Since the weekend, and the latest round of photos, we have plunged into a world of schedules and 'if this, then that...' etc. and lots of emails back and forth as we try and get our heads around the myriad last things that must be done, in logical order, and without compromising the workmanship or sanity on site.
This week, the men are busy pointing the gable end wall upstairs; downstairs can only be done once the stove flue penetration is done. (Cue Charles. Charles? Can you read me? Charles!)
Gregg has completed the shutters and has been painting them on site with a thinned-down layer of our dove-grey colour as a base coat. G and I will have the job of applying the topcoats in the summer. By the end of this week, the men should have begun hanging the shutters.
Shutters under construction
The digger was due to come this week also, to clear the site around the barn to make way for the driveway and terrace. That should be done by the end of this week too, and by the end of next week, weather permitting, the geotextile membrane and gravel should be down...If it rains, then the downstairs pointing will be done (That means you again, Charles.)
Phil is on track with his stairs, and says they should be installed (complete with forge-blackened steel rods from the blacksmith) by the end of March. He is also almost ready to hang the bathroom door (the only internal door in the barn).
Next up after the stairs will be the upstairs floor boarding, and once we have agreed on widths and prices etc., Tom will order the boards and get them into the barn to allow them to acclimatise. Apparently the engineered boards need only about 2 weeks to acclimatise, whereas the solid boards need 4 weeks, so we are gaining some time there. The plan is to lay the upstairs boards mid to end of April, once Charles has brought the bath and sink pipework up from the floor void. (I'm not saying anything.)
While he is upstairs doing the floor, Tom will also finish off the cupboard/storage areas.
The last thing on Tom's list is painting the concrete floor downstairs. The screed is drying 'lovely', to quote him, but is not particularly smooth underfoot, so we've asked him to apply a 2mm self-levelling layer which will be very smooth. This means that we won't have to rely on the paint to give us the desirable smooth texture. Talking of paint. The manufacturer (Farrow & Ball), suggests a 3-month delay before painting new concrete, no matter its thickness, which means that we will only be able to paint it on or about the 2 May. It will require a primer and at least two coats...
Once the floor is ready to walk on (after 24 hours), it will only be the plumbing in of the sanitaryware to do, and the commissioning of the stove and heating system. Only.
In the meantime, all G and I have to do is choose and order online a paint colour, using only the printed catalogue, a wing and a prayer.
Oh, and try and plan a trip over for handover, snag list assessment and final payment, preferably when all the workmen have left, there's running water, electricity, a flushable toilet and a shower. It has to be sometime in May...but not the third week (G has to go to the Philippines on business) and it can't be the end of May (year-end)...
Too hard basket.
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