Mars and Venus ?

Well, from the desperation of Friday 13th we have moved on to a new week.

Firstly, the weather has really improved and the outside is drying, only slowly as it is so cold. However we can see an opportunity to start the next phase of garden restoration.

Inside quite a bit is happening. Simon, the joiner, is installing the kitchen to his very high standard. We made a few last minute changes to the design and these seem to be for the better. The kitchen will be a little idiosynchratic with, almost, two rooms in a small area but it produces some important elements for us. We wanted a traditional cottage style with modern facilities and a little bit of luxury. In addition we wanted space for a traditional kitchen table and chairs but nothing was to interfere with the light and views from the large windows.

Quite a demand but we think that we are achieving something close.





The mini fridge has arrived and has been installed.

Our poor old plumber is close to breakdown being confronted with installing his conventional heating and hot water system to our very contemporary biomass boiler arrangement but he is coping. The whole system is pressurised but he is limiting us to 3 bar. He says any more would take our skin off in the shower although the system will allow up to six bar. The very high tech pressurised hot water tank is installed.

No, it's not a Dalek

Our futuristic biomass boiler is here and somehow moved up to the first floor. It took five hunky men, ropes, slings, pulleys and quite a bit of bad language but it's there. At first viewing it seemed so unconventional that it was odd but we are really beginning to like it. What we want now is some heat from it.

We have been defeated on the solar panel front as everybody involved has let us down. The regulations require that we have one of those ridiculous EPC (energy performance certificates - like the ones you have on your fridge) before the system can be registered. We have five of the damned things and paid for all of them but they are not registered. We need an electric supply and don't have one. Electricity North West have, following the email to their CEO,  leapt into action. They are pulling out all the stops, now, but they have to follow all of the procedures and cannot advise a connection date. They have now promised a back-up generator supply but we are told that this would be incompatible with a solar PV input. We will put all of this onto the back burner and will lose the Feed In Tarrifs even though we have paid for the installation.

A little diversion. Those that know the immediate area will be familiar with the lovely stone arch bridge over Cinderdale Beck (hence Cinder Beck) just a few yards from the barn. The banks of the beck had been destroyed by fly-tipping and consequential wild undergrowth. It had been an ambition of Dai's to restore these banks and Andrew has enjoyed considerable R & R from removing, tons of stone waste and digging out substantial tree stumps. This has now been achieved and the area is ready for grass seeding and bulb planting to form an idyllic picnic area.

From bad to worse to a chance of better

We have had horrifying news about the electricity supply. As we had not received any information about a connection date we started chasing. We have now been told  as we are beyond the end of the existing village supply we might cause a voltage drop to the rest of the village so the whole network may need reinforcing. In addition our connection may not be able to come down the road as this would involve a road closure. This is the sixteen week option. If it has to come down the verge the way leave approach could take up to two years. This all seemed a little unfair so we asked for the contact details of Electricity North West's Chief Executive. We were told we couldn't have that without going through their complaints procedure first so we emailed him directly anyway. The response was staggering, with immediate emails, phone calls and site meetings. It is apparent that they now see all of this as their problem and are looking at all potential solutions including providing us with a generator until they sort it out. Unfortunately this has had all sorts of knock on effects. We have already put the AGA installation back once and have had to do so again. This has resulted in an earliest installation date of late April. Additionally we cannot install our solar PV panels so will lose the current Feed In Tarrifs. Our treatment plant requires electricity so we can't use the loos
Our treatment plant installer put in an 110 volt pump instead of a 240 volt one so we couldn't use it anyway.
We had arranged for our bedroom carpet to be fitted last Friday so we could put in our bed and have somewhere to store our clothes. The carpet didn't arrive.




We have had another wall collapse and the usual suspects have said that they will rebuild it. Of course, they won't so I am going to try it myself.

This all arose last Friday - the 13th! This was supposed to be a fun, stress free experience.

The kitchen arrives

On the lighter note we have ordered our kitchen and it has arrived. There seems to be an awful lot of it but the joiner has started assembly.

The plumber has almost finished his work and we are now awaiting the water supply. This should be within a week.







Our bedroom and en suite look lovely and we have even oiled the doors.

The boiler hearth

WE HAVE AN ELECTRICIAN! Obviously at exorbitant cost but he can start in a week and finish in another week.

The boiler installation is due to start this week.

We have completed incidentals like the installation of the boiler hearth and the meter cupboard.




So if all this comes together, including the temporary supply(?), we just still could be in by Easter. We just don't know which Easter.

Post apocolypse

We have to hand it to the ground workers. Despite the most trying of conditions with mud and corruption everywhere they have made steady progress.

The treatment plant is installed and the only remaining evidence of the carnage is a little series of manhole covers and some pipes to be cut down to ground level. Even these seem a bit intrusive but once the area is grassed and landscaped they should blend in.




The soakaway built out of milk crates is installed and this means that we can, at last, channel rainwater away from the house so things might start to dry out.







The service trenches and ducting are installed to the highway verge for utilities to take over.

So we have no more deep excavations outstanding.


The poor garden now needs a little time to recover before we re-spread the topsoil and hardcore the path and patio areas.

We have had very disappointing news about the electricity supply. Despite having extracted a large fortune from us Norwest are unable to give us a connection date. They have to follow their "procedures" and haven't even started yet. When we first contacted them two weeks ago to request a supply they advised four to six weeks. When we checked today they advised six to eight weeks. However they have to send out wayleave notices and they haven't done so yet. We asked to whom they need to send notices to be told the Highways. We replied that Highways don't own the verges as they are common land so wayleaves are not required. Their response is that their "procedures" require that they have to send them out anyway and that they might require a road closure as well. This could take sixteen weeks. Absolute nonsense, I could dig the trench in the verge in a couple of days but am not allowed to. "In by Easter" is now out of the question.

There is significant depression here and I'm not talking about the weather.

Still we've some lovely new oak doors, the painting is almost complete and work starts on the porch tomorrow.