Mews News Part 3 - Renovation updates

Things have been slow.

As I am a bit tired, I am not going to try and come up with a new analogy so let's settle for snail's pace shall we?

The accident that my builder had eventuated in the expected post traumatic stress disorder symptoms and he stayed at home or at the pub philosophizing on life.  
Which is fine but he hardly showed up on site.

We cut him some slack but then it got to the point where he may have survived the fall but I warned him he may not survive my wrath...

We had crisis talks and I warned him that there was a clause to implement financial penalties after 16 weeks of construction.  
But there are certain things that not even Alan Dershowitz could  contend with.

My builder simply said that if we were going to implement penalties then he would rush the job, mess it up and then we would have to call him to fix things but he would be busy on the next job and he doesn't have much money so there is no point in suing him.

Builder 1 - Naomi Huh?

So in a nutshell without boring you with building details that my dear Mr CSW manages to on a nightly basis,
I shall just show you the pictures.

The new 2nd floor ( UK ) / 3rd floor elsewhere.

Plaster drying and then finally primed.

This is the decking that had to be sorted, measured, and arranged before putting out on the balcony.

This is the doorway looking out on the stairs and 
the bathroom on the left.

Due to the building at the rear, we had to have a sloping roof.

But we were lucky to have this room at all because 

my neighbor next door didn't get a bathroom due to surrounding objections of right to light.

I made that little gap of space into a storage space. 

Some neighbours use theirs to store luggage and 

one can never have too much storage right?

Now this is a cultural thing but this is 

my London interpretation of a laundry area. 

That closet/hole used to hold the water tank but we are getting a whole new boiler system that moved downstairs into the garage. 

So I decided to put our washer/dryer in there. 
All the Aussies and North Americans will give me a look of pity quietly I know! ;)
We have the one machine as many Europeans do.  
No garden to hang laundry outside.
We will use the upper half for storage and laundry essentials. 
But these are London realities.

This is on the first floor and situated right next to the master bathroom near the ensuite in our bedroom.  So it means laundry doesn't have to be taken downstairs to the kitchen where most washing machines in central London are located.  

There was, as always, unexpected decisions to be made.

This is the second bedroom just before we ripped out the closet.

We found remnants of a chimney flue that stuck out 

ever so slightly on the right wall.

Considering real estate prices are calculated per square foot we decided to take what space we could.
The walls have been insulated and sound proofed etc.

I wish I could change my windows but apparently we didn't include that in our planning permission application.  So we would have to wait another three months so the windows are staying put.
But now it is primed and ready to paint and fit in cupboards.

Our interim coffee table/meeting area.

 This is the ground floor living room.
Kitchen is the space on the left.
If we ever get around to doing the basement, 
that will become the new study.

Part of me is tempted to just leave the trestle table with a kettle because making tea is what I use the kitchen for 95% of the time.

The downstairs loo being stripped because that is where part of our new boiler is going so it now has to be redone due to friendly fire.

My garage below...
Yes a car actually fits in that space.
There is my sofa resting on my dining table. 
Our car is being used by the builders due to parking issues in London. The parking fees/fines would have eaten up into their profit and hiked up our overall cost to account for this. 



Daily parking would be at least 40 pounds without calculating possible but very likely parking fines.  
So that alone has saved us at least £3800.  
In London, cars are only allowed residential parking permits with relevant addresses hence we risked lending them our car.

Don't forget I am having a quiet unpublicized giveaway to celebrate my first year blog anniversary for my existing readers.  
I will have another one publicly so new people can enter that one but I want this just for my readers who already join me here.  
It will be in the form of either a dog, umbrella or a teapot so let me know if you want to enter the raffle ok?  
Entries close 8 am GMT on December 12, 2013.
Good luck x