Rob's Renovation Part 8 - Turning Point!

December 21, 2015 by Rob Kahl

Turning point

Over the last week to 10 days I definitely feel that I have turned a bit of a corner. Before that, for the last few weeks even the sight of a builders van made me shudder and the thought of running the hoover around for the third time that day would just about tip me over the edge.

According to the builders there is normally a turning point and I think mine was when the bi-folding doors at the back of the house were fitted. The rest of the house was still an absolute tip but it seemed to mark a big difference in the build where things were starting to be put in rather than just removing piles of rubble, timber and mud.

That was about a week ago and the milestone’s just keep coming! My daughters bedroom is finished and having decorators in the house and carpet fitted, even if it is only one room, makes an enormous difference to everyones motivation. There definitely seems to be a faint glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Obviously this sort of progress needs to be taken in to context. Her bedroom is just one room and that still needs the door sorting, coving done, proper curtains and various other little bits. The rest of the house needs doing including, kitchen, utility room, downstairs loo, hall, stairs & landing, spare bedroom, master bedroom and en suite, plus external rendering and decoration, patio, garden & driveway! Blimey when I write it down there is loads to do and it doesn’t make me feel quite as positive.

The trick now seems to be to keep the momentum going. The other day we had 12 various tradesman at the house and with that sort of labour available it is quite impressive what they can get done.

At this stage of a build it is very easy to take your foot off the gas and I am conscious that I have felt like that recently, but I am having to keep going. As the client you’re naturally getting to the end of your tether with the builders being in your home.

Everyone who has ever had anything like this done, even on a much smaller scale, always mentions the dust and it is something that just gets laughed off. Unless you have been there, done it and got the filthy T-shirt you cannot believe how bad it is! I got out of the shower the other day and could feel the dust in our bathroom floor (which hasn’t even had any work done), there is nothing as awful as feeling dust and dirt under bare feet.

The other thing is at this stage you are obviously getting to the end of the build but also the end of the budget. Up until now it has been major building works, heating, plumbing and electrics that have been paid for. Obviously all essential items, but items that are largely hidden once they have all packed up and gone home. The next stage is much more on show and if you try to go down the budget route you will be looking at those bits for years to come.

Living in an old Victorian property we are having to match in areas with coving, picture rails, doors and architraves and staircases and spindles. These things are unfortunately not available at B&Q, but if we did get those sort of things off the peg they would stand out like a sore thumb so you have to pay extra, possibly wait a bit longer, but it should be worth it in the end.

My wife reminded me yesterday that the builders have been with us since the end of June! It was supposed to all be done before Christmas but various things have happened that are out of everyones control and it has inevitably been delayed. I reckon we should be done by the middle of February which I am actually OK with now. The conversation we had when they told us we weren’t going to have a kitchen over Christmas was interesting, but now I have resigned to it and would rather they take their time and get it right rather than rush.

The kitchen is being delivered in the first week in January so I haven’t got to cook or entertain this year, but there should be no excuses next year unless they are still there!

This article is by Rob Kahl at Scott & Stapleton
http://www.leigh-on-sea.com/scott-stapleton.html