Friday 27th and Monday 30th June, Construction Days 8 and 9 respectively. There was more of the same on Thursday afternoon and through the night. Friday morning and we find that we’ve had another 23mm rain overnight, and Saturday morning a further 10mm to add to the bog-like muddy conditions all round. The overflow water tank has also been overflowing into the ground to the point that there’s more muddy water than watery mud!
(Above): More rain on Friday and throughout the evening, causing the stagnant puddles all over to remain over the now-waterlogged substrate. What one might call quite damp.
(Above): The Chartwell daily rainfall for the period 1 to 28 June (in brown) and the cumulative total (in green): I’m not bellying on about the rainfall because its especially high. On the contrary, the June fall is, in fact, some 15% lower than for the month of May. It is simply a combination of cold temperatures with no wind which means very little evaporation, and most of the June fall happening in the last couple of days of our construction period.
Monday starts off cloudy, but windless and dry. By 9:30, the picture changes and we’re back to Deluge Day. Nevertheless, Builder John and his son arrive followed shortly thereafter by Plumber Happy and his assistant.
The builders get on with completing the foundation shuttering on the north wall of the bedroom and the vertical extensions downwards where required. The plumbers get to work with the 110mm PVC waste piping in the bathroom.
(Above): Nails: Always eager to learn about new stuff, I chatted to Builder John’s son about his nail gun and, in particular the nails themselves. In this photo is a cartridge of 40 90mm nails (I measure them at 88!). The clip is called a ‘belt’ and the red stuff is a friction-heat adhesive glue which, according to him, makes it extremely difficult to remove the nail after 24 hours in the timber. There are 3000 nails in a box.
Whilst the guys worked in the waterproofs during the steady showers all morning, by 12:00 noon the weather becomes completely uncooperative, causing them to be forced to take breaks under shelter from the heavy downpour. I hear the forecast on the radio, which promises more of the same, with a possible respite tomorrow afternoon.
(Above): The completed waste piping in place in the bathroom labelled 1 (wash-basin), 2 (shower trap), 3 (Bidet), and 4 (Toilet); in the laundry 5 (washing machine).
On a non-construction matter: in fact, a destruction matter.
Because the plumbing activity was so close to the dogs’ quarters, I thought it a good idea to leave them in the conservatory for the short while that plumbing work was done. As soon as the plumber left, guess what I found in the conservatory? Sophie seems to think that Benny did this, while Benny is convinced that Sophie is the culprit…
