Tuesday 25th March - progress on roofing

Andrew, who is going to finish off the roof for us, has been and set up a line around the building to enable him to make the trim level, as the roof has unevenesses - for example the roof on one side of the chimney is 2 inches lower than the on the other.  

Work starts next weekend..........

An additional treat to having this line is that when the wind blows it starts to hum, so the house is now a music box.

The pictures show the corner points and levels that Andrew has set up.

Tuesday 18th March

Some pictures of the before and afters of the floor painting, just simple stuff, needing a couple of coats for a good finish, on the rather uneven surface.
We are using Farrow and Ball 'green smoke' floor paint.

bathroom floor prepared for painting, waiting on delivery of primer and paint

the en suite repainted

small bedroom cleaned ready for painting

first coat

second coat - think it needs another one as painted over shiny surface!

And the OSB sealing......

Similar work done on all the panels around the house.

Saturday 15th March

Today have been mostly

• sealing the metal work either side of the chimney
• 
  
• painting the exposed OSB with weatherproof sealer 
• 
  
• painting floors

and watching RUGBY.

Wednesday 12th March 2014

Slowly gathering together various people to finish the building....

In the meantime, the curtain track has arrived, so we will be spending the weekend measuring, levelling and getting it up.  Am about to order some soft cream linen fabric to shade the sitting room when it is very sunny (like it has been today).

track, with lots of hooks and tape - ignore my foot! 

Wild and windy March 2014

The saying is that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, or the other way around.  This year it seems to be coming as a lion and we have been battling to keep the tarpaulins attached to the side of the house.  Hopefully not for much longer as at long last some quotes are coming in from the Rockwool people and their contractors, so watch this space, but don't do it whilst holding your breath!!!!!

Some photos of the billowing tarps.  Don't know how many people Christo must have had when he wrapped up his various buildings.  I suppose if we could tie it down round the whole building that would do the trick, then we couldn't get in (or out).

Wednesday, 5th March 2014

No posts recently, not a lot to say.  Still waiting for......... all the bits to be finished.  Moving along very, very slowly.  I give it six weeks to be finished!!!! Ha.

In the meantime, have ordered a blind for the study corner of the sitting room; have been thinking about a table top to go with the legs that I have bought. Have put up some ornaments and acquired two or three art works, for which we won't have wall space!  Need to decide where we will put the rotating picture shelf (the pictures will rotate, not the shelf).

Had a comment, and I don't know how to post a response, other than here, so here goes:

Hi Maggie, we have installed idealcombi windows recently and have noticed that most of the external corners have been 'filed down' to remove sharp edges thus exposing the aluminium beneath the powder coating. Have you experienced this? Ideal say this is 'standard practice' but this is nonsense.... 

Hi Steven,
No, all our corners were complete with powder coating.  No exposed edges anywhere.  I would not expect there to be any un-coated edges anywhere. The only problems we had with the installation was that I was not aware that they had installers in Scotland.  So our windows had to be un-installed (as you will have seen) and then re-installed.  If I had known that on the list of installers Midcon had installers here I would have used them.I would get back on to IdealCombi, I wouldn't it satisfactory.  Certainly no sign of filed edges in their showroom, or on the aluminium samples of colours that we received.  Good luck.
Hope your build has gone better than ours.
Best wishes,
Maggie.

That's all for the moment, folks.  I hope to be giving you some good news, very, very soon.

Tuesday 11th February

Seems to have been a busy couple of weeks, but somethings to show for it......

Today, radiator thermostats fitted to all the radiators

Next, the hall and book cases,

the old bookcase, with boxes of books waiting to be shelved.  This has now been moved into spare room

new, bigger, bookcase

New chest of drawers (for me!) which I am very pleased with, and it is in the bedroom, which is still full of boxes, but not for much longer.

hadn't realised there was so much junk still on it, oops
next time you see it it will be from a better angle and looking tidy!

Then we have being doing stuff with the garage/workshop/study and my studio. The beginnings - a catalogue of befores.....

my studio

my studio and the struts for the book case

my studio and the shelves for the bookcase and some of the books

Mark's space in the garage/workshop, in process

the workshop part of the garage, in process

So, we have been busy, and so not much time to update the blog.  We have family coming for supper tomorrow night (Henry, Susan and Ali) and Mahala coming on Thursday, and then we are off to Mull for the weekend to see Jackie. Tomorrow will be more sorting for me and shopping and cooking, something simple I think.

Oh, almost forgot, had a visit from Rockwool rep and REA rep today, re the wall - they came to measure up for the repair work they need to do.  At last a move in the right direction.

And at the weekend we had Howard (Webster Joinery) come to measure up for the pigeon holes we are having in the kitchen, and the under the sink/worktop shelves/drawers unit.  He is also going to fit the wood to the window frame/chimney breast which is still to be done.  We could do this ourselves, but we worry that it would look like we had done it ourselves, and it would be nice to have a professional finish to the room.

Thats all folks for this week, I think. Come back soon.

Towards the end of January 2014............

Time is strange, it doesn't seem long since Christmas. And yet, January seems to have stretched forever.  

All the family back home and doing their various things: at work; taking exams; new courses; looking for new ventures/adventures. 

We are moving on slowly, having to do one thing so that we can move stuff around to be able to do another.

Mostly we have been building a partition in the garage to create a cosy space for archiving books and papers, and to keep it separate from the workshop space at the back.  

We have made use of the original house doors to create a partition.  Now to paint.

Have also been sealing the shower walls in the en-suite bathroom, having found, eventually, and at great cost, a 150mm (6") cowl to go over the pipe, which was letting in water and damaging the ceiling of the shower.  Not sure why it had to be such a big pipe, but it was on the original plan.  Wonder whether it should have had a bigger fan, as the one we have is only a 100mm (4") one.  However, have now solved the problem so no rain coming in through the pipe.  Also found a hit/miss vent cover to go in the bathroom, instead of the unsightly hole in the ceiling.  Mark has now been on the roof and tightened all the covers to the pipe works so now there is no water ingress through them.

We have been looking at the big mirror we have and wondering where to put it!

Have decided that on the wall above where it is propped up now would be a good place.  It is a solid wall and will take the weight, and would reflect light into the hallway.

And here it is well screwed to the wall - I think you can see that it is a mighty piece of work, made by a friend of ours.

We also put up this by the front door.  Love this happy image of Picasso and Francoise Gilot, by Robert Capa, from 1948.

Have received some metal legs today, to make a desk/table for the computer in the sitting room.  Not unpacked yet, but expect to see them soon.

Also, am in the process of making some glass tiles for a splashback in the bathroom, so pictures of those when they have been made.

So, although the house is nearing completion, still lots of things to show you in the coming weeks.

Sunny Wednesday and quite mild, so able to do things in the garage......

Over the past few days we have been working on the garage, making a study/book-store area, separate from the workshop part.  This will enable to store many books that are not wanted day-to-day, and create good storage for the tools which are currently in a less than dry shed, and are showing signs of rust in places.  Not good storage for electric drills, etc.  And plenty of space for the workbench and my mini kiln (on a concrete floor).

We have been able to utilise old doors from the house and offcuts of timber from the build as well as some of Finn's splendid screws that were left over from his build!

looking towards the workshop end

workshop end looking  toward new store

measuring up for the door.....

.......the door hung

Also been doing a little retail therapy!  Have bought a cowl for the en-suite extractor fan, and a wipeable tablecloth for the kitchen table.

14th January 2013 was the start date of this project.

17th January 2014, and there are still some bits to be finished internally. The exterior has the major amount of work to be done.  Roof trim, sealing between wall panels and frames.  Cowl and sealing around roof exits.  And of course the Rockwool wall.  Again Rockwool have failed to respond to our requests, and deadlines..........

Here are some pictures,

Now you see it

the skip..... that is

Now you don't

the skip was uplifted yesterday

Mark has spent some time this afternoon clearing up the mud and debris from a round this are so it looks much clearer than in this photo.   

More news next week, folks.

11th January 2014 - a sunny Saturday, 3 days short of when we started the build

Not a lot has happened since the last post.  A sunny day, so clearing up my store of glass (old windows from the original house) which got blown down in the storms before Christmas.  We heard a tremendous thump one night, and the sound of breaking glass...... Still, I will be able to use some of it in my glass fusing class.

The skip is almost ready to be taken away.  Mark has been cleaning up the yard in the front of the house, so that the skip can be taken at end of next week (needed to move stuff so the pick-up lorry can get in).

Much moving of boxes and crockery, so that we can fit things into hall cupboard:  vases, candle sticks, extra large dishes, that sort of thing.  

Have contacted a woodworker to come and give us an estimate for making some nice pigeon holes to go above the sink, for cups, coffee, plates etc.; and to build an under-sink cupboard, drawers and shelves, and a shelving system beside the fridge for cookery books.  Also to finish the woodwork in the sitting room, beside the big windows.

We have a roofer who has been to look at finalising the roof for us, and we are waiting for a drawing from him.  Then we can start to finish the exterior.

Still waiting for a positive response from Rockwool people, who are being very lackadaisical about their wall system.  

Beginning to think about the front garden ideas now.

Well, all for now, come back again soon.  Off to watch The Bridge! 

A New Year - 2014

Thank you to all who have been following my posts for the past year - it is just a week short of a year since we began the build.  

And here are some Christmas pictures and some pictures from today, to show how we are shaking down, although there is still some way to go.

Cosy Christmas eve fire

Christmas eve, cards still to go up

what a jolly tree.......

........and flowers and cards

the chimney with its new pot

kitchen now in action

dining area and new cooker

the hallway

the other hallway

our bedroom, with unpacking still to be done, once we have more storage space in kitchen 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Monday 23rd, rugs down, beds made, waiting for the first guests to arrive. Fridge to fill, tree to get, and turkey to collect on Christmas eve.  

Boxing day, we have been out for a long walk along Aberlady Bay, and now back to another grand feast.

Photos in next post.

17th, Tuesday....... plumber's been, electrician's been

I have a kitchen, and have done my first lot of washing in the machine for over 11 months (I have had access to other machines, not done without clean clothes for that period) thank you to my daughter, Mahala, who provided us with a splendid washing and drying service.

Dishwasher running.  Sparkly plates and glasses.

I am painting and cleaning - windows, floors, walls etc.

Here are some pics:

new cooker and clean windows

washing machine and dishwasher, and new fridge 

Pantry

the china cupboard (at back) and the temporary under sink cuphoard

another portrait of my new cooker

the kitchen sink.........