Manic Monday

(The Bangles, 1986)

It was C who went to the house this morning to open the door to the window men, and was pleased to find a hive of activity. 

The holidays are now over and it seems that everyone is keen to get stuck in to finishing the job - or so we hope.

  

On site today there were:

• the scaffolding men to put up scaffolding on the back facade, so that the back insulation and glass can be put in;
• the plumbers, having their ears pulled work checked over by the architect;
• the architect;
• the firm which specialises in restoring old wooden window frames and putting in high performance double glazing; and
• the contractors who can now continue with the plastering and insulation.

Let's hope we've left the doldrums behind us now.

More Than Words

An update in pictures of the house as it looks at the end of July.

• At the front, we have a sparkling new cornice (which rather puts the rest of the facade to shame)


• The balcony rail has been replaced, and the balcony itself strengthened;

• The back of house has been rebuilt, and now has window frames fitted (but no glass yet).

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That very big kitchen window

The back of the house



The internal windows from the landing down to the kitchen (straight ahead) and sitting room (on the left)

• The roof has been completely replaced and insulated,

The top mezzanine - the heating system will go at the far end.

• Plastering has started, from the top down.

Plasteing around the new window, looking out onto the flat roof above the kitchen

• Electric wiring has been laid.

• ...as have pipes for heating, water and ventilation.

Hopefully things will begin to look very different very soon...

Under Pressure

It’s been a while… so where are we?

It’s July. The sun has finally found its way to Northern Europe and all Belgian workmen have downed tools and headed for the beach.  I don’t know if it happens anywhere else, but over here the whole month of July has been decreed the “congé du batiment”, when building sites across the land shut down while the workforce take a well-earned rest. 

As a result, July becomes a sort of natural deadline. The date by which projects are finished, making room for a list of new ones to be started ‘apres les congés’.    Our hopes of being able to move in by the congés 2012 have gone the same way as our hopes of spending Christmas 2011 in our own home.  However, as recently as April this year, there was talk of the main part of the works (structural stuff, internal walls, insulation, electrics, heating, water pipes, roof, plastering and windows) being done by then, ready for the finishing off to start in August (sanding floors, a lick of paint and fitting the kitchen/bathroom). 

A fair bit has been done - an update on that will follow soon - but a fair bit remains. The main problem now is that some of the outstanding plumbing and heating jobs are beginning to hold up the rest of the work.

 Hot water pipes, holding up the plastering

Firm words have been had with the plumber.  He has been given this week to finish laying the pipes and filling in the holes in the walls, so that the other contractors can come back next Monday to pick up the baton. 

If they don't deliver this week, then there is a real risk of slippage...