Bathroom Window

The ultra thin render based wall has been replaced with a bright and shiny new window. I think it's look pretty good but it is even better from the inside.

More pictures to come and then it's time for kitchen design. I have the exact measurements now the stud work is in so design and ordering is next weeks priority.

New Windows

A big moment today as we placed the first major order for the refurbishment. The contract for the replacement windows and doors has been signed.

We obtained two quotes, one prior to completion, but have subsequently made some changes to the specification and the number of windows we wanted. Two local companies re-quoted for the work and after a short negotiation we have signed with Warmlite.

From a budget point of view their proposal is only just over our original estimate and less than the revised figure. As it includes two additional windows I am very pleased with the outcome.

They originally quoted four to six weeks for delivery and installation but after a bit of pushing they will start on 1^st December. The existing windows (which are in dreadful condition) were installed without the benefit of a lintel and the surrounding brickwork is poor so there is work to be done before they can start.

New windows make such a huge difference to how a house looks I am looking forward to seeing them installed.

On a separate note the salesman for Warmlite has been plying his trade round here for years and has approached us several times although we have never had use for his services until now. It just goes to show that selling can be all about building up a relationship without any immediate prospect of a sale but knowing that you will be first in line when the time comes.

Building Report

Wow. The house looks very different already.

The building work started this morning or should I say the demolition work started this morning. There are two guys at it and when I popped round at lunchtime to give them a second set of keys much progress had already been made.

As you might expect there is mixed news. Upstairs the rear bedroom no longer has any ceiling or any plaster on any of the walls. Apparently the plaster wasn't "live" (a new phrase I have learned) which means it was no longer attached to the underlying wall. There is a large and rather worrying hole in one corner through which you can see outside! At some point somebody had just decided the best way to fix this problem was to plaster over it! It is difficult to know why the hole is there but obviously it is going to get filled. If it was movement in the walls then it is historic and no cause for alarm for us. There is a lot of repair work to do on all of these walls and I wasn't that impressed with the vertical crack down one wall but I am assured that this is nothing to worry about.

Here are some pictures of what it looks like now (click on any of them to enlarge, they are of reasonable quality and really show the detail). The paper like stuff stacked up on the floor is some very old fashioned loft insulation.









Once these walls have been repaired we can put plasterboard directly onto them and then skim that. This is more expensive in materials but much cheaper in labour and much much quicker in time.

Curiously the other upstairs bedroom is fine and we will be able to keep the ceiling and all of the existing plaster which is great news.

Downstairs we have discovered an old window (or door we need to hack off more plaster to discover which it is) which somebody has just taken out and filled with bricks leaving the soldier courses and wooden lintel in place. The quality of the repair is shocking even to my untrained eye and we will need to put a couple of stongboys in there to prop up the house to remove the bricks and lintel and then replace them. It is not a huge job but there will be an interesting hole in the wall while it is being done. Here is a picture of the wall showing the brickwork. Stunningly poor quality. Even with a DPC this house would have been damp.



The gas supply will be capped tomorrow morning and the water system drained so we will be able to rip out everything else. The house clearance people arrive between 9:00 and 11:00 on Wednesday so all of the clearance will need to be finished by then. It will be tight but the guys seems supremely confident that they will be ready. I'll try and get some more photos Wednesday evening.

Initial Specification

Whilst it is still my intention to project manage the work myself I am going to get a quote from a main contractor for comparative purposes.

In any event I am going to need a specification of work required so here is my first version of it. It is not particularly detailed in as much as it does not specifiy where light switches should go and what radiators to use but it is a start.

I am sure I will have missed out some major items but you've got to start somewhere.

Outside

1. Remove / repair / replace all damaged render from left flank wall as required.
2. Re-point right flank wall as required.
3. Bond “falling” bricks above the front door.
4. Clear front and back garden.
5. Paint all masonry and front door.

Inside

1. Remove current kitchen, bathroom, fitted wardrobes and cupboards, flooring (not floorboards), electrical fittings and heating / plumbing.
2. Remove all plaster from front and back rooms to ceiling
3. Remove plaster as required to all other rooms including back bedroom ceiling.
4. Repair / replace downstairs joists as required and ensure that they are not touching outside walls.
5. Repair current stair treads as required.
6. Install airbricks to provide adequate under floor ventilation.
7. Install chemical DPC to outside wall in two reception rooms.
8. Treat all wood for worm etc.
9. Install new window with lintel to new upstairs bathroom.
10. Install studwork for new upstairs bathroom and hall.
11. Install new soil pipe and waste to upstairs bathroom and connect to main drain.
12. Re-wire house including new fuse box.
13. Install new boiler and heating system.
14. Brick up windows no longer required.
15. Plaster all rooms as required.
16. Replace / repair skirting board as required.
17. Replace all windows as specified.
18. Install and fit new kitchen
19. Install and fit new upstairs bathroom
20. Sand downstairs floors if possible.
21. Re-glaze existing internal doors and re-hang.
22. Line walls if required.
23. Install insulation into the loft.
24. Paint and decorate all rooms
25. Tile kitchen and bathroom walls and floors as required.
26. Carpet stairs and bedrooms.
27. Fit laminate flooring if sanding downstairs floors is not possible.

If anyone can think of items I have doubtless forgotten please let me know.

Planning Update

I have just found out I don’t need planning permission to put an obscured glass window in the side of the house provided that any opening is more than 1.7m from the ground. I do need to get building control approval for the work but this is more to check that it is done properly (putting in a lintel etc) . There is some talk that if the window is to be more than 1m sq that may require additional permission. To avoid an issue I will ensure it isn’t!

I hvae been told about a new goverment website for planning rules. Here is the link. The interactive house is pretty good.

All I need to do now is see if I can speak to the neighbours and see how they feel about a new window and a new soil pipe. There isn’t much they can do about it but I always think it is nice to ask people’s permission when you can.

Off to do some more measuring later on today.