Worldwide plaster shortage!

We were so lucky that Jon bought some plaster before lockdown as there is now a global shortage! Unluckily, we didn't get enough for the whole house and with bags on Ebay now selling for over £40 (when they should be £7), we are a bit screwed! If anyone local is reading this and has some tucked away in a garage somewhere, maybe you're open to offers?

With lockdown now slackening, Jon has had to go back to work (well, paid work!) so time on our own house is going to be restricted to weekends and evenings again. To 'stay alert', he has to wear PPE, book his time on site to avoid other workers and wipe the site toilet down after use (probably the cleanest it has ever been!)!

We have still got so much to do, but looking back at some of the work-in-progress pictures it does give us a small sense of satisfaction about what we have already achieved. The back bedroom is a good example...

It had 2 built in cupboards which needed removing (one of which contained the boiler and some fantastic wallpaper) and of course, the middle section of the chimney stack.

When we first bought the house we thought this room at least looked quite straightforward to renovate. But the structural requirements of removing the chimney meant it ended up being pretty complicated and time consuming after all.

But we got there eventually. Last week Jon plastered the walls and ceiling, and today I gave it a mist coat (my arms are aching already!), so it is actually starting to look like a real room. I am now deciding on paint colours!

The aim is to get the back bedroom, the bathroom and the kitchen in a vaguely liveable state by the end of July (note that the deadline for us to both move in was originally May!) so that Jon can stay overnight sometimes and maximise terrace time.

In other news...

With so little going on in our lives at the moment because of corona, when I heard the window guy was finally able to come and measure up this week, I got rather excited. Unfortunately we haven't heard from him since, so it's likely going to be a month* at least until we have the bifold, the front door and the windows for the front of the house, fitted. But just having something in motion feels good right now.

The downstairs toilet is now all plumbed in, albeit with no walls or door, so the joy of peeing in a bucket is now a distant memory. The irony is that every time I have been to the house since I haven't needed to use it!

*The bifolds are not going to be ready for another 6-8 weeks! Apparently there is a problem getting hold of the aluminium.