...Day Eighty~Eight

www.bootblack.co.uk

... the cute shed complete with window box...

We’ve been away from the ‘homestead’ for most of the day today because we have been taking a break from the kitchen for a few hours. We decided as it’s been such a lovely day here that we’d take a drive around the countryside to see what’s here -- there’s some really pretty villages north of us.

We arrived home around 5pm and after a quick coffee we decided to clear an area of shingle to the front of the bungalow and move it to the back behind the refurbished shed – I know – WHY?? This is because the builder is due here next week to relay a drive and repair the chimney, which is in a very bad state and we thought that we’d recycle the shingle. It was heavy back-breaking work I can tell you…

Dave’s now doing a quick rub down of paintwork in the kitchen before we have supper -- I don’t know there’s just no stopping him --

ME ;0)

...Day Eighty~Seven...

www.bootblack.co.uk

Works continuing in the kitchen again this morning. Dave made a really early start today, couple of hours before I even got out of the pit - I even let my coffee go cold - :0)

He's been sorting out the area of wall that the stainless steel chimney hood will be going above the ceramic hob - the wall is very badly plastered there so he's skimming over it to ensure a lovely smooth surface, but as is normal it’s never straight forward and is taking much longer to get sorted than first thought……this happens with refurbishments all the time……

I've done my little bit by continuing to scrap paint from the quarry tiles and have taken a rest to write the blog -- I know any excuse to stop --

ME ;0)

...Day Eighty~Six...

www.bootblack.co.uk

I now have photos of Project 5 on face book -- if you'd like to see our progress, check it out – www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1225934715


Dave & I started off in the garden this morning as it was such a glorious day – Dave planted up an old wheelbarrow with bedding plants and I did a bit of weeding (it’s so not my thing!) but by midday it was just too hot so we decided to come inside -- OH PITY! I was enjoying that – NOT --

After a quick trip into town for food shopping and Dave bought more coving and picture rail we returned to the kitchen….

I started stripping the paint from the quarry tiles and Dave started knotting the picture rail before painting. It’s such a long boring job, stripping the tiles. I wish I could meet the idiot that painted them in the first place – but I must admit that they do ‘come up’ a treat and will look great when they are all restored to their former glory – twenty done only around another thousand to do – it’s a very large kitchen…

ME ;0)

...Day Eighty~Five...

www.bootblack.co.uk

I now have photos of Project 5 on face book -- if you'd like to see our progress, check it out –

www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1225934715

It's another day of sawing and gluing in the kitchen for Dave, he's finished putting up the coving except around the wall cabinets. This section will be completed when we replace the units.

He's now started on the picture rail - this is going all the way around the room as well. As is normal the wall & ceiling measurements aren't square and he's having to compromise - but he's good at that as he's had years of practice of finding alternative ways of DIY. This of course takes more time than originally planned for, though.

I shouldn't call him a DIYer as this sometimes gives the impression that he's a bit of an amateur and he's far from that - he's VERY, VERY experienced at refurbishing a property - he's been doing it for a living since 2002 and has been doing up our homes since 1980.

Luckily for me – he loves doing it and is SO good at it – while I hate getting me hands dirty, so rarely do.

Oops! Master has called – ‘More tea needed’

ME ;0)

...Day Eighty~Four...

www.bootblack.co.uk

I now have photos of Project 5 on face book -- if you'd like to see our progress, check it out –www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1225934715




Work has continued in the kitchen today after a late start this morning. Dave's added another coat of paint to the kitchen door and finished replacing the broken & missing quarry tiles on the floor.



He's now started to cove all around and will putting up the picture rail soon - probably tomorrow. Until fairly recently I wasn't a great fan of coving (I've always liked picture rail, though) but Dave talked me into using it a couple of refurbs back and I'm now well and truly converted I must admit - it really finishes the edge off.

ME ;0)

...Day Eighty~Three...

www.bootblack.co.uk

I now have photos of Project 5 on face book -- if you'd like to see our progress, check it out –www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1225934715

We were planning to go out for the day today as it’s Bank Holiday Monday but the weather is so bad that we decided against it :0( So Dave’s back in the kitchen and I’m wasting the day messing around on the computer -- nothing’s much different there, then?? -- he’s been refurbishing the original quarry tiles all morning removing floor paint from them, generally cleaning them up, removing old cement from the back of them and cutting some to size so as to replace broken ones.

Luckily when the Tree Man - bbcholidays.blogspot.com/2008/04/pity-its-not-summer.html - was here recently doing some work in the garden for us he found a load that had been dumped in a corner of the overgrown side garden, so Dave’s managing to replace them with the originals, so as it’s turned out they were a really good find. Of course it’s a job that should only take a couple of hours but as with most DIY jobs it always takes much longer.

ME ;0)

...Day Eight~Two...

www.bootblack.co.uk

I now have photos of Project 5 on face book -- if you'd like to see our progress, check it out -- www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1225934715


Dave’s been refurbishing the kitchen door, the one that goes into the hall, because it was really too short. So he’s added a piece to the bottom of it & it now has a nice new coat of white paint as well.

I know that it’s Bank Holiday weekend but as the weather is so ‘iffy’ today we decided not to go out and as Dave can’t sit still for long he’s getting on with things.

He bought a wall chaser a couple of days ago – no, I didn’t know what it was either – and will be trying it out after lunch (to lay electric cables in the wall) so I expect there’ll be a lot of noise as well as dust everywhere…that’s the problem with DIY it’s great when it’s over but there’s a lot of mess before you get to that stage and we’ve still got a bedroom, dining room, lounge, hall and bathroom to sort

…All In A Day’s Work…

ME ;0)

...Day Eighty-One...

www.bootblack.co.uk

the kitchen currently under refurbishment

the kitchen before we started

I have more photos of Project 5 on face book -- if you'd like to see our progress, check it out -- www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1225934715


....I thought that it was about time I started a blog for the latest refurbishment project ~ so here it is....

We moved here on 4 March this year (81 days ago!) and since then have been working on 'Project 5'. Our bedroom & the utility room have already been transformed as well as a very dilapidated garden shed. We're now in the kitchen - as normal it needs electrics checking, plumbing, tiling, decorating as well as the replacement of cabinets, worktops & all the white goods -- nice quick job then :0)

Dave's stripped the place of the 'lovely' tiling on a roll and has prepared the walls for redecoration - I'm having a nice plum colour. The plasterer has already been to skim the ceiling - which was in a hell of a mess - he worked off of stilts so it was entertaining to watch him do the job on them.

Yesterday, Dave continued with the updating of the electrics and replaced a couple of the double sockets and removed the old carpet flooring (why do some people have carpet in the kitchen - YUK?) and also started cleaning off the original quarry tiles that some idiot have painted.....with red floor paint.....You have to wonder about some people don't you? What's the point of painted red quarry tiles with red floor paint???

This morning we've been to our local-ish DIY store for more paint etc so that Dave can now get on with the next stage -- which is to be the painting of the ceiling -- there'll be photo's soon.

I've just finished vacuuming the car interior and Dave is potting up plants in tubs for the garden

...so it's all go here - speak soon...

ME ;0)