Not much to report

They finished off all the steel-work today, a very fiddly task but one that will produce possibly the most secure building foundations since the Empire State Building. The concrete piles put in actually go under the pre-existing wall of the house thereby tying in the extension. The steel-work then ties those into the new floor. This extension is going nowhere! Brenda is looking for arty photos, in fact from the way she is standing perhaps that should be arty-farty.

They are laying the concrete floor on Monday and then they will proceed with the blockwork. As we won't be around for a couple of weeks you'll just have to possess your souls in patience. (What a silly phrase that is?)

Every day they crack on...

All the beam and block is now down, just the steel reinforcements to be finished off. The row of narrow blocks around the outside are higher than the blocks thus giving an edge for the floor screed which will go down on Monday. The pipe sticking out nearest to us will be for surface water off the roof, as will the one about half way up the picture on the right nearly hidden by the tree branch.

I know there will be a hiatus sometime...

The are getting on so fast. We know that everything will come to a juddering halt sometime but at the moment we are just enjoying the impetus. The door through to the utility room has been opened and is ready for its lintel. All the pipework has gone in for the waste water. and they have started to block the floor.

You can see the floor better on this photo, first they put the concrete beams down and then lay the preformed blocks in between the beams. This will then be covered with a screed and concrete. You can now see the extent of the apartment. The beams running away from us will complete the living room /kitchen and the cross beams at the far end will be the terrace, eventually covered by our balcony above. The orange things sticking up are the covered ends of the waste pipes.

All happening thick and fast now.

The beams are starting to go in for the beam and block floor. The trench will lead to the bathroom in the apartment which will be in the nearest corner. The guy on the scaffolding is using a jack hammer to make the hole for the door into the utility room. He is not a happy bunny.
In the future archaeologists will puzzle on the significance of a 72mm lens cover being buried in the foundations of a house. It will be put down to some sort of ritual. Actually, it's just Brenda losing YET ANOTHER lens cap.

Crikey!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Away in the UK for a week and everything seems to have kicked off.
For those who looked at earlier pictures you will see that the stairs up to the living floor have now gone. The only  way into the house is by ladder. Also, you can see where the door has been started from the apartment into what will be the utility room. Quite where the enormous stone came from we have no idea.

This second view gives a better idea of the foundations for the extension. It looks enormous but there is going to be a balcony on the far end wrapping round onto the right hand side as you look at it. I am standing where the bottom of the steps used to be.

Clearing out from inside.

Having taken up all the tiles downstairs they are now removing the layer of concrete screed which was underneath. This being crushed into the driveway. Having taken down half of the balcony rail, the JCB thingy then puts its bucket up against the balcony and they barrow the screed to its bucket and then he spreads on the drive as you can see from the picture.

The destruction continues...

The conservatory/covered verandah has come down too. Brennie was not too keen on the Health and Safety aspects. About half an hour after this was taken there was the mother of a thunderstorm.