4 more weeks' Progress

It's moving on. 

The list of stuff to do is massive and the place is still Messy Messy Messy. We've had the New Angle Grinder and the Old Little Angle Grinder involved. From here all that means is there's a thick layer of dust over everything (teapot, overalls, pipe insulation).  Granma and her Asthma are Barred.

Q: Why do boys think that putting down a bit of protective sheeting is a waste of time?
A: Because they also think Cleaning Up isn't their job.

In Real Life (My World), Cleaning is infinite once the Dust Curse descends.  It just gets moved around a bit.  Stripping Old paint is also very hard work and Time consuming which is why when it's Dad's turn - rather than being for others to do in preparation for his Master Skills- he moans and gets New Scrapers, or of course gets the Angle Grinder out and does a bit of gouging.

There is progress- honest. Mostly in the removing and chasing dept., but with some filling and tidying.  For a whole two more weeks it doesn't look great, I know.

The Priest Hole is open over the stairs.
The kitchen is nearly ready to Plaster - Shame Michael the Plasterer has retired due to a hand injury.  He's dumped his tools too, so one of us has to Learn New Skills.

Fortnight's Toil

Missing Necklace

Well we were so busy stripping and everything.  I seem to have misplaced my special Diamond Necklace from Collie for Christmas.  I was taking care of it and took it off to get ready for work - stripped for stripping.  I remember putting it in my bag.

It doesn't seem to remember that's where it's meant to be though and is now floating through a space-time warp, ie Lost.  MG has searched the floor for twinkly things, she's scoured the hoover dustings and sifted the rubbish in the bin.  Luckily it's insure, so we may just manage to get it replaced.  I have to report it to the police though, which is a bit Serious.  Where did you lose it? no idea officer.  Not great.

Why is everything so complicated




Progress

If I saw the house a fortnight in I would never have bought it. I didn't realise that it takes time to get a place stripped for action.










We're learning all along. that's the Family team of Dad. MG, Colin and Me

• 

• if you use evo stik the ceiling tiles will be permanent
• the toilet leaks somewhere. It smells everywhere.
• They didn't plaster the electrical conduit in properly, it falls off
• next door put their car in the back garden and got a broken window
• next door the other way have now added a blue mattress and a broken toilet to their garden furniture and broken fence
• it costs £600 for the Gas Board to check when you move the meter
• for electricity it's £750
• the boiler doesn't work - and it's not old enough to qualify for scrappage
• it's a very cold winter
• there are a lot of black knee-his and old bandages behind the kitchen radiator
• some people can't work tidily
• if you ask people who know, they always say any superfluous wall could be load bearing
• what the hey - knock the little one down anyway.

This is where they had a bedroom opening off another and a priest hole in the stairwell. Now it's open plan.




That means we're not going ahead with the full refurbishment plan maximising potential etc.

Contracts exchanged, completed

This is the story of a house in NE5.
It used to be a Local Authority house until it was sold in 1991. Over the years it has had a lot of care and work lavished on it. It needs a lot more to make it The House of our Dreams, but we can (probably) afford it.

Iam going to get a job as an Estate Agent because these pix do it more than justice.
There's a compact Kitchen....and utility.


















The bathroom compact and aromatic with some black slimy stuff, but plenty of air freshener.

Lounge complete with working gas fire and carpet.
















As it turned out, there were at least 3 layers of carpet in every room, Quite a lot of dog hair and wee stains and whiff. Some blood spattered on a rug. They nearly filled the skip too.
Luckily this the kind of area where the skip empties as fast as you fill it (except for carpets...). The gas cooker, rusty radiator, cast iron pipe all disappeared overnight. A kindly neighbour noted down the name on the thieves van, but I'm forgiving them. That explains why it cost over £100 for one - they know there'll be nowt worth having when it gets back to the depot.

The neighbours are great. They stop to chat and invariably say what a nice area it is and how we look out for each other. (Uncle George maintains it has a lot to do with not Being Darkies, but he belongs to non-PC World). One guy puts everyone's bins out (though he could be an commission from the Skip Raiders). The bins - Luxury. They are collected Every Week.