Windy and Wet

When the project manager's email mentions the words "wet and windy" I know that progress may have been slowed.... it is I guess, just that time of year.

So sat here full of man-flu and feeling sorry for myself, I need to take a leaf out of my employer's health and well-being blurb... "If your feeling stressed or depressed then picture somewhere you would rather be"... Easy done.... They then go on to advise against booking a holiday. Seriously.

Ah, breathe deeply... The view from the 'secret' beach just down the road from the house.

My project manager also emailed me earlier this week to explain why the roof is delayed: Essentially, the frame is drying out - and is currently classed as 'too green'. Again, this is due to the poor weather experienced a couple of weeks ago. However, I'm assured that the next week should see the roof work progressing.

Of course, plenty of other work is being undertaken, mainly the finishing of the pointing and rendering to the walls, both inside and out. It is obviously better that these tasks are done before the roof, as the drying process is more efficient. Unless it rains...

Here we can see progress with the chimney or flue. I will need to establish what happens bellow this flue...

Ideally there needs to be a widening into a fire place, large enough to house either a wood burner, or at least initially a built in electric fire. The power switch for the fire is shown in green paint and is right in the middle of the fire (my doing!). Obviously it needs to off to the side of the fireplace. It would be nice if there was a small mantle too.

The chopping away of the incorrect stair wall is done - but it still needs to be tidied up and finished: For sure, it had to look worse before it looks better! I'm hoping that this is sorted by next week, regardless of the weather.

Now that the offending wall is down, we can see how much visual air and space has been added. No increase in floor space of course, but the feeling of air and light is dramatic. This will be accentuated with a glass balustrade that extends to border the mezzanine.

Comparing to the render from a similar viewpoint... the arch door is just a rounding of the current door casing... the guitar will not be part of the building works :)

Last week I mentioned that the project manager had made the executive decision to make the under-stairs storage area larger...

Here we can see that the door has been brought forward by one row of blocks... this makes a significant difference to the storage volume. Much more useful.

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Meanwhile, I have had good contact with Ruben and Franklim, the flooring experts on the island, and he has provided a comprehensive and attractive quote for the ground floor tiling and laminate flooring for the mezzanine. I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of materials.

Going 'native' on the flooring has some good advantages: The builders really are familiar with the product and its application, and also of course the materials have a proven track record of their suitability for the climate and conditions of the island.

Ruben sent me some 'reminder' images of the tiles and finishes we discussed at my appointment with him in August. I'm really pleased he did, because with so much going on, it is difficult to remember every detail.

With that in mind, I have done a re-render of the house to show the true nature of the selected tiles:

Once I obtained a photograph of the tile I was able to add it to the interior render. The tiles are 600mm square and run for all of the downstairs including the outside patio, stair treads and paths

I was advised to steer clear of black or very dark coloured tiles due to their heat absorbency, similarly and strange enough, problems can arise with white tiles (apart from being difficult to keep clean) ... as they reflect light and therefore heat onto the walls in summer... plus you permanently need to wear sunglasses inside to avoid the glare!

So the final colour is a sort of sand finish, which is really random and does not predictably repeat - unfortunately I can't get this effect in my architectural render programme, so the pattern there repeats predictably... but you get the idea. I really love it.

Also it is worth noting that the finish is continued not only throughout the ground floor, but also through to the outside patio and entrance porch as well as the path around the outside of the house. So a totally unified finish is acquired. Sweet.

The stair treads are also being finished in the same tile - this is going to look very smart.

I was advised that the 'normal' thing to do with the skirting boards was to also finish these in a matching tile. From my previous renders you may note that I had 'almost black' skirtings to frame the room. But I've popped the sandstone tile type in and it does look good. So, again, I'm being advised by the experts on this... and who am I to argue: This has been done for centuries and is the best way to edge the room without problems: Long lengths of wood can warp and discolour: Tiles are stable and can be very easily cleaned, even with a mop.... you get the idea.

Also the toilet fittings and furniture have been finalised. Again, this is being dealt with by Ruben. He deals with high quality products, so a Roca W.C. basin and fittings have been specified at a reasonable price. Certainly, I didn't think that Roca was within budget... but yes, indeed.

Here's a catalog picture of the bathroom furniture as proposed. I'd prefer in black, so waiting for confirmation of this. Also need to mention to project manager to ensure we have power for the light over the mirror...

Also settled is a walk in shower, with a 1m glass screen, white tiles to walls (with a blue border at counter height) and a brilliant back floor. Quite masculine perhaps, but will be softened by towels and floor mats, that will bring colour.

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Packing and sorting has had to take a break this weekend due to the man-flu. Pathetic, I know.

However, purchases have been rolling in: Mattress arrived, portable tower fan heater (for upstairs or spot heating and cooling), towel bale, fitted sheets, bedside lights, spotlighting / uplighter.... so slowly working through the container list.

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