DIY begins

So we’re in now, the boxes are mostly cleared and most things are unpacked.  And now the fixing up starts.  Here’s what we’ve done in the last ten days:

• Islay’s done more cleaning than I can comprehend, including attacking limescale with screwdrivers, bleach and a jutting jaw of determination.  The cloakroom taps now gleam where once they, er, didn’t.


• Islay’s also resealed the en-suite shower cubicle, after four showers in rapid succession left a damp patch spreading across the hall ceiling she hacked it back with (again) a screwdriver and a jutting jaw and neatly resealed it.  The damp patch seems to be getting drier.


• I spent £80 on rock wool rolls and, together with my dad, tackled insulating the loft above Ula’s room, disposing of a wasp’s nest in the process.  The loft space is now basically full of insulation.  We can’t tell if it’s making much difference as the weather is changing so much.  I’ve still quite a lot of loft space to go, but in order to do that we need to insulate the pipes and water tanks and get the timbers checked for wood boring insect.  That work’s on hold for now.


• And with a screwdriver in my hand I’ve set about dismantling the extensive shelving at the back of the family room.  I had to dig numerous screw heads out from behind filler (missing three in the process that left holes in the ceiling).  The interesting discoveries so far are that there is a corner of the room previously hidden that was left unplastered for reasons we can’t determine, and the existence of some strange, small, regular holes in the ceiling that may or may not correspond to small damp patches on the top of the top bits of wood.  Further advice is needed.


• We’ve also compiled a list of jobs both small and large, drawn from the survey and from our desires.  The list seems to do nothing but grow at the moment as we come to appreciate quite what Brien, our entertaining surveyor, meant when he said that the house was of merely average quality construction throughout.

Still the broadband is finally up and running, the house is plenty warm enough and I’m sleeping better than I’ve slept in years, so it’s not all work.