I have previously accused our builders, especially Gareth, of being mainly focussed on making holes. Turns out I was wrong! Up until now they have merely been practising at holes… I know we were looking for an open plan house, but I thought that meant the ground floor would be open plan – however it looks like there are grander ideas!

Firstly – the wall between the old dining room and the kitchen has been completely demolished. A big hole appeared in the corner to be filled with concrete as a foundation for the reinforced brick pillar to support the first floor steel

But as well as knocking through to the kitchen, they have also knocked through to the outside and the upstairs!

More holes in the master bedroom too – as the chimney is removed completely. One hole that has disappeared – is the old back bedroom window, which has been blocked up ready for the new larger window to be cut.

And I think we have an electrician turning up next week, as some of the demolitions have left things just a little Heath Robinson.

 

Joking aside, all of these holes are just part of the progress. And, there’s been further progress on the roof – which is pretty much done – and had its edging finished off.

And the guys made one discovery as they were pulling the first floor apart. Folded up and tucked into the floor, was a half page of a comic from 1923. I had never heard of The Rainbow, but it was yours for 2d. We’ve saved it and are gently flattening out before framing it to go on the wall when we are done. And to keep up the tradition, the builders folded up a page from The Sun and slipped it under one of the steel beams in the same part of the house.

And I guess it was a foregone conclusion that all of the holes between the outside and the inside would happen on the coldest week of the year. But this is the view I think we are going to enjoy most for the next few weeks. At least until the new windows go in (ordered yesterday).