Tuesday 19 January 2010

Building works

Snowy slopes and blue sky
Great news! Alf has visited a couple of times, and we now have a finished loft access hatch and bathroom wall where the radiator is to go. The plumbing brothers are due to call later in the week, because the situation with the polystyrene balls in the hot water system has not miraculously resolved itself, and the hot water flow to the bath taps occasionally reduces to a trickle. And they will fit the new radiator, so we can carry on constructing the rest of the bathroom.

Alf travels from quite a distance, and doesn't want to make the journey for just an hour's work. Our solution has been to compile and send him a two-page list of everything we want doing, in three priority categories. He can choose jobs he'd like to combine into a satisfactory day's work, and we get a bit further ahead with our essential maintenance.

So far he has fixed the hole in the living room ceiling, as well as the loft and the bathroom wall, and patched another hole in the porch with 'brown' which will need skimming (I know all the terminology now). His next job will probably be the front door - replacing the rotting frame and patching up the door itself before repainting it, and then there's the airing cupboard that contains our new hot water tank... and much, much more.

I am still revising, although I am finding it more difficult than previous years. I am not optimistic about the exam I did last Monday, but it's impossible to tell, really. The second and final exam is on Friday.

The photo at the top is from a couple of weeks ago - at last the snow is gone, although it was replaced by a flood warning on the River Leam. The water level did get quite high, but would need to be significantly higher to pose a risk to us.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

All that building work going on around you!
Hope the revision is going well, although it is not good for you to feel anxious, it makes me feel less stressed that I am not the only one with doubts about performance. Good luck with your exam on Friday.

aims said...

Study girl!

My renos are coming along too. The third floor is done. Finally. All I have to do is give the steps another coat of paint and then varnish them to keep the paint on them. Hard to do when you can only do half a step at a time so you can use them.

Tomorrow we rent a sander and do the dining room floor. The baseboards are all painted and ready to go down once the floor is varnished.

The fireplace room needs grouting around the fireplace but the trim is down and done.

Next job is either the living room or the stairs. It's a toss up.

Final job - new kitchen.

Sound familiar?

Anonymous said...

Good luck with final exam.....

Brett said...

great picture.

Lola said...

Thanks for your support, everyone, and thanks, Brett - if you think the picture's good, I'm well pleased!