PHASE ONE COMPLETED

Well what do you think of it so far puss? Not bad going for a week and a half’s work. I know how picky you cats can be so no good wrinkling your little pink nose in disdain at the dusty mess and smell all round, it’s something we’ve all got to live with including you (even if you don’t exactly live here).

Where's my bowl going to be?

Perfect for a spot of bird watching

Looking past the detritus of builder debris and tools you can slowly begin to see the re-vamped room zooming into sharper relief especially now that the plastering is done and drying. In this warmer weather, I expect to be ready to put a first coat of paint on the walls in about a week’s time with a second top coat applied after the units have been fitted. No need to prime the plaster apparently, a watered down lick of paint should do.

Walls all plastered and drying nicely

Side wall minus the back door

Final shaping of the fireplace

Underneath its layer of brick dust, the patio has also taken on a whole new aspect. The corner where the back door once opened out now appears strangely larger and means we can move plants around or even add a few more (you can never have enough plants!). And at a first glance, Plan B (rendering the side wall to cover up any horrors) may not be needed as the builders have managed to recycle/colour match the bricks used to our existing old imperial ones. It’s pretty damn perfect and as a perfectionist, that feedback means the royal seal of approval.

Ooops daylight's gone but you get the idea

Not much luck in tracking down a match for the old floor tiles and with only 3 weeks until the kitchen itself is delivered, it’ll be a race against the clock to find a suitable colour or style that will blend in with the existing. I’ve managed to find a seller on Ebay with tiles that might be close but as beige or grey seem to be the flooring colours of choice these days then looking for dark green tiles is like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Fingers crossed that the Ebay tile sample will be the answer to the flooring conundrum.