tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59106942011-04-22T05:45:57.725+01:00John & Noelene's House ReconstructionThe tortuous story of the rebuilding of 23 Fourth Avenue, Bolton UK!Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comBlogger411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1089212086528518222004-07-07T15:40:00.000+01:002004-08-27T16:01:21.216+01:00Blogging Hell It's been a long time and this blog is just to show that we're still alive, kicking and very, very slowly getting the house sorted. Mike and his gang have been off site for several months now (although they STILL have a few small outstanding jobs to finish off - a year after the scaffolding first went up) and we've (just about) finished off the dining, living and back bed rooms. Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1079014881360658222004-03-11T14:21:00.000Z2004-03-11T14:24:31.043ZMore Than A Month..... .......has gone since the last blog and the lack of cyber action denotes a lack of decorating action too. Well, the excuse is that I've been off to Malaysia and Ireland and Noelene's been working, working, working. The curtain material has been bought and once turned into curtains will enable us to occupy our very splendid looking front room. Then it's the back bedroom Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1076314268017549292004-02-09T08:11:00.000Z2004-02-09T08:14:47.826ZBlogging Well Decorating Things have moved on quite a bit in the last few weeks. The new garage door has been fitted, Sean has, at last, done most of the repairs to the kitchen roof (although we've now noticed a slight leak in the main roof!) and Paul has redone the access hatch to the boiler which was made too small to enable the boiler casing to be taken off! More importantly, Noelene and I Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1075283751421175962004-01-28T09:55:00.000Z2004-01-28T09:59:47.843ZSo What's New? Not a lot, actually. The delay between bloggings shows that not a great deal has happened during the last couple of weeks. Electrical John has just about finished his electricaling, the new garage door has been delivered and is waiting to be fitted and Sean has still to do some repairs to damage done to the kitchen roof during the main work, plus a few finishing off touches. Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1074181470368814472004-01-15T15:44:00.000Z2004-01-16T14:53:08.856ZAnd Another Week Passed, And Another Week Passed, And................ By now we'd expected that Mike's guys would at least be off site and this merry blog could all be about the work we're doing ourselves. But, wishful thinking..... Paul is still doing bits and pieces inside, Electical John has quite a few things to finish off, including fixing the ceiling fan to the spiffin' plinth I made to Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1072949357767277202004-01-01T09:29:00.000Z2004-01-01T09:30:45.693ZA Happy Blogmas! I suppose that it's a bit late for such wishes on new years day but this is the first chance I've had in a while to put my thoughts to blog. Not much at all has happened since my last posting. The builders have been off site since well before Blogmas, the study door is just about finished off, the bathroom ceiling still can't be plastered until the plumber moves a pipe and theGibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1071568166763535742003-12-16T09:49:00.000Z2003-12-16T09:49:40.090ZBlogging 'ell We thought it was all over but it isn't! Having spent a week in Germany (purely work, I do assure you!) we thought that virtually all the outstanding bits and pieces would be complete when we got back. We should have known better. Well, the living room and dining room walls had been skimmed (replastered to you non-technical readers) and John had been electricking as usual. All Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1070626061409975222003-12-05T12:07:00.000Z2003-12-05T12:17:47.033ZDON'T Watch This Space! Now that most of the work has been done, including the rendering, there's not much to report. So, if you're an avid reader please just check every few days instead of every hour. I stripped the old wallpaper off the living room walls yesterday mornning and in the afternoon John tried to come and do his electrical thing, but we were out and he couldn't get in. So he'll Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1070461047923731202003-12-03T14:17:00.000Z2003-12-03T14:17:38.403ZAlmost There The guys finished the plastering yesterday and got the first coat of the outside rendering done. They then spent quite a while clearing up and a very nice job they did too! The carpets went into the skip and so, possibly, did a box of electrical fittings which, later last night, I discovered was missing. Looks like poor Gary will have to climb in and rummage around in the skip! Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1070285636606813332003-12-01T13:33:00.000Z2003-12-01T13:41:31.313ZNovember Passed In 1844 Thomas Hood wrote about the month just passed: No sun - no moon! No morn - no noon - No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day. No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, No comfortable feel in any member - No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! - November! Today, the first of December would surely share all Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1070189328120888072003-11-30T10:41:00.000Z2003-11-30T10:48:57.523ZSomething to Blog About? Came back from a night away in Harrogate and found nearly all the remaining plastering had been done and a very nice job they've made of it too. The stairs are (just about) finished, the old bathroom ceiling has been renewed and the cabling is now all concealed. Unfortunately the promised cleanup hasn't been done and the place is a disgusting mess again, but I guess Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1070017238356948072003-11-28T11:00:00.000Z2003-11-28T11:03:05.113ZI'll Believe It When I See It Well, the inside work (apart from the snagging - or is it "making good"?) is reputed to be finished by Monday. Young Paul is coming in today to clear the major rubble and do some cleaning up and a "real cleaner" is hopefully coming in some time over the weekend to give everything (including me?) a sparkle. Yesterday the guys finished off the new wall between the Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1069849903463057892003-11-26T12:31:00.000Z2003-11-26T13:11:29.946ZGetting There Yesterday's meeting with Michael went well, in fact Noelene had dealt with just about everything by the time I arrived! The guys are cracking on with the plastering, which is almost finished, apart from the first floor landing, existing toilet/bathroom ceiling and new stud wall for the walk-in wardrobe. The work to render (and re-render) the outside walls of the study has startedGibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1069774983589353612003-11-25T07:30:00.000Z2003-11-25T15:43:48.310ZClear Up! Felt so depressed that we actually spent a couple of hours cleaning the house, knowing full well that it would be as mucky as before only a day later. But at least it made us feel better. Progress on boarding the ceilings and plastering is going well and the rendering is due to start tomorrow as well as putting up the new stud wall (see, I'm getting into the builder's vernacular at Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1069681904640512402003-11-24T13:57:00.000Z2003-11-24T14:11:17.266ZEEeeaaarrrggggghhhhh Although the work is progressing, the house is filthier than it has ever been and, as quickly as we clean, it gets dirtier and dirtier. At least I can escape to work but poor Noelene has to cope with it all day. We're feeling very depressed again after last week's dramatic progress. On Friday the door between the old main bedroom and what will be a walk in wardrobe (the Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1069421456975908512003-11-21T13:30:00.000Z2003-11-21T13:31:04.053ZBored (Board?) Yesterday the ceilings and living room wall were boarded ready for replastering and the rest will be done today. Already, despite the muck and devastation, the living room feels bigger. The holes where the fire hearths used to be have been started to be filled in and I went out to a BAR meeting (not BAR as in bar!) last night leaving John electricing away. It's really starting Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1069333554938906152003-11-20T13:05:00.000Z2003-11-20T13:06:49.006ZGoing, Going - Gone, Gone! On Tuesday all four of the chimney breasts came down in one go - what a b****y mess and two full 10 tonne skip loads of rubble. But the guys did a great job and the mess could have been worse (really?). Noelene and I lowered the walls in the existing bathroom/toilet so that the ceiling can be boarded and plastered in one. In the evening we did a bit of a clean up Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1069141788157797332003-11-18T07:49:00.000Z2003-11-18T07:49:54.150ZReady For Action! Spent yesterday finishing off clearing the four rooms from which the chimney breasts will be removed and young Paul came in and laid hardboard down over the dining room floor. Today I have to remove the top layer of tiles/blocks from the old toilet wall and airing cupboard ready for the new ceiling to go in. We ended the day, sad buggers that we are, wandering around Ikea Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-106905826462302962003-11-17T08:37:00.000Z2003-11-17T08:38:52.170ZUp On The Roof Or rather "up in the roof". On Saturday and Sunday we finally moved into the two attic rooms and last night slept up there for the first time. It was great. It's so far up from the street and through the windows you directly see and almost feel the weather. Unfortunately, overnight it's been raining again! Today we should complete the clearance of the bedrooms and downstairs Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1068799624014123902003-11-14T08:47:00.000Z2003-11-14T08:47:38.903ZLet There Be Light And there was! Came back from a rather traumatic couple of days in Cornwall to find that John had finally got the attic rooms "connected" Maybe the first "switch on" wasn't as pleasing as the "first pee" but the rooms are, at last, looking like spaces in which we might want to live. Dave has also been busy finishing off doors, steps, fitting architraves and skirting boards Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1068368938004496242003-11-09T09:08:00.000Z2003-11-09T09:09:41.806ZThe First Pee is the Sweetest! After a week in Germany I came back to a toilet that actually works and Noelene and I had great pleasure in christening it! Everything else in the attic area seems just about done except for the final electrics and some more joinery. Spoke to Joiner Dave yesterday and he's as pleased as we are that Tony, the moaning smoking plumber, has finished! Theoretically, Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1067771507739287152003-11-02T11:11:00.000Z2003-11-02T11:17:12.950ZMoving Slowly Forget the last posting - Plumber Tony is still on the job and making some, albeit very slow, progress. We haven't helped by changing our minds about the shower head for the en-suite (see Tre Mercati) but it's gotta be right! We've got radiators in the attic rooms now - and they work! Joiner Dave is doing a grand and very painstaking job of installing the bannisters and spindlesGibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1067466817992476342003-10-29T22:33:00.000Z2003-11-02T11:14:02.296ZNowt Again! Well, the plumber didn't turn up again today and it looks like (as with the original plasterer) he's also now "off the job". At least I hope so. Nothing at all happened today except that Michael paid a visit to look at what didn't get done while he was on his hols! I spent what seemed to be most of the day trying to find some 32mm chromed copper tube. Would you believe that such Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1067417354480924262003-10-29T08:49:00.000Z2003-10-29T08:51:05.173ZA Bit More! The plumber arrived at lunchtime and bought the radiators. The ones for the upstairs rooms seem big enough to heat an aircraft hanger but Michael (back on the job after his half-term holiday) assures me that they "have been specified". So they must be right, mustn't they?! Noelene had a very frustrating afternoon trying to source the outlet pipe for the washbasin and failed. So Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1067345661666308212003-10-28T12:54:00.000Z2003-10-28T12:54:22.280ZNothing Nothing at all happened yesterday! Hopefully there'll be some action today! It's really frustrating and there's no possibility at all now that we'll move into the attic rooms before I go to Germany next week. Noelene reckons the project is about three weeks behind schedule which, in the grand scheme of things, I guess ain't too bad. But I'm impatient! Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1067259482476246722003-10-27T12:58:00.000Z2003-10-27T14:36:59.450ZBog Trouble! Joiner Dave spend all day Friday helping the chain smoking, moaning plumber get the rather nice Althea toilet and handbasin (the Hera models on the Althea website) in position. There seemed to be quite a problem in getting the pipes, etc. to and from them and some of the parts from Eurobathrooms were wrong. So, on Saturday we had to go and try to sort it out. Apart from that, notGibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1066982831673014412003-10-24T09:07:00.000+01:002003-10-24T09:10:20.110+01:00Clever Stuff! Not a great deal seemed to have happened yesterday although Joiner Dave started carving the tops of the stair posts to match the old ones, before fitting the banisters and spindles. It seems like a slow, painstaking and complicated job and one that I'm very glad not to have to do myself. Gary, a tiler, came in the evening to look at the en-suite shower and it seems that our Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1066892300910994912003-10-23T07:58:00.000+01:002003-10-23T07:58:20.290+01:00A Quiet Day Not much happened yesterday. The plumber appeared for an hour or so to figure out where the toilet and washbasin are going and Electrical John came and fixed the upstairs lights. Gary reckons that he's found someone locally who'll make a shower door to measure (sounds expensive!). But apart from that there's nowt to report. Maybe better progress today. Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1066806854934647122003-10-22T08:14:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:36:16.286+01:00Neighbours - Who'd 'Ave 'Em! No postings since Friday but then we managed to get away for the weekend to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It was great, we had a good B&B and found a wonderful Indian (of course) restaurant! When we returned on Sunday evening there was a message from our next door neighbours (not Steve and Anne), who had previously given permission, asking for the scaffolding, put Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1066807380202435162003-10-22T08:00:00.000+01:002003-10-23T08:00:09.353+01:00Paul's Okay Not strictly related to the reconstruction but I reported in my last posting that Michael's "on site" guy, Paul had had a heart attack. Anyway, he phoned us yesterday evening to say that he's okay, back home and recovering, although he won't be back at work until well after (we hope) the project is finished. Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1066375215815847832003-10-17T08:20:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:17:03.176+01:00What a Difference Just a coat of plaster or two and the whole loft area looks completely different and spiffingly splendid! John, Eddie and the guys worked all through Wednesday and Thursday and have just arrived today to finish off. It's looking good. The meeting with Michael went okay, although I'm still not happy with the shower door issue. However, I guess that'll eventually get sorted.Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1066213561799529052003-10-15T11:26:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:17:22.283+01:00Getting Plastered! "You wait for ages for a bus and then two come together" could be the motto for the day! The plasterer who should have finished the work today didn't turn up at all yesterday and he's now, as they say, "off the job". Bright and early at 7:30 this morning John, Eddie and more plasterers than I believed there was in the whole of Bolton set to work getting plastered! What's Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1066134056942706112003-10-14T13:20:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:17:42.580+01:00We'd hoped that things would get a move on yesterday after the delays last week and a very, very quiet weekend. The plasterer duly arrived put a few pieces of plasterboard up and buggered off at lunchtime to not be seen again until Tuesday. But Michael still says the plastering will be complete by Wednesday. We'll see!! Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065867925830608692003-10-11T11:25:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:18:03.910+01:00Friday to Sunday - nowt 'appening as they say in Lancashire and we're beginning to feel that the impetus has gone out of the project. We're probably wrong and I expect it'll spring back into life next week but, for now, we feel pretty flat. Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065773414518878142003-10-10T09:10:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:18:28.236+01:00Paul went to all the trouble of making a great job of cleaning up yesterday and then the b****y plasterers didn't arrive. Seems like nothing will now get done until next week. Well, at least we won't have to spend the weekend getting rid of the week's muck. We had hoped that everything would be finished for us to decorate the whole house by Christmas, but that thought is now receding and the Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065682797362701102003-10-09T07:59:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:18:50.520+01:00Yesterday Paul just about finished boarding out and made the cupboard into which the new boiler fits and a very neat job it looks too. He was with us pretty late yesterday evening and looked buggered when he left. Electrical John (not to be confused with Comical Ali!) was also with us late and after they both left there was the usual cleaning to be done. Here's a link to a few photos of the Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065610909632132312003-10-08T12:01:00.000+01:002003-10-08T12:01:49.823+01:00Raining again but at least the new roof doesn't leak and it remained stable in the last few days of very strong winds. Had to leave before anyone turned up this morning. Paul (general builder) is due to finish off boarding the inside of the roof prior to the plasters starting work tomorrow. Then there really will be a mess! Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065552818839724752003-10-07T19:53:00.000+01:002003-10-08T11:03:51.103+01:00A lull in the proceedings. The roof has been back on for a few weeks and the weather has changed from a beautifully hot summer to a cool, wet and windy autumn. The rooms in the loft are almost ready for plastering, a few remaining problems remain and we hope to move up there in a couple of weeks for the final mucky job to start - removal of the chimney breasts.Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065608054880505072003-10-06T19:07:00.000+01:002003-10-22T08:19:29.940+01:00Yes, I know that there's a very big gap between the July 27th and October 7th postings but I couldn't get Blogger to send stuff to our own website - http://gillatt.org so I've settled for this home to begin with. Suffice to say that, during the last few weeks, the old roof came off, the extended new one was put on and the extra rooms have been created in the former loft space. The main problemsGibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065553728812902292003-07-27T20:08:00.000+01:002003-10-08T11:05:18.006+01:0026/07/03 Scaffolders delivered the pipes and planks and started putting up the scaffolding. We cleared the loft of all the junk that's been up there for years. It was hot and filthy! 27/07/03 Photographed the inside of the loft "as it was and will (in future) never be"!Gibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910694.post-1065553077877419572003-07-26T19:57:00.000+01:002003-10-08T11:18:35.950+01:00Our main web site is http://gillatt.orgGibletshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07710122882283368329noreply@blogger.com