It was just Dane and me this week as Stu was having a week’s holiday.  Miami, Melbourne, Monaco, who knows where Stu spends his time off!  Dane and I made our way back to our recent single storey extension to erect some decking and a pergola so the job would be finished off.  On Monday we set the posts into the ground with Postcrete and let them set over night.  We were putting in the posts as we were doing a raised decking.  On Tuesday and Wednesday we were putting in the joist hangers and the timber joists to form the base of the decking and we also made a start on fixing the decking timbers, and on Thursday we fixed the pergola joists into position and then fixed some roof sheeting into position on the Friday as we finished the job off.  It was a nice gentle easy job and week for Dane as we go through his transition from pen pusher to tradesman, or that’s the plan anyway!

We started where we left off last week by continuing to put in the new structural timbers and bolting them together. On Tuesday Dane finished off bolting the last of the timbers for now and then set about putting in all the timber noggins, while Stu and I went about putting in the second Velux window.  Wednesday was spent carrying out some investigation work into how we were going to knock through a 500mm thick stone wall right next to a chimney stack and through into the loft conversion area we were working in.  Once a plan of action had been put together we then fixed into position a new wall plate timber for the floorboards to fix to and then we put down a number of the new sheets of floor board.
 

Thursday was an entertaining day.  We had a very large Velux window to install into an area of existing roofing with a very steep pitch and we were working on top of a glass roofed lean too and then throw in the fact it was on and off with heavy showers during the day just to spice things up further.  The one and only scare of the day was the fact that I thought the window size I had ordered wasn’t actually going to fit into the area I wanted because it was too big.  After some discussion with Stu and Dane we revised our plans slightly and after all that worry the window went in a treat, and it really made a difference internally by flooding the landing and stairs with lots of natural light.
 

The last job of the week was to actually knock through the 500mm thick wall and get our five concrete lintels into position.  This was easier said than done and turned out to be one of the worst and trickiest openings we had done.  The opening was right next to the chimney stack, and after taking off the old plaster we exposed a load of brick work that was all over the place.  Some of it was tied into the stack, some tied into the wall and some just sat on the stone.  To create our opening so we could slide in our lintels was more akin to a game of Kerplunk!  One false move and we could have had the whole lot down.  By the end of the day we had the five lintels in and pointed up with cement, but we decided it was best to let them settle and do the actual knocking through at a later date.  It had certainly been a squeaky bum day!

We had a new member to add to the team this week, his name being Dane.  Unfortunately Stu will be moving onto bigger and better things in the near future so Dane who is an architect by trade has joined forces with me.  But for the month of July the three amigos will be getting on with a loft conversion in Castor on the out skirts of Peterborough, work that we received via new amigo Dane.

On Monday we did our usual on the start of a new job, especially being a refurb job, and we made up a shopping list of materials and then went for a ride about town to get them.  We also had the toilet, skip, roof ladder and alloy tower delivered to site.  The following day we had a delivery of timber form Jewson and then we set about stripping out the loft area which was a lovely job on a nice hot day.  We also removed the facia and soffit and stripped back several courses of the slate tiles so as to give us access for passing through the new structural timbers.  We then made a start on getting some of the new floor timbers into position.  The rest of the week was made up of putting in the new structural A frame timbers and bolting and screwing them to the existing timbers.  Although the hot spell of weather we were enjoying was nice, it is not so nice when you are in a loft space.  It was like a sauna up there and poor old Dane who is used to an office environment was finding the going a bit tough.  He was sweating buckets!  We also installed one of two new Conservation style Velux windows.

I couldn’t finish this week’s blog without a special mention to the new amigo Dane.  Stu and I have worked together for three years and never had any major incidents while working on the job.  Dane had only been on the job for three days when he nearly disappeared through the kitchen ceiling to the floor below!  Fortunately he only got as far as putting his foot through the ceiling, but it still shook him up, much to Stu and mines amusement!  He was also fortunate that he didn’t too much damage to the tongue and groove kitchen ceiling which we put right later in the week.  So Dane’s first week on the job went well and hopefully he learnt a few lessons, some harder than others!

This week Stu and I were over in Northampton doing some block paving and putting up some replacement facia and soffit.  We had some scaffolding erected at the end of the previous week and our first job on the Monday was to take down all the old facia and soffit and when that was done we set about putting together a shopping list for all the materials we would need.  We decided to do a half day and pick up all the materials on our way home back to Peterborough.  On Tuesday morning we had to put in some additional timbers to take the new facia and soffit and in the afternoon we set about fixing the new facia and soffit into position.  The following day Stu remained up on the scaffold to apply all of the finishing touches to the facia and put back the guttering.  I chose to dig out the earth for the new block paving which we were putting in so as to provide a new parking bay.  In the cooler morning weather the thought of a day’s hand digging didn’t seem too bad, especially as I only had to dig out an area of around 10 sq metres.  Come middle afternoon when the sun was beating down and the temperature was in the high 20’s and I had dug about three tonnes of earth and was quickly running out of energy, my decision to hand dig didn’t seem such a good one after all.
 

Thursday was the start to a new day and after a good night’s rest I had the remaining earth out and the skip pretty much filled.  Stu had finished the facia and soffit and we both got on with putting down a six inch layer of hardcore in the base of the paving area, and then Stu ran over the area with a whacker plate to compact it down.  Next we put down a two inch layer of sharp sand which we levelled off ready to start laying the block paving.  We then layed the majority of the block paving so that we just had the edges to finish off on the Friday.  By lunch time we had all the cuts put in and the edges finished off.  We filled in all the holes with some kiln sand and then Stu finished things off with a few more runs with the whacker to settle everything into position.

Stu and I started the week in Peterborough by creating a larger opening for some friends of mine in their kitchen/diner.  Kitchen/diner openings are all the fashion you know!  Our first job was to take out the door and the door lining and then set about using some metal acros and strong boys to support the wall while we removed some brick work to make way for a new lintel.  Once we had the lintel in place, we pointed up with some cement and left things to dry and settle over night before moving on with the next stage.  The following day we set about removing the remaining brick work so as to create the new sized opening.  While I had a tidy up and tried to sweep up as much dust as possible, Stu put up some new plasterboard.  That was the job done, with John coming out on Saturday morning to do the plastering.
 

On Wednesday we were back to our single storey extension to action some snagging points which were putting down some more screed so as to join up the new extension floor with the existing floor.  While Stu was doing that I was plastering a few small returns which John and J had left due to time constraints the previous week.  By lunch time we were all done, and as England’s final group game of the World Cup was on that afternoon, like the rest of the country, we downed tools and headed off to find a TV.
 

On Thursday and Friday Stu was laying the new laminate flooring and finishing off with the skirting which finished off the last of the jobs we had to do on the extension, and the Building Inspector duly carried out his final inspection and was happy to sign off the job as completed.  While Stu was doing his thing, I drew up some plans and a shopping list of materials for the raised decking area that we are to put in.  On the Friday in scorching sunshine and high temperatures I had the pleasure of boreing out holes by hand to sink the decking posts into.  The sweat was pouring off me and I was drinking a litre of water an hour trying to keep refreshed, but I was certainly lacking my usual get up and go in those conditions, the hot weather just sapping your energy.

After our working day on Friday was rudely interrupted by the beginning of The World Cup which we had to go home and watch, we set about finishing off the installation of the bi-fold doors now we had the correct hardware to get the job finished.  By the end of the day we had all the doors in, and to my surprise everything was working as it should do.  I don’t mean that in a way that we don’t normally do a good job, but normally doors of any kind need alterations making so they open and close properly and with all the various different components that make up five moving doors I was expecting a few issues, but everything was working as it should do and the doors really set off the look of the extension.  On Tuesday Stu carried out the finishing touches to the doors while I started doing the first fix electrics and running in the cables to the various switches, lights and socket boxes.  In the afternoon we went out to pick up all the plasterboard and associated materials so we were ready to go the following day.

On Wednesday and Thursday we were plaster boarding all the interior walls and roof area, and come the end of Thursday we had it all finished and everything was ready for John and J the plasterers to come in on Friday and skim all the walls.  While John and J were plastering on the Friday, Stu and I were staining the neighbours facias and soffit which was a little job we had picked up while on site next door.

We started the week by doing all the finishing touches to the roof.  The first job was to cut all the roof tiles around the Velux roof windows.  As usual things don’t always go in our favour, and with all the tricky cuts we had to do to get the roof tiles in and fitted, this was one of those times.  Once that was done we set about fitting the top edge abutment kit which is a specialist roof ventilation system, then Stu set about finishing the guttering and down pipe while I made a start on cutting the lead flashing to length.  I woke up to heavy rain Tuesday morning and the weather forecast didn’t look like things would improve greatly throughout the day, so on safety grounds we took a day off.  On Wednesday I set about fixing the lead flashing into place while Stu pointed up the tiles on the two gable ends.  We actioned a few minor snagging points and then that was the roof all done and finished.
 

We had a set of three metre long, 5 piece bi-fold doors delivered to site earlier in the week which came in a kit form, and we made a start on putting things together.  The first job was to make the frame up.  Having gone through all the parcels when they had been delivered we couldn’t find a set of instructions or a tick off list for what we should have had delivered.  I contacted the manufacturer and they emailed me over a set of instructions, but unfortunately they were for a three door installation, but the principles seemed the same.  We soon realised that we were missing some of the specialist screws which were of a particular size.  We tried some similar screws that we had on the van, but they weren’t up to doing the job.  So we had to take a trip to a stockist in Peterborough where we could get the screws in singles rather than getting a box of 200 when we only needed two.  All this extra time and hassle just because someone hadn’t put the required number of screws in the box!  As we progressed we soon noticed that the number of hinges didn’t match the number of doors that we had either?  But as we had no check off list, we couldn’t confirm this.  I contacted the manufacturer again and explained our situation.  After some oohing and arhing we were told that we must have a three door hardware kit and not a five door kit, but as we hadn’t flagged this up within the first 48 hours they were trying to wash their hands of things.  I did explain that we didn’t receive any instructions, a check off sheet or several key parts so they weren’t exactly in a position to play the high ground.  I took up my case with the retailer who was really helpful in the circumstances and would be able to get us a new hardware kit that we could pick up first thing Monday morning.  Not ideal but the best it was going to get.
 

After all that, we couldn’t progress with the doors, so on the Friday I put in the roof insulation while Stu ran in new electric cable feeds to meet up with the existing.  Once that was done, Stu and I did think about what work we could do for the afternoon, but as the World Cup was about to start at 1pm and it is only on every four years, we thought it only right to go home and watch the football!  Come on you England!

It was an easier week for Stu and me this week.  It started off with a Bank Holiday Monday which is always nice, followed by a half day on site due to the rain as we fixed the baton down and made a start on laying the roof tiles.  The rest of the day I spent catching up on paper work.  On the Wednesday I had a meeting with a potential new client and in the afternoon put a price together for the works.
 

Thursday was a busy day.  First job of the day was fitting the two large Velux windows.  Between the both of us we got the two frames into position and fixed into place.  I then fixed the two flashing kits into place while Stu continued to lay more roof tiles.  Once the flashing was all fixed it was ready to get the windows up into the frames, which were about 3.5 metres up in the roof timbers.  On the nice installation drawings it shows a cartoon man casually lifting and fixing the window into place.  After the sweat that came pouring off me and Stu as we grappled with a window 800 wide by 1200 long trying to get it to drop into the frame, and fingers crossed not onto the floor below!  These cartoon tradesmen make it look so easy.  Fortunately the second window did go in nice and easy.  In the afternoon we fitted an exterior UPVC window, and then fitted a sheet of damp proof membrane followed by foil backed insulation sheets ready for John and J the plasterers to come in and screed the floor the following morning.  John and J arrived at 8am, and as I had all the materials ready on site for them I left them to crack on with things. By lunch time the floor was screeded, job done.

After our week in Cambourne near Cambridge Stu and I were back to our extension build to continue with works there.  Our main focus was to complete the brick and block work on the two gable ends. While Stu and I were enjoying our working conditions on the Monday of clear blue skies, nice warm weather and plenty of sunshine, I don’t think the same could be said for Dean our electrician.  Dean was out at Cambourne doing the second fix electrics on the loft conversion en-suite so everything was up and running for Stu and I’s return on Tuesday to complete the work.  Doing the electrical work wasn’t the issue, but working up in the confined loft space area was?  This is because in the nice sunny warm weather outside meant the area Dean was working in was near enough a sauna!  When Stu and I were there on Tuesday it was cooler than Monday, and we were both getting a good sweat on, so reports of Dean looking like he had stepped out of a shower were not probably far of the mark.

On Tuesday we finished off the last bits we needed to do on the en-suite.  We checked that the new digital shower unit was up and running, the new down lights were ok, the towel radiator was working properly, plus we had had a good tidy up and clean down before our departure.  Mark and Hannah the clients were very happy with the finished job and the work we had done.  So much so that we received this glowing reference:

“This is quite simple, if you want a superb job being done this is the company to go with.  Blueberry was one of seven builders who gave us quotes for our en-suite wet room.  It was a very easy decision for us.  Not only were they very competitive but Richard was easily the quickest, most efficient and professional builder we contacted.  During the build Richard and Stu were again superb.  Accuracy, build quality and all round attention to detail was excellent.  During the whole build communication between builder and client again was superb.  Richard would give me daily updates on progress and would involve me in design decisions.  The finished en-suite wet room is superb and exactly what we wanted from the start.  I would recommend Blueberry to anyone and would be happy to be a reference in the future.  I’m sure we will use the boys again.”
 

For the rest of the week we got the gable ends on the extension completed and also put up the facia, soffit and guttering, so we were ready to make a start the following week on doing the roof.

After our week off, it was back to the en-suite refurb we were working on.  As is always the way when you return to work after a break, it can take a while to get back in the swing of things again.  But this was soon forgotten when we saw the arrangement of biscuits that had been left out for us to choose from.  The level of hospitality on this job has been first class and very kind.  But we were here to work and started to get the job moving again.  Stu ran in the last of the water feeds to the shower head while I ran in the extractor ducting. Once this was done we could start to board out the en-suite with Hardibacker which is a water proof cement board.  We got the lower half of the room boarded, then set about tanking the floor and wall areas.  This involves rolling on a water proof membrane to the board so providing a water proof seal.  The next day we finished off boarding out the room.  Once that was all done, the last job of the week was to tile the floor area.
 

Monday to Wednesday of the following week consisted of tiling the walls and then grouting the tiles to finish them off.  On Thursday Stu plumbed in the towel radiator, and while he was doing that I put the sink, pan and cistern together ready to be fitted into the en-suite.  Unfortunately poor old Stu was having one of those days when nothing was going his way and everything took longer than he planned, I know that feeling!  Next item was to have the sparky wire in the electric shower unit, extractor and new down light.  As there wasn’t much more we could do until the electrics were activated on the following Monday we took the Friday off.