We took a week away from site last week while the client carried out some of their own works tiling the bathroom and kitchen.  But it wasn’t a week off for us.  In preparation for moving onto our next job, which will be a four bedroom new build, Stu and I did some plant machinery training in Peterborough.

Stu did a course for a Forward Tipping Dumper Truck, while I did a course for a Fork Lift Telehandler.  The course involved a number of hours carrying out practical on site driving, a morning in the class room for some theory, and a written exam at the end of the course.  We both passed our courses with flying colours as they say, and now have the accredited certification and licences for the respective machines.

Unfortunately, next week we have to go back to work!

This was our last full week on the job, sort of.  Monday and Tuesday Stu and Wayne finished off all the second fix carpentry, including the stairs, in the nice and warm.  We also had Dean the electrician on site carrying out his second fix works, while Tony who we are working for set about tiling the bathroom floor and all the walls.  On the Tuesday I was relegated to working outside in the cold and rain, making good the garden area.  I set about marking out and profiling a new replacement path, so we could get the concrete in on Wednesday when it was supposed to be a nice sunny day.

It was nice and sunny on the Wednesday, and we duly got the concrete path laid.  We then proceeded to level the garden area and put down 20mm gravel as requested.  On the Thursday we make good some damage to the drive where the skip lorry had put down its support legs, and also make good the entrance area to the extension.  We also cleared the site of most of our materials and tools, taking the concrete mixer and scaffold boards to our next work site in preparation for our start there in a few weeks time.

As it was Wayne’s last day, we were very kindly treated to some bacon butties and a nice cup of tea.  In the afternoon we walked through every room in the extension and produced a snagging list of all the little jobs that needed to be done so everything could be signed off as finished.  Fortunately most of the list was made up of areas on the walls that needed some filler to make them good.  We were going to fit the bathroom furniture so we could be all finished this week, but unfortunately the client is having problems with getting the furniture delivered, so we will have to pop back in a week’s time and do it then, if everything is delivered!

We were only on site two days this week.  On Monday and Tuesday we made a start on the second fix carpentry, fixing the architrave and skirting and hanging the doors on the first floor.  We also had the plumbers in to install the boiler and heating system throughout the extension.  We also had Dave and Luke back on site this week to carry out the plastering of the ground floor.  So with seven tradesmen on site it was all getting a bit tight for working space.

We had all the first floor carpentry finished by the end of play Tuesday, and could do no more until the plastering was finished.  So we left Dave and Luke to it for the rest of the week, looking to carry on with the ground floor work the following Monday.

On Thursday, Stu and I went out to a new site to make a start on some site clearance in preparation for our start there upon completion of our current work.

On Monday Wayne and Stu spent the day plaster boarding the ground floor ceiling, and making a start on doing the same to the walls, while I put in the toilet soil pipe and also the kitchen and bathroom waste pipes.  On Tuesday Stu decided to spend the day looking like one of Willy Wonkas Umpa Lumpas, although he did have a reason for doing so!  Stu had the joyous task of knocking the wall down and knocking through to the existing house to create a new door opening.  He didn’t look much better on Wednesday as he finished the opening, although he went for the rather dodgy fake tan look!

Wayne plaster boarded the under the stairs cupboard on Tuesday, carrying through his stairs theme on the Wednesday by fitting the stairs banister.  I spent two days plaster boarding the living room.  On Thursday Wayne put in the new door frame and door, while Stu and I concentrated on getting the remaining walls on the ground floor plaster boarded ready for Dave and Luke the plasterers coming back onto site the following Monday.  We also had the plumbers coming back on the Monday to carry out the second fix to the central heating system and plumbing.

Wayne was off on the Friday, carrying on his four day week routine!  Stu finished off the last of the plaster boarding, while I went round and had a good tidy up, loading up the van with any materials and tools that were no longer required.  We took everything back to the lock up, and as it was lunch time and we were all done, we decided to have the afternoon off.  Nice.