The scaffolding had all been taken down and the paving around the house was being laid when we visited on Thursday. This is the western gable end and the steps will be up from the evening sitooterie to the wood shed once it's built. The landscaping is really taking shape.
It was a beautiful sunny day and had been dry all week, which meant the digger could work, spreading top-soil without churning it all into a morass. We specified no Japanese knotweed, please. This photo shows the rather pleasing metal-finish down pipes. It's going to be fun clearing the leaves from the gutters in the Autumn.
The wood-burner remains under wraps but its beautiful stainless flue looks just as we'd imagined it. The house was warm as toast, with the sun streaming in through the open doors and several men working inside, laying the oak flooring and fitting the kitchen. The oak boards were supposed to have been laid 3 weeks ago but about two thirds of them were poorly finished and wouldn't have fitted together properly. The builders took the unsatisfactory ones back to their own joinery workshop and re-machined them. They are "in discussion" with the suppliers. The boards aren't nailed or screwed; they are tongue and groove and laid on a shock-absorbing membrane, to prevent creaking. They will expand and contract over time, even though they are acclimatised and seasoned, so we'll have to leave gaps around the edges and at some threshholds.
These gallery lights are about the most adventuurous of our chosen light-fittings. As everything has to be "low energy" (a long and rather tedious saga), it's been quite a struggle to get acceptable levels of illummination and comply with the draconian energy regulations, so the aesthetic of the fittings wasn't the only consideration.
The gallery edge has been finished and the glass balustrade is in place.
The builders laid the best of the oak floorboards at this end of the living room, so that Nathan and his men could fit the kitchen. They stayed in the area and when we visited, it was really taking shape. All we needed to do was agree the final position of the island unit and by the end of the week, all that remained were the finishing touches. These can only be done once the house is completely clear of other contractors working, and dust-free
What can I say? This is the oak capping at the top of the stairs, top-lit by the roof-light.