Day 11: Floor and Flaws

I had sort of expected there to be more verticality to the build today, but apparently you need to do a bit more than just plonk bricks together, so today the guys have been laying the foundations for the floor, which they are presumably going to pour concrete into tomorrow.

Gavin has also emailed Ed with a list of yet more little plumbing foibles that need sorting out - all small things, but totalling around £500 altogether. Unfortunately I think some of the plumbing is the original Victorian stuff and it's in need of refreshment. More concerningly from a budget point of view Gavin is now worried that knocking down the chimney breast may have a detrimental effect on the remaining bits of chimney breast above it on the second floor, so we need to get the surveyor to check that it's not all going to collapse the minute they approach it with a sledgehammer. Also, it turns out the house has no foundations, so the building inspector may insist that we have the two load-bearing corners underpinned before we can proceed. Coming from the Isle of Wight as I do, the word "underpinning" strikes fear into my very heart and wallet, as it was a relatively common requirement for houses built on the slippy slidy gault or "Blue Slipper" clay of the Island and always cost an absolute fortune. Ed is more insouciant about it, but I should think there'll be some hissing through teeth before the end of this partiular chapter.

What is, quite literally, a tonne of bricks, has been delivered onto the back garden, and they are all reclaimed and look fairly lovely and very clean considering. It's rather exciting to think that they'll soon be part of our house!