I am making the most of being in between projects at work, by taking a few days off this week to improve the house. Today, my cost-effective and friendly plumber is back, replacing the old, rusty radiator in the bathroom with a new heated towel rail. It’s a very nifty unit – it’s plumbed into the radiator system, so that when the central heating is on, it acts like a radiator. But when the central heating is off, there is an electric element to heat it up, with a switch that he’ll put in the hall cupboard. So it’s really the best of both worlds, and I’m hoping it will see an end to soggy towels!
Inevitably, it’s not been as simple a job as the plumber (who is also qualified as an electrician) had expected when he quoted for the job. The wall behind the old radiator needed to be retiled, and of course the tiles he brought with him were the wrong size, necessitating a quick trip to B&Q. He had trouble getting the electric cable up through the hall cupboard into the roof space, but has promised to seal up all the holes from the attempts, so that I don’t get inquisitive mice breaking through into the house from the loft! And I had also asked him to fix the dripping cistern in the loo while he was here, but on closer inspection he tells me that all the fixings are completely corroded and seized, and he runs the risk of breaking the cistern if he tries to force it, so it will be easier just to get a whole new loo!
The job is taking so much longer than he had expected that he was still here when I wanted my lunch. I ended up making sandwiches for him too! But if that means he’s more likely to come out for an emergency call in the future, then it’s an investment of cold chicken and cheese worth making…..
Stop press: He’s just set off the smoke alarm – but assures me the house is not about to burn down!
