I'm back!

I have been rushing around like a headless chicken over the last few weeks trying to keep up with demand and failing miserably. The blog has suffered, but I'm now almost back on top and once again able to return phone calls. I've been amazed at the number of enquiries I've had over the last few weeks. On top of all the other work that's been coming in I've also completed some bigger projects. It's ranged from fitting bathrooms, and re-roofing summerhouses, to building special kitchen units as well as continuing on with the large decking project.

Readers have seen the units that I've built out of sheet MDF and wanted similar units for awkward spots in their kitchens. It's proving VERY popular

To have a look at what I've been doing click on the images

Corner kitchen unit incorporating a fridge and dishwasher
with narrow cup cupboard over the sink

Purpose made shallow full-height wall cupboards incorporating cooker hood

Doors open out to give chef full access without doors in the way when at the hob

The planters and benches take shape

Easter was spent building a kitchen from scratch

Over the coming weeks I'm building a kitchen for a family member. Because of work commitments it can only be done on the weekends; it's not a bog standard MFI/Howdens/Magnet modular kitchen; it's made entirely from sheet MDF to her specifications. It's a lot of work , but it's going to be great fun nonetheless.
Good Friday was spent ripping out some of the old kitchen, and preparing to build a complete floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall larder unit. By Easter Monday the unit was already in use.
To maximise storage the larder cupboards have been made a full 2' deep; the unit is 7'9" tall by 8' wide; the kickboards incorporate fully extending drawers; fridge and freezer are housed on a raised platform. When all of the kitchen units are finished (over the next 3-4 weekends) they are to be painted in eggshell with sage green fonts (not by me I hasten to add.). Because the carcasses and door fronts are non-standard sizes, everything is to be made on site.


To view a slide show of the current state of the project click here.


The pictures were taken using my phone camera. Each week I'll add more as I build it.

The basic deck is done

It ended up 7m x 7m.
That's quite a large deck!
For one man on his own (me) it was more than enough to do.
I loved doing it, and the client has been great to work for.
This was a box of tea bags job, and Matt made sure I never went without a cup of tea.
The next stage will be to build planters and seating to take the place of the temporary balustrade. With two young toddlers running about, we concluded that an open deck could prove too exciting. I put the balustrade up and within milliseconds the older toddler was climbing up on top of the rails and dangling into space. Sometimes you just can't win!
If you'd like to have a look at more pictures of the deck build, double click the thumbnail in this post.

One thing that has caught me by surprise is how the cost of treated wood is shooting up at the moment. It means large decks cost a lot more this season than they did last season - considerably more. It's not the labour charges (mine have remained the same) but the material costs that have increased dramatically. This particular deck took 50 metres of Plantex ground covering; 350 metres of decking boards; and 1500 screws - which is a lot of screwing.

It's been huge fun to do, and I'm already looking forward to the next stage.

This week I'm spending building a deck

The deck is split level and measures 6.5m x 7.0m (21' x 23'). It's due to be done in stages. Stage one: The basic deck. Stage two: Planters and Benches around the perimiter. Stage three: an overarching Canopy.
The deck should be ready for Easter.
I started on Monday afternoon,and intend to have the basic deck finished by Thursday pm.
The sub-frame is, for the most part, complete; and I'm now waiting on delivery of the deckboards which are due to arrive tomorrow afternoon.

If you have a property in Scotland...

If you, or someone you know, have property in Scotland, and need electrical work carried out, give Scott McLean of Stirling Electrical Services Ltd a call.
They're electricians you can rely on. Stirling Electrical are members of SELECT and CLE and the quality of their work has been verified.
Here are the full contact details.
STIRLING ELECTRICAL SERVICES LTD,
12 QUEEN STREET,
FALLIN,
STIRLINGSHIRE, FK7 7JG
Tel: 01786 813916
Fax: 01786 811447
Website: www.stirlingelectrical.co.uk
E-mail: info@stirlingelectrical.co.uk