After Stu and I had a week’s holiday each, it was back to work to continue on the 4 bed new build near Ramsey.  We have a couple of weeks on this job, then off to do an extension in Peterborough, so we were focusing on getting as many of the external works done while the good British weather was on our side, for now!

First job was to get what will be the drive and garden areas level.  We had a digger and dumper delivered, and cracked on with levelling the first level of hardcore on the drive area with the digger.  Once that was done, Stu got on his dumper and we moved the earth from the rear and side, piling the earth up ready for collection.  On Tuesday we dug a very large hole for the Rain Water Harvest tank to be lowered into.  Three metres deep, four metres long, and two metres wide.  A very large hole!  On Wednesday a large skip arrived and took away nearly 16 tonnes of earth.  Then in the afternoon we made a start on the brick porch area.

Thursday and Friday morning was continuing with the brick porch.  Come Friday lunch time, we had clear blue sky at the front of the property where we were working, and in the distance to the rear, we had virtually black skies rolling in.  It was a site to behold, amazing views across the Fens.  It was then game on.  Could I get my brick work finished in time before the rain hit.  The answer, just!  Just as I was laying the last few bricks the first spots of rain hit.  Stu had put away all the tools he could, so it was panic stations as we tried to protect the brick work from the rain so all the muck didn’t run down the bricks and make a mess of the work I had just done.  We then spent 30 minutes hid away inside the property as the rain absolutely lashed down, and then we made our escape off home when there was a break in the rain.  Next week apparently we are going to have a heat wave.  Bring it on!

It was a nice leisurely week this week as we brought our work at Yaxley to a finish.  On Monday Stu and I pointed up the ridge tiles and gable end tiles, and then ran the guttering in during the afternoon, so we had then completed everything with regards to the roof refurbishment.  On Tuesday we spent the day applying a couple of coats of paint to the finished render at the front, keeping our fingers crossed the expected rain kept away, which it did!

On Wednesday we moved our tools and materials back to the new build job near Ramsey.  Stu and I had Thursday off as the scaffolding was dismantled at Yaxley, and Friday morning was spent applying a few of the finishing touches and tidying the site up.  The client was very happy with the work we had done, and was even looking forward to our return at the end of July to start on his extension.  It’s not often you hear somebody looking forward to a builder returning to do more work!  Both I and the client were happy with the work carried out, and it was done within the time scale I had allowed.  Job well done as they say!

On Monday morning I had both of my expected deliveries arrive before 08.30, a first!  The first delivery was the soldier course brick cladding system; the second delivery was our roof tiles and associated materials.  Stu and I installed the brick cladding system above the two windows to mirror image the soldier course brick work above the two older windows.  This was the first time we had used this system.  It is a bit of a cheat really, but it gives the image of brick work, but in reality they are just brick faces with a backing that then gets screwed to some timber baton.  They were really quick to install, and when you look at the finished article you can’t tell the difference, result.  In the afternoon we ran in the timber baton on the first half of the roof area that we were refurbishing.

On Tuesday John and Jay the plasterers were on site to do the scratch coat render, running in the new scratch coat to join up to the existing.  While they were doing that, Stu and I set about stripping the second half of the roof of its tiles and baton, and put down the new roof felt.  The sun was out in full force early in the week, and when you are up on a roof you have no hiding place.  So every couple of hours we had to do a ‘sun cream’ pit stop, which was good for sun protection, but not so good when all the black tile dust stuck to it.  Not a good look!

On Wednesday Stu and I ran in the last of the baton, and then got all the soffit and facia fixed into position ready for tiling.  John and Jay came back at lunch time to apply the render top coat.  When they had finished they had done a really good job as usual, and the front of the property now looked the business.  We just need to let it dry out before applying a couple of coats of paint.

Thursday and Friday was spent fixing in the new slate tiles.  The roof area wasn’t massive, but I forgot about all the fiddly bits that you have to do when laying slate tiles, so we didn’t get done as much as I was hoping for, but by the end of play Friday all the tiles were in place, and we just had the ridge tiles and gable end to point up on Monday so the roof would be finished.  As it stands, weather depending, we are due to finish on time in the two week time frame I had allowed.  Not bad hey!

After a nice relaxing week off we were back into work starting a job in Yaxley near Peterborough.  On Tuesday the scaffold was being erected as we had some making good to do to some first floor external render, taking off the old render, putting in a new soldier course brick work above and below two windows, and a new coat of render to be finished off with a coat of paint. To the rear, we have a roof area to refurbish, changing old for new.  So Stu and I had a ride about town getting all the materials we needed ready for the week ahead.

On Wednesday we took off all the old render, and on the Thursday we ran in the new soldier course brick work under the two windows.  On Friday we cut all the new soffit and facia to length, and gave it all a primer coat of paint.  The materials for the rendering arrived firsth thing, with the roof materials planned for a Monday delivery.  In the afternoon, in the scorching sun we took half the existing roof tiles off and put some new felt and timber baton down.   Everything is going to plan at the moment, with John and Jay the plasterers coming in Tuesday and Thursday next week to do the rendering, while Stu and I continue to work on the roof area.