The Transformation - Week 3

 Week 3 for us started on Sunday 16th when we set about taking the plaster off the internal wall in the back bedroom as there were a number of patches on it where the plaster had blown.  So we set about the task with dust masks and hammers and Oh boy the builders were correct when they said that it was a messy job - we were absolutely filty by the time we had finished and a shower was never so welcome.  There were moments of 'are we doing the right thing here' as there were some parts of it that seemed to be OK but in the end we rationalised that it was cheaper in the long run to plasterboard it rather than have it re-plastered in the traditional way.

 Believe it or not this is a view from the 'Dressing Room' into the 'Shower Room' and the 'Bathroom' beyond it - at least that's the plan!

The entrance to the dressing room emerges from the dust of a lath and plaster wall and rather more of it came down that had been expected!

 The perspective from the dressing room into the guest bedroom.

 And in the middleof the chaos a rather beautiful rose is in full bloom in the courtyard.

Apparently this square cap on the old gas pipe is good - in as much as it doesn't need a team of specialist gas engineers from British Gas to come out and establish whether or not there is a gas supply to the house.  Having said that the next step was to request a visit from a Wales and West Utilities Gas Engineer to establish whether there was still a gas supply to the pipe or not.  Unfortunately there was a sharp intake of breath when he arrived as it is a cast iron pipe and he wasn't qualified to check that out.  So anyone putting money on how long it will take the specialist engineer to appear and check that one out?

There was probably a gas meter under this manhole cover at some point but as you can see it is no more!  Beady eyes may spot the maggots and the ants now in residence - about to be exterminated!

 Phew - this had the potential to cost a few thousand pounds but apparently despite the scruffy appearance on the surface it's a solid Bresummer beam and isn't going anywhere.  That's more than can be said for the wooden infil  pieces it is sitting on - so save on one thing spend on another - that beam will definitely require support (as it holds up the bathroom) when they remove the rotten wood and fill the spaces with epoxy resin!

 The bathroom sink is no more...............

 The shower room is beginning to take shape

 As is the dressing room.................

The back bedroom is the first one to have a plaster skim on the ceiling.

 Guest bedroom ceiling

 Large front bedroom has a plaster skimmed ceiling as well

 First fix electrics - apparently the electrician spent that day in the loft!

 Once this wall had plaster then it had none (this is the wall we stripped back to the lath).  then it had plasterboard and then the electricians arrived and then it had some as they cut a huge section out of it to run the wiring for the sockets!  The chippie was none too pleased at the electricians handiwork but the alternative to that would have been taking the skirting boards off and as they are apparently two pieces of wood - well constructed to look like one at a glance -  he forgave them!

 The electricians are clearly in residence.

 As are the plumbers..............

 We are relieved that this is the old furniture that is being moved from pillar to post as they plaster the ceilings as it is substantially more robust than modern wardrobes.  However, it's a case of breathe in and wriggle through the gap at the side to view the progress in the shower room.  It has been platered as well but not enough light to get a decent photo at the minute.

 There is wiring in the ceiling, the walls and under the floorboards.  We reckon that the builders have to buy several saws every week as they appear all over the place and are covered in all sorts - in this case plaster!

This weekend we were on a mission to de-clutter our 'other house' in the village so that the Australian High Commission staff could view it as a prospective rental home for the August 2013 arrivals.  So our activity on the old shop project was limited to visiting the plumbing company to finalise the details of the bathroom and shower room so that we don't hold up the plumbers when they are ready for the second fix.  In between picking up and dropping off the hire van with which we loaded and deposited several loads of 'stuff' in our friends garage loft and in the outhouses at the Old Shop  - we even managed to choose the tiles as well. 

We wondered several times over the weekend how we have managed to acquire so much 'stuff' and in particular pictures, paintings and photographs, perhaps we should turn the 'Old Shop' into an Art Gallery - answers on a postcard please! 

However, we decided to spend Sunday afternoon sorting out the debris in the courtyard as a pile of mixed rubble/wood/plasterboard etc is not acceptable as a mixed load in these environmentally friendly times we live in.  So one messy pile has now been transformed into a slightly better mix of just rubble that can hopefully be taken away by a low-loader skip.

 As hard-core

 Scrap metal of various sorts -

 Salvage yard material perhaps - note the old hot water tank which was full of some kind of stone - can't recall the name - but seemed more like cork.  That has now filled up the trench that had to be dug to find the T joint in the water pipe (following the discovery that the water had not actually been turned off and subsequent soaking) which they discovered was at the opposite end of the trench to where they had started to dig!!

Plasterboard, soft board, old lino and bitumen lining from the downstairs rooms - several trips to the land fill by us I suspect as builders charged for disposal of this type of material.

Our kindling supply for the next few years!

An that's the end of Week 3..................................................................... and it's all downhill from here as we have passed the summer solstice now so the days are shorter!