I don’t have a lot to write about last week, as we had the week off from Tuesday morning onwards due to the timber trusses that were delivered being the wrong bloody size!!  The truss manufacturers had got the wrong size pitch on them, so they wouldn’t line up with the existing roof timbers.  After some heated and frantic phone calls, the truss manufacturer sent out someone to do a site visit on the Wednesday (who turned up at 12 noon and not 10am as planned, thanks for telling me truss people!) and re-measure for the new trusses, which would not be delivered onto site until the following Tuesday.  So there was nothing else we could do apart from loose a week on our schedule. No work, no money, great!  (Although the weather was nice!)

This was a nice easy week this week.  Stu was back on site after his week off, so I had an extra pair of hands for loading out the bricks and blocks up onto the second lift of the scaffold, which was nice! 

Monday and Tuesday we worked on getting the internal block work up to plate height, putting in the window lintels as we went.  On Tuesday I confirmed our order for the timber roof trusses, which was arranged for delivery the following week.  I also booked in the third lift for the scaffold, which was scheduled to be actioned on the Friday.  I met with Nigel from Peterborough Boiler Services on site to discuss the heating system installation.  He had a good look round and got the work booked in for the beginning of October.  We also had the rarity of blue skies, sun and warm weather for the week which was a nice change.

On Wednesday Wayne took a day off while Stu and I spent the morning getting roof materials and loading out the final load of bricks and blocks for this lift.  I also arranged through David at the builders merchants to have the roof tiles delivered on the Monday of next week, ready for our roof trusses arriving on the Tuesday.

Thursday Wayne finished laying the bricks for this lift, Stu and I cleaned down the scaffold boards ready for the scaffolders the following day, and we also had a good tidy up of the site so everything was looking neat and tidy.  Everything was running to schedule, and we had the bonus of having a nice long weekend as we could take the Friday and Monday off as we waited for our materials to be delivered.

Stu was taking a week’s holiday this week, so it was just Wayne and I on site.  On Monday Wayne completed the corbelling brick work for the brick pier that is sitting on top of the structural steel and ran in some exterior blockwork.  It was left to me to attend to his every command, mixing up the muck and keeping his boards loaded, loading out the bricks and blocks so he had a plentiful supply to work with.  Up and down, up and down the ladder, it certainly keeps you fit!  I phoned the scaffolders to arrange the second lift being carried out, which was arranged for Thursday, and called out the Building Inspector for a site visit on Wednesday to sign off the steel and timber joist floor.
 

On Tuesday we arrived on site and it was doing its usual weather wise, raining!  We decided to take a ride out to get some materials hoping that the rain would have passed on our return.  Even after having a coffee and breakfast at McDonalds and arriving back on site for 10am, it was still raining and the clouds didn’t look like improving.  So we decided to call it a day, another day lost.  On the Wednesday Wayne and I spent the day as chippies putting in the timber joist first floor.  We cut all the timbers to length and fixed them into place, then put all the timber noggins in to stop movement of the timbers.  I couldn’t count and ended up one timber short, so I had to shoot off to the timber merchants to get the missing one. Doh!!  While I was away the Building Inspector came out and signed off the steel and the floor joists, allowing us to proceed with our work. By the end of the day the floor was in.
 

Thursday we had a day off site so to allow the scaffolders to get in and do their job raising the scaffold to the second lift.  At 08.30 I received a call saying they wouldn’t be on site as they were running behind this week due to the weather, but I was only told on the day!  So they were running behind for the week, but only notified me on the morning, thanks for the early notification!  So we lost another day, it all goes to pot when Stu isn’t about!
 

Friday, the scaffolders turned up mid morning and carried out the second lift.  Wayne focused on getting the internal block work up to plate height for the day, even working in the rain, now that is commitment from Wayne!  He got the job finished just in time, just before the heavy rain made its way in.  More rain, oh joy!

Keeping an eye on the incoming clouds was one of our main jobs for this week, and seems every other one was bringing with it rain!  The object for the week was to get the brick and block work up to height for the second scaffold lift.  But we also needed to get the structural steel delivered and in place.

The first part of the week we continued to work on the brick and block work, diving for cover from time to time as the rain clouds headed in, and trying to do our best in the wet conditions.  I liaised with David at the builder’s merchant to get a further delivery of materials, consisting of more blocks and bricks, which was organised for delivery on the Wednesday.  I also placed an order for the floor joist timber to be delivered onto site on the Friday.  Upon speaking with the steel people, I was told it would be delivered on Thursday pm. 

On the Wednesday, Wayne the brickie was doing the Corbel section of brickwork ready for the steel to sit on when it arrived, with Stu making sure he was good for cement, bricks and blocks.  I worked out the first floor timber joist plan, and bedded the joist hangers into the block work so they were in place awaiting the timber to go in.

Thursday and Friday Wayne was not on site, so Stu and I set about shredding the last of the garden foliage, which was ok in the morning, but not so much fun in the afternoon when it just kept on raining.  When it got to around 3pm, I chased the steel people for an estimated time of arrival for the steel, only to be informed the driver was running late and would not be delivering to us today, thanks for letting us know!  Good thing I checked or we could have been waiting around for nothing!

On Friday we took delivery of the joist timber, and the structural steel turned up as well.  Stu and I also loaded out more bricks and blocks, and took the remaining bricks and blocks round the back to keep the driveway as clear as possible, and all this in pouring rain, bloody weather!  By lunch time we both soaked through, so called it a day and headed off home to get dry.

It was a quiet week on site this week, a nice four day week due to the Bank Holiday Monday.  Tuesday and Wednesday we worked on getting the brick and block work up to first lift height.  I phoned XL Scaffolding to arrange the scaffolding to go up on the Thursday and they came out on the Wednesday to carry out their site survey.  I ordered further materials for delivery onto site on the Friday, and confirmed the window and door sizes with the window company so I could get my order in the pipe line.  By Wednesday afternoon we had the brick and block work up to height, and awaiting the scaffolding to go up.  We were not on site on the Thursday while the scaffolding was erected, but Stu and I popped over to Peterborough to see the very lovely Mrs D and put up some boxing around an exterior gas pipe for her.  Friday morning Stu and I loaded out the scaffolding with the bricks and blocks so everything was ready for Wayne on his return onto site on Monday morning.