Slow Down! Take a closer look!

Two topics today - our bathroom and spring wildlife!

I have only included a few key pictures here! It was a LONG job!

Well, apart from a few non-critical 'niceties', the bathroom is done! Shame we did not think to take the first photo until after we had gone to work with lump hammers and chisels, but last winter, we looked like this:

We really went to town with the destruction as you can see. Those who know us can imagine how nervous we were at this point of no return. We had no idea at this time how we would proceed with rebuilding and were relying on Google to advise us!

But slowly, we started to put things together, starting with a wooden framework to take the special cement board walling (Thank God for Google - we would otherwise have used plasterboard in our ignorance and face a crumbling future!).

 

Once the framework was up, we were able to start on the panelling. As the hideous brickwork started to be covered up, we could begin to see how the new room would look and even managed a faint glimmer of hope that we may even see the project through!

 

Soon we were able to put the shower base in where the bath used to be. We had to do this before we went too far to check that our new walls were close enough to a right angle! At this point, we had also lifted the floorboards and run the waste pipe down the length of the room and out to the drains (Forgot to photograph this bit, although you can just see part of the hole in the bottom left corner of the picture).

We thern carried on with the panels, making sure we had power and water where the shower unit would go! As more and more of the destruction was hidden we really started to feel a sense of achievement, despite still having a long haul ahead of us.

 

With the panelling complete, we now had to really stop and think! We were managing quite well with washing in the kitchen sink, but the toilet! The old one was still in place for obvious reasons, so we had to remove it, tile behind where the new one was going (A different position, so we were able to do much of the tiling with the old one in place) and then install the new one.

Our first major plumbing job and we had to get it right or face using the compost heap at the bottom of the garden for a while! (Only kidding - I think!). BUT - to our total amazement, it went like a dream! You can also see the hardboard panelling used to cover up the ancient floorboards!

 

Next came the sink - we were so looking forward to returning the kitchen to its proper use. Not quite as critical as the toilet, but quite a major job as the old one was on the other side of the room. This meant re-routing the waste and water, so lots of holes and pipes in preparation. It did not help that we chose a large, victorian style sink - Lord was it heavy!

Next, the ceiling! It took us a long time to decide what to do here. The old one was rather crumbly plaster with old anaglypta paper on. At first, we were going to take the cowards way out and just artex it. 2 things stopped us: a) The kids almost yelled 'No Way' at us (despite both being in their 30's and long since left home) and b) The weight of the artex would probably have bought the whole lot crashing down.

After several weeks of looking and thinking, we quite by chance spotted some very lightweight, but strong interlocking ceiling panels. This worked like a dream and looks real good. We had to run sealant along every join, which took ages, but in the end, job done! Despite this picture, the panels do match the tiles quite closely. The camera flash gave them a sort of 'beigy' look in this photo.

Next job was to get the shower unit on the wall! This was the one job we decided to let the professionals do. The electrics had to be done by an authorised electrician for legal reasons, and we decided to let a friend (a proper plumber) make the water connection. We had routed the water pipes ourselves, but as the final join would be sealed and hidden inside our new wall, we did not want to take any chance of a leak! We did all the drilling etc ourselves.

Now we were ready for the cubicle. Really nervous about this as all depended on the walls not only being at right angles where the base was, but also higher up and perfectly vertical. The cubicle design allowed for an error in any direction of around 1/2 inch, but we didn't even need half that in the end. All went well - apart from dropping a tiny screw into the frame, necessitating about 20 minutes fiddling with a bit of bluetac on the end of a long wire to retrieve it! Couldnt get a good angle to photograph it, it really doesn't crowd the room as much as it appears here!

Gertting close now, we had to build a wooden surround to the new windows with sills and then finish off the small gap between the new roof and the top of the window. After much deliberation, we did this with tiles.

 

And then of course, the last major piece of work - the floor. We would have liked to use heavy tiles, but didn't think about it until we had gone too far. They should have gone down before the new toilet and sink. So, in the end we settled for tile effect cushionfloor. Really thick and soft. It took a whole day and a bit to fit. Gerry made paper templates (what a brilliant job she did!) that included all of the units and pipes. This enabled us to cut the flooring close to the finished size. I then went around 'nibblng' at the edges with scissors and stanley knife until it just tuckjed in nicely around everything!

As mentioned at the start, there are a few little jobs left to do, but these will not show on photos! Next project - New fireplace and decoration in the lounge!

Spring Wildlife

This would not be my blog without a bit on wildlife. The camera is starting to work it's magic as life begins to wake up all around us. Here are a few pictures taken over the last coiuple of weeks.

First of all, around Plymouth. A rather wet weekend, but some nice spells and several lovely walks.

Robins! Who doesn't love 'em? Of course, they are around all year, but it was spring, sunny and surprisingly warm so we just had to photograph him when the opportunity presented itself!

And here is a chaffinch, on the left, proudly showing off his mating colours as was the robin. To the right, a coot. To be honest, they look the same at any time of year, but this one posed quite nicely.

 

Deer are one of my favourite British creatures. Challenging to find and photograph. These were on a country estate, so a little easier than their more timid relatives in the forest but a timely reminder that I must start to spend more time in the forest!

Frogs are really starting to come alive now. Mating and laying their spawn. We found this pond near Plymouth and it was an incredible sight! The water was bubbling around the edges with hundreds on hundreds of frogs frantically mating!

I just caught this group nicely as they popped their heads out to take a look at me.

A little further down the path and we found this rather promiscuous couple at it right in the middle of the path. We were a bit concerned for their safety as quite a few people were walking around, but it seemed a shame to move them on!

Back in the new forest - a delightful walk with my family and our little Grandson Ewan. Only a few shots taken, but first of all we found these 2 small common lizards under a log. Still under the spell of the cold weather and unable to move, so we just took a few shots and then carefully covered them up again. Another sign that the forest is waking up.

Likewise, the wood ants are also coming back to life and starting to gather up materials for their impressive nests. The huge domes can be anything up to around 4 or 5 feet in diameter, and are designed to provide full air conditioning for the occupants. These communities fascinate me. If you want to find a nest, wait until you see a trail of ants crossing your path. They will be walking in both directions! See which direction has most ants carrying twigs and stuff, then just follow!

Well, I think that will do for now! A bit of a marathon!!! Comments welcome folks!