Great progress

Suddenly over the last week things have started coming together, we’re really making great progress and overcoming some significant obstacles.

First out of the block was Cadent, our gas distributor. Initially they told me that they would not deviate from their policy to fit new gas meters to the front or within two metres of the front of the property. This was despite our local planning officer saying that it would not be acceptable on a Grade II listed building and in a conservation area. I asked the design officer to try again as their own surveyors had said the current meter was not in a good position and had identified the new location. Suddenly, the next day, I received an email agreeing to go ahead with our preferred siting and I’ve now signed off the design and am waiting for a date for the works. A massive relief.

More visible has been the installation of our reclaimed electric lights. With internal scaffolding, a great deal of effort and some manoeuvring they are now in place and look stunning. The wiring for the three in the kitchen is in metal tubes and we had to guess at the correct lengths by holding a bamboo pole up to the beam to give us a sense of the drop. I’m really pleased with how they’ve turned out although we haven’t been able to switch them on yet – no bulbs or electricity!

The kitchen lights date from the 1930s so we’ve had to order an imperial socket set off the internet to undo the bolts on the glass shades so we can fit the bulbs. We can’t turn the electricity supply on until all the wires are connected to the appropriate fittings which should be done next week. Hopefully it will all work!

The Polish factory light which has pride of place in the utility room is particularly mad and heavy. To make sure it wouldn’t fall our electrician took his feet off the scaffold putting his full weight on it to make sure the fitting would hold, brave man. Thankfully it didn’t budge so we feel much more confident now it will stay put.

We’re having ongoing problems with the floor. I don’t feel the edges have been finished off to the same degree as the rest of the floor which is a particular problem along the edge with the sliding doors where it is very visible. I’ve asked them to come back to complete this and I’m waiting to hear. We’ve also had problems with the valve connecting to the underfloor heating manifold. It turns out it is left threaded going in the opposite direction to normal, our plumber managed to solve that one.

I’m also waiting for a date from the sliding door company to come back and replace the two glass panels that have blown and repair a scratch on the outside frame. I have been surprised with how much suppliers have to put right the things they get wrong. Surely it would be better for them, and less costly, to get things right first time. It would also mean less grief for me as it all takes time to follow these things up and keep on their case.

In advance of the decorator starting this week we took ages to decide exactly which shade of white we wanted. For a few weeks we’ve lived with patches on the wall and ceiling looking at them at different times of day and in different lights. M still isn’t sure. Too late, the painting has started! Once we put in the fittings and furniture I’m sure it will just look white.

Talking of fitting out the extension, our first item was put in place last week. No surprise that it was the wine cabinet! As many of you know we do like our wine and regularly bring supplies back from our trips to France. We do have a few bottles waiting to go in.

A couple of friends have fed back that a layout would be helpful to visualise what’s going on where – thanks Lindsey and Viv. It’s something I’ve been meaning to add for a while. The core of the old house is the kitchen, hall and sitting room downstairs and the bedrooms and study upstairs. The downstairs bathroom is probably an animal shed added at a later date and then converted by knocking through from the kitchen. A two storey extension was added at right angles in 2004 with a dining room on the ground floor and a bedroom upstairs. We’ve now divided the bedroom to create an en-suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. Access to the new extension is through the ground floor dining room with an arch replacing the former outside door. Old workers cottages like ours in this area tend to be one room wide making for some interesting layouts as we journey from room to room.