Wouldn't it be good

[Shocking pun alert!]

Got back from holiday to find everything pretty much finished. Including the cedar cladding, which looks (and smells) fantastic.

Holiday

Green Day or Madonna - take your pick ;)

For once, the absence of posts is not down to my laziness. Just got back from two weeks on holiday in the south of England.

So instead of a picture of the house, here's some pictures from Cornwall

One Step Beyond

Work on the patio is nearly complete. After considerable debate about where to put the steps up to the garden, we decided to put them everywhere.



and now, just about finished.



The walls are made from the granite cobbles/bricks that formed part of the original wall, built along with the house in the 1930s. We did that cos we're cheapskates and didn't want to buy any new ones, but actually it's worked out really well and the colours in the granite match up really well with the colours in the flagstones.

Last week saw the most torrential rain i think i've ever seen in the UK. Not far from where we live flash floods swept through flats and houses and even washed cars down the road. When we were planning the patio, John had suggested installing a 'field drain' to make sure we could get rid of all the water. It was unbelievably effective - the water just drained straight away and the patio was clear within minutes of the rain stopping. Couldn't have asked for a better test. And the roof didn't leak :)

Flag(stone) Day

There's not many songs about patios. Flag(stone) Day was the closest i could get.

Tam and Gary are busy laying the patio.



In other news the kitchen is just about done. Shaun was back today working through the list of minor issues, and the kitchen looks great. Bizarre light switch behaviour sorted out too.

The Boys Are Back In Town

What's the collective noun for builders? A milkandtwosugars of builders?

Full set here today: Tam laying the patio; Gary cleaning the old granite cobbles for reuse on the garden wall; Shaun the joiner working his way around the list of niggles; Davie up on the roof slating; Stuart fixing up a few holes in the plaster; Aaron digging, carrying, helping on the roof and generally helping out wherever needed; John in and out ordering bits and bobs and organising the troops. At this rate we'll run out of coffee cups.

As usual, Adam wanted to help, so he's busy shoveling earth into the skip.



It's funny how different the kids are. Matthew is dimly aware that something might be going on in the house because sometimes he's had more obstacles to dribble the football around. Adam could tell you exactly what insulation went into the walls, how the floor was made, what size the bricks were and would happily spend all day 'helping' the builders.

Rox In The Box

The guys are outside doing the prep work for the patio at the back of the house. Current plan is for this to be done before the rest of the external work on the house. It'll give everyone a more stable platform to work on. So it's more digging, more moving hardcore and sand.



Meanwhile the kitchen is nearing completion. Like any project, there's a list of niggles to sort out, but most of these are really pretty minor (I hope!) In anticipation of those all being ironed out this week, we've started moving furniture in and using the room. Which is nice.

Breakfast time:

On The Floor

For most of the last 3 months the builder's radio has been an ever-present companion. Whilst the actual radio might change, and even the radio station (although it's mostly been Forth One) the one unwavering constant is that at some point in the day Jennifer Lopez will warble 'On The Floor'. Some days more than once. In fact, I've heard it so often now that I find myself whistling it on the way to get the kids from school. Somebody pass me a shotgun.

Anyway, today is radio-free 'cos the builders are all elsewhere. Instead we have Guy, the flooring man (and his pal John) installing our floor.

And so, in honour of 'Jenny from the block', here's the floor.

Kitchen:



Starting the wooden flooring:



And now, finished: