Surrounded

[shewhomust]

There are scaffolders banging and thumping outside my window. From time to time I feel the floor shake. I am in the attic. I tell myself not to complain, this is what we wanted, what we have been waiting for.

The scaffolding story so far: we had to wait for the scaffolders to come and scaffold the back of the house, so the builders could re-attach the downpipe (and take advantage of the scaffolding to do other maintenance work); and we had to wait some more, because the scaffolders had erected their scaffolding at a house with a similar address in a nearby town. Then we had to wait for the scaffolders to come and remove the scaffolding, even though we only wanted it moving to the front of the house, so our builders could do necessary maintenance there. While the scaffolding was in place at the back of the house, we had to duck under it to get out of the back door and down the steps to the garden. It also prevented the builders getting to work to rebuild the back steps.

Eventually the scaffolding was transferred from the back to the front: and our more-or-less resident builder got to work on the back steps. But, he pointed out, the scaffolding stopped at the roofline, and the front of the house, unlike the back, has dormer windows which require attention.

State of play as of today, then, is that the scaffolding has now risen past my window; and that there is wet concrete on the steps down from the back door. if we want access to the garden / dustbin / compost bin, we must use the front door (carefully!) and walk round. Progress never comes without pain.

Meanwhile, I am reluctant to start clearing what remains of my kitchen until I know when redecoration and reinstatement are to start: which probably means it will have to be done in a hideous rush when it does happen.

Comments

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

You have my sympathy. When we had our great remodelling of the kitchen/dining room/coal house/porch done it went on for months that felt like years and I hatehatehate both not being able to move around freely and having other people in the house. Also mess. Among the things I hate are...

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I know it has to be done, and will be great when it's over. And our normal living conditions include a level of mess which a reasonable person might well find intolerable. But yes, just having to be aware of other people around the house...

One of the overdue taskes is getting the comfy chair reupholstered.

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

Yes, everything we've had done has been worth it.

Oh, no...!

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Our new place will need double glazing so I await all this with trepidation!

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I refuse to contemplate double glazing: but if you do it before you settle in...

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

That's the general idea although we had some done in situ here and it was very neatly and unobtrusively completed- all I needed to do was feed the workers an occasional cuppa. :o)

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

But, as you say, progress, which is actually occurring. And end will come, and should be pleasant.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

And then you will have to come and admire!

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

Oh - I feel your pain! We've had a plague of workmen for almost 2 years now.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Ouch! I hope the end is in sight?

I started out to respond that I hope ours don't last two years - but actually, when I look at how much we have deferred, if we are to get the whole house decorated at a pace I can bear, that may be better than the alternative.