Back in Action

After a hiatus, our house is progressing again

shiny on top

Apologies to regular readers for the pause in posts, but for several weeks there was no progress to report and rather than winge and moan I adopted the approach of stalwart silence. I’m delighted to be able to come back in with the hugely exciting photo above, which the discerning among you will see shows metal on top! We’re still not quite wind and water tight but it is hugely comforting to know that, as November squalls barge in, throwing large quantities of rain at us, the water will pour down the corrugations on the steel roof rather than chancing an opportunity to squeeze its way in through the membrane. Of course that membrane is waterproof, but even so, it’s great to know that it’s now where it should be, acting as a backup underneath the real roof surface.

I can’t pretend that it has been easy over the past couple of months, sitting on our hands, waiting for the building team to return to our site and get on with our house. I understand why everyone in the construction business has multiple buildings on the go at once – I’ve been freelance for most of my working life and I totally sympathise that having more than one stream of income is wise. I too have juggled multiple projects, hoping to keep multiple clients happy at once. I know it makes sense for the builder to hedge against delays by having other jobs that can be turned to on if one project hits a problem with materials delivery or some other hold-up. I know all of this and yet it has been nothing short of maddening to know that ‘our’ builders are busy working on someone else’s house while our building stands waiting.

Fortunately the past week has seen an acceleration in progress. As well as the steel on top, the inside is transforming too, with a thick layer of insulation under the floor and lovely, squishy, woolly stuff being crammed into every possible crease and crevice in the walls and ceiling. It’s great to know that as well as bringing the building to as near as possible passive-level of insulation, it’s made from recycled bottles, so we’re doing our bit for the circular economy, using waste for something precious.

glass wool insulation in between rafters

We’re not yet sure what the impact of the delay will be on our overall schedule, but we’re hoping that it won’t push it back too much. Meanwhile we have been attempting to make decisions about things that will be needed in the bathroom and kitchen. I had simply no idea that such things could be so difficult and how clueless we could be about the accoutrements of modern sanitary living. Once we’ve scaled the slippery rock-face with the death-defying title of ‘wash hand basin’, let alone the even more terrifying one of ‘vanity unit’, I will share the details in a future post!

For now, I’m simply longing for the day when, instead of temporary plastic covers, the precious windows are no longer sitting out in the wind and rain, vulnerable to knocks or stray stones, and instead are doing what they’re intended to do - keeping that wind and rain out of the house, and letting light in. It is a great relief to see that day coming ever closer.