WEEK 17 Despair

Doom and despair this week and the reason why I haven't written the blog until today. The bricklayer Alan turned up last Saturday to announce that he was not able to get in for another three weeks! We are beginning to have windy wet weather(not all the time) and are anxious to get the blockwork finished. I found a guy from Appin who came up - spent ages with Phil - agreed a price and said he would start on Monday 8am. Monday morning came - no Gavin. I rang his home and his mother tells me he has far too much work on and would not be there! So in desperation we have found Roy from the Gumtree website. A bricklayer in Glasgow he wanted to come up to the country and was looking for sometyhing. He is supposed to be arriving on Friday. Of course we are in a position to provide accomodation so that was a bonus. We will just wait and see if he turns up and if his work is reasonable. Needless to say Phil and I have been very depressed and the stress levels have been HIGH. - thank goodness for the Tai Chi!


For something more positive. Because the flank wall is finished the frame of the Porch is now up and the next stage is to get the garage up so we can get the roof on. Dave and Vic have also replaced the big window and the doors are on which means the house is protected from the elements. Phil and Jeremy have finished the plaster boarding and now have to rub it all down. We really are getting on very well inside - if only we could get the outside going as well. What it is to be reliant on other people!
Eddie - The scaffolder has come to an arrangement with us with regard the scaffold as he needs it elsewhere and we in effect are not using it at present. This will save us money and do him a favour.
The oil tank is being filled tomorrow ready for the Aga to be installed on Thursday. The kitchen now arrives in two weeks time and Phil and I have arrranged a trip to Inverness next week to collect some materials and look at tiles.

Will keep you posted as to progress after the weekend!

WEEK 16 - GETTING THERE

Things seem to be moving again be it slowly. Alan, the brick layer, has been on his own this weekend using Jeremy as labourer. Norman was not available. But despite heavy rain on Sunday he has now got the right flankwall finished and upto cill level round this side of the house both at the back andthe front. Not bad going.

Phil nad Jeremy are now hard atwork preparing
the base to put the porch up.Phil has got so fed up waiting for people to turn up that he has decided to get on and do it himself. They are planning to put the timber structure in palce for the porch together - if we wait for the carpenters that will be another few weeks and we can not afford this time with the winter setting in. Also all this delay is costing because we are having to keep the scaffold and the fork lift on site so we are trying to save money. This project is becoming very much a self build!

This week Phil put the stairs in and at last I am able to go up and see upstars. It is all looking very good and as most of the plasterboard is finished it is really taking shape. Since the photo below was taken this area has also been palster boarded. All we need are Dave and Victor to come at the weekend to replace the window then Phil can finish this area and we can get it weather tight.

WEEK 15 - SO SLOW

Not a good couple of weeks - I suppose at least things are happening be it very slow. Inside the plasterboard is up as far as possible (can't do the garden room until the window is replaced) and Jeremy and Phil are taping and jointing madly. I must take a photo of them in their white dust suits - they look like a pair of snowmen (especially Phil with his pipe).

The new window arrived at the end of last week but we have to wait two weeks for the carpenters to get back to replace it. We won't know until then if this one fits.!

The bricklayers are doing an amazing job seeing there is only two of them - not the gang as we were promised. This photo was taken before the weekend and the blocks are a lot further up now. Basil has had great fun running off with a jumper belonging to Norman and I have spent ages getting it clean!

Things are happening but "Oh so slow" Wondering if we will ever be in - have been at this for two years now.

WEEK 14 Brickies on site

We have just had a disastrous week after Mark who had started the brick laying and been promising for the last few weeks that he would be back to do the blockwork announced that he had taken another full time job and that he was unable to do our job. Imagine Phil and my reaction when we heard the news and we have been very fed up to say the least. Time is pressing on to get the blockwork up, finish the porch and garage and get the rendering done before the winter weather sets in. Inside a great deal of the insulation and plasterboardis are in place and should this get damp due to a prevaling wind and torrential rain it would be a problem. We were only helped through the week by the fact that we had Martin and Jenny staying and this kept us putting on a cheerful face although I am sure they could feel the tension
However (I have to say thanks to Mark) we have brick layers on site - working weekends only but certainly this weekend they have done quite a bit and we are hopefull. We have to hope that the weekend weather is good and any rain we get is during the week. -

The replacement windows are due this week and the third stage arrives on Tuesday. This includes internal doors, stairs and skirtings etc. It all has to be kept dry and primed as soon as possible to protect it from damp.

The Aga has been postponed until the end of the month and the kitchen also as we need to get the walls in order first.

Heres hoping to a better week