back from holiday

Back from holiday- not much appeared to have happened over the summer, as builders, architect and ourselves went on holiday at various times during July and August.

The biggest blow to us was the fact that the builders due to carry out the 2nd phase of the building works upped his price by about 33% between April and June and therefore we declined to sign a contract with him. We did look at alternative builders but in the end decided that as we now had the time available we would project manage this ourselves. Chris, mainly, has been hiring specialists to undertake different parts of the job. He has become quite an expert in construction, making sure that he understand all the specifics of the construction that is being undertaken, studying diagrams and speaking to the structural engineer or the architect if anything is not clear. I'm sure the job would not have been carried out with more care if it had been a building firm.

Our relationship with Emil of basement services and his team has been very good and we've been very pleased with the work they've completed. We had added some windows to the basement which were unfortunately causing water to get into the basement, so we decided to get the patio dug out now, which alleviated the problem. The photos above show the membrane that is going on the cellar walls to stop moisture from getting in.

In the meantime, work has been going on on top of the basement slab. A steel frame was put up by one company that will support the bathroom on top of the extension.

Pawel and Michal will construct the frame of the extension and the bathroom on top with bricks and timber and ofcourse add a damp-proofing course and insulation.

With the start of the brickwork, it really feels as if our house is being built at last.

We are now trying to get an electrician, plumber and plasterer so that the works inside can take place. I think this is the part of the project I am getting more excited about.

We have decided to go with local companies for the solar panels, photo-voltaic cells and garden design, but more of that another time.....

xxx to all my ardent followers - bet you cant wait for the next installment.