The Tiles are slowly going on!

I have finally started the tiling in the en-suite! I decided to begin on the wall with the most problems, such as the pipes for the wash basin, the window, and the shower cubicle. Also I will have to relocate the wall cabinet. I am not sure if I want to replace it exactly where it was last time, or perhaps lower it a bit.

I am finding the progress very slow as I have to wait for the adhesive to dry a bit before I can grout between the tiles. So far, I have placed 88 tiles on the wall, and I intend to do another 44 tiles tonight before I call it a day and crawl into bed! I then have just 2 more days to complete this project!!

Can I turn back the clock?

This project, has been very slow and fraught with niggly problems. After finally connecting all the pipes, I first placed the shower tray on the floor and connected it to the waste pipe, then I tried to temporarily connect the shower and see if it worked. No water came out at all!!!

I then searched through my DIY book for an answer, and basically I have an air lock in the system. All I need to do is connect a hose from a tap connected to the rising main and the affected pipe, and then use the water pressure to dislodge the airlock.

So once again I trundled off to the local DIY store and purchased some tap connectors to connect the hosepipe to. I then successfully cleared the airlocks in the piping I created. Even better, it doesn't leak either! I now have another problem though. The hot water tap in the kitchen has an airlock somewhere, and I couldn't get it to shift using the rising main pressure. I seem to remember I had this same problem when I replaced the kitchen tap a few years ago, but I cannot remember how I cured the problem last time.

My next problem was with the shower tray. It came with some panels to go round the outside between the floor and the bottom of the tray. If I tried to lower the tray sufficiently so the panels would fit snugly I found there was no room for the waste sump to fit. If I raised the tray to fit the sump, then there was about a 10mm gap! I decided to fill the gap with silicone sealant, as the other alternative would be to cut a hole in the floor, and completely reroute the waste pipe!

Whilst I was busy sorting out the shower tray last night, right at the end, I got a sudden pain in my right knee. Any movement was sheer agony. I had a long hot soak in the bath, and then limped off to bed.

I was woken up at 06:00 this morning by the pain. So I hobbled downstairs and microwaved a heat bag, hobbled back upstairs and crawled into bed, placed the pack on my knee and promptly went back to sleep.

When I woke up again at 09:00 I found that my knee still hurt, but I could at least move it. Throughout the morning, it has been improving, to the point where it is now a constant ache. I personally think I may have pulled a muscle or ligament somehow, and I should be fully recovered in a day or two.

This morning I have successfully replaced all the skirting boards. This afternoon, I commence tiling. Although it is going to be challenging to mark out the exact spots where the screw holes are to replace the sink and cistern again! I will take a picture of my progress later this evening, and post it on this blog so that my wife and daughter can see what progress I have made so far.

Finished work in the loft!

Trying to sort out the pipes to the water pump has been a slow hard slog. The heat in the loft meant that I had to keep going downstairs every half an hour to wipe away the sweat, and have a drink ow water!

As you can see by the picture, I have finally connected the water pump to the pipes. I haven't tested the connections yet, as I still have to connect the hot water pipe to the extension I made in the shower room. And before I can really test the system, I will need to put the new shower tray in place so that the water can drain away when I turn it on.

The final part of connecting the pump was relatively easy. I had to find a power source to connect the motor to. I found a cable that goes to the immersion heater, and created a 3 way spur. this feed then goes up to the circuit breaker box you see, and then it goes to the pump. This spur has a 5 amp fuse in it as per recommendation.

Again I cannot test it fully, as the pump has to have water going through it before I can switch on the power supply. I am pleased to say that electricity is going to the switch, and is definitely not going any further, as I planned.

Now I am off to have a long soak in the bath, and get ready for bed, as I am off to Kings Lynn tomorrow morning using public transport. It should take about 4 hours to get there!

I am one frustrated Bunny!!!

Today has been a day where nothing has gone according to plan! Yesterday I received a phone call from someone who was looking to join my business. So I had an 11:00 appointment this morning. This meant i couldn't really get started on sorting out the plumbing in the shower room.

The person I met was a young lad, and although he seemed interested, he wanted to discuss the business opportunity with his mum! I do not think he will be contacting me again!

When I got home, I started to prepare some lunch, and start bringing in some more tools from the garage. While I was carrying some of the tools upstairs, our dog, Bonnie, decided to go for a stroll! I received a phone call shortly afterwards from some people who had captured her. So off I went to fetch Bonnie back, which was about half a mile away.

I finally got to work on the plumbing this afternoon. First I had to drill some extra holes in the joists so that I could pass two copper pipes up into the loft, ready for connection to the power pump. That is when things started to get frustrating.

Although I bought a 3 metre length of pipe, there is not sufficient amount left to cut to supply the extra piping to and from the pump! Plus the instructions for connecting the pump state that the flexible hoses must be in an upright position. This meant I had to go and get some more elbow connectors. So off I merrily trundled to buy another length of copper pipe, elbows, and a fused spur connection for the electrics.

When I got home, I thought I would start cutting some of the pipe and fitting some of the elbow joints. Then connect the pipes to the pump. That is when I discovered that the connectors to the pump require 22mm copper tube, not the 15mm that I had! Grrrr!

So once more I had to visit the DIY store, and this time I had to buy 22mm copper pipe. The shortest length I could purchase was a 2 metre length! I then had to buy 4 reducers to get the 22m down to the 15mm the rest of the piping in the house is. Finally I remembered just in time that I only have a 15mm pipe cutter. So I bought a universal cutter that will cut the 22mm diameter pipe.

After all that, all I have managed to do today is fit 2 pipes from the shower room to the loft. Nothing is connected yet. I am now going to sit down, have a drink, and a bite to eat, and relax Tomorrow is when I start reconnecting the plumbing.

Halfway There!

I can now take off my "Wrecking Crew" cap and put on my "Repair Crew" cap! At last all the tiles, wallpaper, fixtures and fittings are out. Now all I have to do is repair the holes on the wall where the plasterboard came away with the tiles, or is completely missing. Then I have to extend the hot pipe upwards to the loft, so I can connect it to the power pump. Then I will have to cut the cold water pipe to divert it through the pump as well.

My next task today is to put all the rubbish into the car, and take it to the Refuse tip. Then I go shopping. Items I need to purchase, are - a power pump, plasterboard, plaster (hopefully ready made to patch up the holes), skirting board, copper pipe, assorted compression joints and bends to attach the piping, and finally a heated towel rail. This last item is going to be an ambitious project, as I do not know how I will connect it to the existing central heating pipes. I will go and ask a few experts on the best way forward.

Problems, Problems!

Today I started to remove the old tiles. I started behind the toilet, planning to work my way across to the shower cubicle. It was while I was removing the tiles that I came across my first set of real problems!

I discovered that when this house was built, the workmen tiled the wall, and then glued the skirting board onto the tiles!! Now I have to decide whether to do the same with the new tiles, and replace the original skirting board (this would require me to remove the entire skirting board around the room). Or since I have to remove the skirting board where the tiles are, which is half the room, I could remove the remainder, and replace the entire lot!

My next problem is where the shower tray is. Over the years, some of the water has seeped behind some of the tiles and made the plasterboard damp. So when I removed these tiles the plasterboard came away with the tiles!!! So before I can think about putting new tiles onto the wall, I have got to attempt to replaster the holes!!!

Finally, I managed to get to the mixer tap for the shower, and remove it from the recess in the wall. My next problem is to figure out how I am going to fit a power pump to the pipes. I think I am going to have to extend one of the pipes up, or down, to be able to connect a pump. All I have to do is decide if I want the pump in the loft, or underneath the shower tray. I will make a decision, when the old tray has been removed and I can look and see what state the wall is like behind it.

My only worry now is that this project seems to be getting bigger and bigger. I am finding that I am going to have to do tasks I have never done before. I am a little scared that I will botch the work to such an extent that I will have to call in the professionals to put it all right again!

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I don't often sit down and watch a thriller, but this one was quite interesting. I just found it a bit hard to accept Michael Douglas getting the better of Sean Bean!

One amusing aspect of this film was Michael was driving around New york in the same type of vehicle as I own - a Landrover Discovery!! Albeit a different colour, newer model, steering wheel on the wrong side, etc....

Day 2 of the wrecking crew!

When I got home form work today, I decided to continue ripping out more bits from the en-suite!

This time it was the turn of the radiator. After turning off the taps at each end, I losened one of the nuts at the base, and put a small bucket underneath. Then I undid the bleed valve at the top and left it to drain.




Meanwhile, I decided to tackle the shower cubicle. This proved to be my first real problem. I could not see how each segment was attached to each other. In the end I had to remove the

Entire glass panels all at once, and then set about trying to dismantle it! I left the shower tray alone for the time being, as I will again have to turn off the water supply and drain the water to the shower unit. Before I do that, though, I will need to remove the tiles to get at the shower mixer unit and the pipes connected to it. That is a task I will leave until I have more time.

My wife took a look at the pictures of my progress today, and was alarmed at what I had done! Her daughter wants me to promise that I do not go anywhere near the other bathroom! Maybe next year I will send them off on holiday again and secretly go into the other bathroom.....

Day 1 Of My Bathroom Project.

Today, I decided to make a start on the en-suite bathroom. I took this picture, to show what it was like before I started wrecking it!

This Picture Shows how the toilet looked before I got my grubby hands onto it! My first task was to remove the cupboard above the sink, and the toilet roll holder. These were easy, as I had put them up originally.

Next, I attempted to remove the cistern from the toilet. This proved to be easier than I expected, with only one minor problem. I discovered that there was an special tap attached to the inlet water pipe, which made turning off the supply easy. After disconnecting the pipes to the bottom of the cistern, I turned to the two screws attaching the cistern to the wall. as you can see from this picture, the screws had badly corroded. Luckily, the first one came out without any problem, and the other one had corroded completely away and it wasn't attached to the wall any more!

After I removed the cistern, I noticed that they hadn't even tiled the wall properly! Talk about cutting corners!

My next task was removing the sink. This now required me to find a way to turn off the water supply to the sink and shower. After spending an hour in the loft trying to find a tap that would isolate the en-suite, I had to admit defeat, and resorted to turning off the entire water supply to the house.

I then merrily got to work on removing the sink. The most difficult part was trying to cut through the silicone sealant enough to prise the bowl away from the wall.

As I had turned off the water supply, I had an idea to try and cap the pipes off in the en-suite, so I could turn on the water supply to the rest of the house.

I dashed off to Homebase to get some end caps, and came home and fitted them to the pipes. After turning on the water supply, and finding that I have no water leaks, I am very pleased with my efforts so far.

As I am back at work for the next two days, I will probably tackle the next instalment on Sunday. Then I hope to remove the radiator, and the shower unit. Finally I will get to work on removing the shower cubicle. How much of this I will do in one day, I don't know. I am not going to rush myself on this project.

Some Light Entertainment For Me

As the girls are away on holiday, I decided to treat myself and go to the theatre this evening to see this play.

Currently Showing:

Until 18th July
Chalkfoot Theatre Arts
presents

LAUREL and HARDY
by
Tom McGrath

Tuesdays to Saturdays 7.30pm
Saturday and Sunday Matinees 4.00pm


Call the Box Office on: 020 7287 2875

Laurel and Hardy are dead. So how come Stan and Ollie are the last to know?

CAST:
Neil Bromley and Simon Lloyd

Trapped between this world and the next, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy pass their time in a limbo-like waiting room, reprising old comedy routines, swapping gags, bickering and making up.

They will only earn their passage to "The Other Side" by undertaking an emotional journey through their personal lives and screen careers: but are they prepared to re-live the bad times as well as the good?

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I've watched this film about half a dozen times already, but I still like it. I first saw it on TV, and ended up buying the DVD!

All by myself

After getting home from work last night at midnight, I was up again at 05:00 this morning to take my wife, daughter and a friend of my wife to Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, so that they can start their holidays. After dropping the girls off, I then travelled up to Kings Lynn to look at a new motor vehicle. As it was a dealer, I pointed out numerous faults with the car. The dealer promised to rectify all the problems, so I have left a deposit and will return next week to see if he has made good his promises.

If I do purchase this new car, then I will confuse my wife and daughter, as they will not recognise the vehicle when I go to collect them again at the end of the month!

I arrived home at 18:00 this evening, and fed the dog. For some strange reason I did not feel hungry myself, until 21:00. I then raided the fridge and nuked the leftover food from yesterday. I still have one more day of food prepared by my wife and daughter before I will have to start cooking for myself!!

One step closer to my holiday project!

Just bought 16 boxes of ceramic wall tiles for the bathroom! Nearly broke the shopping trolley bringing them out to the car! The type of tile I bought is a Natural Marble effect. I worked out that I would need about 700 tiles to do the entire room, and each box contained 44 tiles. I may have left myself very little room for any errors or breakages!

I will take some pictures of the en-suite before I start my decorating project, and hopefully I will report on my progress as I go along (my wife and daughter are on holiday abroad for 2 weeks, and they want to know what I am doing while they are away!).

At the moment, I keep thinking of all the things I need to do in the form of preparation, for instance, removing the cupboard, toilet roll holder (these are easy), radiator, toilet cistern, and basin (these involve playing with water pipes!). Then I will have to remove the old shower cubicle, and remove the wallpaper (could get very messy)!

I have a DIY book that I am looking into, to help give me some hints and tips to make my task as risk free as I can possibly make it. The only unknown element in this project is my own ability to do the work! Whatever happens, I will have an interesting couple of weeks ahead of me!

Currently Reading

Synopsis: It is 1537, a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since 1066. Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. And under the orders of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent throughout the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: Dissolution.

But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's commissioner, Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder is accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege - a black cockerel sacrificed on the church alter, and the disappearance of Scarnsea's Great Relic.

Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell into this atmosphere of treachery and death, accompanied by his loyal assistant Mark. His duty is to uncover the truth behind the dark happenings of Scarnsea.

Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything that he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes...

It's a learning curve.

This afternoon, my wife has just enrolled for another term at the local college to study her ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) course starting in September. While we were going through the process of registering, my wife was told she had passed her level 1 exam and would start her level 2 course in September! I am thrilled to bits that she has done so well!

Also today, I set in motion a training course for myself of a very different nature. In two weeks time I will be attending a "Trial and Error" course in bathroom plumbing!

About 3 years ago I purchased a new shower unit. This unit also has extra jets for a body massage incorporated into it. It has been sitting in my garage patiently waiting for me to decide to do something about it. Every time I start thinking about doing this project, the more difficult I seem to make it for myself!

If I replace the shower, I will need to replace the tiles in the shower cubicle, as I will need to get to the pipes hidden behind them. To remove the tiles, I will have to remove the shower cubicle. That is why we chose a nice curved shower cubicle to replace the old one today.

Now the next item on the agenda is to choose a new design of bathroom tiles, to replace the old ones. Finally, comes the hardest task of all. I have to try and locate the piping hidden in the walls from the hot and cold tanks to the shower head. Then I have to find a way to stop the water going through these pipes without having to switch off the water supply to the rest of the house! Also I have to find a suitable point to install a power pump to increase the water pressure. It is this part of the project that has always been the reason I have delayed attempting this task. All my previous attempts to follow the piping around the house has been extremely frustrating due to my lack of any real progress in solving the puzzle.

So in a couple of weeks time it will either be do or drown! I will have a two week window of opportunity to complete the task whilst my wife and daughter are away on holiday.

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Recently viewed

Watchmen was a weird film. Not the sort of film I would usually see. I found the story difficult to follow as it kept jumping backwards and forwards in time.

Twilight was much better. A slightly different perspective on the Vampire tale. I have a distinct feeling that the way this film ends, there are plans to make a sequel.

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A light hearted chick flick starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.

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Recently Viewed

If you have strong religious beliefs, then you don't want to watch this! I had a smile on my face as I watched this, and even had a few chuckles. I got a bit confused by some of positions the different characters had, such as "Scion" and a "Muse". As I am not very religious, they probably have some significance to more religious minded people.

The only thing I found spoilt the humour for me, was the amount of swearing used. Although, in a way, it was deliberately used as part of the humour of the film, it was not used effectively. There was almost a "Monty Pythonesque" feel to the film.

I am glad I picked this film up from the budget DVD collection at Tesco's. It was my daughter Anastasia who pointed it out to me and suggested I should buy it!