It was a simple week this week as we continued to concentrate on plasterboarding the extension, garage and kitchen area refurbishments.  Dane and I focused on boarding, while John and J the plasterers followed on behind, skimming the dining room, new play room, store room and utility.  By the end of the week Dane and I had finished all the boarding and it was just the kitchen left to skim for John and J.  Next week we can start to get some flooring down and also get some architrave and skirting fixed.

We hope to have a new Facebook site up and running soon for Blueberry Property Services which will include daily comments and photos of us on on site, so we hope you can take a look and follow our progress.

Our updated and revised web site launched last week, with our new architects design service also launching with the new web site going live. We now offer a full architects service with two fixed price options with prices starting from £599. There is a new client area where clients can view all their project details with a client specific sign in, so we can offer an architect and design service right through to build and completion on any size extension or new build. Take a look at the site for more information.

As for work on our current extension and property refurbishment we are now at the plaster boarding stage. On Monday and Tuesday I finished off the remaining stud work while Dane went about fire boarding all the steel and timber beams. For the rest of the week we were plaster boarding out the dining room, store room and utility. On Friday we had John and J the plasterers in to skim the dining room. Everything is ticking along nicely and hopefully by the end of next week all the rooms will have been boarded and skimmed.

We started the week nice and easy by having a day off. Dane was on airport collection duty, while I was at home awaiting two deliveries which could arrive at any time during the day. On Tuesday we were back to work and our first job was to put in the last steel measuring nearly five metres. It actually went in easier than we thought which was a bonus. After that we put in to place the first of the two timber beams, and then we set about removing the last wall that had to come out.

John and J were on site on Wednesday to screed the extension floors, with me and Dane on the mixer and barrow with John and J doing the screeding. Thursday was all about first fixing with Dean doing the electrics and Kevin Fisk doing the plumbing. On Friday Dean was still on site finishing the electrics while I made a start on the timber stud walls, with Dane prepping the dining room and kitchen walls ready for plaster boarding next week.

We also had a meeting with Richard at Choice Web Design as we finalized the final details of our new revised web site which will be launched soon. The site has been refreshed and bought up to date but with a few new features. The new features revolve around our new design service which includes a new client area which we are really looking forward to launching which gives our future clients their own private access to their own design drawings and planning applications all for a new fixed price service. So keep your eyes open for the new site.

This week was all about getting the two structural openings done while the clients were away for the week.  We had two openings to do; one which will extend the dining room, the other will extend the kitchen.  By doing these two openings we are virtually taking out the entire length of the rear ground floor back wall. 

The early part of the week involved taking out the old patio and utility door along with the kitchen windows.  We then acro propped the internal joists and then acro propped the external brick work with additional strong boys.  The next job was to break out all the brick and bock work.  On Thursday we had two brickies on site to build up the internal piers and pad stones ready for the steels.  Friday was the day the four out of the five steels went in.  The two steels in the dining room went in nice and easy, but the two steels for the kitchen which measured nearly six metres in length took a bit more organisation and forward thinking.  We took our time and finally got them into position with a big sigh of relief.  When the clients returned they were pleased with our progress and had their first opportunity to see the new size of their new kitchen area.  One more steel to go in, and then we get can start putting everything back together.

We weren’t exactly working up a sweat this week by any means; we were saving ourselves for the big week next week when the steels go in.  This week was about just ticking the job over, doing little bits and pieces to try and keep ourselves ahead.  The week consisted of finishing off a few small jobs, some forward thinking on materials so everything would be on site when needed, putting in the window boards and a timber stud wall and taking the kitchen out on the Friday so we were in position to crack straight on with taking out walls on the Monday.  The clients are taking a week’s holiday next week which is really good for both parties.  This was scheduled back in February when the contract was being drawn up so in that respect we are on schedule, if anything a few days early, but at least the client doesn’t have to come home to a messy house every night for the week and we have the opportunity to work in an empty house.  As the A-Team used to say, I love it when a plan comes together!