A mammoth undertaking

No, not that annoying message from Microsoft trying to force you to upgrade to Windows 10. Rather, an update on the ongoing saga of getting my bedroom windows replaced. In previous years, when I have had my kitchen, utility room and bathroom windows replaced by the same company, it’s always gone very smoothly with minimum fuss or mess. So I was expecting the bedroom windows to be more of the same. With hindsight, that was hopelessly optimistic. If I had realised how much work it would be, I would probably have confined myself to replacing the windows in just one bedroom, rather than getting both done at once.

The noise, fuss, mess and dust has all been excessive. However, after six days of having between two and four workmen here constantly, the new windows in both bedrooms are now in place at last. Unfortunately, there is some damage to the wallpaper around the windowsills. That’s not an issue in the main bedroom, as I was expecting it and had already planned to get that repapered. In fact, I’ve just spoken to Rob my regular decorator, and he’s still on track to come here in two weeks time to make a start. But I was assured that bedroom 2 would be much easier, so it’s annoying that the wallpaper’s been rather badly torn around the windowsills there too – and even more so that the Dangerous Brothers tried to avoid responsibility for it and said it must have been like that when they arrived! I certainly didn’t accept that statement at face value! But I do have a spare half a roll of the relevant wallpaper, and I shall ask Rob to patch it to make good when he’s here.

The new double glazing is definitely quieter and less draughty. And it’s a novel feeling being able to open the windows in bedroom 2. Before, the only way to open the side window was to take out the secondary double glazing, and opening the front window involved precariously balancing with one foot on the bedside table and the other on a desk! Now both windows unlock and open easily without any special contortions. I think once Rob’s painted the windows inside and out, it’s all going to look very good. 

I’ve taken advantage of having the builders around for so long to get them to do a couple of other fixes while they were here. There were some decidedly rotten parts to my porch which I’ve had replaced – the postman didn’t really need to use the letterbox, he could pretty much have put any letters straight through the woodwork it was so rotten. So I’m having new bits of wood spliced in to replace the rotten stuff. Plus, I wasn’t entirely happy with the outcome of getting my path repaved last year. It looks really good, but there are still problems with drainage and it has a tendency to turn into a paddling pool when it rains. Since the main point of getting it repaved in the first place was to get rid of the puddle, I was cross that it hadn’t worked. Fortunately, the chief builder turned up to quote for the new windows immediately after a heavy rainstorm, and had to wade through the paddling pool in his highly polished shoes! He immediately agreed that it needed to be fixed at their expense. So today a chap drilled number of holes at the side of the path to try to drain the excess water into the flower bed. I’ll see if that’s worked – given the amount of rain we’re having this summer, I don’t expect to have to wait long to find out!