It’s amazing what you can do in two days

We had David and Dougie for two days last week and they’ve got a lot done 🙂

Dougie has been tunnelling again – we now have holes in the wall and cables for the outside floodlight, the satellite dish and a switch for all the external lights.

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Inside, the cable runs are just getting more and more wires in them – this was taken standing in the hall and looking up, so all these are running underneath the landing.  I have to confess, I had absolutely no idea how much wiring was in a modern house until now.

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Not to be outdone, David has been working away in the kitchen and spotted a problem – two of the joists weren’t actually resting on anything, they stopped just short of the window!  One quick trip home (fortunately he lives about 6 miles away, which is just round the corner in Highland terms) for a suitable bit of wood and problem solved.

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The framing is up in the hallway and around the front door.

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And the first of my window seats is taking shape – I LOVE it!  Eventually that wooden fence will be replaced with wire stock fencing, so there’ll be less of an interruption to the view.

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And last but by no means least, my wonderful husband has been cracking on with things as well.  The living room ceiling is completely plasterboarded over.

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He’s started on the coombes upstairs – if you’re wondering why he’s not gone all the way to the floor, that’s where the tongue and groove panelling is going to be.

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He’s also put in recessed dwangs ready for Dougie to attach the socket backs to.

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Pete dropped round today.  He’s been trying to get his hands on a beautiful piece of Caithness slab that he’d spotted way out west of here for me to use as a replacement hearthstone, but after weeks of gentle negotiation its owner has decided not to part with it.  Instead he gave me a 2″ x 2″ stone sample to check I was happy with the colour and will get it cut exactly to size at the quarry for me.  The quote for a 75mm-thick piece was over £700, which he choked at a bit, so since it’s a woodburner going on there rather than an open fire (i.e. no direct heat) and the floor’s being raised by the underfloor heating anyway, we’re ordering a 50mm piece and Pete will raise it to the right level – a far more reasonable bill of £350 for that stone and you won’t be able to tell the difference.

David is back tomorrow, I hope, and I must remember to ask him (a) when I need to order the tongue and groove, (b) how much of it I need to order and (c) which supplier he would prefer me to get it from, if any.  Tomorrow he’s hoping to get the window seat in the living room done and perhaps put in the studwork for the internal walls upstairs again.  It’s going to feel quite strange not having it all open up there any more.

Demolition Sunday

A phone call this morning from Dougie the Electrician, to go through the list I’d sent him of what I thought I wanted, electrics-wise, in each room.  In the main he agreed and of the things I’d asked his opinion on, thought that putting a connection to the satellite dish and a wired internet connection into each bedroom was a good plan, but as it was going to be a rental, wouldn’t bother with wiring the place for sound.  He also suggested that I put a smoke detector into each bedroom instead of just the hall and landing, which I thought was a good idea, as I’m sure legislation will eventually require it (at the moment, hall and landing would be sufficient for a three-bedroom self catering cottage).  He’s now going to price everything up and get a quote back to me.

I’ve had to work today 🙁 so Mick headed down the road to destroy a bit more house.  The internal doors are now all removed, ready to be thrown into the back of the truck and driven south (probably to Nairn, I need to get a quote) for stripping back to the original wood.

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We wanted to see what was behind those enormous window sills in the living room and kitchen, wondering if we could get enough space in the kitchen one to put the table there. So he broke open the living room one today and this is what he found:

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Lots of breezeblocks, which must have been put in when the window was enlarged in the ’80s, but see those two blocks on either side?  The *perfect* size for two small window seats – another job for David the Joiner, I think!  Boxed in with some nice oak, a comfy padded seat on the top and a coaster on the windowsill for a coffee mug or a glass of wine, it’s going to be a nice spot to sit and enjoy the view.

Then he moved into the kitchen and broke out the pantry cupboard.

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It’s amazing what a difference just taking off the door and removing the shelves has made, the room looks so much bigger.