The new lounge bay arrives!

More plumbing progress with the installation of showers, heated towel rails, and mirrors, etc.

Also, ceiling rose installed in hallway.

Front door looks good freshly painted, and new glass in front windows reflects the greenery.

First sight of new bay today, duly scrutinised by Celia. Three-man erection team soon had it fixed in position.

Not an exact replica of original bay in some very minor details, but perhaps less vulnerable to the weather because of that. Should be judged on its overall impression when it has been roofed, glazed and fully painted. I am confident that it will not let us down.

Dad

Inspection teams

Ashgrove has certainly proved to be a family tourist attraction over the last few months!

Here are two recent 'inspection teams'.

Vestibule

Well Eric did deliver the vestibule door frame and the skylight, and both have now been fitted.

The front door has been painted, and the house is now looking good from the front. Quite a contrast to the dark, sad looking boarded up house of a few months ago.

Eric should be delivering the new bay any day. Andy has already completed the base ready for it to stand on. As soon as it arives, Andy will get to work on the bay roof and get the lounge watertight as soon as possible so that he can then replace the floorboards.

Upstairs is progressing well, but there is still a lot of work to do downstairs. We are getting the first hints that the schedule is looking tight, and I wouldn't be surprised to see completion slip a couple of weeks to the middle of September. Let's hope its not longer.

Mike

Site progress meeting - 11 July

Well another month, another site meeting. And again, we can report good progress.

The builders continue to report that the project is on time with a completion date less than two months away.

That said, there is still quite a bit to be done, with some major carpentry items on the critical path.

The skylight and the vestibule woodwork are due to arrive next week. Then we await the lounge bay structure and the staircase handrail, balustrades etc. We have been assured that Eric the joiner is a good old fashioned master craftsman, and that his work is first class. But he doesn't seem quite so good on predicting delivery dates!

The kitchen is now nearly complete, the coving finished, and all but one window is finished.
I've put a few pictures below, but here is a link to a slideshow of photos taken in the house today.

We helped mum and dad select light fittings from Kok's lighting yesterday, and agreed tiles for the kitchen. So that's two more sets of decisions made.

Some very heavy dining room furniture arrived today from the St Catherine's Hospice furniture shop (including 12 chairs!) and is being stored in the garage. Dad says it didn't cost much and will 'put us on'. And so it will, but I wonder till when?

Now Mum's contents shopping begins in earnest (carpets, curtains, beds, chairs, sofas, tables, ceiling lights, lamps, washing machine, dryer, fridge, freezer etc etc). Any vounteers to help with the decisions?

Mike

ps as this project is coming to its last stages, so the next stage is being drawn up. On Thursday evening we visited a garden room extension that our architect designed to get some ideas for a conservatory replacement. If all goes to plan, we should have that finished in time for Christmas.

Coving and kitchen

Miscellaneous shots of the new covings which, before installation, are huge and very heavy. New picture rails have also been fixed. Special adhesive is used for the covings, and they are also nailed into position for safety. Having had to use nails to ensure the adhesion of a large ceiling rose which I installed some years ago (DIY) I now feel vindicated!

Also, more progress in the kitchen installation, plus the final renovation of the upstairs sash windows by Ventrolla.

Much remains yetl to be done but we are encouraged by what we see on each visit. As mentioned previously, we still have to keep a close eye on everything to avoid errors, and Celia is ensuring that the finer details meet with her approval.

We have also commisioned a new fireplace interior and fire to match the original surround from a London house (possibly Chelsea) which we found in a search in Manchester guided by Paul.

We have a further review meeting with the Contractors on Friday when we hope that some outstanding questions will be resolved.

Dad

Progress report

A few more pictures showing further progress.

Paul has had our (original) small iron Victorian bedroom fireplace (kept in the garage for over 40 years!) restored for us by a specialist in Manchester. It will look good in the middle bedroom.

Work has started on the installation of the new kitchen fitments - but we are still awaiting one or two items. Much more plastering and decorating has been done, and we are expecting the new coving to be fitted next week.

We are frantically searching for items needed for further installations, and trying to keep a close daily watch on the work in hand to avoid errors (eg the wrong work top on the ensuite vanity unit) or having them corrected asap if they occur. Sadly, the odd 'mistake' has proved irrevocable, but Andy is pretty good in most of his judgements.

With only two more months to the contract completion date we have also turned our attention to the extensive refurnishing and refurbishing, which involves every room in the house because we have virtually nothing left after the fire. The pressure is really on!

Dad

New staircase in

We have just returned from seeing Andy to sort out one or two things for tomorrow's site meeting! Apparently Mark is coming from Halls as is Jo the lady through whom Andy does the ordering and with whom he gets on quite well.

I took one or two photos for you to select from for the blog. Outside in Nooklands are some of the remains of the old staircase (plus other items) which overflowed from the previous skip and are awaiting placement in the new one.

New staircase treads (sensibly protected by plywood pieces) have been installed in two sections from the hall to the upper front landing. Temporary timber supports have been used pending the arrival of the newell posts and handrails, etc.

The lounge chimney breast has been plastered (ready for the new fireplace) as have the walls of other rooms.

A shot of Mum negotiating with Andy.

The bathroom handbasin is now plumbed in, and overall decoration is continuing progressively.

The window repairs have let much more light into the upper rooms, but the boarding up is still necessary on the ground floor for security.

Dad

Staircase removed

The staircase has been removed, and now there is just a big hole down to the cellar. You can see the old staircase in the skip.

Hopefully this means that the new staircase will be arriving shortly.

A couple of pictures below taken by Paul , and a slideshow HERE.

Steel girders installed

Members of the family who visited Ashgrove on Friday, 30th May, to see how the restoration and renovation was proceeding were duly impressed. Many of the walls and ceilings have been plastered and painted, creating a much brighter atmosphere (despite the boarding up) and the use of the groundfloor rooms for storage and workshops is an indication of the amount of activity.

There is still evidence of the ferocity of the fire - the burnt and scorched remains of the staircase (temporarily supported by pieces of new timber while its replacement is being manufactured) is just one example.

The new supporting girders (see external and internal shots) were successfully installed without disturbance of the brickwork above, and the renovation/servicing of the eleven sash windows by the specialist firm Ventrolla (duly tested and approved by Paul!) is producing very pleasing results in function and appearance. The loft insulation has been renewed, the central heating boiler and some radiators have been fitted, and the new ensuite and existing bathrooms have been tiled and are nearing completion.

Overall, a positive report of progress which we hope will continue on schedule.

I hope that this report will explain the main features of the photos.

Dad