Still at it!

Me not writing for 3 months doesn't mean we haven't been taking on the terrace. Actually the opposite. It's hard as we have done a lot, but it's things that don't necessarily look that impressive to an outsider.

In summary, over the past 3 months we have:

-Been addressing the damp issue. We had the chemical damp course put in (basically a guy came and drilled a load of holes into the brickwork and injected a special chemical). We put up a damp proof mesh membrane over some of the walls to stop the damp accumulating and to let the wall breathe. We have dug out the ventilation cavity under the floorboards (tonnes of soil!) and have drilled through the walls in the lounge to insert air bricks.

-Done first fix electrics. Prior to this I did a 'site walkthrough' with Jon to tell him what lights I wanted and where. This was great as I felt like the client, with Jon having to listen to what I wanted!

-Done first fix plumbing. Jon was extremely happy when he got the fall right on the pipes from our new downstairs closet toilet. Small pleasures :-)

-Cleared out the attic. Filthy work for Jon cleaning up 100 years of dirt and cobwebs, and unfortunately discovering holes in the roof which will need to be fixed.

-Knocked down the outside toilet. With nowhere to relieve myself at the house anymore, I am now drinking very little and having to frequent the local Wetherspoons if I'm desperate! In my filthy work clothes, I swear they think I'm homeless.

-Chipped off all the plaster and removed all the ceilings. More lath and plaster, more rubble and dust, many more tip runs. In the process our lovely coving, which we had been hoping to preserve, got damaged and we had to pull it all down.

-Had the gas meter moved outside (by a professional), freeing up a bit more space in our hall way.

There has been blood (Jon - various minor injuries), sweat (Jon), and alot of tears (all me!) Hopefully I will be inspired to write a little more often now the changes feel more visible and it feels like the worst is behind us (famous last words!)

Still smiling...just!