Builder's blog

Plumbing, Electrics, Plastering and a Few Sleepless Nights

Katy and I have started on the Victorian house this week and I think that it is going to be an interesting, if lengthy job. Houses may have been built to last 100 years ago, but they didn't care too much about straight-lines and right angles. Everything is wonky and curvy and falling apart.

It looks as though we will have to completely gut most of it and re-plaster all of the walls. Add to that the electrics, which need redoing and the plumbing which needs extending from the one small bathroom on the ground floor to two more bathrooms on the upper floors. It is a big job.

The Tenants From Hell Get Worse

You would think that with the weather being so nice that all would be rosy in Marty's world. But once again this week has been less than great and one particular incident really just topped it off.

Remember the family from hell who want their (rental) house decorated to their somewhat tacky tastes? Well, this week they really stepped it up. Katy and I arrived at work on Monday morning as usual. The woman of the house sent the older kids off to school as normal and then started getting herself sorted to go out. Nothing unusual in that, you might say.

Working On A Rented Property Ain't Easy

Back to work and wishing I hadn't bothered. This new job is shaping up to be one big nightmare. Chris the developer has asked us to work on a rental property while the tenants are still there. This is just asking for trouble, as they are making my life hell.

Even though Chris is paying for all this work to be done, they seem to think it is OK for them to make all the choices with regards to the finish. I have had tile samples and paint charts shoved under my nose at every turn and I have had to explain that Chris doesn't want Barbie pink in the bedroom or a wallpaper feature wall in the sitting room. He wants a nice clean fresh finish which will rent easily if this family leave.

A Builder’s Home is Always Last on the List

Thank goodness we are home...that was one week of near hell, interspersed with pockets of fun. The park itself was pretty good when it came down to it. If you can get away from the crowds and avoid the mega-expensive food outlets, then the rest of it is actually OK. Of course I loved the rides and I could see that the kids were having a good time. Claire put the hard word on me and told me I had to pretend I was having a good time even if I wasn't....at the end of the day that wasn't too hard.

The hotel was another story altogether. Queues for the never-ending buffet, queues for the bar, queues for the sun-loungers and too much splashing and screaming in the pools. The weather was great and that is about all I can say which is positive about the hotel experience.

A Few DIY Repairs at Disney

Aargh!! The Marty family have descended on Euro-Disney, or to be more precise – Disney fever has taken over the Marty family.

Let me set the scene: Hours spent in the car, on the train and searching for the hotel. Some excited running about when we get to the room, checking out the swimming pool and the restaurant. This is followed by Claire reading the in-room food menu and insisting this was the best and cheapest option for dinner. I know this isn't true, but I go along with it anyway. Anything to avoid the queueing hoards downstairs.

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