Some Final Touches

Among the many items still awaiting completion was the glazing of the new vestibule door by Paul and Adam who made such a good job of glazing the bay.

Their new creation is truly impressive not only in its workmanship but in the designs which incorporate features from our Victorian windows in the bathroom and on the upper landing.

The relevant picture shows the two experts standing (by our request) in front of their creation. We are absolutely delighted with the outcome which we are sure will be a much-admired addition.

Other shots show our carefully-chosen new halltable, and some of the 'povisional' diningroom furniture which physically and atmospherically fits in very well - and could indeed become a permanent choice.

Dad

Home at last

Still a lot to do, but Ashgrove is home again!

What a day!

Ashgrove has never received such attention!

From dawn to dusk teams of electricians, carpet fitters, curtain specialists, Amtico flooring experts, et al (plus our ever-present Colin with his faithful paintbrush)
have used their skills to transform the interior of our old house beyond recognition.

The pictures show miscellaneous shots of men at work - plus rooms and areas now carpeted, and the kitchen floor Amticoed, etc Other work done is not viewable at present.

There is also a shot of Celia in conversation with Zena, our curtain expert, and another of her chatting to Colin in the bay which, thanks to him, has had no less than FIVE coats of gloss paint! That should mean that I have lost my annual job for life - with no danger of blowtorch damage!

However there is always a snag! The groundfloor lighting kept tripping off every few minutes. I suspected the loading from the outside security halogen lights (each 500w)
but a proper test could not be done till all the workmen had left in the evening, when we positively proved the connection. We are hoping that this will be sorted as soon as possible.

Our constant vigilance is required to ensure that nothing is left undone or in an unsatisfactory state, because this is crunch time as the house is handed over to us.

More pictures in due course.

Dad

Bay windows

Our window specialists Paul and Adam have installed the new leaded lights in the bay, and it looks really good. The workmanship is top class - and they cleaned and polished every pane of glass before they left. What a relief at long last to have daylight in the room after months of being boarded up.

It is truly beginning to feel like home again, and despite her original reservations Mum is delighted.

Dad

Final meeting

It's just over a year since the fire and at last we are nearly there!

The final site meeting took place last Friday, and the house is almost finished. All that remains is the glass for the bay which will go in on Saturday, and the vestibule glass which won't be far behind.

That means that upstairs carpets go in this week, and downstairs next, and with a bit of luck mum and dad will be able to move back in very soon. In fact, Paul is planning on staying on 19th!
Below are a few pictures taken last Friday - Click HERE to see more in a slideshow.

It's been a long haul. Thanks especially to Andy and his team as well as to Matt and Halls. Ashgrove is looking just great - except for the conservatory of course which is the next project!

Update

Michael - As promised, more pictures to be considered for the blog.

The main developments have been the roofing and tiling of the bay, and the internal structure of its curved ceiling.

Its lower sections are a little higher than the original, and these sections have been insulated and plastered making them thicker - hence the addition of shelving.

The installation of the staircase handrail and spindles has started but there is a 'tricky' section to be tackled where the rail (on a bend) has to meet the original upper rail which survived the fire.

The remaining supporting spindles have been painted in readiness.

The panelling below the staircase has been fixed and painted, and the wardrobe and cellar doors have been hung.

Miscellaneous small items of bathroom equipmenmt are being added, together with other finishing touches.

We expect to see some more major items this coming week, including our two major firplaces.

We hope that the pace will increase to ensure early completion so that we can begin the major task of furnishing, starting with the floorings.

Dad

Great progress

As the Beijing games get underway it does now feel that we are getting close to the end of the restoration, and Ashgrove is really looking good.

Colin keeps adding coats of paint to the new bay (and every where else come to that). Andy has completed the bay roof structure and the reclaimed Rosemary tiles have arrived.

Scaffolding has been erected to paint the outside of the attic windows, and this will be gone in a couple of days.

The panelling to the side of the stairs has been fitted, and the spindles for the staircase have been delivered.

The kitchen tiling is done, and the new utility room has wall cupboards and a work surface.

The downstairs toilet floor has been levelled ready for the Amtico to be fitted.

Upstairs is virtually complete. Mum has new shelves in the bathroom cupboard, the sink has been fitted in the middle bedroom, and the en-suite bathrooms are finished.

The MFI installers have started fitting the bedroom furniture to the master bedroom.

There is still quite a bit to do but the end is in sight now. The big items are the leaded windows for the bay, re-flooring the lounge, and the staircase handrail.

At the site meeting we agreed to slip the project end date by two weeks to mid September, and I'm pretty confident that Andy will be able to meet that.

A few pictures of progress below, click HERE for more in a slideshow.


Mike