It's Over

We're in Rochester today and for the next few days visiting our family but we briefly got back to Framlingham from Scotland on Saturday to find something that we had begun to think we would never see - the house project is FINISHED. Yes, whilst we were up in Scotland, Suffolk's finest decorator Gerald Clements had been to put some finishing touches to Marion's potting shed and painted the garden walls, DNA Landscapes' contractor had laid the new driveway and Addison Electrical had completed the garden wiring.

The shelf in the potting shed looked out of place.

So Gerald painted it and gave it a removable cover.

He also spruced up the paintwork which the contractors had left looking a bit shoddy

The grey walls are less obtrusive and go well with the bi-foding doors.

The lighting is a nice finishing touch to the garden

And there's finally room to both park the car and turn it round.

So, at last, almost eleven months after work first started on the house, we've done everything we planned (and quite a bit more). Here are some before and after photos - each pair taken from roughly the same spot.

 

So, that's it. Eleven months of hard work has finally come to fruition. The big question now is "what on earth am I going to find to blog abut in future?"

Don't worry, I'm sure I'll think of something.

Project Update

I was going to call today's blog Almost There but decided that that would be tempting fate. It was anticipated that we'd be finished this week but gardener Tony tells me that it will be next week now. What will he tell me next week?

Our ever reliable and always excellent decorator Gerald Clements kept to his word and arrived bang on time to paint the outside of the house. Aided by fine weather, he (and his colleague James) finished in just over a week and the nasty shade of orange is now banished to our memory. The new colour Dulux Linnet White goes well with the greys of the windows and bi-folding doors and I'll post a photo when I can get round the front which is now a bomb site similar to how the back was for three months.

Speaking of the back, when we got back from a visit to Paul in Rochester last week the plants had all been unloaded and placed in position ready for planting.

And by Thursday most were planted.

By the weekend we had a finished path.

And were finally able to put our furniture out. We still don't feel able to use the garden properly with Tony in and out with his masonry cutter and cement mixer getting stuff prepared for the front but if it's sunny on Sunday we may be able to sit out here.

At least we can see an improvement on what we lived with for months.

I Missed The Erotica

Since we moved to Framlingham I've been keen to attend some of the local events. None more so than the series of art lectures given by local art historian and expert John Sheeran which I have seen widely advertised throughout the town.

Today I finally had the opportunity to go to a lecture but needed to leave fifteen minutes before it was scheduled to end due to my long awaited hearing test. The talk opened with John explaining the lectures for the benefit of the newcomers. He mentioned that they run to exactly ninety minutes which drew a big laugh from his regular audience and gave me a warning of what was to come. 

The lecture on the French artist Pierre Bonnard was fascinating and it was clear that John is passionate about and extremely knowledgeable on the artist and fine art in general. We listened intently to his explanations of Bonnard's style, his composition and his use of colour and it soon became clear why the audience had laughed at the outset. Seventy five minutes into the scheduled ninety minutes of the talk and we weren't at the bottom of the first page of two lists of works that he was going to show us. Unfortunately I had to leave before Bonnard's famous erotic works and paintings of his wife Marthe in the bath were discussed but, never mind, I learnt a great deal in my half lecture which was £8 very well spent and for a full lecture would have been an absolute bargain - if you buy a "season ticket" it's even better value for money. I'll certainly be going to another lecture and perhaps next time I'll be there to the end.

And the hearing test? It told me what I expected - I'm a bit deaf. Not a lot, but enough to try out something to improve it. So I'm off to Ipswich next Thursday for a further consultation and to see if my ears are the right shape for certain aids. Vanity is pointing me towards the hidden aids. What is there to be vain about at my age you might ask but, I don't know, I suppose it's just that deafness is often associated with old age and there's an innate reluctance to being thought of as an old codger. 

When we got home we found more progress on the never ending improvement project. On the positive side, the plasterers (who should have been here in March) have been and put on the scratch coat to the walls. On the negative, the planting that was scheduled for last week, has been put off to next week -  aaaaaagggghhhh. 

But on another positive note, our excellent decorator, Gerald Clements, arrived exactly when he said he would on Tuesday and has already painted the gable end and removed all of the moss from the roof. In fact he was so speedy doing this that I missed out on snapping a photo of his scaffolding tower. If the weather holds up the outside decoration could be finished next week.

Meanwhile the front now looks as if a bomb has dropped as Tony got his digger out and dug up all the lawn and half of the path. Half of the lawn belongs to our neighbours but we thought that turfing it for them is the least we can do for their having to put up with months of mayhem. 

I think that when this project is over we are going to have to supply the neighbourhood with generous peace offerings of flowers, wine and chocolates - they'll soon have had eight months of noise and dust and that's not ideal.

A Record Day Today

You would think that, now that we are actually living in the house, the upheaval of workmen would be a thing of the past. Nothing could have been further from the truth this morning as the neighbours had to put up with no less than five transit vans turning up between eight and eight thirty. Electrician Trevor was preparing his certificate for the house electrics, Tony the gardener and son Carl were continuing with the landscaping, Roger the builder arrived to put up some shelves and mirrors, Gerald the decorator was here to tidy up some cracks in the new plaster and paint the shelves Roger was installing and Rob the tiler came to sort out some tiling that we weren't happy with in one of the bathrooms (not Rob's work I hasten to add). So the house was a madhouse again and we were both relieved to get out of their hair and leave them to it. Marion  headed off to Carley Hill Hair for a full treatment (her hair looks lovely) and I headed off to the iStore in Ipswich to see if they could do anything with the old laptop. 

Now they have all gone, peace has descended upon the house once again (together with a hell of a lot of dust from all their endeavours).

Until the work finally comes to an end I think that we're going to feel like we are living in limbo and unable to start our new life here in Framlingham properly. It won't be too long now. The new office is scheduled to arrive on 25th and the garden should be finished and ready for planting by the end of March - only another six weeks. (Only).

We are trying to get settled though. On Monday we tried out the new gym - very good. Marion had a new class, Tae Bo, and although it exhausted her, she enjoyed it. 

On Tuesday our old sales director Nick popped over and stayed the night. We didn't have any curtains for his room but we managed to black the window out.

Nick very kindly sourced some fantastic chefs' knives for us so we now stand the risk of amputation at every mealtime. He also took us for an excellent meal at The Station,our local pub (named in last week's Sunday Times as one of the UK's top fifty venues for a value for money Valentine's dinner). It wasn't Valentine's day but it was an excellent meal.

On Wednesday there was a fabulous cookery demonstration by renowned Norfolk (I'm supposed to boo here now I'm from Suffolk I believe), chef Galton Blackiston at Framlingham College. We've been a bit spoilt by the FramSoc run by the college as we've had two great nights there in under a week. Galton is a chef with a personality and his three course meal for entertaining at home was spectacular but also very simple and I can't wait to give the recipes a try. I loved his lamb fillets rolled in the trimmed skin with spinach and black pudding but sadly didn't win the raffle to take the dish home with me. His mashed potatoes were to die for but sadly with my blood pressure they would be to die for and with healthy (or should that be unhealthy?) dollops of cream, butter,cheese and milk I'm afraid that Marion won't be putting them on the menu any time soon.

On Thursday I had a bit of an adventure and headed for London at 6.50 to help out son Paul who was arranging a run through of a number of new TV shows that he and his colleagues are developing. Obviously I can't tell you anything about the shows on here but I took the role of contestant and found all the ideas interesting and several of them very exciting. I look forward to seeing some of them commissioned very soon. Paul's latest creation Beat The Pack is airing on BBC in the not too distant future.

I got back from London in time to take Marion for a Valentine's dinner at The Crown Hotel in the centre of town. It's a place that has had mixed reviews over the years but new proprietors Dave and India have really made their mark on the place and we've enjoyed lots of visits for snacks, drinks and coffees over the last few months but this was our first full meal. It was excellent.  The complimentary Valentine's prosecco set us up nicely. I had asparagus with a crumbed poached duck egg as a starter followed by a rump steak cooked exactly as I asked. Marion enjoyed a home made soup and Guinea Fowl. The desserts of panna cotta and cheese were equally lovely and the young waiters were charming and attentive - a very successful evening. 

And speaking of lovely, these beautiful flowers arrived from our dear friend Liz who worked with us at Instanta.  Not only do they look fabulous but the house has been full of their heady spring scent. What a lovely thought from a lovely person. Hope you can come and see us here soon Liz.

In Praise Of Local Suffolk Tradesmen

Now that our project is almost over (bar the garden and the office) , it's time to reflect on the past six months and thank those who have made a big contribution. Organising a building project like this from a distance of over five hundred miles left us extremely vulnerable to poor workmanship as it was always going to be a few weeks before we saw the results of each step by which time the work was done. 

I'd like to start with decorator Gerald Clements. Gerald and his colleagues worked on the house on and off for almost two months. They decorated every room and every room has been beautifully decorated. Gerald paid great attention to detail; surface were always carefuul masked or otherwise protected before starting any room, at the end of every day things were tidied away, wet paint signs were always in place to warn the other tradespeople in the building and, when Marion and I asked for finickety little changes or retouches, they were carried out immediately without as much as a raised eyebrow. We were so pleased with Gerald's workmanship and his excellent wallpaper hanging that we have asked him to paint the exterior of the property as soon as the weather is suitable. I'm sure that he will never be short of work but if you are in the area and need a top quality painter and decorator this is a link to his website.

We wanted the house to be fully rewired and, in addition, set up with phone sockets and broadband network in most rooms. We used Trevor from M J Spink Ltd (pictured here with his dad Michael who also worked on the wiring). Trevor is another tradesman who pays meticulous attention to what he is doing. He sheeted up wherever he was working and didn't leave a trace of dust. The fact that there are twenty six LED spotlights in the kitchen/diner alone will give you an idea of the size of the job.

This was how the cupboard under the stairs looked when all the wiring was taken through to it.

And here's how it looks now after Trevor and Michael had finished (that loose telephone box cover is awaiting a part that's on order). I think you'll agree that's some mighty fine work. We're extremely pleased with all the electrical work and would be delighted to recommend MJ Spink Ltd of Saxstead Road - tel 01728723163

Another excellent tradesman was Dale from PE Gray Plumbing and Heating. Dale was camera shy but he and his father Paul completely refitted the plumbing and central heating system including new radiators, new boiler, Megaflow hot water system two new bathrooms and a WC. The work was carried out to a very high standard and, again, we are happy to recommend PE Gray Plumbing & Heating - tel 01728 602566

Last but by no means least there's Roger Mayhew of R P Mayhew Ltd (above right with architect Keith Frost of whom more in a future blog). Roger was the overall contractor repsonsible for the entire project and it is him that we must thank for employing all the people I have just written about. It was Roger who completed all the joinery and building work and it was he who had to employ labourers, plasterers wood burning stove fitters and just about anyone else who worked on the house. We put the work out to tender and all three tenders came very close in terms of price but, as soon as we met Roger, we were instantly impressed with his knowledge. He took us to visit a job that he was working on and the client couldn't speak highly enough of him which was no surprise as the work was extremely impressive. And that's how our project has turned out. Roger has shown amazing patience in dealing with a couple of fussy clients who have had to communicate by email (not his favourite) and has never failed to do what we have asked immediately and to a very high standard. He's always been bright, cheerful and immaculate both in himself and in his workmanship. If you are looking for a builder or a first class carpenter in this area you need look no further. Roger can be contacted on 01728 724529 .

What A Difference A Day Makes

If you read yesterday's blog post you will know the size of the task that we were facing at six o'clock last night. With the removal van due in less than thirty six hours the decorating was unfinished, the corner pillar cladding was missing, the kitchen and lounge were piled high with all sorts of paraphernalia and the curtains had not arrived. With our experience over the last few months, the odds were stacked against us and I had doubts that things would run to plan.

This was the lounge yesterday afternoon.

And then our excellent decorator Gerald Clements stepped in and cracked on with the wallpaper. (He had been delayed due to the leak that cropped up just before Christmas). Express Bi-folding doors pulled out all the stops and sent their fitting team all the way from Yorkshire to arrive by nine in the morning and complete the corner cladding. And our interior designer's curtain man came late in the morning and got started on the curtains and blinds. 

So, thanks to that amazing effort from them all and two hours cleaning from Marion (and to a lesser extent me)  here's how it looked at seven thirty p.m today.

Things were not quite as complete with the kitchen/diner but yesterday's mess (above) has improved significantly.

We're getting there.

Here are the dressing room and our bedroom with the blinds and curtains in place. 

The garden is looking like an archaeological dig but at least when the removal men turn up tomorrow they should be able to deliver without too much difficulty.