December 31, 2005

End of year

Last day of year, little did I expect to be still working on the house on this date, honestly thought we would be in for Xmas but Cest la Vie!
I layed out the floor and left a 130mm stip under the units to ensure that I would end up correctly at the dining room door. I also have a decent size finishing tile which in important.
The tiles are been laid in a brick effect with a 300mm * 600mm tile

December 30, 2005

Disaster strikes

Trying to fix the disaster, no shops open until 10am, managed to get a hold of 3 bags of self leveling cement so that was grand and with the other 2 bags which had we manged to get
the kitchen and utility room leveled.
So sin é, time will tell, off out with the lads tonite so it cud be a late start tomorrow!!

December 29, 2005

Back to the grind

TOday we decided to start tiling the kitchen floor, it has been a while since I tiled, hope I still remember what I am doing!! Damien was with me so that was handy, we swept up and measured up but soon quickly realised that things were not good.
The first line I thought I might pull but then after 2 lines things were not looking good, some parts of the floor were level but too much was way off. Shane came with other adhesive and put the 5ft level, the decision was then made to take up the tiles, wash them and level the floor!!
A nightmare to say the least but it has to be done to make things look the part!

December 28, 2005

Tiling the house

I decided that I needed to hit the hoose today, I intended to start tiling but realised that I needed to re paint the ceiling, clean the windows and scrape the floor!! Before I knew it the day was near gone so I started to hide the pin nails in the timber ceiling in the sun room and fill them with wood filler.

December 24, 2005

Its Xmas time

XMAS off - Well I had to take the 2nd half of 23rd and the 24th off as I a was totally fubar, passed out and 17 hours later awoke from a serious sleep.
I have been told that it was due to the last 7 months of work. Hard to know!

December 22, 2005

Xmas shopping - cleaning kitchen

I was off today, killed with a flu, did not sleep well at all,

Told Shane I would meet him at 10 to collect the tiles, we dropped them off at the house, place is a tip but I had to head off as I had no xmas shopping done at all.

So I shopped for about 3 hours, also got spacers and trowels, sponges for the tiling.

Took a lot at the mosaic tiles in Tile Warehouse but 85 euro per sq yard, fup that!!

I got back to the house at about 3, I decided to start the clear the kitchen and prepare it for tiling, also have to work out the layout of the tiles, with spacings and make sure I end with a decent size tile at the end.

December 21, 2005

Off to Dublin

Off to Dublin with my dad to Beaumont, day procedure, well that is what I thought it was until all it turned out to be was a check up!! A chance to experience paying more money to the NRA toll bridges, journey cost me 8 euro sixty on tolls, a fupping joke on top of the car taX i pay.
Up and down in the one day so wrecked tired. Collecting the tiles tomorrow. Door cannot now be delivered until after xmas, not to worry!!!

December 20, 2005

Door picked up, horrah!!

the door saga is nearing an end, I think!! It was picked up this morning in Sheffield so we are expecting delivery on Thursday or Friday.
Dad was over for a while doing some of the architrave. Shane ordered the porcelain tile, so we will collect on Thursday.
United were on the box so I retired for tonite!! I have not done a tap in 3 days, must be a record for me!!

December 19, 2005

Door drama ending??????

The door saga has come to an end, then again maybe I should not count the chickens but, I sealed the deal on the door at distinctivedoors in the uk and it will be picked up tomorrow, not sure when we will get it,
Shane went to look at the tiles to see if the porcelain we wanted were 25 euro as we were told in the shop but he was right, they weren't!
So we have decided to go with a cheaper version, 30 euro per sq yard, lovely rectangular tile.
I did not do any work on the house as I was out at his house.

December 18, 2005

Hangover has a head

No hoose today, nursing a catastrophic hangover, not used to drinking with all the house work! We finished up at 7am this morning, the party was still going on when we left!

December 17, 2005

Xmas party time

Xmas party tonite, I know I am going to be wrecked as I was out of the cot at 7.15am, Sean rang me to see what time I am over at. Arrived before 8 and Micheal was there ready with the digger, also 3 sparks working away.
Lovely morning, fresh but no rain. Have to get down 4" of sand down on the pipes, then a covering of soil. I decided to fix the leaking tap at the back, hissing water out, replaced the ring and connection.

I moved inside and worked on doing the ceiling, dad was over also so we both worked away on it, sparks did all the recess lights, emergency lights and sockets. Cert also sent in so that is great, time will tell!!
I headed off at 4pm to get the auld fake tan done!!!

December 16, 2005

Work meeting, bla bla bla

Had to be at work for 7,30am so wrecked when I got the site, herself is in Dublin at their xmas party so I was in no rush home!
I got about 1/2 of the ceiling boarded, I want to get it done before the recess lights are installed. The sparks are in in the morning, the digger is also there to work to commence early!!

December 15, 2005

Timber the ceiling

No sparks today either, seems the lights were not delivered! Great.I started to sand some of the ceilings but the dust was a killer so I left it and started to put the tongued and grooved timber on the sun room ceiling.
Only did 2 lines, very hard on my own!

December 14, 2005

Oh sparky where art thou

No sign of sparks, meant to be here today, must not have got the lights. The door saga still goes on. Dublin door store now seems unsuitable so we are waiting back on the lads from Monivea.
I also have contacted the UK to see if we can get the door on its own and quicker.
Dad and Damien were over, they rehung the sitting + bedroom doors and returned the floor insulation and got the tongued and grooved ceiling boards.
United were on the box so I headed off home.

December 13, 2005

Another day off ish!

Damien was over with me today, spent a couple of phone calls onto work again today!
We started to put more 4" solids on their flat. Took 8 blocks to get the .8 of a meter of dept for the geo. Was freezing cold so took our time!!
The moved the big stack of timber to the gable. Dad was over. So it is great to get the back of the house cleared.
The guys in Monivea will do the door for 1k, but cannot tell me when it would be ready, not what I want to hear. Thanks T for ur efforts.

When Damien and Dad had headed off home I started to sand the filler in the recess light holes. I hindsight I think I did it arse about face, I think I should have not put in as much filler.

Noreen, Mam and the kids were over, liked the colors we have painted.

December 12, 2005

Day of work

Day off today, well off IT!!
Arrived over about 9am, bleeding cold as hell, the old brass liathroid of a monkey comes to mind!!!
Task today was to get the manhole built and to get the timber stack moved to the gable but like everything else it did not go to plan!!!
I started to clear the ground around the manifold but struck gold straight away, only joking, it was rock, but luckily with a bit of huffin and puffin I got rid soon enough.
Herself arrived over then and I got her a mix of paint. Decided to start painting the sun room with a creme color.

Dad also arrived and we did a mix of cement and sand and gravel for the base. Poured it in and managed to get a line of 3 blocks all around.

December 11, 2005

Nothin done

Was late enough over, it was 2.30am last nite when we left Tom and Siobhan after seeing naked camera in the TF so I was lacking enthusism!!!
I decided to start filling the holes of the recess lights and around the sockets and lights.
Headed off about 3.30 as United were on the bosca

December 10, 2005

Freeze the arse of ya

Arrrived over about 9am, again very cold. I decided I needed to get the whole of the back of the house tidied up and done. Started with the scaffolding, some of it was still up around the sun room so got it took down.
Started to stack it all then, was all over the house. Was strange weather, by lunch I was down to a tee-shirt, but within an hour back up to 3 layers!!!

Dad was over, we decided we would sort of the bags of rubbish at the back of the house and move it to the stack of rubbish. Then we started on the pile of cardboard, stick and slates.

Siobhan was over and gave the room upstairs a paint of creme and gave the sitting room another coat.

Got dark about 5pm so we moved inside. Dad headed off and I started to cut in around the sitting room and main bedroom.

Kitchen carcasses all arrived today, house is now packed!!

December 09, 2005

Another one bites the dust

We took a go at hanging the doors in the closet, what a pain in the ass, took us the guts of 2 hours to hang!! Enough was enough, off home for food!

December 08, 2005

Hang then doors

Dining room doors to hang, it seems double doors are bit harder to hang, nothing seems at all, put pain in the tits!

December 07, 2005

Not too well

busted tired and a banging headache so decided to head off home.

December 06, 2005

Night Off

United on the box so nothing done, rang about the door, will be ready!! ya ya ya

December 05, 2005

Hanging the doors

Kept at the doors upstairs, bedroom and wardrobe hung. Herself was over and starting painting the bedroom upstairs with the final coats of colored paint, it shapes the room well.

December 04, 2005

Timber arrives

Timber flooring due in at 10am, so was over for 9am. The stink out of the sealer would kill a man. I had to open up all doors and windows.
49 packs of semi solid flooring arrived, 3 rolls of underlay and about 30 minutes later we had it in, stacked in the hall.

I said I would move 20 packs upstairs.

Then did a bit of filling around the windows.

December 03, 2005

Guess what, NO Door

Fabulous morning, really sunny which is an encouragement! I decided that I should fill in around the geothermal pipes with sand to protect and to stop people from noising and potential damage.
I first rang warning tape over the whole area so if a digger decided to move and not realise the pipes were there they would be warned!
I presume 2 hours would be enough to cover the whole area with a lock of sand but it took me 8 hours of barrowing! I was in bits after wards, Dad arrived over and we buried the return and flow
from inside the house for the geo in the ground with sand, Brian has to return and lower the mainifold for the pipes also.

We decided to move inside to start some painting. Siobhan had already started on the sitting room and we decided to paint the 2 walls either side of the fire place with "Toasted Almond" and then the rest of the room with a cream.
When we had done the walls we started on the cream but quickly realised it was looking kak, we then tried another lighter creme but again we were not happy.

I left herself to it and i started firing on sealant on the doors, the skink was a killer and I could taste it on the way home!! We'll have every druggie around the house sniffing the stuff!!

December 02, 2005

Door

This door story is going to drive me mental. Rang them this morning, "Oh it will be ready, tell ur dad to come up" So excellent, dad arrived
up at about 5pm. Headed up and they said to go to MMH and pick out the locks and come back in 1.5 hours. We had a coffee and headed back to collect our door.

But fup me, when we arrived they were only cutting the door!! I nearly collapsed!! So we left, I will deliver it tomororow he said, ummm!!!

December 01, 2005

Collector

Brian was there with the collector loop for the geo.
We started at doors upstairs, 2 bedrooms hung and the hotpress.