We bought a house. It needed some work. I thought I'd write about it.
Thursday 4th March
John & Marko have demolished the bathroom and part of the kitchen. The extension floor is now in pieces where they tried to find the soil pipe. It vanishes underground to somewhere next door. The plan is to install an inspection chamber, but inspiration strikes John and he decides to move it and the soil pipe inside the current kitchen to pick up the downstairs loo, the washing machine and the sink.
Going to check on the mystery boarded up window in the bathroom I hear Marko making grunting noises from there. Suspecting he’s having a dump I leave him to it. Turns out he was installing a bucket under a leaky pipe.
Rather than resort to a manual screwdriver for the last bits of the cabin bed I get out my Gordon Freeman crowbar and yank it all off the wall. Satisfying.
Vodafone reception is non-existent. This will make life difficult. Mrs Badger has the dongle and she’s away for 2 days. I can cope without hot water, but without Internet I am like a refugee.
As I’m sweeping my doorstep like a good neighbour the former owner comes by. She’s an interesting character, short grey/ black hair and masses of eye makeup, but very pleasant and enthusiastic. I give her the post and the cheque, which throws her slightly as it comes from her late father. She’s further taken aback by the missing floor and everything else, but claims she’s moved on. Good to put a face to the name we’ve been dealing with for so long.
Buoyed by this I decide it’s time to smash something up, so I attack the tiles in the kitchen, the wood panelling and some more bamboo, finally moving on to the ivy currently eating away at our pointing. I’d make a shit builder, I can’t finish a single job, just keep pecking away at different things until I get bored. A bit like my life actually.
Vodafone signal improves in the pub, it turns out.
Found today
A shower of two pence pieces which fell down the side of the cabin bed over the last 10 years.
In the kitchen, some red tablets and a butter knife. Also, a missing wall.
