When we started, we didn't have a clue where or how to start. Bumbled around with architects, who appeared fresh and full of good ideas. In hindsight, they weren't brilliant on extensions, might have been better on a new build.
Chucked out the build to several builders, one was a recommendation. You know what, a recommendation is worth it's weight in gold.
Along comes a great team.
Lee Hudson Builders. This is Lee, his sons Charlie and Will, along with Ben the plasterer. Lee is a really nice and genuine bloke. They work hard and they work well. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. In fact we have plans for them and phase II, the garden.
J&R Joinery. The J is for John. Although Jay didn't recognise the name to start with, turns out he'd worked on the house 20 years ago when her mum and dad were here. The wardrobes he put in then were a nightmare to rip out last year. He definitely builds things to last! Stephen is John's son and is very much a craftsman.
Del is the plumber, recommended by Lee. Comes in, does a bit of a fix, first or second, then is gone. We may have to pay him money one day.
Mark the electrician, is a bit a of shadow, hardly seen him, but things keep lighting up, so he must be there somewhere.
R&P tiling complete the team, We talk by text, think I've met them once, possibly twice. The tiling in the en-suite is top notch, They're doing the bathroom in a couple of weeks and quoting for the kitchen floor this Monday. Mention their name in a tiling shop, and a discount appears :)
Everybody knows each other and comes on the recommendation of each other. Couldn't be better.
Showing posts with label building. Show all posts
Showing posts with label building. Show all posts
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Dog Walking Got Exciting!
We walk Buffy-dog a couple of times a day on common ground which is separated from the new house by allotments. The most exciting part of the dogwalk used to be poop-scooping or fending off giddy puppies who 14 year old Buffy really has no patience for any more.
There's a new excitement on the daily walks now though, which we never anticipated - now the builders have started, we get the first glimpse of what's happening up there - especially as most of the work is taking place at the back. It was on a dogwalk that we first saw the scaffolding was up, and where this afternoon I saw that although we currently have no roof, we have two of the velux windows in place. I have to say though, looking at that slate-less roof, I hope we don't get too much rain tonight!
I think Al and I will be fighting over who takes Buffy for the next couple of weeks until all the work moves inside - or it gets even colder, in which case he can do it ;-)
Jay.
There's a new excitement on the daily walks now though, which we never anticipated - now the builders have started, we get the first glimpse of what's happening up there - especially as most of the work is taking place at the back. It was on a dogwalk that we first saw the scaffolding was up, and where this afternoon I saw that although we currently have no roof, we have two of the velux windows in place. I have to say though, looking at that slate-less roof, I hope we don't get too much rain tonight!
I think Al and I will be fighting over who takes Buffy for the next couple of weeks until all the work moves inside - or it gets even colder, in which case he can do it ;-)
Jay.
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Winter is Coming
Ok, I know not everyone will get that reference, but I like it!
It was a tough anniversary last week - six months since losing mum. In many ways it's flown - it's hard to believe I haven't seen her for so long, but at the same time, it seems to have been a really long summer. I think we've achieved a lot with the house. We've almost finished stripping everything out inside, settled on final plans, had builder, plumber and joiner quotes, and are about to offer the job to our first choice of building firm.
We've just about finished clearing the garden. The massive sycamore tree at the bottom gets felled today, which should make a lot of difference to the light, but now it's turning cooler and wetter, we're going to be limited with what we can do in the garden over the next few months. There are a ot of paths and small walls for raised beds to be removed, so we might get some of that done, but really it depends on how wet the autumn is, and when the builder can start - our access will be a bit more limited once things start moving on the build.
In many ways it feels like it's been a bit of a lost summer. Usually we'd have been on holiday last week - Al was off work, but we cracked on with work at the house instead, and put the cash saved towards the build. We'd also normally have spent the summer having lots of days out - either to the seaside or out for picnics at Brimham Rocks & Fountains Abbey, but again, all our free time seems to have been spent working.
I know it will all be worth it in the end, of course it will, but I can't help feeling a little sad that the summer's just about over and we missed most of it!
Jay
It was a tough anniversary last week - six months since losing mum. In many ways it's flown - it's hard to believe I haven't seen her for so long, but at the same time, it seems to have been a really long summer. I think we've achieved a lot with the house. We've almost finished stripping everything out inside, settled on final plans, had builder, plumber and joiner quotes, and are about to offer the job to our first choice of building firm.
We've just about finished clearing the garden. The massive sycamore tree at the bottom gets felled today, which should make a lot of difference to the light, but now it's turning cooler and wetter, we're going to be limited with what we can do in the garden over the next few months. There are a ot of paths and small walls for raised beds to be removed, so we might get some of that done, but really it depends on how wet the autumn is, and when the builder can start - our access will be a bit more limited once things start moving on the build.
In many ways it feels like it's been a bit of a lost summer. Usually we'd have been on holiday last week - Al was off work, but we cracked on with work at the house instead, and put the cash saved towards the build. We'd also normally have spent the summer having lots of days out - either to the seaside or out for picnics at Brimham Rocks & Fountains Abbey, but again, all our free time seems to have been spent working.
I know it will all be worth it in the end, of course it will, but I can't help feeling a little sad that the summer's just about over and we missed most of it!
Jay
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Moving Forward ..... Slowly!
We were on holiday last week, which was lovely, but had an email while we were away from the architects. They wanted to set up a meeting with the structural engineer we'd hired on their recommendation. A little strange, as we'd originally been told that there should be no need for a site visit - he would just work from their measurements. However, as we basically have no clue what we're doing, all we can do is agree and go along with it!
The meeting took place on Tuesday. The engineer seemed friendly and very very knowledgeable. Everything we want to do seems do-able, although I'm really worried about the costs. We can't put the project out to tender and get quotes from builders until we have the more detailed drawings needed for building regulations, which means at the moment we have no idea whether or not we'll be able to afford everything that's in the plans. Catch 22 really - we can't get a quote without the plans, and yet it seems silly to do the plans if we may not be able to afford the work.
We've stressed (again) to the architects that we're keen to press on and get things moving, so hopefully we'll have the final plans soon and can get some quotes.
Jay
The meeting took place on Tuesday. The engineer seemed friendly and very very knowledgeable. Everything we want to do seems do-able, although I'm really worried about the costs. We can't put the project out to tender and get quotes from builders until we have the more detailed drawings needed for building regulations, which means at the moment we have no idea whether or not we'll be able to afford everything that's in the plans. Catch 22 really - we can't get a quote without the plans, and yet it seems silly to do the plans if we may not be able to afford the work.
We've stressed (again) to the architects that we're keen to press on and get things moving, so hopefully we'll have the final plans soon and can get some quotes.
Jay
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Changes
This blog is mostly Al's baby, so this is my first post. I have to admit I wasn't entirely sure about the whole project at first. I was still very raw about losing mum, and couldn't quite imagine the house without her in it. She'd really wanted us to have it though as it's much bigger than our current house, and in a nicer location, so after much thought and discussion, we decided to go ahead.
It feels much less like mum's house already - all her furniture's gone, mostly to charity and Freecycle, and now the wallpaper and carpets are going, I can finally start to imagine how it will look by the end of the project.
I grew up in this house - although I moved out in my early twenties - and I'm getting quite excited about bringing it up to date and back to life. Mum only used a couple of rooms after losing my dad 10 years ago, so it will be nice to see everything refurbished and used!
Jay
It feels much less like mum's house already - all her furniture's gone, mostly to charity and Freecycle, and now the wallpaper and carpets are going, I can finally start to imagine how it will look by the end of the project.
I grew up in this house - although I moved out in my early twenties - and I'm getting quite excited about bringing it up to date and back to life. Mum only used a couple of rooms after losing my dad 10 years ago, so it will be nice to see everything refurbished and used!
Jay
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)