All Done

It's taken me a long time to come back here, I hope I can be forgiven for that because I've been having fun cleaning, tidying and fighting with the dust. The building site has disappeared and replaced by this:

Kitchen pics this used to outside (ex patio)

Hahaa old kitchen now bedroom(better than moving into the attic I tell you)

Now work is starting upstairs to update the bedrooms and enlarge the bathroom.  Boys' room finished, just waiting for their wall pics to be hung when they arrive on Tuesday then they can move in (shh, they don't know about the canvases yet so don't tell them). I'll be glad when this is all over.

What building site?

So we have enjoyed enjoyed 23days in our new kitchen and 4weeks in our newly done living room. This is enduring almost 12weeks of living in dust and rubble and a micro managed environment.

I had delayed posting the update because I wanted everything to be utterly completed but I've been waiting for my proving drawers for over a week now. So here we go; situation so far:

I will post the rest of the house soon as we are in the process of planning the bedroom furniture.

My kitchen, if you can see the empty space next to the microwave there, that's were the two proving drawers will be going. No more running my tumble dryer to warm it for proving douogh.

Living and dining room, tried to make something easy to clean as we have our super active young kids.

Situation so far

Current situation of the building site is: I have 8 men in the house (1plumbing, 1 heating engineer plus his apprentice, 2 guys working on the patio, 1 laying the floor, 1 builder/supervisor and a labourer. Oh I missed out my husband, so that's nine.

There is absolutely nowhere for me to sit, all I've managed to do is shower (before the team came up) and have a naked cup of tea. My living room is swamped with building and electrical stuff, there kitchen is almost invisible and I AM HUNGRY! The only decent rooms in the entire house are the (only toilet we have left in the house) and the au-pair's room. I feel sorry for the poor girl (she has only been with us for about half an hour), she walked into the mess and she is already talking about helping me with cleaning. 

Anywhere, "one more week" my husband says although I'm less optimistic than he is (feels like this has been going on for ever and will never ever ever end). I can not take all the pics now as men are working and I do not want to trip on their tools and make a fool of myself but here is what I managed to snap earlier.

Kitchen floor being laid, patio being finished off, radiators going up and new boiler sorted.

Kitchen progress so far.

When the chips are down

Today I feel rottenly depressed, so much so I just want to cry and curl up somewhere. Trouble is, there is nowhere to curl up, my house is not a home let alone a house. Work is still undergoing so much so that there is not a single finished project with everything semi-finished. The builders seem to be starting on jobs and not seeing them through just so they can stay on the job and this is beginning to piss me off.

I must apologise sincerely for the language usage but I hope you understand that there are times when one needs to let rip, this is the time for me. Writing this is to try and help myself to calm down or maybe not jump on the builders' throats because I am ANGRYYYY. My husband ended up doing some of the work himself last night and only slept this morning at three o'clock. That ain't fishing healthy but he feels this is the only way to get some of the things done.

To help you understand my frustration I will tell you the current situation; the entrance hall has only been plastered one side, the wooden floor has only been laid in the playroom and on the stairs making    the whole place look even more awkward ugly. The bedroom has been plastered only one wall (which my husband did) and the kitchen still requires plastering and the floor still needs to be finished before the wooden floor can be laid. My husband has had to insulate our bedroom because this has not been done when it was required to be. All theses snags are delaying other teams from either starting or completing their jobs. The plumber is waiting to finish off the plumbing, the engineers are waiting to finish off the heating installation, they need walls to be plastered before they can put up the radiators and electrical work needs to be completed. All these jobs are riding on one team who seems to be dragging their feet and draining our purse at the same time. Don't get me wrong, they are not utterly and completely incompetent, they just lack the completion skills for the little they do they do well (just not all of it). So if you think this is not good enough to be pissed off please educate me on what is.

I can't clean my house because there is nowhere to clean but there is nothing that is clean. Am I making sense? Yes the guys are nice enough but nice ain't fishing cutting it anymore and I want my home back, no; I FISHING NEED MY HOME BACK! Today is Sunday, it's normally my resting day, kids go swimming, I clean the house and do some ironing and then cook with the children; normally. Nothing is normal anymore, I'm waiting for Waitrose to deliver my food, the builders have decided to turn up so they can catch up on some of the work (it's effing Sunday and I live here I need some normality) you may say I'm just throwing my toys out of the pram and still wanting them right? Wrong, I'm not throwing tantrums, this is because they were supposed to be here yesterday and they weren't, apparently the builder had an upset tummy from a curry he had on Friday "bull manure" that is. Bottom line is I want my life back and the builders out of my house or they might as well move in with their families.

Ask me one day when all is well and I may recommend them to you but at this present time it's a NO. I apologise to the one friend I have recommended them to so far I hope they prove me wrong when they come to you. If you haven't called them yet then please to hang on.

View From Above

So this week saw the erection of the roof, the flooring of the kitchen and the laying of the patio, oh and the enlargement to the living room door, porch insulation and revamp of the stair case 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾. I'm doing a jig with happiness, seems like I can finally see the dusty days over. I've even been up the roof and can honestly say I will be sneaking up some deck chairs and using the roof as my sun lounger with a few glasses of Pimms. Trouble is, I am scared of climbing down the ladder (which is why I've practising to be a robber) 😂😂.

My son up the roof, finishing touches to the sun lounge being put

Too scared to go down the ladder so I decided to use the window instead

Newly laid patio with the kitchen flooring underway

I look forward to my cooking days in this kitchen

Dust, what dust?

Many special thanks to my three non-diva, no tantrum throwing gorgeous children for not crying or complaining about dust and mess as we have collectively watched the building continue. This week we have seen the chimney being brought down, the bedroom floor and electrical work, the kitchen roof all go up. Just thirty minutes ago, we had the patio stones all the way from India (hahaha no, we did not order them from India) but they are Indian stones they are natural and authentically beautiful. 

Now the fight and arguments continue about what appliances, I have now decided I want a biiig oven with a proving tray, a separate oven with a dish warmer, double ovens are too small for my cooking so two separate ovens will ideal. We are also arguing on the colours to get (just remember a few weeks ago this is the guy that said I can get whatever I wanted, now he is doing the manly thing of trying to guide me to his own ideas and choices). So I'm a girl I think I will end up doing the crying thing to get what I want. I will win I know that. 

My bedroom (floor to be laid, electrics done roof insulated already)

Bedroom (en-suite at the far end)

My kitchen

Insulation plus patio stones 

Thank you so very much

Dear Builders

As I watched Arsenal v Hull this evening, I decided to make these cakes to have with your teas tomorrow. This is my way of saying thank you for the good job and also to say I am grateful of your marvellous job so far. thank you for your dedication that led you to working on Saturday putting up the timber for my roof. 

Enjoy the brownies, and the Victoria sponge cake, they were made with love and appreciation. 

Tabie

Milk and white chocolate brownies

 Victoria sponge with clotted cream and fresh raspberries 

 

Taking Shape (part 2)

Today is Friday, so I thought I would show you how things are taking shape so far. The walls have gone up and I'm being told that the roof will be going up early next week then work will start in the bedroom.

The patio is also looking up and I'm beginning to see what things will be like ame although depressed by the mess and living in dust, I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

That is my kitchen, I will be cooking in there one day hehehehe and my patio will soon be laid out next week. 

It's all happening

I am now used to living in dusty conditions but I am beginning to see the reward to my sacrifices. I came home today to find this;

My kitchen is taking shape (the walls are going up), the patio is being started and the new fence being erected. Woohoo. Another week and the roof will being going up. Only one problem (we can't get an agreement on the wood flooring colours and there will be a war waging soon when it comes to choosing the appliances and we are not even started with the bedroom yet) 😩😩😩😩😩

BLOODY BUILDERS

For the first time in a long time I was so pleased with myself for getting my work done, kids bathed and fed and tucked up in bed. Time for me to shower in record breaking time of 1930hours and looking forward to a longer sleeping time. No chance, I have no water left, kids have used the last of the hot water in the tank.

The boiler is on, the immersion is on but no water, husband is nowhere near home. I wait patiently in my robe for some magic or for husband to come home quickly and sort it out. One hour and fifteen minutes later, he turns up learns of the problems, he has been in the attic, round the house then 25 minutes later realises that the bloody builders had burst the pipes, and instead of notifying us, they just decided to turn the water off and scooted off.

I'm still waiting, patiently but seething at the bloody builders. I wonder what they have to say for themselves tomorrow. This is why my children were so happy to go to bed without the usual protest; the house is cold. I just didn't realise why.


STILL WAITING FOR MY BELOVED SHOWER!

TAKING SHAPE

we are sort of a week behind (kitchen wise) but things are starting to take shape now. I can almost envision where things are going to be and what shape the house is going to be.

This week I had my old kitchen gutted, my husband installed the most practical temporary kitchen ever (and it didn't cost us a penny). I even have my dishwasher running in there. I don't have to bother the kids about laying the table, as everything is in the same place.

We even went to Wren, Wickes and B&Q to look at kitchens but I did not find what I wanted (any suggestions welcome here on where to find cool stuff). I a now surfing the net to find the best assets.

My bedroom is also coming up and the builders are already asking about tiles and what nots for the en-suite.nso instead of taking the children out to play, we are going tile shopping just see if there is anything that will catch my eye. I am happy I did not become a wet sissy and demand on moving out because I would be missing out on the development (I would also be without a husband because there is no way he would have left the site).

The next time my husband says the word "micro-manage", I will scream for he has said it a gazzillion times now (he has decided to trust the builders and plumbers to doing the job without him glued to their back but just there to oversee things). Woppeee, because it means that work can now actually be done without him interfering too much.

Guess what, I am still eating cooked food from scratch, I have deviced even more easy to make dinners to suit my tiny living space and I'm making pastries on my temporary work tops (my husband and his friend had prophesied to us having dinners from packets; over my dead body I say).

So here are snap shots of things are now, they may not make sense but it is a much bigger improvement as I am saying my goodbyes to the old stuff which includes throwing away most of the bric-a-bracs leaving myself with sparce utensils making way for new purchases.

My kitchen

My bedroom (used to be my old kitchen)

Soon to be en-suite (where we have stolen part of the kids' playroom)

My dressing area (ex utility room)

I think my new kitchen is going to be smaller than the old one but my husband and the builders are saying the opposite. 😟

GOODBYE

Today I said goodbye to my kitchen of nine years and Hello to my compact living for maybe 5months. Friday was the worst day as everything began to sink in but since then I have seen the fun side of things and getting no excited again.

I like the idea of cooking, talking to my family and watching TV at the same time, everything is just in the same place. I can't wait for the real works to begin.

This was once my kitchen, just need to move the fridge, sink and dishwasher and I'm all set in my micro kitchen.

New kitchen taking shape, I even managed to make my Sunday roast in here and it's working. 

TEARS SHED

I've been home 2 and a bit hours now and I was greeted by bags of sand, a van full of stuff a messy entrance and 4 men drinking beers and applauding themselves for a job well done. There was no job or anything that looked well-done (to me anyway). I just burst into tears as I walked into the living room and seeing white plastic sheets strewn across the room all the way to the kitchen and my sofa supported haphazardly on one corner of the wall. The back garden although covered in trenches almost looked habitable and less starring as the rest of the living quarters.

The workmen took one look at me and started biding their farewells to my husband who at this time was oblivious to my emotions. I was shocked that he was letting them go without making any attempt whatsoever to tidy up so I decided to ask about the mess. My husband looked at me proudly and sent the men off and in one breadth telling that they will clean up tomorrow when they finish working. The response made tears well up inside me and my voice became so squeaky like a mouse 'I want the mess cleaned up now and the plastic covers gone, with the sofa tucked in the "summer house like we agreed" I walked away after these shamefully squeecked out words with tears rolling down. My husband quickly agreed and started cleaning and hoovering the house. Normally this would make me feel bad but 'not this time'.

I cannot give you pictures of the house because I was too upset and shocked to even think about anything else other self-evicting myself and the kids and lodging somewhere till the mess was gone. Tomorrow is the last day I cook in my kitchen (my kitchen is moving into my living room), I am to have temporary pipes and plumbing to give me a compact living space as I am calling it. How long I am going to survive this and hang on to the building site? We shall see as time goes.

I may come here often than I intended just to offload my emotions as I feel there is going to be more tears of stress and frustrations where these came from. So to stop myself making a punch bag out of someone I need to put myself together and compose my thoughts and actions.

Front garden (first 2 pics)

Back garden

Work under way

Ok, so we seem to have gone past yesterday's hiccups. I woke this morning to the sound of drilling in the backyard and as I walked down the stairs my floor was covered in white plastic from the hallway all the way to my back door. Work seems to be under way for real. As I was leaving the house with the kids, a big truck arrived with the steels to commence the foundation.

I will not bore you everyday with the tedious progressions but will come here her express my excitement, vent my anger or frustrations now and again. This is what my front garden looked like this morning.

Full skip already, will be changed tomorrow 

Steels arrived, I have lost the front and back garden now. 

SEE YOU FRIDAY WITH MORE NEWS 😘😘

Running late and mistakes on day one on the job

Ok, so I woke up early to get the kids ready so we can leave the house as soon as the builders come. It's now 1005hoursnand still no builders. I don't know how my husban is so cool about it, telling me 'it's ok they will be there later'. I want the, here now, I need to see something being done, I need to know that my kitchen is under way.

Am I being being impatient? I think not.

Ok, maybe I was being impatient, the guys did come but later than promised "we had to deal with a flooding problem at one of the nurseries we working with". This was the explanation given and all unwanted to say was "pleas stop the B.S., it's day one and already we are having snags.

Manager leaves his labourer tondo the digging and poor guy digs out the trench nicely but guess what? He didn't need to do that so he was made tomfillmup part of it and dig out elsewhere AGAIN. I had done the decent thing of taking the kids out for the day to give the men room to work without having to worry about the children, came back at 1615hours, and there were no builders to be found.

I can confirm with you now that there won't be any inspection tomorrow it's now been pushed to Friday. Good Start Already hey? There is always tomorrow.

Wrong dig

Top part of trench is required the rest is a waste of time and labour

The hole that should have been.

Building begins

This time last year we were house hunting, I was so determined to move into a bigger house is a quiet village somewhere in Kent. I found a house I fell in love with but ,y husband was struck with the 'post code' fever. He did not feel safe to move out of Chislehurst and refused to fall for the house in leafy Bexley village stating that he did not like the road which led into the cul de sac.

We then chose to extend our family house to meet our growing children's needs with me demanding a completely new kitchen and being allowed to choose everything from layout and design to what goes in it. Request accepted, planning permission granted I am a happy girl indeed. Oh, I have also started making a girl's small requests with my tiny head resting on my shoulder. You see if we are building a kitchen outside, creating another bedroom downstairs putting an extra WC and still maintaining the playroom, we 'might as well change the stair case, make the landing bigger and re-jig the living room because it makes the house more beautiful and I promise I shall not ask for a bigger house (for now). GRANTED. HERE IS THE PLAN, WORK BEGINS TUESDAY THE SEVENTH OF APRIL (if the builders turn up). I am both excited and apprehensive of living on the building site, I refuse moving out while the work is going on because I want to witness every single step of it.

My house today

Proposed plan