The work continues

We are now in week 5 of the building works and although things are happening, it does seem to be taking a long time.    Achievements so far include:

• Repairing a lovely old brick and flint wall
• Removing and replacing raised beds - doing away with the crumbling bricks and replacing the sides with timber
• Removing more unloved plants and broken pots
• Laying new paving and brick edging for a shingled area 
• Making a new kitchen floor which is dampproof
• Dampproofing the walls in the kitchen and one of the sitting room walls
• Taking up floor boards here, there and everywhere and discovering rotten joists, woodworm and death watch beetle to name but a few! 
• Making safe the old electrical system and getting ready for the electrics for the new kitchen
• Moving lights to more suitable places
• Measuring up the new kitchen cabinets
• Replacing worn bricks in the outside wall

Well, when it's all listed they do seem to have done quite a bit, but the house is in turmoil with all our belongings being shifted from one side of the living room to another, beds being up-ended and bedding stuffed into cupboards and tools everywhere.  We want our house back!   And clean!

We are also anxious to get on with some of the work we want to do ourselves, but we're having to be patient. 

Only one things has gone slightly wrong and it's being put right this week, we hope.   The raised beds were filled with top soil which had no organic matter in it.  None of the builders seemed to understand the need for compost/soil improver in the mix, although the landscaper where they bought the soil could have told them.   It seems we were all new to the requirements for raised beds and I hadn't thought to check as the company is very well known and of long standing.   I assumed they had done this before.   They are the Queen's builders for heaven's sake!

Moaning over!  On the plus side, all the builders are extremely pleasant and careful.   I've started taking a cake down when we make our weekly visit, to keep them sweet! 

Conference in the kitchen

The garden taking shape

The new kitchen sub floor

The central raised bed.