Big meeting between Daniel (architect), Con (structural engineer), Tony and Dave (builders), and us. So good to have everyone together, making sensible suggestions.
Upshot is that the wall will be removed entirely and we'll put in a new beam, floor will be replaced with a slab.
Now over to Con to do the structural stuff, then Daniel to do plans for the Building Permit application.
Friday 14 July 2017
Thursday 6 July 2017
Gutted
Three days and five skips later...
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| What was the kitchen... |
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| ...the bathroom... |
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| ...the living area looking back up the hall... |
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| ... and the living area looking out into the courtyard. |
Monday 3 July 2017
Demolition Day
Late June turns into early July.
During June we move all the furniture from the back room to the front bedroom, removing the doors from the wardrobe so that the bed could slide in (just fitted). Amazingly, we managed to then move in the sofa, dining table, fridge, TV table.
Later we pack up everything in kitchen and bathroom into storage boxes which go into the second bedroom. We remove the laundry trough and handbasin as they might be recyclable in the new layout. We remove the glass panelled door from the end of the hall, which we plan to relocate in the second bedroom, and replace it with the flat panel door from the bathroom, which Peter modifies so that it can secure the front part of the house when the back is gutted.
During one of our forays into the house to prepare for demolition we notice first that the back gate is open, and secondly that the back sliding door is off its runner, and looks as though someone's tried to jemmy it open. Several days later we realise that the TV (second hand, bought via Gumtree) is no longer on its table in the front bedroom. We realise that the jemmy effort was in fact successful, that the thieves then carried off the TV, probably out the front door. Nothing else touched. We are annoyed because you can no longer buy 32" TVs, but otherwise the loss is too minor for us to be anything more than irritated, and cross with ourselves for not locking the place more securely.
By the first Monday in July we have done all we can in preparation, and the builders duly arrive at about 7:30am. The sounds of demolition float over the wall as we drink our morning coffee and try to recover from getting out of bed at 6:30am on a very chilly winter's morning.
During June we move all the furniture from the back room to the front bedroom, removing the doors from the wardrobe so that the bed could slide in (just fitted). Amazingly, we managed to then move in the sofa, dining table, fridge, TV table.
Later we pack up everything in kitchen and bathroom into storage boxes which go into the second bedroom. We remove the laundry trough and handbasin as they might be recyclable in the new layout. We remove the glass panelled door from the end of the hall, which we plan to relocate in the second bedroom, and replace it with the flat panel door from the bathroom, which Peter modifies so that it can secure the front part of the house when the back is gutted.
During one of our forays into the house to prepare for demolition we notice first that the back gate is open, and secondly that the back sliding door is off its runner, and looks as though someone's tried to jemmy it open. Several days later we realise that the TV (second hand, bought via Gumtree) is no longer on its table in the front bedroom. We realise that the jemmy effort was in fact successful, that the thieves then carried off the TV, probably out the front door. Nothing else touched. We are annoyed because you can no longer buy 32" TVs, but otherwise the loss is too minor for us to be anything more than irritated, and cross with ourselves for not locking the place more securely.
By the first Monday in July we have done all we can in preparation, and the builders duly arrive at about 7:30am. The sounds of demolition float over the wall as we drink our morning coffee and try to recover from getting out of bed at 6:30am on a very chilly winter's morning.
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