The Bathroom Diaries: Week 5
It's all about the roof. Oh and a new dolly!
Following a week of little or no progress due to waiting the delivery of the roof trusses, I was very happy to take delivery last Friday. This week has been very much focussed on getting the roof up and watertight.
For November, we’ve been extremely lucky with the weather. With the exception of just a couple of light showers, the weather hasn’t delayed any progress on the extension. Plus, with the numerous tarpaulins we seem to have collected over the years, we’ve been able to construct makeshift covers for when there has been a risk of rain.
Friday 8th November:
I was very pleased to see this delivery turn up first thing Friday morning.
I have to say I wasn’t expecting to be lifting roof trusses up to the top of the extension on my day off (it was the other half’s birthday weekend and I’d taken a couple of days off to enjoy a long weekend of birthday celebrations). However, as the other half had to work, I stepped in to help our builder get them in position ready for putting up on Monday.
The other half also spent some time making a new dolly. You may recall from my last post there was an “incident” with the last dolly, resulting in the wheels giving way and our 125kg bath partially sliding off!
So I’m very proud to share with you our new dolly, far sturdier than its poor relation and the ability to move the bath around with ease.
I really should think of a name for him.
any suggestions?Monday 11th November:
It wasn’t quite the day I had planned when I booked a long weekend some weeks back, but supporting the build today has been great.
As a Home Stylist (interior designer), my projects for my clients tend to be focus on preparing for the finishing touches, not the grittiness of building a space from scratch. However, following this project, I would certainly be open to supporting builds and renovations in the future.
I’m a natural organiser and love project managing. Although I’m no expert in the actual building trade, it’s amazing how much you pick up when you’re working on your own project and/or are in a position to get really involved.
While many may have found my choice on how to spend a day off a little bizarre, I actually had the best time. Not one for sitting around observing others, I’m very much hands-on; even if it’s just a case of passing tools or tidying up, I want to support wherever I can.
Sorry, I digress.
The first task was to get the new dolly up and attempt to slide the (ridiculously heavy) stone bath from the collapsed dolly over to the new, improved version. It took three of us to move it across, but it’s now very securely positioned on it’s new dolly and the bath is completely in tact, with no damage.
The rest of the day was spent getting the roof trusses positioned and secured.
Although it doesn’t look like a huge amount to share, there was a lot of measuring, cutting, and lining up that needed to happen to ensure every piece of wood and roof truss was aligned correctly.
I also managed to order the bathroom floor and pick up radiator valves, (gone are the days when I pop to the shops for a new pair of jeans).
For a small market town we actually have a pretty good selection of stores to support with interior projects and to be able to support a small local business, rather than one of the popular DIY stores, or the internet is always my preference; I love the personal touch, and when I’m able to pick up radiator valves for less than half the price on the internet it’s an even bigger win!
Tuesday 12th November:
Another day spent adding further wood panels to the roof trusses to construct the roof.
We’ll be adding a Velux window to the back of the roof to allow for additional light, and the space for the Velux to be positioned has been constructed.
We also had a second window company come over to quote for the windows.
I wasn’t particularly keen on the original company. Not only was the sales manager an Elvis throwback (by the way, I have no prejudice against Elvis wannabes), but I also didn’t appreciate being made to feel stupid because I didn’t understand the ins and outs of window profiles (although I now consider myself quite knowledgeable on this topic).
The lack of professionalism was not ideal, especially when I was texted the quote! And then, being three times more expensive than the company we have now gone with, it was a no-brainer on who was going to get our business.
Sadly there are still too many gentlemen of a certain age (particularly in the building trade) that haven’t quite come to terms with the fact that women can manage a renovation project and make decisions. We’re not all baking cakes, making sure our beloved partners dinner is on the table when they get home from a hard days graft, with their slippers and newspaper waiting for by their favourite chair.
Wednesday 13th November:
With the main roof trusses positioned, it was now time to lift up tiles from the roof of the house so we can blend into our existing roof. Smaller roof trusses have been used for this part.
Fascia boards have also started to be added.
Thursday 14th November:
Further work has been done to get all the fascias positioned.
This afternoon, the felt was laid over the roof and battened. I’m so pleased we’ve managed to get to this point, as it now means the extension is fully watertight, which is good news before any wintry weather arrives.
Friday 15th November:
The roof of the main house was quite literally ripped open as I left to go to the office this morning!
I’m gutted I didn’t take a photo before I left and by the time the other half had seen the message I’d sent asking him to take a photo it was too late.
Where the roof trusses connect into the existing roof, new felt has been laid under the old felt to ensure we’re fully protected, and it’s now all battened so there is no risk of any water getting through.
Hopefully, next week the tiles will be laid, and the roof will be complete. Then we can move inside the extension and start preparing for the first fix plumbing and drainage to be installed.
It may be slightly ambitious, but I’m still pushing for the bathroom to be complete by Christmas. I would love to be able to relax in the bath, enjoying a glass of Prosecco.
Let’s see how things progress…
Enjoy your week.
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The Bathroom Diaries is an additional weekly post every Sunday, sharing the progress of our first-ever renovation journey, documenting the creation of my dream bathroom.
If you missed any of the The Bathroom Diaries series you can catch up here:
It’s getting exciting now Sonya, great to see it all taking shape 👍🏻 well done on your involvement too 💪, I think you should go & bake a cake to celebrate! 🤣
I personally love a good roof story!