Daydream fund challenge part 4

greenbee

I've stopped getting quotes for the moment Dave. I haven't even bothered to chase the builder for the bits he needs to finish - although I should while it's still relatively warm and dry. I owe him about £5k so I'm not sure why he isn't making more of an effort to come and finish off.

Everything else is being left till spring. I'm dreading having the downstairs floors levelled as it will involve so much disruption, and then living without flooring while the floors dry out and the rooms are done, but it'll be another major piece of work over. I'm sure I'll be able to do quite a bit of work on the rooms one at a time while I leave the floors for as long as possible before putting tiles/wood/bamboo on top of them.

I think the fact that I work from home makes the disruption harder - it's certainly had an impact on my productivity, and the quality of my work this year, so I need to find a way to minimise that next year.

choille

I don't know how you & DW don't bow a fuse at HW sons. I do hope they take some responsibility.

The outside here looks so messy & it is messy, it's so much worse than it was before we started to get someone to tidy up. Sands getting dragged everywhere. Still the drainpipes aren't on. I just can't believe how bad it has got.

Davesnave

greenbee wrote: »

I think the fact that I work from home makes the disruption harder - it's certainly had an impact on my productivity, and the quality of my work this year, so I need to find a way to minimise that next year.

Have you a 'den' you can escape to and just close the door when all hell is being let loose?

It's no accident that the room I'm in now, my office, was first to be finished and carpeted. I was in the kitchen for a while and I couldn't really feel 'in control' there. My filing system isn't wonderful, but having nothing easily to hand was a nightmare....

......and the dust!!!:eek:

For me, good office and decent bog+ shower and I'm fine. I can sleep anywhere!

We have a date for the conservatory....around 21st November, so only 6 weeks late. Quite good by our standards! :rotfl:So long as the top is on and it's weatherproof before the major frosts, if we have any.

greenbee

choille wrote: »

The outside here looks so messy & it is messy, it's so much worse than it was before we started to get someone to tidy up. Sands getting dragged everywhere. Still the drainpipes aren't on. I just can't believe how bad it has got.

At least you know we can all empathise choille. Any idea how long the 'tidying' is going to take? Or is it all on hold now until spring? If so, you need to think about strategies to make it manageable (like an airlock outside the door where you can change from outside gear into indoor clothes - I'm hoping to turn my utility room into something along these lines, although there's no room for a shower which would be ideal for kids/returning from winter runs or walks).

Davesnave wrote: »

Have you a 'den' you can escape to and just close the door when all hell is being let loose?

It's no accident that the room I'm in now, my office, was first to be finished and carpeted. I was in the kitchen for a while and I couldn't really feel 'in control' there. My filing system isn't wonderful, but having nothing easily to hand was a nightmare....

......and the dust!!!:eek:

For me, good office and decent bog+ shower and I'm fine. I can sleep anywhere!

We have a date for the conservatory....around 21st November, so only 6 weeks late. Quite good by our standards! :rotfl:So long as the top is on and it's weatherproof before the major frosts, if we have any.

Good to know the conservatory is going ahead - think of the insulation/solar gain it will provide during winter

Somehow builders seem to get everywhere. And dust certainly does. In theory upstairs is done, so I should be able to work up there when they do downstairs, although I'll have to be out when they screed the floors. But unlike upstairs where they ended up doing several rooms at once (NOT part of the plan) and impacting on the rooms below (due to taking up the floorboards which means plaster falling off the ceilings, plus we were dropping wiring and pipes down), I'll do downstairs a room at a time once the screed is down, and then the flooring based on which rooms are having what flooring.

What I have to work out is whether I can clear downstairs completely so they can do the screed in one go, or whether I'll need to do one half and then the other.

But first I need to get the outstanding jobs sorted out...

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

I don't know how you & DW don't bow a fuse at HW sons. I do hope they take some responsibility.

The outside here looks so messy & it is messy, it's so much worse than it was before we started to get someone to tidy up. Sands getting dragged everywhere. Still the drainpipes aren't on. I just can't believe how bad it has got.

The sons are scared of her, I think. They are probably the sort of sons you get if you're a very controlling parent!

We finally took our drainpipes off last week, including the two that the idiot plasterer we sacked had part-coated in PVA. :mad: DW had fine splashes of exterior paint from the roller on them too.

While DW painted the bits behind, I cleaned them up with Cif and a bit of ultra-fine, cabinet-maker's wire wool.

Came up OK.

choille

Hi Greenbee I do think that working from home does make it harder - I don't know how you are managing with kiddies about. At least we have the actual floors in downstairs.
If you could move out while the screeding is being done all at once - get it over in a oner? Would that be possible as it sounds it could drag too?
I think ours has gone on so long it is eating away at me & the thought of another Winter topsy turvey is not filling me with joy. But I do like a good moan.
The tidying up outside has dragged. It should not be long, but the weather has broken after such a good, dry spell.

choille

Hi Dave - HW sounds like she has the onset of dementia? It's such a difficult situation, but it shouldn't be yours, but you & DW are being very good neighbours. I do hope that sons do manage to get a plan in order. The social services will do as little as they can - well that's what they did with my Mother. If the son's have wives then they will be expected to take up the slack. It's a real hard situation.

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

Hi Dave - HW sounds like she has the onset of dementia?

I know the signs, but it's hard to separate early onset of dementia and erratic behaviour due to being hypo (diabetes) or from lacking fluids and a urine infection, for example.

Certainly, there's confusion there sometimes, but more often clarity of purpose, although not the sort of purpose which would do some good. e.g.getting up to have pills or food isn't valued, but going upstairs to watch horse racing isn't likely to be missed! :rotfl:

greenbee

choille wrote: »

Hi Greenbee I do think that working from home does make it harder - I don't know how you are managing with kiddies about. At least we have the actual floors in downstairs.

Not my kids, so they're not here full time, although the chaos means I have them less they I'd like (and apparently they miss coming over) - I've been working abroad a lot for the last couple of years too, which means time at home is limited.

choille wrote: »

If you could move out while the screeding is being done all at once - get it over in a oner? Would that be possible as it sounds it could drag too?

The problem is, if I moved out I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the builders, and they need keeping an eye on... The other reason for the work dragging on is that I have to keep on replenishing funds :cool:

choille wrote: »

I think ours has gone on so long it is eating away at me & the thought of another Winter topsy turvey is not filling me with joy. But I do like a good moan.
The tidying up outside has dragged. It should not be long, but the weather has broken after such a good, dry spell.

I know exactly what you mean about going on so long and dreading winter in chaos. Which is why I've decided NOT to do the floors and kitchen this winter, but to get things tidied up and manageable. At least this year I have enough carpet offcuts and rugs (with underlay) downstairs to make it cosy, the heating has been zoned and balanced (although I do need to book the boiler repair in as the expansion vessel needs replacing), I have lots of wood and coal, the oil tank is full, I have working bathrooms and upstairs is pretty much done. So apart from downstairs being a bit scruffy and temporary, and the lack of kitchen, it's better than it has been.

I've got a whole lot of furniture and stuff that I need to make an effort to sell. I have an auction house interested in one piece, so need to send off some more pictures to them and arrange for them to take it away. The sale isn't until the new year, but keep your fingers crossed for me that it makes enough to pay for something useful!

The rest I need to upload onto a site used by antique dealers and see whether I get any offers.

choille

I too have masses to sell, but it's slow on the bay at the moment.

Having builders under your nose is stressful. Although we only have one chap coming a few days a week - well he hadn't been for a fortnight until recently, so I find that stressful. I am amazed at how little gets done.