Happy New Year readers! This is a wordy update as there is lots to say!
Just before Christmas, two exciting things happened! Firstly, we have moved out of the caravan and into the house! It's like a bed sit. We have a fully working kitchen and a sofa bed in the round dining room.
We've been in there ever since! We have had our fair share of issues which I will go into detail on in a bit.
The caravan is looking mighty skanky at the moment. We are still having to use it as a shower although we are probably going to get rid of it and get a temporary shower and toilet block.
Yes!! That's right!! Over a year and 3 applications later - we finally have full permission to start!
We have our drawings from the architect and are registered with building control.
My mother very kindly got hold of some heras fencing and Andy acquired some heras feet. We've put it up to ensure we are complaint and protecting those sacred trees the council care so much about! It didn't cost us anything so can't really grumble.
So, now onto the issues!
The Rayburn we have is able to supply heating for 6 radiators and hot water for baths and showers. We just had the skirting radiators installed and on the first day we had the thing going for a log period of time, the water started boiling over. There is a safety system in place for if this happens, basically water overflows into a separate tank and then if that tank is too full it comes out of a pipe in the wall.
Anyway, Andy ended up installing a proper radiator in the round room to allow some of the heat to circulate and escape. It's only there on a temporary basis and will be removed later. This has done the job...however the heat has made the cladding on the wall shrink and come away from the wall. For reference, this is the wall cladding:
It was cheap Wicks cladding and the heat has obviously made it shrink. It's a shame but we won't bother replacing it until the radiator comes out.
Our wooden worktops had also bowed after installation. After lots of pondering, Andy concluded it was the foil wrap we had been given with the worktops to put on the underside. As it was taped in place, he figured it was pulling the wood. We took it off and sure enough, the worktops are starting to straighten up again
In fact, all wood and filler has shrunk where we've warmed the room up. It's not a problem, just needs touching up in the future.
Andy started on the foundations before the storms came and hit a snag. He was digging with a steel bar when we heard a bang and a sizzle. Which confused us as it appeared that he had gone through a cable. But there shouldn't have been cables where he was digging and that close to ground level.
He dug around it and sure enough...he had nicked the mains electric cable in. He was bloody lucky that he wasn't in his metal tractor....or he'd be dead. He's also lucky that he wrapped the end of the steel bar in insulation tape when he bought it. Or he'd be dead.
Because he only nicked it and didn't sever it, we still had power. We need the metre moved anyway and had planned to just leave the cable.
The next night, the rains began and we were watching TV and kept hearing bangs. We went to investigate and heard the cable sizzling and then BANG! Followed by smoke. We had buried the cable but the rain was starting to seep through and where Andy had dug and exposed the clay soil, the rain was starting to puddle.
We decided this was pretty dangerous so called Southern Electric, thinking they'd turn up in the morning. 40 minutes later, two Southern Electric vans pulled up!
2 hours later and about 30 minutes without power, they had fixed the cable. I felt quite sorry for them up to their knees in mud at 9 o'clock at night in the rain...but i made them hot drinks! They were very nice chaps! They said we wouldn't believe how often this happens...although they are usually called out in the day.
We'll just wait for the bill now!
Digging has ceased whilst we wait for the rain to bugger off. What we have dig so far is under water and the clay is just so sticky!
Hopefully it'll ease up soon and we can crack on!
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