Another week of progress. The new kitchen annexe is now taking shape, with a solid-looking roof structure, with holes where the skylights will be. Here are some shots of beams to please the engineers amongst you. 
You
can also see the openings which link the kitchen and living room to the
first landing on the stairs. Here is a shot from below and one from
the landing looking down on to the kitchen. These will have internal
windows (that won't open...) to be able to look down into the living
area are you come downstairs. 
Meawhile, up in the roof, the openings have been added for the Velux windows, which also look pretty huge... 
... and we have been able to take a closer look at the state of the dividing wall. Pretty disastrous. The neighbour's on this side renovated the house themselves some thirty years ago, and it is not in good shape.
The brickwork is in need of rejointing, and the top is totally unprotected from the elements.
This required a bit of discussion on possible solutions, and some daredevil acrobatics from the architect.
So a separate little project will be to repair the dividing wall. Happily, the neighbour is keen for someone to get on and do what needs doing, and we will share the cost between us.
Even
more happily, we have reached an amicable agreement about the DIY metal
structure, with its flock of plastic dinosaurs, which currently overlooks our bedroom window. This will all be
removed and the flat roof returned to what it should be - a flat roof.
So what does
all this mean in terms of timing? This is the current plan.
The
heavy works (“gros oeuvres” - the new roof, new kitchen annexe)
are expected to be finished by 16 April, and the rubble cleared away. The site will then be clear for the next contractor to step in and get started on the
insulation, interior walls, the plastering etc.
Once this is underway, the bathroom, heating and electrics people can start around
end- April.
The
new windows at the back of house will be fitted in May. The
old windows on the front of the house - which are being repaired –
are scheduled to be done mid-August.
Then
it's a question of sanding of the floors, fitting the kitchen, tiling the bathroom and kitchen floors, and applying a few coats
of paint. Oh, and also some woodwork, like the internal stairs to the basement, the bookcase and a couple of doors. This is all a bit more uncertain as we still need to sort out who is going that. Hopefully this can be done in August, maybe even in July if we get ourselves organised.
 |
| Sorry state |
In
the meantime, over the summer, I also have hopes to clear the garden, which is looking very sorry for itself, to level it, sow some grass and prepare a few beds for autumn planting. Finally, if we have the energy, we'd also like to get the green roof planted up with
happy-bee plants on the kitchen flat roof. These are more realistically tasks for the autumn.
If that all works out, we could move in in September/ October.
What
could possibly go wrong?
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