I’ve got a date of 19th September for the Heat Pump installation, so yesterday was all about starting to sort things for building work. The heat pump work will take the bathroom out of action for about five days, but as I’ll have to remove the bath to fit in the cylinder for the heat pump hot water, I’ll be effectively bath-less for a while after that, until I have the bathroom re-done. So I will be pushing ahead with converting the downstairs loo into a small shower room, which will have the advantage of being available to guests, potential carers, etc (and better for me than a shower over the bath).
Stage 1 of that is to have the doorway moved. A builder is coming this evening to give an estimate – only one responded on Checkatrade, so I hope they’re OK! I’ve already moved the shelves that were between the wall and the fridge up to the spare bedroom, and this morning took out the somewhat dodgy light switch pullcord in the downstairs loo. Phase 2 of shower room is plumber (unless the builder can do it), and phase three is electrics. I have eight weeks to get it done … painting, which will be needed, can if necessary wait until afterwards.
I’m away on the Broads immediately before the heat pump install, so will need to be well sorted the previous week. That means ensuring access to all radiators (most of which currently live behind furniture). The really big job on that is moving the books and book-cases in the spare bedroom, a job that took a lot of yesterday. Still, I’ve manage to create space to fit the large toolboxes in the bottom half of one of the bookcases, which is a major plus point.
The other thing I need to do is to put in a line of 4×4 posts along the neighbour’s fence on the West side of the garden, which will carry the trunking from heat pump to house (and, when the installation is complete, I’ll use the same posts to carry a permanent hosepipe to a permanent tap at the top of the garden). So that’s a fair bit of digging and postcrete needed, plus moving pots, and (if I can manage it!) three of the big wooden half-barrels.
All in all, it’s a very major project.
