fakRight then. Today is supposed to be a roofer to extend a couple of areas so that they will protect the new insulation to be bolted on the outside. I wonder what time they'll arrive.
They've started so early they are already on their sandwiches (they opted not to join me on my run).
More people! Not sure what these ones are doing, but so long as they know, that's the important thing.
There's now 6 people, the lawn's covered in insulation and the boss has arrived (and appears to be about 12).
Down to 2 workers, but they are cracking on with it. The insulation itself is meaty blocks (90mm) of expanded polystyrene which they saw through to fit.
All the light at the back of the house is now blue where they have put protective film over the windows.
It finally went quiet, so I went to check that the alley gate had been closed (it hadn't) and see the progress. They'd closed the garden gate in a way that prevented it from opening from the outside. Luckily they hadn't sealed the back door with tape so was able to go and correct. Progress is good. Almost all the insulation is in place already.
It's OK, someone's having a skip noisily delivered (is there any other way?) and my lot appear to be doing prep work/lifting and carrying, so haven't started in with the really noisy stuff yet. This is the problem with arriving so early. Nobody's had a chance to leave to go to work and free up any parking.
The plumbers have arrived to deal with the pipework that needs extending beyond the new vertical surface.
I think we are past the aggressively loud part of the install. Which should mean that all of the actual insulation has been stuck and pinned to the wall and now it's rendering time.
Thought the builders were still here, but it's a neighbour with a pressure washer (I think). A couple of small areas left to cover still.
Oh dear, they've started with some semi-loud grinding noises. At half seven in the morning. At least my neighbours have children so they're already up (or will be shortly anyway).
On the plus side they confirmed my colour choice for the topcoat of silicone render and are looking to mix it today, so they might be done this week? There's a couple of sections above two windows to insulate, then it gets a render layer plus a fibreglass mesh layer, then the silicone topcoat. They've already done the render plus mesh layer on one of the sections. Then new window sills and reinstating the downpipe for the guttering, clear up and so long scaffolding.
It's all gone quiet. They may have finished the basecoat and be leaving it to cure. Or they may be at lunch.
Let's see what hideous time of day they arrive today (if they do, I don't know how long it takes for render to cure, but I've already been up for half an hour and opened the garden gate just in case).
This may be the last day, or the penultimate one. It will be interesting to see how the clean up goes, the lawn could do with being vacuumed.
Maybe they're giving the render a full 48 hours. In which case they may not even be here by the time I get back from my run.
Still not here. Maybe because they worked Saturday they are taking today off, like hairdressers.
There was a false alarm earlier as some workmen started on the house behind, but now the usual crew has arrived and started tapping things. You can tell it's the usual crew by the hacking cough that one of them has.
The protective film is coming off the windows, so I guess the rendering phase is done (unless more goes up). Everything won't be blue anymore.
Artemis (one of the cats) did have to see a human that she doesn't live with, though, so has retreated to the stairs.
Whoo, whatever solvent they are using out there is strong. Just turning on the air purifier...
Took the opportunity to give the windows a wash, well the ones I could reach without going onto the top elevation of the scaffolding. Just a couple of fascias and the guttering downpipes to reinstate.