30.12.06 The Fireplace

The fireplace has been varnished, the metal work leaded and the chimney breast painted.
Unfortunately, this picture doesn't do it justice. The colour is wine but due to the picture being taken at night it hasn't come out quite right. But it gives you an idea.

29.12.06 The Hallway

The hallway tiling is now finished! I am so proud of myself as it's beautiful!
It just needs grouting now, but people will be visiting this weekend and it will be better to grout after this time.

28.12.06 The Hallway

We've been tiling the hallway. Actually, we've spent a lot of time pondering because of the wierd curve just at the bottom of the stairs.
We think we have mastered it and were just onto the final cuts for the ivory pieces when the diamond blade stopped working. We shall finish it tomorrow.
I am proud to say that I have cut all the tiles and have put some down. I get to grout tomorrow.

22.12.06 Woodwork

Just a couple of close ups of the skirting board.

21.12.06 Floor Boards

Now that the central heating has been installed (there aren't anymore leaks!) and all the electric cables are wired up around the house, all the floor boards have been put down.
The wire coming out of the skirting board is the TV aerial.

20.12.06 Woodwork

These are various pictures of the door frames and skirting on the top floor. I think that it looks amazing and that Rob has done a wonderful job with the router.
He's got his work cut out though, as all the doors and skirting will be like this. They also match the window frames.

17.12.06 In General

The saniflo on the top floor now works. So we have a workable toilet on every floor.
Rob had to bring the wall out so that the toilet back can be fixed to it. It wouldn't fix before as the saniflo required more width.
The middle floor bedroom is where all the woodwork happens. Rob made himself his own work bench.

17.12.06 The Switches

Rob was so pleased with the light switches and the electric switches. He likes the curves on the white light switch, the curves are the same on the electric sockets.
He got so excited about the bedroom light switches, shown on the yellow wall as they can be turned on/off and dimmed with the TV remote controls. They do look fabulous.

17.12.06 Lighting

The photographs show the Hallway, the yellow room is the top floor back bedroom and the brown room is the top floor front bedroom. I think the downlighters look lovely as they spread their light onto the walls. The hallway with the double lights look fabulous, but they were quite expensive. But it's worth it for the effect that they make as soon as you walk in.

Yesterday we bought the hallway tiles. I think that this may be a job for the week in between Christmas and New Year. It's my job and I'm a little nervous about it to be honest. I did the tiles in the kitchen of the old house that I sold to buy this one, but then it didn't matter so much as I wasn't going to live there! But this time they have to be perfect and that puts the pressure on a bit.

07.12.06 The Fireplace

This is the fireplace in its full glory. The chimney breast has been plastered too.
The fireplace needs black leading so that it looks wonderful again and matches the black sparkly granite. The bit underneath the granite will be filled in.

This is the fireplace that used to be upstairs, in what is now the middle floor bedroom.

06.12.06 The Living Room Lighting

These are the lights in the living room. Ignore the one in the middle, either side of the lamps on the wood. The middle lamp will come out once the electrics have been fitted onto the new consumer board. All the lights have dimmer switches which also work on remote control, cos we're posh, like.

03.12.06 Electric Sockets.

I fixed all the electric sockets onto the ends of the wires today. There were 13 to do. You can see some of my small effort in the corner of this picture.

Don't the lights look fabulous.

The fireplace should be completed next week and then plastered.

02.12.06 The Hallway Column

Rob has made one side of the hallway column. It looks a bit messy from this picture due to the plastering on either side.
It looks better close up.

01.12.06 The Roof

Just a little peek inside the roof space. Even this has lighting!
You can also see the junction boxes for the lighting.

01.12.06 Lighting

The pictures show the three lights on the third floor landing, the lighting on the second floor, the top floor back bedroom (note the little lights on the chimney breast wall) and the top floor, front bedroom.
They look lovely and Rob has done a wonderful job.

28.11.06 Electrics

An action shot of Rob installing the first electric light socket. When the electrics are finished, it will be the end of all the big expensive jobs.

Marcus is completing the second fitting as part of our wedding present. His wife Lesley thought it was an odd present but we think it's one of the best presents we could have had. Our married life will be bright! Actually, with the amount of lights that Rob is planning on having, our married life will be blinding!

28.11.06 More Woodwork

Rob has spent this week working on the house. He's finished the top floor window and light recess in the top floor, front bedroom.

Hopefully, I shall start glossing but Christmas is coming up soon and I'm busy Christmas present buying and wrapping.

I'm sure Rob's achieved a lot more than this but I've not been there to take pictures. Shame on me!

27.11.06 The Living Room

I finally finished the living room apart from the chimney breast which still needs a fire place building and the chimney breast plastering. I took pictures but due to the amount of dust they didnt come out.

The living room is the same colour as the front top bedroom because I liked the colour so much!

Rob doesn't believe that I sand things down but the evidence is there on the old lamp shade!

This room should be finished first as hopefully, the settee will come in about 4 weeks. But we won't be in for Christmas.

20.11.06 Inside Toilet

The inside toilet in the bathroom now works. That means that we no longer have to go to the outside toilet in the cold.

It's amazing how sometimes the small things can mean the world!

When the house is completed we will have a toilet on every floor. I'm not sure if that's extravagance or sheer laziness!

19.11.06 The Central Heating

Oh dear, the central heating has sprung a leak and we now have a wonderful bubble in the kitchen ceiling. The pipe in the bathroom wasn't welded properly. We have a piece of tape around the radiator stopping it from leaking.

I've always thought if it doesn't move and it should WD40 it. If it does move and shouldn't, then tape it!

18.11.06 Central Heating

We have central heating! It's lovely and warm and hot. As our home is three storeys high it gets hotter as you walk up the house and you can feel the difference on each floor. I doubt that we will need the radiators on at the top floor. We could almost move in! Today it felt like we were nearly there. But we need the electrics finished and then it will feel like we could move in. It's becoming our home! Finally it feels like I could live in this house!

16.11.06 Plumbing

Rob took a week off work and has done a lot of the plumbing. It's not the sort of thing that you can photograph as plumbing involes pipes here there and everywhere and I'm sure you don't really want to see pictures of pipes!
But the saniflo is in and just needs to be attached to the electric supply before it works properly.

17.11.06 The Hatch

Rob has put the wood around the velux window. This is also the space to get into the roof. He always does a fabulous job.

17.11.06 The Staircase

Its all painted. It looks lovely. Ive only done one coat because as people pass by it gets marked. I will do the last coat after we move in.

11.11.06 Finishing Touches

Rob's been faffing about with windows whilst Ive been painting three ceilings and staircase! But Rob's work looks good. It will look fabulous when its been painted. I just need to bring out the routed bits. It's great that finally the finishing touches are coming into the house. It's the creative bits that makes the house our home and unique.

10.11.06 Plastering

The hallway and the living room has been plastered. Unfortunately, the chimney wasn't big enough for the fire surround so it had to be made bigger with plasterboard. The back also needs to be cut out before it can be plastered otherwise the fire won't fit into the fireplace.

06.11.06 The Back Bedroom, Top Floor

I took a day off work and painted the back bedroom. I ran out of paint half way through and took a ride out to Rotherham because Doncaster didnt have the paint. But Rob doesnt need to know about that!

05.11.06 The Front Bedroom, Top Floor

The top floor, front bedroom has been painted. There are bits which have been sanded down. We just need the air conditioning system in and then we can plaster the en suite.