First Fix

It's August 2014

The whole bungalow gets a re-wire.

Changing the consumer unit is clearly a professional job. We have to get an up to date PME (Protected Multiple Earthing) fitted by Western Power but Chris the electrician handles the rest.

Original Unit

New Consumer unit

I'd looked at whether replacing the circuit wiring is something I could do but it's a confusing job and Chris will do it better and faster. He puts in a radial circuit and leaves it at first fix. Cables are also put in place for the proposed extension: lighting sockets and the cooker circuit. There is now no lighting and only power in the kitchen socket.
I don't seem to have any photos of the wires through the studding :/

Hot Water Cylinder

Nick the plumber comes. He removes the old water cylinder and replaces the old boiler with an oil-fired combi-boiler. The pipes are all laid ready for the bathroom fittings and the radiators.
The bathroom sink is moved to the new position, making room for the proposed shower.
Pipes are also put in place for the planned extension: radiators plus hot & cold water supplies.
There is now hot water in the kitchen and bathroom!

That's the full first-fix. Time to get the walls insulated, covered with plasterboard and skimmed...

Hiring a Portaloo

It's June 2014

It's my first time as a hirer of a portaloo!

There are several portaloo hire companies out there and most of them are set up for commercial use, either at festivals or for builders. You can get ones without a wash basin, just a cleanser dispenser but the asbestos removers need the water. Thankfully they don't want a full shower which would have been a reasonable request. I'm hoping to only need it for a couple of weeks but most hire companies have a minimum fee or time.

Working out the overall costs, most were similar but the lady on the phone at Space Mobiles was the most understanding and helpful so they got the business. The deliver, service & pick-up on Tuesdays in our area - you have to pay extra to get a different day which makes sense.

It turned up on the back of a truck with just one guy and I start thinking that I really don't want to be helping haul a loo around but it soon becomes apparent that it's really light! If you look in the photo, there are wooden runners on the bottom to protect it and make it easier to manoeuvre around a building site. The flush/basin water tank is filled from a reservoir on the truck after it's in situ and then it's good to go. Space Mobiles return each week to "service" it and I just ring when it's no longer needed.

There's no lock on the outside! I'm thinking anyone could use it! And then I remember, it's a portaloo. Who would want to go in it unless they were desperate and then I'd rather they used it and not the garden! There is, of course, a lock on the inside.

Daylight comes through the overhead white plastic and I realise that night-time use would be interesting but hopefully, not necessary.



Nick the plumber comes and removes the WC, basin & bath, the radiators on the asbestos walls plus the ones in the bathroom as they need relocating anyway. The supply pipes are capped off.

This photo shows the lovely plasticised tile-effect wallpaper. It's not what I'd use, but you can still buy stuff like this!






The WC is gone, leaving the waste pipe in the floor. Most modern connections are through a wall so the floor waste will limit our options when we get a new WC but it's still possible. Neither the builder nor the plumber really want to move the waste pipe. This is one of those times that we miss P's dad. He'd have turned up at 8am the next Saturday (while we were still in bed) and sorted it out.

The boiler is disconnected. The heating won't be an issue as it's June. The kettle will have to provide any hot water, mainly needed for washing up mugs.



I have to use the portaloo before I leave.

I am strangely shy about any of the neighbours seeing me go in which is ridiculous! Everyone uses a loo and I wouldn't have one there if there was one inside. Clearly I will be using it. Still, I make sure no-one is around before I go in and use the facillities. It is not a pleasant experience but better than I anticipated.

Everything is ready for the asbestos removers the next week.

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Clearing the decks

It's the end of May 2014

I need to get everything ready for the asbestos removal firm.

The carpets and underlay get rolled up. The normal carpets are easy but the flotex-style in the kitchen and utility have been glued down and the residue is unpleasantly tacky. All the carpets are dated and worn.

lounge

The curtains and curtain poles come down. The full-length ones for the patio doors have mouldy bottoms so they go off to the tip. The rest are salvage-able, albeit not our taste and go into the wash. The too-low ceiling light in the lounge gets replaced with a standard pendant fitting. P is not sorry to see that go!

bedroom

spare room

The fitted wardrobes in both bedrooms and the hall cupboard come out by doing a bit of unscrewing but mainly with the judicious use of a lump hammer. There are mouse droppings on the top-most surfaces which isn't obvious until, yanking it, I tip it down on my head. It takes about half an hour of stomping around outside; shaking every bit of me; gargling with water and generally being grossed out before I can continue! Time to spread some rodent poison around in the loft!

kitchen

The kitchen units adjacent to the asbestos also respond to the lump hammer. Fortunately the unit housing the sink can stay in place as it will be the only working source of water for the time being.

Everything gets put in the garage to be gradually taken by the car load to the tip. Some of the wood is usable and will be salvaged but most of the stuff is worn or broken beyond use.

The radiators and bathroom plumbing removal require a professional. They don't really but, as I've said before, I don't do plumbing - too many leaks.



Removing the 2 radiators on the East wall is straightforward as is removing the bath. Removing the WC and basin requires more planning. Although the bathroom will be the first room to get fully renovated, we will want the existing, avocado(!) WC and basin to use until we're ready for a new suite. An added complication is that I think we want to move the basin to a different position and get the hot water cylinder removed because we also want to replace the existing boiler with a combi-boiler. It's time to talk to Nick the plumber.



Nick's a local lad and drafts in his dad every now and then when the work needs another pair of hands. He's the plumber who fixed the boiler for us initially: swiftly and cheaply. Him and his dad are both Christians so meetings with them often involve theological discussions. Mind you, when non-Christian tradespeople find out about OH's job, they often want to talk apologetics too.

I talk through what needs to happen now and what we plan to happen in the future with Nick and we come up with a plan.