House Progress!

When you contract with a builder, it's very common to have a "clausola" which has a penalty for work that is not completed in a timely manner. When we signed the work order, I asked about an incentive for early work completion and was told it was "unheard of." I brightly asked if there was any way we could "hear of" this concept, and obviously our builder wasn't going to quibble over the possibility of making more money on the deal.

Window?

All this to say that when the builder didn't show up for a whole week, I was able to keep perspective and not get annoyed. After all, he needs the autonomy to manage his own work flow, right?

Girls' bedroom...losing privacy

Window from outside..
.not a lot of view, but light!

The good news is that they're back at work! This time, we've found a happy surprise: window framing in the upper hallway! This gives us the possibility of opening up a window to allow morning light. It is high enough that there won't be any view, but light is always welcome. Obviously, an exploratory hole will have to be made, but here's hoping.

Ugly pipes gone! Large hole instead...

First-floor removal

We now have a 2-story tube!

Other news is that all the flooring is out on the first floor. We've had to decide how to handle the lack of subfloor (this means that embedding the utilities without raising the floor is impossible), which we're doing by the simple expedient of a step up in various locations. Such is life in a 500-year-old house.

On the upper floor, they're making great progress! All the radiators have been disconnected, and they're busily tearing down walls! I told them if they got bored, they'd be welcome to remove the ugly satellite dish that blocks the view from the terrace. However, it's unlikely that boredom will set in for them.

Love,

Alexandra