! Spok snd I managed to get the first hole dug and first two post concreted in. It was cracking on by this time so we decided to get all the fence posts and plinths carried round the back. That was a killer, we had to enlist the help of Joe as the twins had had enough by that time. It was very physical, demanding work but a good job done.
On Sunday, it was just Spok and me. Again very hard graft but we managed to dig all the holes out along the back snd concrete the posts and plinths in to place. We don’t have the panels as yet, but it will look so different once they are in place. I really couldn’t have done it without Spok this weekend, his help was invaluable. It’s fair to day, I ached a bit Sunday night, I dropped a dance plinth on my knee which has a massive bruise and my arms are black and blue, but a good start to a hard job.Read more
19th August 2018
August 19, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
It’s been a while as we have been on holiday, John has been on holiday and Gemma and Adam are in so the pressure has been off a little bit.
When we returned from France, I spent a couple of weekends tiling and grouting the kitchen. That made a huge difference and the inside is now complete from my point of view. Gemma and Adam have put their mark on the inside and it all looks beautiful. A really nice cosy warm new feeling house.
John and I went up the last couple of weekends although only for a few hours per visit. First time we built a step at the front door and a ramped step from the pavement to the path. John and Rich went up and laid the drive at the front in golden gravel after that. It certainly brightened the front up. It was left around the edges as Gemma was talking about ripping the front hedge out and having a fence put in which is what they are going to do.
Last weekend we went and poisoned the back garden to dry all the weeds up.
This weekend, John and I went yesterday with a micro JCB and did battle with the back garden. A very long day!! The poison hadn’t taken too well but we didn’t let that get in our way. We dug a large hole in the middle and chucked in as much rubbish as we could made up of weeds and remains from the various fires we have had over the last year. We then dug the whole garden over, ripping out tree roots, trunks, carpets, tools, bricks and a whole host of other bits and bobs that will either be burned or skipped. We then went off to Gamston to collect a monster of a rotivator from Johns mate Darren. His house was phenomenal, looked like something out of Grand Designs, a nice little break for us and a lovely bloke. We returned and rotivated the whole of the garden. As you can see from the picture, it was a massive transformation. The two pictures are before and after. Whilst we were doing all of that, Gemma Adam and their friend ripped out the front hedge and carted it off to the tip. That has also made a massive difference and has opened the front of the house right up. We had a couple of visits from Spok, he tried his best to start the rotivator but just didn’t quite have the touch. First pull for JB, Spok said he’d loosened it up for him.
This morning, Sharon and we’re up bright and breezy and went off to Creswell to fetch our trailer so we could cart some rubbish off to the tip. Sharon loaded the trailer up and I raked the whole of the garden with a 5 pronged tool of JB’s which dragged even more weeds and large rocks out. John turned up and ripped out the last concrete washing line post with the digger before loading in to the trailer ready to go back. He also took a few of his bits still there. We piled up all the bricks and boulders as he will take them for his caravan park next weekend. We had a tidy up around the back and then took the trailer full of rubbish off to the tip. We really need some rain now to break the soil down but we are in a great position and the end is finally in site.Read more
1st July 2018
July 1, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Apologies for the lack of blog for the last couple of weeks. That’s not to say nothing has happened.
Last week I had the Friday off to try and help push things along as I knew Gemma and Adam needed to be moving in. On the Friday the three of us were there and we cracked on. Richard was busy with lots of little woodworking jobs, John and I set about putting the new facia boards, soffits and guttering up. It was a great day and the outside started to turn a corner. As you look up to the roof of the house, it all looks neat and tidy and more importantly any rainwater will actually drain away in to the drains instead of just running down the walls.
Saturday morning was spent finishing off inside so they could move in, however John and Rich didn’t come as they had some large machine on hire and needed to get a job of their own done. So Sharon and I did as many little jobs as we could. I connected the fan up for the bathroom and for the final time and vented it properly which allowed us to then re lay the insulation in the loft. We also got the boiler stat wired up and the condensate pipe sealed in to the main drain before starting a massive clean and sweep through the whole house. As we cleaned each room, we wrote a list of the little snagging jobs that needed doing and left a list in each room. By close of play on Sunday, all rooms were swept and all paintwork and walls were cleaned down. On the Sunday, John came for a couple of hours with his mini digger and removed the hedge out of the front and flattened it in readiness for a gravelled drive to be laid.
The only movement during the week last week was on an evening when Sharon, me and my dad went up. Safe to say we had a couple of good nights and a couple of bad nights. We only really had a few jobs to do but at the beginning of the week we struggled. We had a towel rail to fit, we couldn’t get it seal and had numerous water leaks, and the outside tap needed repositioning, again we had a problem and couldn’t stop a small leak. However, the following evening we revisited it with fresh eyes and managed to get both jobs done even though it meant taking the downstairs toilet out and removing a wall. But all sorted and all put back together. We also cracked on with the cleaning of the window frames as well as cleaning out all the kitchen cupboards and a general good scrub.
Yesterday we had a cracking day and really turned a corner. Again my Dad helped and John was there early as well as me and Sharon. John rendered the front and back tops, and he did a lovely job. He did the front all by hand using cement and a large nail. The rear was a different story, it was rendered with a tyrolean applicator. It’s like a watering can with no front and a handle on it. When the handle is turned, it throws the tyrolean render on to the wall. He’s done a lovely job but the heat and the reflection of the sun made it very hard work. The rest of us set about tidying the garden up. We borrowed Johns big trailer and loaded up everything we could on to it including loads of old rubber floor tiles, plasterboard, old cables ( you could still smell the charred smell that was in the house when we first went in), old windows, lots of glass and anything else we could get rid of. It was a brilliant effort by us all and it really tidied up, it took us 2 trips, would have been about 5 with our trailer. We also cut down the hedge to a manageable size. We lit a fire but the neighbours complained so we put it out but went back later in the evening to light it. It took a while to get going and I was a bit nervous as it has been so dry. Sharon was extremely nervous so we sent her home to get a shower and come back for us later. As it got going, we managed to get rid of most things, it took us about 3 hours but everything gone so bonus. A long old shift, 13 hours I reckon. The carpets were also fitted yesterday so it’s really turned around now.
Today saw us there again, me, Sharon and my dad. We had 3 jobs on, plane the doors as they catch on the new carpets, connect up the pressure release valve on the boiler and sort the gate so it no longer catches on the gas supply pipe. Gate done, pressure release pipes up but needs John to connect to boiler but failed with the doors. A combination of lack of time due to me having to go to work tonight and they need massive adjustment so I’ll leave them for John. Sharon cleaned all the downstairs windows outside and removed all the plastic film from them.
We now have the gas safety certificate and the energy performance-certificate ( grade C which is excellent). Gemma and Adam have now signed the tenancy agreement so it’s theirs from today. There’s a few snags to do inside which hopefully John and Rich are doing tomorrow, and outside at the front needs the render painting and the drive sorting. Again hopefully that will be done this week.Read more
17th June 2018
June 17, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
So we had last weekend off to go to Sarah’s wedding and it was a fabulous day. But back to it this weekend, seems like we’ve not been there for ages. Sharon only did the morning on Saturday as she was out on Laura’s hen party in Lincoln in the afternoon. Although there’s been some movement in the last couple of weeks, it’s not been full tilt as obviously John has had a few other bits to attend to such as his daughter getting married.
Saying that, the new glossy kitchen laminate floor is now in place and looks fabulous, all the window sill boards have been fitted, the bathroom suite has now had the waste connected and the false wall has been built in the downstairs loo. The kick boards have also been cut and put in place temporarily until the washer is in and the bathroom walls have been tiled, the loft hatch has also been built and is now in place.
Saturday was a Hive of activity, John and Rich spent most of the day building a cupboard in the bathroom to hide the boiler. They have done an outstanding job, nothing like I imagined, it’s so well made and looks tremendous. They also boxed the pipes in and clipped up the side of the bath in readiness for the side panel. I put loads of extra screws in the 2 bedroom floors to stop any squeaking in the future. But my biggest task of the day was to rub down an old bannister that one belonged to Aunty Linda over 30 years ago and we found in the attic. I took it to bits and took JB’s belt sanded to it. It took me about 3 hours but I managed to strip it right back to the bare wood, removing 30 odd years of paint. I the filled it, rubbed it down, fitted new brackets and refitted it. As Sharon was out, I stayed late and cracked on and fitted the shaver point in the bathroom and fixed the room stat in place for the central heating.
Sunday morning Sharon and I got there and tidied a few bits up. We’d decided to leave about 11 and just as we were getting in the car JB arrived. So I stayed whilst Sharon popped out to Tesco for some bits. I was the apprentice plasterer. I did the mixing and the transferring of plaster from bucket to hawk, John did all the clever stuff. That’s all the plastering in the house complete now. We’ve had one set back, the boiler will no longer fire up, so we need to get someone out to look at that, but I’m sure that will all get sorted. Aunty Linda snd Naomi called this morning, they were coming to clean but it would be a little pointless as yet as there are still quite a few bits of wood to saw up and the dust in the atmosphere will travel. All being well by the end of next weekend, we should be somewhere near inside.
It’s no secret we’re getting tired now, it’s been a long journey and work commitments for both of us are very busy and stressful at the minute. But, the end is now in site.Read more
3rd June 2018
June 2, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 18 °C
So we decided to go up Friday night this week as we are short of time. Next weekend is Sarah’s wedding (John’s Daughter) which we are attending and I am yet again away all week. We spent the evening mainly tidying up as it’s difficult to move and to find anything. It always looks better after a tidy and at least all the tools are in one place. I also wired up the hob so we now have a fully functioning oven and hob in the kitchen. Sharon’s Mum and Dad came for a visit as they are away this week so might not get a chance to see it inside again, they are very proud of our achievements and think we’ve done a fantastic job. John and Richard have been on with jobs in the week, all the floors are in completely down now, the pipes are boxed in in the kitchen, most of the skirtings are on in the kitchen, the kitchen ceiling has been plastered where the pipes were exposed as well as around the front door and a couple of other bits. The path has been cut round the back and the old clay drain pipe has been exposed ready for the new soil stack to be installed. They have also installed the shower screen in the bathroom and connected all the internal waste pipes, and fitted the door on the downstairs loo.
On Saturday Sharon was having her hair cut in the morning, so I went up and John went too. The first job of the day was to glue and clamp the worktops together in the kitchen so the join is near enough invisible. It wasn’t without its challenges but we did it and it looks great. We then progressed to installing the sink which was a bitch of a job. The cupboard supplied by B&Q wasn’t a sink cupboard but just a std 800mm unit. This made getting all the sink clips which pull the sink down on to the worktop very difficult to get in place and use. We got most in and the ones we couldn’t get, we used wire to clamp it down. It looks a good job so I’m pleased with that. We connected the tap up, sorted all the waste out and cut the shelf out to accommodate the sink trap. I learned no end of little hints and tips. We also re-piped the washing machine supply, adding it in to the cupboard rather than behind the washer as to not to hinder pushing the washer back and to check it we chucked the washer in too. It’s semi connected at the moment. Had the inspection from Spok, he’s chuffed with it and loves it.
Sharon came up in the afternoon and she was a big help as always. After John had left, we stayed on and did a few more jobs. I needed some supplies so Sharon went off to gather them for me whilst I got a few bits ready. I swapped the fused switch in the living room for a single socket as Gemma and Adam have a nice focal fire which is a plug in type. I then mounted that on the wall in the living room. I also installed a fused switch in the kitchen and added a socket in the chimney of the extractor fan, connected that up and tested it and finally put filler in the wall where I’d chased out for the cable. A long day, but a productive one.
This morning (Sunday) I was awake early so decided to load the car up and get up there, letting Sharon have a lie in. I left a Note saying I’d be home about 9.30 and we’d go out for breakfast. JB gave me a small list of jobs as he couldn’t come today and I had some of my own. The first job I tackled was to put a couple of light in the loft and add in a switch. TGB makes a huge difference up there, I then did the job I hate - put the 2nd layer of insulation in. It was beautifully sunny outside and very warm which made the loft boiling. I put on a jacket, mask and gloves and sorted it. I was soaked when I finished but theres loads of insulation up there now. I went home dripping wet, had a shower and breakfast, collected Sharon and we went back.
Once again Sharon did some tidying, it’s blooming relentless. I rubbed the wall down near the extractor where I have added the socket and painted it before refitting the fan and testing it. All perfect there, I then installed a ceiling fan in the bathroom, cored the hole and wired it up. That was s mucky job as I was in snd out of the loft, but again success, installed and working. It comes on when the bathroom light is switched on and runs for 1 minute when it’s been turned off. I also siliconed around the hole John cut in the under sink cupboard and edged the worktops. Again a very productive day / weekend. Baz & Linzi paid us a visit too see it, they loved it and think we’ve done a great job. Barry reminded me how the living room was like his mums and said that pigeons used to crash in to the windows as they could see straight through front to back. Never happened to us, then Sharon and I were having a cup of tea and low and behold a pigeon crashed in to the kitchen window, I nearly poo’d my pants. Gemma and her mini tribe turned up with a few tiles, nice chat, hopefully we’ll be done inside in the next couple of weeks and they can put their own mark on it.Read more
28th May 2018
May 28, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
I had Friday off this week giving us a long weekend as it’s bank holiday yet again.
On Friday I had to agree a time with John as I was no longer able to get in. Reason? New front and back doors have now been installed. And they look absolutely fab. The back door makes a huge difference as we’ve gone for a half glazed one with clear glass. The kitchen is now flooded with light and once the garden is sorted it will be lovely to look out of. There is now a scaffold tower built around the back in readiness for the new guttering to be fitted and the vanity sink had been fitted to the wall in the downstairs loo. As Richard is now back from Florida, it was a good joint effort on Friday. Whilst John and Rich were out chasing around for supplies, I gave the kitchen a good tidy and rounded up all the tools. On Johns return, we made a start on installing the upstairs toilet. One of the first jobs was to get a 4” pipe through the wall. A piece of cake with the coring drill and bit but not without caution. Some careful measuring made us aware that we would only be about half an inch below the mains power cable running in to the house. As the scaffold was up, I popped up there, removed the clips and held the cables down just to be safe, I can’t lose him at this late stage 😂😂. When Richard returned attentions turned to getting the bath level and in situ, most definitely a two person job. We then left John in the bathroom and Richard and I went and did battle with the kitchen. I have to admit that was the bit I was looking forward to getting stuck in with as I knew it would dramatically change how it looked. We cut down the end cladding panels and fitted them, and made a start on installing the worktops. We’ve decided to try an invisible joint to join them rather than a bar. It’s a professionals job which you pay for but looks so much better. The idea is that you use a router and a jig to cut the worktop into two shapes, but the jig has numerous mountings and no instructions. Between the three of us, we worked it out and off we went. It’s turned out brilliant enemy though a little bit of fettling was required. John had got the sink attached in the bathroom and the waste pipes in position. It was a late finish but a great result.
Saturday morning was just Sharon and I as the boys were golfing for Tom’s stag party, I was just going for the beer in the evening so decided we would go and do a few bits. There was a mass of dust in the kitchen where we had been cutting worktops etc and the place looked like a bomb site. Sharon spent the whole day cleaning and tidying and the place just looked so much better. I cut the second base end panel and fixed it in to position to create the space for the washer. I also fixed all the door and drawer handles on and fitted the extractor fan before slap embarking on s massive clear up in the kitchen. Sharon’s Mum paid a visit and fetched me a chocolate cake to keep me going and Gemma, Adam, Bobby Jo and Joseph landed dropping the washer, dryer and outside front door canopy off. It was a lovely visit. Gemma returned later with Naomi and Izzy to measure up and again we had a lovely chat. They really seem to like it and we’re glad they are having it as we know it will get looked after.
Sunday was a day off as we had a visit from Bridget, Chris, Joseph and we got to meet the lovely Emeline, but we paid a visit as they wanted to see what we had achieved, they were suitably impressed.
Today, Sharon and I went this morning and were joined by John mid morning. Sharon made a start on tidying the living room whilst John and I got the waste pipes in place in the bathroom. We were a tiny bit of pipe short but that’s a nothing, that will easily be sorted tomorrow. We then went downstairs and connected up the vanity sink in the downstairs loo. Apart from waste that is working fine and we now have got and cold running water in there. Spok came for a look and likes the kitchen, we’ve advised we may need his services again as we may need another fire to burn some more rubbish. I reckon another couple of weekends will see the inside done and I don’t think the outside will too far afterwards.Read more
20th May 2018
May 20, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
On Monday this week the smart electric and gas meters were fitted so we now have a gas supply that can be used.
Poor old John has had a pig of a week this week, he never really gets frustrated but this week has just pushed him a tad too far. It started off with him finishing off the piping to the boiler that we’d started last week. That went well. However as soon as filled the boiler with water it pissed out everywhere. Even the non plumbers amongst you will know that’s not a good thing. Now if that had have been me, the boiler would have been knackered and I would have gone out and bought a new one, but good old JB’s not the sort of person to admit defeat. He stripped it down, found a perished washer, replaced it and rebuilt. Fair play to him, that cracked it and the boiler filled and held pressure. So his next job was to get a pipe from the gas meter at the front left of the house, to the boiler at the back right. The 2 couldn’t be further apart. Anyway, as I would have done, he went up in to the roof space, across and down in 22mm pipe and dropped it in nicely. His plumber mate made the connection to the boiler and meter and then tested it - queue issue number 2, not enough gas pressure. Cutting a long story short, the pipework had to be removed and the run shortened and pipe diameter increased. So he had no option to go around the front of the house, down the side and up in to the bathroom floor in 28mm pipe. That added another challenge, the gate now needs to be modified as it catches when opening. The dickhead next door had something to say when John was in there but he’s picked the wrong man if he thinks he can be cocky with John. Finally, he needed to get the hole for the flue drilled, he’s got a diamond core drill specifically for the job. And there sneaking in is challenge number three. The bricks are so hard, they burned the diamonds out on the drill and it got stuck in the wall. His only way out was to chisel it out. Despite all this, he never gave up and the good news is the boiler has fired up and is holding pressure which is great news.
On Friday night we were all going to Eddie & Lynne’s so I took him a nice bottle of red wine as I really felt for him. He then told me the clown next door had been round as he had a water leak and decided it must have been something a John had done from our side, like drilling through a pipe or something, John checked snd it most definitely wasn’t anything he’d done, so he took the opportunity to advise him if there was any damage arising from so called water leak on our site, liability and recommence would be pursued!! Good old John 👍
Saturday Sharon and I went up and it was another beautiful day. We had a bit of a tidy up and I set to fitting the fused supply to the boiler.. I also refitted all the upstairs door handles as Adam has been up there and finished painting them. He has also painted the front bedroom a nice blue/grey colour. It was royal wedding day and Sharon had a sore throat. I decided to take her home around lunchtime and I gathered a few materials and went back armed with a sandwich and some goodies. I chiselled the wall out and fitted the two post switch sockets and terminations for the hob and the oven. Filled them, refitted the cupboard and connected the oven up. I also realised that I had put a power supply in for the extractor. So again I chiselled out and added a spur ready for that. I didn’t seem to achieve very much yesterday but it took me all day and I didn’t stop. Having to pop home twice for bits of tools and wires slowed thing down. Finally I completed the consumer unit off, putting on its cover and labelling all the MCB’s up.
Sunday, Sharon was on a day off as she was going shopping for a dress with her Mum and Lynne, I went up this morning as I sold the 2 fireplaces we took out on eBay and one of them was being picked up this morning. I was there early so being a Sunday i am aware of not making a lot of noise. I turned my attention to a bit of painting. I painted the wall in the back passage, all the walls in the downstairs toilet, cut the walls back in in the kitchen so they have a nice neat line and finally I undercoated the sides of the staircase. I had a little tidy and then came home just after lunch.
I have took the liberty of asking a Uncle Spok if the gate is shared and it was purchased by Uncle Les, so I’ve advised JB of that and told him to fill his boots when telling the baffoon next for to “Do One”, I’m sure John will choose his words carefully 😂
So there’s been a lot of work this week but no big visible changes, that’s what happens at this stage, but I’d sooner there be central heating and hot water than something big to look at. Away again all this week, but off on Friday so a long weekend at it next weekend.Read more
13th May 2018
May 13, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Another great week whilst I’ve been away at work, John and Rich are flying. The big change this week is the fitting of the interior doors and handles. It makes a huge difference to the feel and sound of the place. There has also been lots of little woodwork jobs done, too many to list but all adding to the overall finish of the house. The large radiator has been hung in the dining room and the garden has been sprayed with poison to kill it off. On Thursday night we ordered the kitchen, after lots of ringing round, emailing, ebay comms, we finally got the whole lot for nearly half the quotes we were receiving from B&Q in Doncaster. That will be delivered a week on Friday. This Friday saw the electrics signed off which I’m am quite chuffed about as I did them from scratch pretty much unaided. A couple of lessons along the way which is definitely how you learn but on the whole no real issues, and only the one electric shock which was my own fault as I switched the wrong circuit off when installing the outside lights !! We have also rented it out to two of my cousins. It’s lovely to see them excited and they want to rent it for 5 years. I know they will look after it and that was a big worry, after all of the hard work we would have been gutted if it got wrecked, I know that it will be in safe hands.
Saturday was a day off as I had to get my eyes tested and loads of other things and we were out Saturday evening. But Sunday saw us back there (although a little fragile). Sharon concentrated on a massive tidy up. We loaded the car up with all the electrical stuff as hopefully they won’t be needed any more. We threw the second layer of insulation up in to the loft ready for fitting sometime this week and generally had a good sweep and tidy. We followed the same practice downstairs in the living room.
As Monday was a bank holiday, Sharon continued the tidy up and I turned my attention to filling and caulking all the woodwork which was all three bedrooms, landing, living room and hall. After they had dried I sanded them all down so they are ready for painting. I also started cutting in in the kitchen and painted behind the radiators in the kitchen and downstairs toilet. Gemma has been round and already painted the front bedroom, we have told her she can decorate it as she likes, after all it will be their home.
We have both been off all week so instead of getting up for the day job on Tuesday, we got up for the weekend job. Rich is on holiday for the next couple of weeks so at least John has someone to talk to. The weather has been glorious and we are progressing nicely. Sharon has continued with the under coating throughout the bedrooms as well as keeping John and I supplied in tea and biscuits. John and I have been concentrating on getting the remaining pipe work connected up for the central heating, as well as finishing some door shuts upstairs. We have got the boiler mounted on the wall in the bathroom and undercoated the living room. On Tuesday Night Gemma, Adam, Aunty Linda, Bobby Jo and Joseph all came round for a look. They are excited and we now need to crack on and get it done so they can get in. Adam and Joseph came on Wednesday and did some painting, under instruction from Sharon - blind leading the blind !!
Thursday saw Sharon and Adam push on with the gloss work and the upstairs doors. It’s such a fiddly job and very time consuming but they are doing a fab job. I started the day off by installing an outside tap, may as well at this stage, I’m sure it will come in useful. When JB arrived we set about temporarily piping the cold feed into the central heating system without the boiler connected and ensuring any exposed ends in the water side were capped off. We then turned on the mains water pressure and looked for leaks. “Mistakes, we made a few” but fortunately we didn’t face the final curtain. In fairness the mistakes were minor but enough to dampen a floor or two 😂, the upstairs radiators bleed screws were all loose so when the first rad pissed water all over the place, it was closely followed by all the others. There was also a plastic tee that hadn’t been tightened. To be honest if that’s the worse we’ll take it. The number of connections and tricky bends is quite high so one fail is not bad at all. After that we got the floor down in the downstairs loo, toilet reconnected and the floor put to the edge in the kitchen. We then drained the water system down and set to piping the boiler up. We took our time with it and tried to be quite methodical. We got a couple of the pipes in but had to stop as there were a couple of valves missing and we’ve had to order them. Whilst John went to order them I had a tidy up, sanded and undercoated the living room window sill. I also cleaned up the outside back windows. I sent Sharon home around 6 to get herself bathed and changed and then come back for me as I still had a bit of life in me. Whilst she was gone I cut in the kitchen, hall and downstairs toilet, put the first coat of paint on the kitchen ceiling and then finished cutting in the kitchen. A long old day but very productive.
On Friday, the first job of the day for me was to put a 2nd coat of paint on the kitchen ceiling, Sharon moved the remaining bits to the back of the living room in readiness for the kitchen units being delivered. We were doing well until I realised I was out of paint, I thought there was more upstairs but nope - so a trip to B&Q to get another tub. I finished the ceiling when I got back and not so long after that, the kitchen units turned up. All flat packed and in need of assembly. My dad offered some help so I took him up on it snd he came across for a couple of hours. We managed to get all the units built in just a couple of hours which was great. Adam came and painted some more of the upstairs doors and had the window blind man around to measure up for some blinds. We decided to call it a day about 3.30 as we were going to Eddie & Lynne’s for tea, something we were both looking forward too. Lynnes food is delicious, and it’s always a pleasant evening.
On Saturday it was just Sharon and I. First job of the day was to get the water pipes connected up behind where the cabinets are going in the kitchen to supply the sink and washing machine. Not a particularly difficult task but a good job done, we made sure they were clipped to the wall and were neat and tidy in-keeping with the jobs JB has been doing. We then progressed to fitting the kitchen units in place. We started with the corner base unit and took it from there trying our best to get everything nice and level and plumb. We didn’t do a bad old job to be fair and after the the corner and sink were in and levelled, the rest came along fairly quickly on the bottoms. I wish we could say the same for the wall cabinets, they were a pig, we took our time and marked everything up but unfortunately forgot to leave an 18mm gap from the wall to got an end panel on, so we needed to move the wall brackets by 18mm. The issue we ran in to was that there wasn’t a dab behind the bit of wall we had to drill, and it just caused us a massive headache, the top and bottom of it was the plugs weren’t really long enough and we made a right old mess of the wall. In the end we cut out a section about 4inches square, plugged a piece of wood in and started again. We finally got a nice tight secure set of brackets and the first wall cupboard was on nice and tight. The next couple were a bit mischievous but with a bit of patience (something I really lack) we got them up. I started to fit the doors and the first one was damaged and we were missing a drawer front. So Sharon went off to B&Q to get them changed and I put the the rest of the doors on, built the two drawers, installed the heat deflectors for the oven and sat the oven in place. Unfortunately i found another chip in one of the doors and I used an ever so slightly too long screw in the decorative panel under the oven. Whilst it’s not come through its ever so slightly raised. Not sure if it’s worth changing or not, I’ll take a view tomorrow. When Sharon returned we had a nice little sandwich, cup of tea and a biscuit an admired our efforts of the day. We put the replacement door and drawer front on and then called it a day.
And now it’s Sunday morning. I left sleeping beauty to it this morning and left about 6.30. As it was so early, I was on quiet jobs. I finished cutting in the kitchen and put a coat of magnolia on the walls. Even if the colours get changed, it doesn’t matter, it’s just a base coat really. Spok text at 7.30 to see if er wanted to go out for breakfast so at 9 we went to Snackattack and fuelled up. We did go back and I just ambled along with the magnolia in the hall, cutting in the downstairs loo and bits and bobs really. Sharon put some gloss on the landing and when that’s finished, other than the bathroom upstairs will nearly be done. We left at 11.00 as I have to get the grass cut, car cleaned out and pack as I am away all this week for work. Gas and Electric meters are being fitted tomorrow and hopefully the electrician will connect in to them.
A very busy week with quite a few very long days but it’s well on its way inside now.Read more
29th April 2018
April 29, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
A couple of weeks have passed since the last update that’s just because I’ve been to work for the past 2 Sunday’s and simply have run out of time.
That’s not to say things haven’t progressed. Most of the plastering has now been completed with just a few more bits to finish off but they are left exposed at the minute to allow access for gas and water pipes. The skirtings are fully fitted in the living room and the hall is fully plastered out. We have a loft access hatch which has now been tidied and the stairs are completed. All the architraves are complete upstairs an once the boiler and bathroom suite are in then upstairs will just about be complete. Outside a start has been made, all of the soil has been pulled back from the drive (Wally’s wife was happy to take delivery of that next door but 2 which has saved it being carted to the tip), the hedge has been pulled back and the wall knocked down far enough to allow for 2 cars to be parked on the drive.
Sharon has moved an awful lot of rubbish out and tidied up quite a lot inside. She has also undercoated all the skirtings in the living room. Her final task this morning was to gather up all the wood from around the back and pile it up at the side of the bonfire ready for burning.
A momentous day for me today, the electrics are now finally in place, new consumer installed and all circuits working correctly including linked smoke alarms and front and back outside lights. It’s really starting to come together now.
And this evening, whilst I was travelling for Work, Spok and Paul have been up and lit the bonfire eradicating the wood from around the back.
We’ve had lots of visitors, Spok and Denise keep coming along to gee us up, Sharon’s Mum and Dad have benn, snd Susan and Uncle Tony have been today. All are chuffed with how we are getting along.
Until next week........Read more
15th April 2018
April 15, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
I had Friday off this week so I put in an extra days work. I always feel I’ve done nothing when I spend the day with John and Richard as I seem to spend a lot of time doing silly noddy things, passing things, simple stuff that just feels like nothing. Friday was no different.
However, more jobs knocked of the list during the week whilst I’ve been in London. They have managed to get the floor frame in the kitchen and the hall laid and the kitchen floor put down. They have also replaced the last two windows in the kitchen and swapped the clear glass in the downstairs loo for frosted. The two new windows in the kitchen were frosted as they used to be the bathroom and the pantry, they have been swapped to clear and the difference is amazing. It’s a lot brighter and you can actually see down the garden which will be lovely when it’s sorted.
As I said, Friday I was there and didn’t seem to achieve much but we did manage a few jobs, mainly getting the radiators on the wall in the living room and downstairs toilet. More than that we got the floor up in the living room and got the pipe work through and into the toilet ready to link up in kitchen before we get them upstairs to the bathroom where the boiler will go eventually. I also ran a spur out of one of the living room sockets to the centre of the chimney breast wall, just in case we or any future tenant decide to put an feature electric fire in.
Saturday morning saw both Sharon and I in attendance, not quite sure what we were going to do. We were a bit later getting there as we were talking to Colette for about 45 mins and Daisy & Oscar needed a little fuss. Upon arrival around 10ish JB & Rich weren’t there. Unsure whether or not they were going we couldn’t really decide what to do. I was all for going home and leaving it but Sharon was convinced we should at least maybe try and clear out the living room. Fortunately JB turned up at that point and Rich wasn’t far behind him. Their plan for the day was to get the living room floor laid. That seemed to inject a bit of life in to me. We all started off by clearing the stuff out of the living room. Over the months, lots of stuff has accumulated in there but we made short work of it. Sharon was given the task of putting the first coat of paint on the walls in the bathroom upstairs, downstairs we connected up the radiators and filled them with water and pressure tested them for leaks before we started boarding the floor. Happy to report the pressure held so no leaks. That meant we could press on with getting the floor laid. It went down really quickly and the transformation was brill. That’s all floors throughout now new boards and no scorched boards in site anymore. John tidied up around the edges of the windows in the dining room and Rich got the sills on and in place. At that point I hoovered out the living room and tidied it up.
After John and Rich left, Sharon and I stayed on. I’d fetched a sandwich back from our favourite little coffee shop in Leicester Square in London so Sharon went of to the chippy for a bag of chips and we had our sandwich and some chips for lunch. Sharon had seen Aunty Linda when she was down the street and she came up for a look round. Last time she had seen it was just after it hat been on fire so she saw a massive change. She was telling me that once upon a time a Uncle Les had had a full car up in the bedroom - a Triumph apparently. I’d heard things like that but never a full car. But growing up Aunty Linda saw a lot of Uncle Les so if anyone would know she would. She also told us that Lass, his dog was buried in the back garden. I can remember Lass from when I was little, a jack russell type dog I think, not unlike Jack. Hope John doesn’t come across her when he gets the digger in the back garden, she won’t look too good now. Spok & Denise also came up to see how we were getting on and again they have seen a change and think it’s looking good.
Sharon completed the first coat on the bathroom and I cut in the living room and gave the walls their first coat of magnolia. Grand National day so I downloaded an app on Sharon’s phone do she could watch it. Her dad put our bets on and all Sharons horses fell, I got 2nd.
So after an slow start on Saturday morning we actually finished the day very well and achieved an awful lot.
We both went back this morning but only stayed a couple of hours, Sharon did s bit of sorting upstairs and I wired up the living room light, connected the fused spur in the living room and fixed all the plug sockets in. Only little jobs, but a few jobs less next weekend.Read more
7th April 2018
April 7, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Here we are again, another Saturday, another day of work. There’s not been loads of activity this week as John has been off, he went up on Friday and did a few jobs like clearing out the living room in readiness for putting down the new floor, and they also repaired the bottom steps of the staircase, removing the burnt wood wherever there was any. The difference is tremendous.
So this morning for me was all about stripping the paint of the staircase sides. I’d love to say it was a simple 5 minute job but I’d be lying. It wasn’t horrendous just quite boring and laborious and quite physical scraping the paint off. I used Nitromors to soften the paint, 2 applications and then left it 40 minutes to react. Then with a paint scraping tool scraped it all off. Finally, I sanded them all down flat and they came up really well. We decided to just do the sides as the headers and treads will be covered in carpet. John and Rich turned up about 10.30 armed with all the flooring to floor the living room and kitchen which was their plan for today. Unfortunately the builders merchants were out of stock of the wood required to build the frame so that job has to be put on hold until next week. So instead they insulated the remainder of the insides of the walls and boarded out the last little bits in the hall including round the front door and the ceiling. That job takes longer than it looks but again it’s a great job done. There are hardly any exposed walls left inside now.
I pointed out the slight opportunity about the light cables being plastered over in the kitchen ceiling, between the 3 of us we had an educated guess where they would be based on where I thought I had run them and where Rich thought he had put them before boarding. As Rich set about putting a hole in Johns plaster, I bogged off to Cooplands for the Steak Slices !! Upon my return they had managed to find the switching cable but not the two ring main cables. Looking at it I think they are the other side of the strengthening lattice that they put in. It’s been decided they will put a bigger hole in to retrieve them and re-plaster it back up. It’s not the end of the world.
Sharon came later on and she was set on painting. The two walls under the windows in the living room so that the radiators can be put on and then she started to cut in in the living room. Meanwhile I fixed the plug sockets to the wall in the front bedroom after checking the electrician wouldn’t need access to the back of them. I also re cut and painted the bathroom ceiling with a second coat and the same in the living room.
It’s coming together nicely, that’s it’s for this weekend as I’m off to London tomorrow for work and not back until Thursday.Read more
2nd April 2018
March 31, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C
Last weeks update didn’t happen, I just forgot. That’s not to say that nothing had happened though. John has been on holiday since Tuesday and not back until the middle of next week but he did manage to get through more work before he went. The kitchen is pretty much plastered now including the ceiling apart from the very end bit which has been left exposed to enable us to get central heating pipes in and connected as well as water feeds. Downstairs toilet is also plastered out and the window has been replaced. From a plastering point of view there’s not too much left now. The back wall in the kitchen has been left as we’ve decided to replace the 2 windows rather than trying to clean them up. The window sill in the kitchen front window is now on which makes the world of difference, guess my hammer will live in the cavity forever now. I went last weekend and watered down some white paint and whitewashed the ceilings in the bedrooms and put a first coat of magnolia on the walls. Suddenly it’s looking like a new house upstairs.
It’s Easter weekend this weekend so a long weekend, also Sharon is back with me so we’ve tried to make it count and bashed on. It was quite cold when we first got there and I was all ready to fire up Bertha 🔥, only to realise John had taken her home. Sensible really as we try not to leave anything of value there. Friday morning we were there armed with takeaway bacon butties from Snackattack. First thoughts when we got there was that the kitchen was like a scene from the Krypton Factor. As John had been there plastering the ceiling before he went off to Spain, he had breeze blocks, scaffold planks and tressels built up so he could walk freely all over the kitchen whilst being able to reach the ceiling. It was a criss cross of scaffold planks and wooden pieces. So we made our first job the task of dismantling that lot. I have noticed he’s forgotten to expose the wiring for one of the kitchen lights which could be fun trying to find without ruining his fresh plaster !! Sharon then set about having a tidy and a sweep downstairs and I made it my mission to get a new toilet pan installed temporarily for obvious reasons. That was successful, what a difference after a sweep and the fact that we have a flushable bog (although only flushable with s bucket but beggars can’t be choosers)!!
We then moved on upstairs. Painting was the name of the game. It’s a slow job but we made good progress. We managed to cut in and paint the landing ceilings as well as cut in the 2 smaller bedrooms, put a coat on the walls and cut them in a second time. They have also had a further two coats of white on the ceilings. The master bedroom had 3 coats on the ceiling last weekend and a couple of coats on the walls so that’s just going to want a further coat on the walls. Was a long day and a 7.30pm finish thanks to the clocks going forward last weekend.
Saturday saw more painting, we’d been to get more magnolia for the walls but it was a very slightly different shade. However it seemed to cover better which reduced the number of coats from three to two. Sharon’s mastered the art of cutting in and the number of cups of tea we had was no longer limited as we have a loo. She concentrated on cutting in upstairs and I set to about getting the next coats on the walls. Between us we managed a second coat on both the smaller bedrooms, a third coat on the master bedroom (so the colours match), a second coat on the landing ceilings and the first coat on the landing and down the stairs. So all in all a very productive day. All 3 bedrooms are now emulsion’d and the stairs and landing has had its first coat.
Sunday was a day of rest as far as painting was concerned (well that was the plan). After breakfast at the cafe with Spok & Denise we dutifully arrived for day 3. My aim for the day was to get the downstairs plug sockets connected up and plugged in to the temporary supply to test and see if I had dropped any goolies. Sharon was to set about clearing the masses of amounts of wood, tools, electrical fittings and all the other accumulated crap out of the bathroom. We set about our tasks. I was doing quite well until about half way round when the wire strippers snapped, and my Stanley knife had done a disappearing act. I did find another knife belonging to JB which bailed me out. Sharon did a cracking job clearing out the bathroom. I managed to get all the sockets on including the isolating switches and I’m pleased to report they worked first time with no dramas. Pretty pleased with that.
As we were ahead of schedule we decided to get the bathroom ceiling cut in and painted and the living room ceiling too before finishing off cutting the bathroom walls in. Every time we add a coat of paint the place brightens up no end.
Easter Monday and we were up and about reasonably early. White over outside and snowing like mad. We set our stall out and decided we were only going until lunchtime today as we are both a bit tired. We had a spot of breakfast and off we went. Upon arrival, we went in, picked up the paint brushes that we had wrapped up and dutifully left again. Decided to go home and have a day off. We are very happy with what we’ve achieved this weekend and it’s certainly starting to look good now.Read more
17th March 2018
March 17, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ -1 °C
I was struggling to motivate myself to go to Langold this morning but I knew I’d enjoy it when I got there. It was absolutely freezing outside this morning and there was a lot of snow forecast so I put on my layers and off I went.
There has been some more action up there this last week even though John had said he had other things to do. The living room is now fully plastered out including the ceiling, the downstairs toilet is now fully boarded out and there is a new window in there although a bit of a goolie has been dropped and the glass is clear rather than frosted. Not sure if we ordered it wrong or it was supplied wrong but it’s not a big job to fix. The wall in the kitchen had also been boarded where the consumer unit is going to fit and a header to tie the freestanding wall to the brick built stair wall has been built.
I was on my own today and the first thing that hit me when I got there this morning was despite it being biting cold outside, it was quite warm inside. I decided that the first thing I would do was to get the master bedroom tidied and swept out before sweeping down all the walls. I then made a start on painting the ceiling in the master bedroom. Just a whitewash to seal the plaster. I watered down a large tub of white paint and cut around the edges before rollering the ceiling. Arm aching work but one of the nice and easy jobs. As I was on a roll I continued through to bedrooms 2 and 3. Although the paint was watered down the ceilings covered remarkably well.
The gaffer (JB) popped in at lunch time just to see how I was getting along and to see how his plaster was drying. He decided it would be worthwhile to fire up Bertha to inject a bit of heat in to the place even though it really wasn’t that cold. However I wasn’t going to complain as those of you that know me know I hate the cold. He didn’t stay too long, he cleaned up a couple of the bedroom walls to remove any plaster splashes and did a few other bits and bobs before disappearing instructing mr to turn off bertha before I left.
I moved on to fixing last weeks little blunder and attempted to fix the missing wire from my 2 way switch for the landing lights. I ran a switch cable from one of the upstairs landing lights, across the loft, down the inside of the wardrobe in to the roof void above the hall ceiling before trying to find it and run it to the switch in the hall. I’d love to say it was a doddle but I’d be lying, however I did manage it. A combination of me running up and down stairs, up and down steps to get in the roof space and Bertha saw me needing to shed a few layers. I was slowly roasting, in the end I gave in and turned Bertha off.
I then returned upstairs and recut and painted 2 of the bedrooms ceilings for a second time. Uncle Spock came up to check on proceedings just as I was finishing off. (His absence last weekend was noted by JB).
As I packed up and opened the front door to load the tools up in to the car I was hit by the Baltic weather, nipped back in and re-layered. That’s it for this week as I’m working tomorrow I’m in Perth in Scotland - well as I write this it’s totally white over outside and we are on an amber warning ⚠️ for snow so that could be an interesting trip !!
Thanks for following, our sick note has her pot off on Tuesday so I’ll be conducting a back to work interview next Saturday morning 👍. Until then, AdiosRead more
11th March 2018
March 11, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Here we are again, another weekend. Last week John was at Langold in his own and there has been progress. He’s managed to just about finish the boarding, piped up all the upstairs radiators and pressure tested them and plastered the largest kitchen wall and the opposite chimney breast wall in the living room.
I decided to go for a couple of hours on Friday night and my father offered to join me. It was a very productive evening and we managed to get all the socket fronts on the upstairs socket ring main. We then ran a plug to the temporary supply to test and voila - all upstairs sockets working. Quite a nice feeling as I did all of that by myself. It’s the first circuit of a few but hopefully the rest will be problem free.
Saturday and it was just me and the gaffer. John turned up with a Steak Slice for us both, it’s a usual ritual for him and Rich and I normally abstain but occasionally give in. John’s aim of the day was to complete the plastering in the living room. Obviously everything takes a lot longer when you’re working alone but he still blitzed it. I helped with finalising the boarding of the living room ceiling but John cracked on with the rest by himself. And he nailed it, living room completely plastered with only the ceiling left. My task for the day was to make a start on getting some of the upstairs ceiling roses in place. It’s a slow job but methodical all the same. I managed to get all the bedrooms done and the bathroom. Then it dawned on me, when coming to do the landing lights I’ve forgotten to put a twin and earth switch cable from lamp to switch. To be honest I didn’t know it needed one, I’d already dropped a 3core and earth in to link upstairs and downstairs and thought that was all I needed. Obviously not !! So that’s the first mistake of the rewire, but it’s not a disaster. There a couple of options, get a live to the switch at the bottom of the stairs and cut the board that hasn’t been plastered, or potentially fit a junction box in the loft and connect in to it. John is going to discuss with the electrician to get advice. Other than that little pho par, another productive day.
Today, although saying I wasn’t doing Sundays, I decided to go for a couple of hours to complete the upstairs lighting ring without the switch cable for the landing lights which can be added later. I took Sharon and she was amazed how much it’s changing even in the last couple of weeks although she wasn’t allowed to do anything but sit and watch. I linked in the two landing lights, and connected all the switches. Other than 1 temporary glitch success !! We now have fully functioning sockets and lights upstairs, even cut out the noggins to allow the bedroom light switches to sit flush. All the sockets are at regulation height and I’m quite chuffed with where we are at. If all the other circuits go as well then I’ll be very happy.Read more
3rd March 2018
March 3, 2018 in England ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C
Back to it today on a very cold morning with lots of snow still hanging about after a week of terrible weather due to “The Beast from the East”. Sub zero temperatures and lots on snow in the middle of the week has made for difficult conditions all over the country. Sharon aka Sicknote stayed at home today but she did do some ironing which in her predicament was a tremendous achievement.
I hadn’t expected John and Rich to have been there this week but they had although Rich had been off for a few days with the dreaded cold. He is off for the next week as he is on holiday so JB will be on his own if he goes up. Yet again there has been great progress, they have now got all of the upstairs radiators on the walls and quite a bit of the pipework in, nearly all the skirtings and architraves are cut and in place upstairs, the ceiling in the kitchen has been insulated and about half of it boarded and the kitchen wall where the old chimney breast was has been boarded. What a transformation. Talking to John, the chimney breast wall was a bit of a monster and took both him and Rich nearly the whole day just to do the one wall. I can believe it too, it was very undulated and not true but now it’s boarded it looks spot on. The thick black soot has disappeared and its starting to look a lot lighter in there.
I went up this morning and and John and Matt followed fairly quickly armed with yet more plasterboard and glue. The aim of the day was to crack on with boarding the kitchen out. I was the apprentice, fetching carrying, cutting and basically doing anything I could to help which also meant I was chief tea maker. It was very cold at first until JB fires up Bertha. A 50,000 BTU Kerosene heather that quite frankly heated the place up within minutes. I guess the last time the place was that hot was when it was on fire almost a year ago !! Progress was excellent today, the majority of the kitchen and the hall is boarded out now and we were only forced to stop due to us running out of glue and board. Still what is left to do from a boarding point of view is small, a third of the ceiling in the living room and about the same in the kitchen and a few bits and bobs in the kitchen and downstairs loo. The transformation is fantastic, the whole place looks so much lighter and maybe even a bit bigger. The kitchen diner is a lovely space and it’s hard to believe not so long ago it was a kitchen, bathroom and pantry.
I’m not going tomorrow, with all our little mishaps lately I’ve decided to try and have Sundays off. I will spend tomorrow sourcing some materials for the second fix of the wiring and some admin. If there is a picture of the kitchen boarded out on this blog then I may have nipped up there to take it.
So until next week, over and out.Read more
24th February 2018
February 25, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 2 °C
The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the lack of an update last week. Unfortunately poor Sharon had another little mishap. Whilst we were there on Sunday morning she managed to fall out of the back door resulting in her breaking her wrist. She is ok, she will mend but she really didn’t need it and was a tad upset and frustrated. The kicker being it’s on the opposite hand to her broken finger so she’s struggling to do a whole host of things. However, a week later and she’s coming to terms with it and getting back to her old self. I’ve not been there as much this weekend, I decided to take a bit of well needed time off. That’s not to say nothing has happened, read on...
During the week the boys had been up and done quite a bit more. Things really are starting to look different. Most of the upstairs is now plastered, all of the door frames are in so the upstairs are well defined.
Last Saturday once again was a full team although Sharon had the day off as she had to get her false nail removed on her broken finger. She dropped me off, made the troops cups of tea and off she went. My job for the day was to get the electrics in to the kitchen. The socket ring was at the door from the living room as I had already got it that far, so all I needed to do was decide where I wanted the sockets, fix the back boxes to the walls and get the cables to them drilling roof beams and feeding cables through before returning to the consumer unit above the back door. Not a difficult job but quite time consuming. I managed to get the wiring in and returned for the sockets, rewired the outside light, got the cable through the wall and sited the light switch for it in the hall. That just leaves the light switches to fix to the wall, wire in an isolator and socket for a washing machine an potentially put in a 6mm cable if we decide to put in an electric hob. Jury’s out on whether to put an electric one or a gas one so I’ll need to think about that.
The boys attention was on boarding, they boarded down the rest of the stairs which was a challenging job due to the walls being so far out. Also lots of awkward cuts around the hall too. They also completed the boarding out of the living room, in some places they were having to put more than one board on just to keep the walls upright. They also filled between the roof joists with insulation and boardedthe ceiling. They left a couple of boards off the ceiling to allow access to the floor in the two smaller bedrooms to be able to get the central heating pipes in and run them across to the kitchen. It has made the room look a lot bigger and brighter and you can feel the temperature difference between the living room and the kitchen.
We were treated to dinner at a John & Dianne’s in the evening which was lovely as ever and we’ve managed to come up with a date we can all get together and meet at their place in France which will be lovely and gives us something to look forward too.
The plan on Sunday morning was to complete the kitchen wiring, tidy up in there and get the upstairs tidy. We managed to get the whole of the upstairs tidied and swept, and quite a bit of the kitchen tidied before Sharon had her little accident which put pay to that. We spent 3 and a half hours in A&E where I seem to becoming a regular.
This week once again no shortage of work from JB & Rich. The upstairs are all plastered out now with the exception of the back of the wardrobe in the master bedroom., the chimney breast walk in the living is plastered, all the way down the stairs are plastered, the central heating pipes are installed from the 2 smaller bedrooms through in to the kitchen and from front to back in the kitchen. Also most of the skirtings and door architraves are now in place upstairs. So once again a great effort by them both.
I went yesterday morning and the boys didn’t go this week. I decided to complete my wiring in the kitchen and then pack up and go home and spend a bit of time with Sharon. I opted to put in a 6mm cable to supply an electric hob in the kitchen should we decide to put one in. If we don’t, at least the cabling is in should we ever change our mind. I mounted the switch back boxes and drilled through to the outside wall to accommodate an outside light at the back and put a switch in for that at the side of the back door. There’s now going to be lights outside both at the back and the front.
JB popped up for a chat and to see what I was up to and I left around 1.30. It’s made a big difference having a bit of time off but I’ll be back on it next weekend although I’m maybe going to take it a bit easier on a Sunday !!Read more
10th February 2018
February 10, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
Here we are again, another Saturday and both of us reporting for duty bright and breezy this morning (Don’t feel quite so bright and breezy now though !!).
An eventful week, John and Rich have been up in the week boarding and plastering upstairs. I popped up on Thursday during my lunch break to say hello as I needed some fresh air. As I had turned up, Rich popped out to get a hair cut so I hung about for a chat with the gaffer. He was plastering the ceiling in the master bedroom. All of a sudden a large dollop of plaster dropped in his left eye. We rinsed it with copious amounts of water, rang Rich to come back with some optrex but John really was in pain and struggling. The only day of the week the chemist was shut, so half hair cut Rich came back to drive John to the supermarket in Carlton. He also tried to rinse it whilst I went but we weren’t getting anywhere. Long story short, I ended up taking John to A&E and then on to Doncaster to get him the treatment he needed. He is ok although his eye is very sore, he has lots of drops and needs to go back on Monday. In other news, Rich got the van stuck in the mud and Dianne had to go up and tow him out. They don’t do things by halves them Bowns !!So, as I said, a pretty eventful week.
That said they have cracked on nicely, the little back bedroom now has its ceiling and all walls bar one plastered, the master bedroom has the ceiling plastered (thanks to rich finishing it off due to Jon’s mishap) and a wall in the master bedroom is also done.
A full complement of staff in today, and as usual no shortage of work or fun and banter. Sharon was on scraping plaster off the floor duties in the 2nd bedroom between making tea and tidying up. She was well rewarded by the gaffer as he temporarily stuck the old toilet back in which although needs flushing with a bucket, is fully functional in every other way. I’m pleased to say John was being sensible and has kept out of the dust and postponed plastering until next week but that hasn’t meant he’s taken it easy. Between them they have boarded out the rest of the bathroom, the rest of the bedroom, the rest of the landing, half way down the stairs and made a good start on the living room. The transformation is remarkable. Another fantastic job done today is the old broken bedroom window has now been replaced completing the windows from the front. The only reason it’s been left as long as it has is it was taken out often to allow the large sheets of plasterboard to be passed up through the hole to avoid having to negotiate around the new walls on the landing. A sterling effort by the boys.
I was still on wiring duty, completed the living room ring main, got the switch cables in for the living room and hall, replaced the boiler stat cable and sited it which runs from the living room to the bathroom and got all the back boxes on and fixed and all the rubber grommets in place. We decided to change the room thermostat cable as I had originally dropped it in with a view to putting it in the hall. I’d used 1.00mm twin and earth cable but JB had a suspicion it needed 3core and earth. A quick call to Alan the electrician and turns out we were both sort of right. The cable I had run in would have been fine but wouldn’t have ever taken a newer spangly stat. With that in mind, and the fact that the one I had dropped in needed completing as I’d run out, we decided to replace it with 3core and earth. We also decided to site it in the living room due to the fact that there’s no room in the hall for a rad. So I re routed all that and got the cables in and clipped up.
After the boys left, Sharon and I blitzed upstairs, gave it a good tidy and a good sweep. It’s looking amazing up there now. Spok came for a look and was suitably impressed, Sharon FaceTimed her Mum and Dad as they have not been well enough to get up for a while and again very chuffed with how we are getting on. Sharon had a conversation with the lady next door but one who’s daughter maybe looking for somewhere to rent so there may be an opportunity there. Doris next door thinks she can here the radio playing at night, she dutifully advised John and her carer confirmed that there is a ghost living there 😂😂. Fortunately none of us believe in that crap, clever ghost though as we kill the power whenever we leave !!
Day off from that job tomorrow as I’m working the real job in Kent next week and have to go tomorrow so we’re not going up there. I think we can justify half a day off.Read more
4th February 2018
February 4, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
It’s been all go this weekend, and work is progressing nicely. Again a full team yesterday minus Sharon as she needs to make sure she keeps her dressing clean on her fingers, and as JB and his team were there I at least had someone to talk to. I didn’t take to much grief about last weeks mis hap although Rich did christen me Lionel Ritchie in honour of his hit Dancing on the Ceiling. There has been some work in the week and it really is starting to take shape. During the week John and Rich have managed to complete the rest of the stud work, boarded out the larger of the 2 smaller bedrooms, and even got the ceiling and one of the walls plastered as well as getting the loft insulated. I had been up and ensured that any cables that needed to run from upstairs to downstairs were in place. That meant getting all the coax cables in for the TV points 📺 (one in each bedroom, 2 in the living room as we couldn’t decide which side of the room to put it, and one in the kitchen), all leading back to a central point in the loft for a splitter. I also installed a 10mm earth supply for the gas meter and got the cables in for the smoke alarms, one on the landing and one in the hall. Finally, the upstairs sockets that were fitted last week had the grommets put in to them to make sure they comply when the wiring comes to get signed off. One could be forgiven for thinking JB had forced as much glue and plaster in to them making it very challenging to get them in, but I’m sure that was the furthest from his mind !!
Yesterday’s work saw the upstairs change massively. 1st of all the remaining old upstairs window was removed and the large plasterboard sheets were passed up from the back of the trailer through the window and in to the front bedroom. It was all systems go after that, John cracked on with plastering the rest of the bedroom. No quick task. Although it was all boarded out, the walls were not square and true and so John was doing his best to make them as square and flat as he could. It looks perfect to me, he has done a fantastic job. He is a perfectionist and it took him the whole of the day, even trowelling it up after the others had gone and the light was barely left.
Rich and Matt spent the whole day boarding out the rest of the upstairs. Again no easy task. They work like a well oiled machine, each of them always one step ahead and no time is wasted waiting for anything as they both just seem to know what is next and are already on it. They measure and cut a room full before mixing the glue and sticking them to the wall taking a lot of time getting them flat and upright. They have managed to get all the outside walls in the back bedroom done, the landing and most of the master bedroom. The upstairs is now almost all boarded with just a few outside walls left. The walls were that bad in places that to keep them flat, 2 plasterboards have had to be stuck in in the middle but only one top and bottom.
All of this makes a massive difference to the heat in the house, especially upstairs. Got a visit from Spok to see how we were getting on and as he’s says it changes every time he comes up.
Today, Sharon and I weren’t going to go but I’m conscious that there’s so much i need to do and whatever I don’t do will impact on John. So we met Spok and Denise for breakfast and then went up. Sharon did battle with the upstairs and did a great job clearing up tidying and sweeping up. Again, the front bedroom is looking fab. Completely plastered and drying nicely. I cracked on with a few more wiring jobs, extended the ring main for the upstairs sockets to include a double socket in the loft for the TV booster, I also dropped a cable in from the bathroom to the hall (all though it needs extending slightly as I ran out of cable) for the room thermostat from the boiler. I then moved downstairs and mounted all the socket back boxes in the living room making sure they are at the right height for the regulation approval and level, before finally starting to drop the cables in for the downstairs ring main. Most of the living room sockets are now wired apart from the last two. We have made sure that there are plenty of plug sockets.
Again, Spok and Denise popped up for a look as Denise didn’t see it yesterday. Other than Sharon’s Mum and Dad they are the only two who are genuinely interested and as excited to see it progressing as we are. Paul also came up this afternoon and dropped us a boiled off which we are a while from fitting but probably not that far. He saw a massive change as he’s not seen it for a while.
At 2.30pm we decided to call it a day. We can see it starting to take shape and it’s going to be really nice we hope. The burnt smell has completely disappeared and it coming together nicely.Read more
28th January 2018
January 27, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
So, on my list yesterday was remove the living room floor and carry on with the rewire. We arrived yesterday morning and was pleasantly surprised as John, Rich and Matt were there. I didn’t know they were going this weekend but it was great to see them. We had a cracking and productive day. My wiring job was to wait as I was able to be of use with the jobs they were doing. The window was removed from the upstairs bedroom and loads of sheets of plasterboard were lifted up through it. That was to be the main job of the day. Sharon set about cleaning up the kitchen and I loaded all the old joists and boards on to the back of Johns trailer. I then progressed to helping cut, hold and screw the plasterboard in place upstairs. It was an all day job but we did manage to get all the ceilings upstairs done and the walls in the two smaller bedrooms in. New loft hatch cut out, breeze block wall knocked out on the stairs and a repair to the roof. We also managed to cement a new waste pipe in to the main drain for the downstairs loo which John will put in as a temporary measure next week. I took a shine to the gadget used to screw the plaster boards to the joists without pushing the screws through the board.
After they left, Sharon and I stayed and had a tidy and a sweep in the 2 newly created bedrooms. Unfortunately when we returned home Sharon had a bit of a mishap. Uncle Spok managed to get us some collapsible ladders I was looking for and I put them up when we got back to see how high they were. They are spot on, however they didn’t collapse as I would expect so Sharon pushed one of them down for me. They came down, and trapped and crushed one of her fingers, we spent 3 hours in A&E and she has fractured a finger. Made worse by her false nails apparently as the nail underneath the false on can’t flex so it’s broken it.
It didn’t get much better today, I left Sharon in bed and went up early as there’s a lot to do so I don’t hold John up. I started off by extending the lighting ring in the loft to accommodate a fan in the bathroom and a shaver point. I also dropped all the lighting switch cables in so the upstairs ring circuit is complete. Stupidly I was rushing around and managed to put my foot through the new bedroom ceiling. I was gutted, really hurt my knee but managed not to fall out (just) but took the shine off things. Anyway, that doesn’t get the job done so I went back up and tidied and clipped all the cables down without any further mis haps. Sharon came up to provide tea and a bit of fetch and carry but she was on light duties. I managed to get the downstairs lighting circuit in and half of the switch cables dropped in. The final casualty of the day was a bit more severe, RIP to my trusty claw hammer 🔨 . May you be happy in your new home which is in the cavity under the kitchen window !! You will be missed.
I got a call from John tonight and I had to break the news, he knew before I’d even told him that I’d come through the ceiling - he laughed so much. I’ve got my defence loaded when Rich finds out, it’s a lot cheaper for a new piece of plasterboard than it is for a piece of glass that he bust when putting the windows in!!
So a lot achieved this weekend although it didn’t feel like it by the end of today. The place really is moving along. John and his team are doing a fab job.Read more
21st January 2018
January 21, 2018 in England ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C
Another productive week by John and his team. During this week they have managed to get the new flooring down in what will be the master bedroom and bathroom and get the stud walls in place for the bathroom, master bedroom and bedrooms 2 and 3. It really is starting to look a bit different now and it’s clear to see layouts and room sizes which are a lot better than I had in my mind. The new bathroom that is going to be upstairs and the master bedroom are a lot bigger than I thought they would be. Bedroom 2 is a reasonable size and bedroom 3 is the smallest but still enough room for a single bed, wardrobe and small cabinet.
Being able to walk everywhere upstairs without having to balance on beams makes a huge difference. John has also strengthened the ceiling rafters in the bedrooms with the studs and plans to beef them up a bit as there is a 30mm bow in them. He has rectified this but wants to add some extra support. He has also discovered a water leak from a rogue tile on the roof which he will sort next week. We uncovered loads of spare tiles when we chopped the garden down last year so one or two of them will come in handy.
So our task for this weekend was to make a start on the first fix wiring for upstairs. I know where the consumer unit is going to go so that’s where we started. I decided to put the upstairs lighting ring in first and that all went pretty smoothly. The hardest part really was crawling around on the roof rafters for getting the cable runs in. What was great was we decided the positions of the lights, it was down to us and we took the advice of Spock and put them all in the centres of the bedrooms. Spock’s thought on that are that they are ideal if people want to add a ceiling fan.
The upstairs sockets were a bit more challenging, not really difficult in any way, just awkward getting cables routed where we needed them. We are in a lovely position really as there are no ceilings on any level yet so the upstairs sockets were all wired from downstairs above what will eventually be the ceiling. The stop point for the day was to get the upstairs socket ring in and we did that although we didn’t leave until 6.30 by which time it was pitch black and baltic.
Sharon spent a lot of the day tidying up upstairs and helping me pulling cables and fetching and carrying whilst I was hanging from the roof etc..
We both left last night absolutely knackered, came home, had a bath, had tea and were in bed by 9.
We set off with good intentions this morning meeting Spock an Denise for breakfast at 8 with a view to going up for a couple of hours, Sharon to tidy the kitchen, me to get the upstairs light switching cable runs in place. However, it was so cold and we were both still a bit tired so we had breakfast, went up with Spock and Denise to show them how we were getting on, and then we came home. I’m working in Kent this week so have to go tonight and won’t be home till the end of the week so we thought bugger it. We have a few jobs to do at home today and then I’m off.
So it’s progressing nicely, and there’s plenty for us to do next weekend.Read more
14th January 2018
January 14, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
I was called yesterday morning at 8am by the gaffer JB asking if I was going to work. Well I was and to my delight there was a full team in today. So Sharon decided she would stay at home and catchup on some of the household jobs that have taken a back seat recently. Rich, Matt, me, JB himself and Director of Operations Jack the dog were the team today and I have to say, what a day, great banter and boy do they work. They have been up in the week whilst I have been at my day job and got the majority of the replacement beams in in the kitchen. Upon arrival Matt was on brickwork duty. He was rebuilding the tops of the walls between the newly replaced joists and filling and blocking underneath them. Rich was on with replacing the joists at the top of the stairs. Upon Mr Bown’s return from gathering supplies he made a start on removing the old lintels from above the windows in what will be the two smaller bedrooms. I made myself available as the general lacky, fetching, carrying and do the simple tasks like screwing the beams up and making tea. Everyone mixed and matched and helped each other and they seemed to get through an awful lot of work. All the beams are now in in the kitchen and the landing, the lintels in the bedrooms have been replaced with new concrete ones, all around the windows have been re-bricked as well as above the front door which will eliminate some draught. The floor in what will be the 2 front bedrooms is now complete as is the floor to the top of the stairs.
When the real workers left, I decided to try and have a bit of a tidy up and sort out to aid them when they return. The plan on their next visit is to put the floor down in the master bedroom and maybe make a start on the stud walls. Sharon came across and we moved the floorboards that we took up last week down in to the kitchen so they are easily accessible to put down in the living room. Some of them were so long we had to pass them down through the roof in the kitchen. We also made use of all the old boards that were used to board the windows up after the fire, we put them in what will be the loft as that will be a good idea to store the insulation which we intend to order this week. We also tidied up the living room and finished with a good sweep up. Hopefully that will help John and the lads when they go back up as it’s always better when it’s tidy. They can crack straight on and won’t have to bugger about tidying up and making room to work.
A long day and a late finish for us, gone 6 when we left but a very productive day.
Today, I went up this morning to measure up for the loft insulation and the insulation in the ceilings downstairs. 2nd & 3rd director of operations (only pipped at the post by Jack) popped up to check on proceedings (Spok and Denise). They can see it changing every time they visit. We then went out to buy a consumer unit for the re-wire and some cable although the cable was out of stock so will get some of that in the week. We have also had some admin work to do which takes longer than you would think. The company “LJM Property Services (Worksop)” has officially been registered with both Sharon and I as directors so we have had to do a few tasks relating to that.
So all in all a very productive weekend.Read more
6th January 2018
January 6, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
After quite a break with Christmas and work Christmas Parties etc, Sharon and I went back to our part time job today. I had been up just before Christmas to meet John up there as he dropped off some beams. We had decided that there was still a bit of a smell of smoke we thought but couldn’t be sure so we took the decision that whilst we were at the stage we were at we would replace the floor/ceiling above kitchen and the large bedroom. So the beams were got in readiness for that. Since then the only things that appear to have changed is there are 2 new concrete lintels above the 2 downstairs doors. I can’t decide if John has been up or I missed them before Christmas. Also Paul has been and got rid of the last lot of logs from the back garden from the massive trees that were taken down and cut up when he did the massive garden tidy up when we first got the place.
So today’s task was to try and remove all the floorboards in the large bedroom as carefully as possible trying not to damage them wherever we could. The reason for this is we would like to use some to replace some of the damaged ones in the living room. A bit easier said than done as quite a few were already damaged but we did a reasonable job and managed to save a good 90%. Any damages we can cut off and also cut out any smoke damage if required.
Removing the old beams was a bit more difficult as they were extremely heavy and really needed two people of similar height and two pairs of steps. Obviously Sharon is quite a bit shorter than me and we only had one pair of steps. So I went it alone. Not a bad effort, I’ve got most of them out just leaving the four at one end until I’ve spoken to John as removing them will take away the landing at the top of the stairs. I plan to do that when we can replace them on the same day.
We had the site inspectors round today for a review of proceedings (Spok & Denise). It’s lovely they are taking an interest and it’s nice to show them how we are getting on. Sharon was a great lackie and moved all the boards as I took them up. She also kept me supplied in tea snd was great with the tidying up. The best bit is we both love working up there together and we usually get a fairly good result.Read more
26th November
December 2, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
Billy no mates this weekend but only did Saturday as I need to get the garden ready for winter at home. It’s been absolutely freezing today but once I got stuck in I was fine. There is still a bit of a burnt smell in the kitchen so I made it my mission to try and remove everything that is still burnt. I started by removing the plaster from the walls inside the cupboard in the master bedroom and the ceiling. I also removed the door and frame. I then removed the final bit of plaster from the stairs wall. I think that wall could be an issue, it’s a breeze block wall but it’s sat on a floorboard, not even a hoist. I think it may need to go and be replaced by a stud but I’ll get John to confirm when he’s better. Next I got in the roof space and swept all of the dust from the beams to help when it comes to screwing plasterboard on there. Next I tidied and finally swept the house throughout. All the old doors have moved out in to the outside shed and all the rubbish taken out. I had a quick tidy up on the path on the front and a sweep so it looks a little bit more presentable.
As John is going in to hospital on Monday, we are not around for the next couple of weekends due to Christmas party in Swindon next weekend and Baz’s birthday the week after and then Christmas, there’s not going to be much activity up there.
So it’s all nice and tidy inside now ready for the next time.Read more
19th November
November 19, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
A tremendous amount of work done by John and his team this week. All the fireplaces are now out and bricked up. The floor in the left side of the house between the living room and 2 upstairs bedrooms has now been replaced. The concrete floor in the kitchen and downstairs toilet has been removed, damp course laid and re-concreted. The windows have been ordered and arrived on Friday. The gas supply is now laid to the house and is ready when we need to get some heating and plumbing installed.
So, Sharon had the day off yesterday as John and Rich were coming up and I was playing apprentice. The aim of the day was to get some windows in. I got the pressure washer going and tried to clean the smoke off from the bricks above and to the sides of the living room windows. I used some TFR and smoke remover along with a wire brush. It’s massively improved but I think it coild to with a bit more fettling. We managed 5 windows which is great. There are only 3 left to install but the ones they still need to replace are currently functional. It’s made such a difference, the whole house is light and feels bright. Unfortunately Rich broke one pane of glass but only slightly. It’s fine for now but we’ll replace when we need to.
Sunday morning saw Sharon and I go up for primarily a clear up. I removed a door and frame from the master bedroom entrance and a remaining bit of wall suspended from the ceiling on the other side. I also removed the ceiling from the downstairs passage and downstairs toilet and ripped out any old remaining wiring that was very charred along with the slightly scorched door in the toilet. Slowly but surely the burned stuff is coming out We’ve still got to decide what to do with the beams in the kitchen, I’m going to see if they will wire brush next weekend and if the smell is any better. It’s almost gone but there’s still a small trace. Removing the charred cable and ceilings may have helped, we’ll just have to see. We then had a good clean up, John came up and foamed the windows in and then we left.
Progression will be a bit slower until after Christmas as John goes in for his operation on Tuesday. We wish him well and hope all goes well.
Very happy with where we currently are, really enjoying it and we’ve only had it for 7 weeks.Read more