March & April: Outlook? .....Looks Like dRain to Me ........

With the inside looking good and taking shape, attentions turned to the outside. The drainage, water, leccy and gas had to be attended to at some point and with the weather getting better, when better than right now?

Throughout March and April, Old Railway Cottage resembled a bomb site - Ziggy couldn't have been happier!!

Definitely one of Lucia's :O)

Those pesky moles

You'll be needing those drains soon Enz

Fearless

While you're at it, put some potatoes in lads

Has anyone seen Ziggy? ...anyone?

A broken man

Done

Done!

Done!!

February: Transformation!

Well, they do say that good things come to those that wait and apart from Guinness and the occasional reward for my fishing efforts, "they", can only have been building a house when extolling the virtue of patience!

It's amazing to see the effect that a few coats of paint has on newly plastered walls - suddenly, everything looks clean and new. Suddenly, it looks like a real house!

Arty, huh

Obligatory fishy shot - Spring Plaice
 (ok, ok a flounder then ...)

January: Insulation and Plasterboarding

Celotex - an absolute wonder of the modern house-building age. You'll know what I mean if your experience of "insulation" used to begin and end with that itchy, fibre-glass roll-stuff that sits in your loft between the joists ......not any more. Go and check it out if you need to insulate, piece of cake!

By the way, I just need to add that while I may be absent from many of the photos, who do you think took them.......?


.......ok, so apart from having to visit the most westerly part of Europe for a few days that is.....

Go west old man

A big hand to Dave the Plasterer for his great work. Just as soon as the sea-temperature is up around the 12 degrees mark we'll be heading down to the south coast for some much needed bass hunting. Oh yes.

Triffid-friendly plaster board

safe as 'owses that is

Cigar-friendly expanding foam

Early New Year - 2014

A lot of progress was made throughout 2013 and the build took shape very quickly.

However, going into 2014 with the focus now on on the internals - the wiring, insulation, plaster boarding, painting etc - it would mean very little change would be apparent from an overall outside view.

In through the out door

hmmm... not sure about those lights

The Lost Blogs .........Part-3, Windows & Christmas 2013

The November break extended throughout most of December, the main highlights of the build being the windows and doors .......

Lotsa Windas

Christmassy huh?

....... and "the kitchen" being used as The Kitchen for Christmas Eve .........

No, not Hell's Kitchen

That's me sorted, what are the rest of you having?

Franco's Kitchen Nightmares?

Don't mess with the chefs!

Oh, and Frank Zappa came round for tea :O)

* MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUT THERE IN BLOG-LAND *

The Lost Blogs .........Part-2, November 2013

Putting that last brick in killed me (well what I mean is, "taking those photos up 20ft of scaffolding killed me...") so no work in November, but a bit of this instead:

Q: "did you catch anything?"
A: "what, fish? - don't be silly!"

At least I got a cuppa round Darly's ..........

The Lost Blogs .........Part-1, The Final Brick

A lot's been happening on the build since October (ok, ok - so I'm the worst blogger in the world ..........) but let me bring you up to date quickly.

The end of October saw the last brick going in:

Getting Close Now

Closer...

A Surgeon's Precision ...

One Left

Get In!

And Raffaelle gave the outside wall the finishing touches to blend the extension, with the main house: 

Like it's been there for years

Don't slip or you'll be on
 the 5.25 to Waterloo