Brickies - where are you?.

Well, we seem to be making good progress now. (The photo isn't of our foundations - just a library shot!) Our foundations have more than a little water in them following the heavy rain of the last few days. The other problem caused by the rain is that its made the grass grow at a rapid rate so I'll have to get the strimmer fired up and attack it again during the next few days.

The house plans have all been passed by building regulations and we have now employed a project manager - Roy Bacon - to oversee the build. Roy "retired" two years ago, but is still running his company on a part time basis. His 50 odd years in the building trade, (during which time he's built everything from extensions to houses and even factories) will be immensely valuable to us as he can vet quotes, find tradesmen, and co-ordinate the build - something I lack the skill and time to do. He'll probably put in 1 to 2 hours each day, making sure everything is going to plan. What is quite "remarkable" (Jenny and David please note), is the fact that Roy refurbished the 5 existing cottages at Brookvale in 1991 when they were to be put up for sale by the farmer. So he knows the site and where the services run. He almost sounds too good to be true!

We've now received quotes for the brick and block work, (which Roy tells me are very fair), and that he knows Dean Brazier, the brickie we were recommended, and says he's a good choice.

We've a meeting arranged at Templars (our building surveyors) next Wednesday at which Roy, Steve Rogers (Templars) and I, will establish responsibilities and get down to the serious work of building. Its hoped that the brickwork up to damproof course level will be done by early July, and then we can crack on.

Its funny how nothing seems to happen for ages and then everything happens at once. In today's post I received our trade card that enables me to buy materials at trade prices from a number of leading suppliers - Jewson, Wolseley (known best for their Build and Plumb Centres), and many others.

Also received today, was our formal quotation from EDF for the supply of electricity which followed a site visit with Zoe from EDF on Tuesday last. Just to recap, you may recall that we had been quoted £22,000 by Fulcrum to supply gas to site, and £10,000 by EDF for electricity. By the time that the water and sewerage were added the total forecast cost for the provision of services had topped £35,000. This we felt was ridiculous so we looked elsewhere for gas (now reduced to £3,500) and asked EDF to be more realistic. It turns out that the £10,000 EDF initially quoted was just a guess as they knew we were on the edge of the village, and imagined that the supply would have to be fed from a rather more distant point than it actually is. Unfortunately, the electrical supply has to be taken from a point about 70 feet from the driveway. Nevertheless, the revised quote of £4000 from EDF is a hell of a lot better. Overall then, we should have all main services installed for £10,000, which was the figure I had in mind at the outset.

I've found the last couple of months very frustrating, but I feel that we are starting to get things moving at last. (Not that I haven't been a little preoccupied with the sale of Exxcom, which eventually completed at the end of May!)

Happy bunnies of Clifton