Archive for October, 2007
On the level
One of the biggest challenges at number four has been the garden. The early images show a sprawling plot that had been pretty muchcovered with sheds and outhouses. When these were filled, various heaps of rubbish and materials were simply left to fester in the garden. One of the largest heaps was covered in ivy and upon further investigation proved to be several thousand London Stock bricks which had come from the walled garden whichhad been knocked down to make way for a never built garage.
Although we had cleared the garden of sheds the main rubbish at the beginning of the project, actually tackling the garden proper has been deferred - until now.
The garden is 150ft long and about 35ft wide. What makes this garden so great, ie size, is also it's weakness in terms of landscaping it. The costs of tackling this, even to merely fence and turf, had seemed prohibitive. To actually incorporate any sort of design seemed impossible as the plot itself slopes up toward the end of the garden and is about 1m higher on the left. Wehad already figured we would need a JCB to get the area terraced or even levelled butthen we had the problemof removing the earthwhich had been excavated. In fact this problem was solved by Sarah Hammond who devised a design incorporating a bank at the rear of the garden which wouldcreate interest, retain thedifferent level running along the back of the garden and could use all of the earth that we had moved. The moving of the earth began on Monday and already the garden is beginning to take shape.
Following through from the kitchen extension we are having a terrace at the same floor level and covered in the same tiles. The levels for this have already been dug and we have a concrete slab by the end of Saturday. The tiles are porcelain and can be used inside and out with just a variation of finish to prevent slipping. As we cannot afford any planting at the moment I am hopeful that the terrace will create enough impact until we stumble across another stash of cash. The terrace will appear to float and the channel at the edges will also incorporate the drainage. Steps will be made from shuttered concrete that will then be faced in the tiles used for the floor. Sarah has created some amazing images and her attention to detail puts me to shame. I have reached the stage in the project where to have any sort of garden would be amazing but with her determination I think it is going to be much more than the sum of it's parts. She has also designed some further stages so that if and when we have more cash the design will grow in stages. Mrs Hammond I salute you.
We have had a bit of a touch with the landscaper too. Peter McKnight is a mate of Barry McGovern our builder who put us in touch to get this project of the ground. He was a landscaper in exotic parts but has more recently beeninvolved in laying sports surfaces and pitches - no wonder our plot did not faze him when he is used to laying 10000m of football pitch. He and his team arrived , pulled out the last of the old sheet metal fencing, rid us of our rotting trees and drove the JCB for all they were worth. My kids have been transfixed by the giant digger and dumper at the back and to watch Pete operate them has been a source of wonderment. Maybe Bob the Builder theme parties at our gaff could bring in the bacon?
“If I had all the money in the world I would buy everything - except courgette’s”
India Gibbon, aged 4, 20th October 2007.
Whereas if I had just some of the money in the world I would buy a large team of tradesmento finish number four. We have been going for almost six months now and although the end is in sight I would like these last bits to hurry along so that we could unpack our belongings and live a bit in this place.
The lovely shell is now rewired and rendered and is now being plasterboarded so that we can get the underfloor heating down and the screed laid. This needs to be done ASAP as it has to dry out for a minimum of four weeks before the underfloor heating can be turned on. Although I like the idea of underfloor heating and it was toasty on a winters morning in Upland Road, it is proving less straight forward for this house. Because we have two different areas, on one level, with two different sub floors we need two different circuits each fitted differently - apparently. One company says it is straight forward and another say's it is tricky because our joist centres are not 400mm and therefore we would need a biscuit screed blah blah blah. Cannot bear the thought of complications so that area shall have a radiator instead and jolly well like it as I believe the only biscuit in this house should be of the edible kind. This would also mean that we would have some form of heating in this while the screed dries elsewhere. I have visions of us all wearing woollen combinations before long to stave off the cold. I seem to remember Charles Ingles in The Little House on the Prairie looking strangely alluring in his so maybe this will be a positive thing.
The flooring for such a large area is also proving troublesome. We had identified a fine Basalt tile, 60cm square, but have since learnt that the lead time is in excess of eight weeks but sooner if we want to ship them, at our expense, from a satellite warehouse in Antwerp. Sadly this would double the price and as we need 100m2 for the kitchen and terrace areas is too darn expensive. The solution we have found is a porcelain tile that can be used inside and out and comes in a variety of greys. Although the Basalt would be the King of floors I am content with a lesser royal for a saving of about 4k. But if I had all the money in the world I would have the Basalt and a shed load of courgette's to boot.
What a swell shell this is
Ok so that should be party but we cannot have one just yet as we have no back on the house. But we do have a shell for the extension and very fine it is too. Completed ahead of schedule and at the price quoted - sinister eh?
So what have we got? Well so far about 62m2 of blockwork building with a single ply membrane roof with skylights installed. We also have all the wiring in for the 40 or so lights for this area and some rendering on the external walls. The weather has been a bit brutal for this piece of work and I am so grateful for Antonio who has continued in the torrential and icy rain. A lesser person (such as myself) would have buggered off down the greasy spoon for a couple of hours but not him. In fact he stayed until about 7.30 last night to make the most of the break in the weather. I am sure his lovely wife Sacha was delighted to have no assistant for bed and bathtime for the children and was singing my praises throughout the evening…However, though small consolation it will be to her, Antonio's work is amazing and I am now considering defecting from Restylane to sand and cement.
If the weather is not too grim and the render can be finished we hope to plasterboard the ceiling next week and get on with the chasing out for the sockets etc. Alan made a mercy dash from Cyprus on Monday evening to start the wiring. Although I am devoted to take away's and sachet dinners for one, CB and the children are sick of bread and jam, Pomm Bears and fish and chips. I have promised if we can just eat at the Tulip cafe three times a day for the next four or five weeks then I'll knock up a meal or two for them when we get a cooker. In the meantime I shall enjoy private dinners while CB is away ( on Wednesday I dined like a Queen on a box of Mint Matchmakers and some old wine I found at the back of the fridge).
I would like a Tsunami kitchen but it would not like the budget I have to acquire it. The model I dream of is called Atelier and comes in at about 80k. Yes, that is eighty thousand pounds. Although I have no doubt it represents fine value blah blah blah it is definitely not within even light years of our budget. Thus we have turned to McGovern Carpentry and Design to build an approximation of this for us. Barry, who along with his partner Steve and team built the extension, is a nifty carpenter. He has had a look at the kitchen and we have come up with a design that he could build for us. Although it will not have been hand crafted by ethereal beings using gossamer and fairy tools in the same way as Tsunami kitchens must clearly be, I think it will be amazing as he is clearly a talented man. In fact it would be worth saying that the whole of the team have been delightful and the whole process to date has been virtually stress free. I say virtually only because I have developed extreme nervousness and anxiety lately none of which is related in any way to the build or the builders. I have been prescribed Dr Stuart's tranquility tea by a friend of mine who although, as he keeps telling me, is nudging 50, looks about 35. If it works I shall be amazed but grateful as not sleeping is undoing all the good work of the facial filling