Saturday 13 June 2015

catch up

OK...long time since I posted anything.... What have I been up to ? Ever had some work done on your house.......................................................................................................................................................?
I decided that the utility room was a complete waste of space as it was a freezing cold box of a room....2 feet away from the door from the kitchen to it was bathed in warm winter sunlight and the utility room temperature drop meant it could double as a fridge.....the toilet rarely got used as it was so cold. So I asked for a half glass door to the garden to be put in and the windows on the opposite side to be blocked up. The room to be gutted and insulated. Toilet removed. New boiler put in and the old one from the garage removed. The half glazed door let in the warmth of the winter sun...much better. So I have washer, dryer and dish washer in there, storage and a sink for messy things...Like paper making, dying etc....well, you didn't think it was for ....cleaning... purposes did you??????
I intended to have new radiators later because of the upheaval....The new boiler caused the old pipes to "knock" Weird noises could be heard next door coming from the chimney breast ....like something inside wanting to get out...scaring the lovely little girl next door. The radiator was on the chimney breast wall. Then there was the racket sounding like someone was kick starting a motorbike .... Next door (the other side) has a motorbike that he doesn't get to use much...as an ex biker I appreciated the need to get it out and get it going even if you weren't going for a spin.
Eventually I realised it was coming from INSIDE my house. It frequently stopped before I could identify where it was coming from...It turned out to be the same bedroom that backed onto the lovely little girl next door... as I raced upstairs to see what was happening I could feel the whole floor vibrating...and I really do mean rattling your teeth vibrating !! I rang the plumber guy ...he lives a short distance away. He appears running...turns into my drive....the noise stops ! He hangs around for a bit...no noise...goes home to finish his meal. He must have just got his shoes off when it happened again...he comes running back....and just as he turns into the drive......it stops ! I am curled up at the bottom of the staircase in hysterics....I can't stop laughing....at my age I was in danger of disgracing myself..! So I had the upheaval of radiators renewing... some moved positions.  New radiators don't correspond size wise with the old ones.....so redecoration is required as the wallpaper is obsolete.... more work is being created....
As I had removed the toilet out of the utility room....I needed a downstairs loo.....I had a cloakroom which really was a cupboard for storing seasonal things...cooling fan...heaters...the boxes of stuff I take out to do my Rubbish Talk..etc. That got emptied, insulated, plastered and turned into the downstairs toilet. The soil pipe outside was cast iron...it had to be changed to accommodate the new loo...so the upstairs loo got changed at the same time.....this left ugly scars on the wall where the old one had been........... The bath room was the the room I really wanted altering.... I wanted a corner bath as I can't get out of an ordinary one....my legs don't bend enough due to many falls...When I've painted it I put some photos up......I also asked for the back door in the kitchen to be removed and bricking up and a window putting in and the kitchen units moved a little bit, new worktops to be fitted....still to do units and worktops...
Did I say that I spoke to the guy last day of June last year... who said he would be finished on his current job in August.....he started here in the October 2014.... Every room in the house is piled with STUFF that is waiting to go back to where it should be.....I could put it back but I bet I'd have to move it almost straight away because it my time for them to come back !!!
Add to that a couple of falls...sinus flare ups and hay fever.....as much due to the dust as pollen...
The garden has been a sea of blue and yellow.....beautiful....but back breaking  digging the dandelions buttercups and forgetmenots .....
wonder id it will all be done for the anniversary of the start date in October.....
I made a list this morning....when it is all done.... I have to move the little cupboard in the halllway....I can then move the Ercol display cabinet...then I can move the bookcase to make space for the desk. Where the desk was I can shift the big computer desk with storage underneath there and put the side board in its old place to put my sewing machines on....making the flow and space better used. Having moved the sideboard ...the little cupboard I moved first will fill that gap with two sentimental wicker chairs.....and put the cushions on I've hoarding for that purpose..........................
these eyes have been keeping an eye on things for me.....lol
 utility room

cloakroom storage room
when rooms are as they should be...I'll post pictures....