Ballyferriter towards Mount Brandon

I am working on the principle that living here, with this view, is worth the unplanned cost of new roof and flooring joists...

Site visit and news of dry rot

The work to refurbish the original house has uncovered dry rot in the roof. We are waiting on reports from a dry rot expert and a structural engineer to see what is needed. Worst case (money wise) is a complete replacement of the roof.

There is also a problem with the structural integrity of one corner that needs to support a steel beam. Again we await the engineer's report.

The "sad" looking stage of progress

Foundations and more

It was great to get back from Dublin to see the footings done and most of the internal demolition completed. We'd been advised that the first point at which delays might occur was when digging the hole for the footings. There was a danger of it filling with water if the water table was too high. Looks like we avoided that.

This past weekend was a long weekend in Ireland as Monday was a public holiday. A quick visit to the site on Tuesday showed no signs of activity. I am pleased to report that work resumed today and real progress was made with the block work that will form the walls of the new extension.

October 31st 2018

New identity

Surprise Sunday Bulletin

Tomorrow we are off the Dublin for the week so I thought to check out the building site. Low and behold, work was going on. The front and rear extension both gone.
I hope they proceed at a good pace whilst we are gone.

Photo taken midday Sunday October 21 2018

That's more like it

A perimeter wall has now been demolished to give the contractors easy access to the site and a low wall, that divided the garden, has also been demolished. The new extension goes beyond that wall and so it had to go.
The weather is set fair for the next couple of days so I hope to see more good progress.

Now we know we have moved

Pete and Mike are in the house

The pace of these builders is hectic

Two days in and already they have erected five sections of a site security fence. They must be exhausted.

Sorting out postal redirection Irish style

We decided that we would not change our postal address. Too much hazzle and sure isn’t our post box only at the other side of the village. It will give us a good reason to walk up to the house each day and keep an eye on the building work.

As the postman was delivering post to a neighbour at our new location himself says “oh shall I catch him and tell him that we are now living here?”. Great idea says I and so off he goes to catch the postman.

No problem says postie, sure don’t I know where you are now, and I’ll be more than happy to drop off your post here in future.

Postal redirection sorted Irish style, no need to fill in pages and pages of forms.