An Intermittent Blog

A very constructive hour with Harry from the bathroom company I’m intending to use. We spent a long time discussing options for the downstairs – clearly, getting all three of toilet, basin and shower is going to be a squeeze, but he seems determined to make it possible. He’s happy about moving the doorway, and understands that I’d really rather not move the window. He’s in favour of a slightly larger shower – say 700mm. He can also do the electrics. Tiling and flooring to suit, and he can do electrics (light and pullcord switch, extract fan, mirror light).

Upstairs seems a lot more straight forward. He can do the removing of the flue, subject to Building Control confirmation that it’s OK. Should be straightforward, as the lower section in the kitchen has already been removed. So, low cast-iron bath under window, toilet next to it, shelf at tap end (where boiler was), small basin, and he will also do the cupboard building around the new hot water cylinder, allowing decent access. Tiling and flooring to suit.

It’s going to be pricey! However, it means that I can go for just a Velux-type loft conversion , which will be much cheaper, so overall probably a saving as long as it comes in under about £14,000 – ish.

Fingers crossed.

After three assorted visits from Octopus surveyors and installers, I’ve finally agreed how we can make a heat pump work. It needs to be part-way up the garden, so noise does not affect neighbours’ “habitable rooms”. As I don’t own the fence on that side, it means me putting up a line of posts next to the fence, to support trunking and services between the house and the heatpump.

I discover that the fence sits on a couple of inches of soil, and below that is the projecting remaining solid footing of what was clearly once a substantial brick wall, so the posts have to be set about 7cm out from the fence line. And once one gets down 10cm, it’s into solid grey clay …

I agreed that the top of all posts should be to the same level – as the land rises away from the house, the furthest-away posts will be much shorter. I’m going to need to do a total of eleven: today’s effort managed three. Lift pavers, dig out clay, cut post to size, wedge and check with spirit level, pour in quick-setting post-mix. After that has solidly set, hack pavers into appropriate size pieces and re-lay on a bed of mortar, making up around the post so there’s not a rot-inducing hollow. I have yet to screw the caps onto the posts (to prevent rain getting into the end-grain and causing rot). There are, of course, plant-pots and three half-barrels to move out of the way as I work my way up the garden … oh joy!

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.