It's Christmas... and it's not finished! Building Bristol Home Stay Tuition

New kitchen with view to garden (with ladders)

Well, it's the last few days before the Christmas holidays. I have to report sadly that the building project is NOT FINISHED yet.

The extension has been rendered (that means that the external plaster has been applied) and there is now a gas supply to my kitchen. The party wall, which is the boundary wall with my neighbour which forms the border to my courtyard, has also been finished and is now rendered. And the floor has been laid in the kitchen.

But there are still outstanding problems with many things. The main issue is a BIG LEAK in my new roof. There is a small gap in the seal of the rubber roof which means that the rain can enter. There is now a big damp patch on the new ceiling in the kitchen. The builders will have to return to fix the many problems which still exist.

Damp patch on the ceiling

Bathroom with grey pain

This week, the decorator painted the kitchen, bathroom and the passage way between the bathroom and the kitchen. Everything white, except for one wall in the kitchen, which is a very pale yellow. The colour in the bathroom is a very pale grey, which matches the light grey in the tiles in the bathroom. It looks great, especially when the sun shines in the new kitchen.

Sunny new kitchen and dining room

Kitchen sink with window

However, there is good news too.  I will have a lodger from the beginning of January 2016. He is a young man who works for Lloyds Bank, in the Harbourside. He is also studying for his accountancy exams. I'm very happy to have him because I need the income. But the problem is that I have to move and rearrange everything!

This is the last blog of the year. Next instalment will be in January 2016. I hope I will be fully installed in my extension by then.

December 2015. Almost there - Building Bristol Home Stay Tuition

Well everyone, this extension project was supposed to be finished by Friday 27th October. It is now  Sunday 13th December and is ALMOST FINISHED, apart from very many small things which I hope they will correct soon.

I have learned a lot of new things during this building project and it has been very stressful during this time.

 

New wooden floor

For example, here is the story of the wooden floor. The flooring arrived on Thursday 26th November. On Saturday 28th November, as they were putting the flooring down, I mentioned that it should be nailed using a technique called 'secret nail'. The builder disagreed with me and told me it wasn't necessary. However, we agreed that he would stop and I would check with the flooring supplier on Monday. On Monday, the flooring company confirmed that it was ABSOLUTELY necessary to nail the floors down. Phew! It was very lucky for me that I had mentioned this issue before he finished the job. The wooden floor in the kitchen was finished on Wednesday 2nd December. 

It looks great.

View of new kitchen with floor

Then I discovered that they have not installed the gas supply correctly. So now I am waiting for a report from a gas engineer.

The decorator will start on Monday 14th December. He will prepare and paint all the windows, doors, ceilings and walls. I want him to finish the kitchen and bathroom before Christmas, so that I can move back into my bedroom (which is my kitchen at the moment). I will rent the room to a lodger which will help me financially. I hope to find someone by January 2016. Then I will continue with the work, finishing the extra room (the room which was my dining room before).

Room to rent for lodger soon

I have had a lot of support and advice from my architect, my friend who is a builder, my old boyfriend who is a chartered surveyor and other friends who have experienced this kind of work. Without their help, there would have been many more problems and disasters. So I thank them all SO MUCH!

Here is a link to some more photos: Almost finished

And some other good news came last week. I have another booking! Anna, a Catalan woman, is coming for two weeks at the beginning of March. She is the sister of one of my first students. She works as a psychiatrist for the Catalan government, helping abused children. We have met on Skype and she is lovely. I'm sure we are going to have a lot of fun together!

March 2016 is now fully booked. So, as you can see, next year is starting to get busy. Please pass the message to your friends who want to improve their English rapidly and have fun at the same time. I am accepting bookings from February 2016. I am really looking forward to teaching my students in my beautiful new kitchen and teaching room!