The Kitchen
At the moment, the kitchen area comprises of a small kitchen (approx. 10' x 7') and an outer place where we store tools and other household items, that is falling down. The plan is to knock through the existing supporting wall and the walls of the outer place to make one longer and bigger kitchen.
This photo shows the kitchen looking at it from the hall. It is the supporting wall facing that is going to be knocked down.
This photo shows the outer building and all its contents. We have to find a home for all this stuff! Hopefully, the shed will oblige.
In this picture, you can see how desperately the work needs doing. We hope to have this part of the outer place knocked down and rebuilt, with a new roof, and then plastered and fitted with cupboards. Watch this space!

November 2002

Work has eventually started on the kitchen!!! I wrote to the gas board requesting that the meter be moved to accommodate the kitchen extension and they wrote back with a date the work was due to commence. Out of necessity, Lee pulled down the shelves in the outer place.

November 2002

The gas board came to move the meter. But there was one problem. They couldn't find where the pipe went. After digging up most of our back yard, they managed to find where it went - onto next door's property. They weren't in so, obviously, the gas board people couldn't do any more work. They left telling us that their manager would be in touch to sort out a date that was convenient for both us and the neighbours for work to start again.

We were left with holes all over the yard.

Three weeks later

The men from the gas board came again. When I answered the door to them, the first thing the man said, "We can't do the work. Your neighbours aren't in." Apparently, next doors had sent the gas board a letter the previous week saying they wouldn't be in. And the man on the job found out about it when he was supposed to be doing the job. How's that for good workplace communication?

The work wasn't done and we are waiting for another letter from the gas board asking us when is going to be convenient for them to come and move the meter. It has to fit in with next doors as well so who knows when they're going to be coming!

In the meantime, our yard is a health hazard and the kitchen isn't being done!!! GRRRRR!!!!!!!

I am writing this in December 2003. Apologies for the shoddy up-keep of the Kitchen page!

The meter was eventually moved after A LOT of trouble. They had to dig up the road at one point because they lost the burrowing mole under it. It was quite a farce.

But that's done with now.

Below are some pictures of the kitchen being done. It was started in June 2003. As I am typing this, all that needs to be done to finish it is to put the sink unit in.

 

 

 

A Few Building Work Photos