By the middle of March we could wait no longer for the utility companies. We had to get the solid oak flooring delivered. Luckily the weather had improved and the temperatures had risen such that, with a little extra heating from a convector heater, the boards were able to acclimatise for a couple of weeks. Adrian had advised a minimum of six weeks but we decided to take a risk and towards the end of the month Ian and Phil began laying it. It looked absolutely magnificent, especially once treated with Osmo Polyx-Oil or Oswax as everyone calls it.
It was at around this point in the project that we realised just how good a joiner Ian is. The oak staircase arrived from his workshop and was fitted in less than a day. What a beautiful result given the confined space within which he had to work. It really could not be any better.
The joinery makes such a difference to the overall finish of the project and the care, skill and attention to detail that Ian and Phil apply to their work is something to behold - not to mention the outrageous working hours. Ian would turn up at 6.30am and work to 5.30pm only to continue in his workshop often until 10.00pm!
In the last week of March, Central Networks finally connected us to the electricity supply but as we still had no water, the central heating continued to sit idle.