Pipes, Power, Plastering...

The next couple of days (2 & 3 of the first week) seemed to have involved a number of key jobs. A lot has happened behind-the-scenes.

Radiator.

The hot water pipes have been re-positioned, ready to connect to our new radiator. The picture below also shows new cabling in place, ready to power it independently from the hot water system. (We can heat the room & shower if our hot water system fails.)

Water pipes & power ready for new radiator.

Shower

The plumbing and power has been re-routed, through the loft, to allow for our planned re-positioning of the shower about the taps in the new bath. I hope they've left enough cable...!

Lights
Our rather old (and rusty!) profile lights have been removed. The holes in the ceiling have been filled with plasterboard. The light switch has been removed, ready for an upgrade. The ceiling has been plastered this morning. The guys finished the work around 1 pm today, to allow the plaster to dry I guess.

Day One...

Step one is the dismantling & removal of the old bathroom. The room needs to be stripped back to the ceiling, walls and floor in order for the new stuff to slot in. The work commenced swiftly, with our communicative installer. Despite there seeming like he was working alone by the end of the first day our bathroom looked like this:

Where our bath & shower once stood, there remains bare floorboards and brickwork. All tiles have been removed; the shower has been disconnected & dismantled (ready to replace on opposing wall); the shower curtain rail has been taken down; the pipes disconnected & sealed ready for connection to the new suite.

The tongue & groove paneling on the ceiling has been removed, in preparation for the clean plastered replacement, with inset LED lighting. Note the magnificently huge old lights which we've been depending on. The light on the wall will be removed and replaced by an LED light over a mirrored panel and shelf, above the new sink. 

The tongue & groove paneling behind the old sink and toilet have been removed (displaying the handy pipework). The Ikea corner shelving has gone. Only the loo remains - of course - and a rather large pile of rubbish:

Goodbye Old Bathroom...

We identified the need to upgrade our bathroom when we moved into the property 5 years ago. But you know how time flies, and priorities shift. 

However, the day has arrived. It's time to begin, with the inevitable removal of our old existing bathroom... So, a fond farewell to creaking flooring, dangerous electrics, the crooked light over the sink, my bodged together shelving... and:

Loo & discoloured cistern - pipes boarded up with ten year-old tongue & groove...

Old radiator & Ikea towel rail...

Worn out bath, with leaking overflow...

Tap, Tap, Tap...

The discontinued tap issue (see call #3, in Phone-calls...) has resolved itself... Almost.

An initiative-wielding B&Q staff member picked a similar alternative product, and packaged it up along with the rest of the bathroom. Problem solved. Except that the alternative basin tap happens to be a tall, kitchen sink-style faucet. Over a foot tall, in fact:

So, quick research unearthed a shorter item, with more appropriate dimensions:

http://www.diy.com/rooms/cooke-lewis-cirque-chrome-effect-basin-mixer-tap/172625_BQ.prd

A quick phone-call later & we're reassured that one would be sent out to us... TBC.

Delivery...

The phone rings. "It's B&Q Home Delivery. We'll be there in about 30 minutes" The bathroom is (pretty much out-of-the-blue) half-an-hour away from being delivered...!

All this would be great, if we had some more notice/agreed on delivery arrangements. The conversation continues something like this:

Me: Er, I beg your pardon..?
B&Q: It's B&Q. We'll be there in about 35 minutes. With your bathroom.
Me: Oh. Okay. Will I need to store stuff?
B&Q: Yes, I should think so.  (I knew that I'd have to, but was taken unawares.)
Me: Okay. Will I need much space?
B&Q: Well, yeah. We've got a bath, a bath panel, a worktop and 3 pallets.
Me: 3 Pallets?
B&Q: Yes.
Me: Right - I'll make some room... Can you deliver around the back if possible?
B&Q: We're in a 7 and a half ton lorry.
Me: Well try. (Thinking that all the recycling & waste management trucks manage it... At speed.) If you can't then you'll have to park at the front I suppose...
B&Q: ...What?
Me: Please try to deliver around the back of the property - it'll be easier.
B&Q: Okay.
Me: See you soon.
B&Q: Yeah, about half hour.
[Click, burrrr]

When they arrive they tell me the delivery had been marked 'IC' for 'important consignment'. Not, it seems, important enough to tell me of it...

Nevertheless, we make space and the lovely (but very tired) deliverymen proceed to drop off our kitchen: