Summer is still here today (although it was -3 degrees last night) and Sam is here to fit the lighting in the new stairwell to the attic and to test the system and get the lights working. We have never seen these lights lit up and really have no idea how they will look in the house, so it is a very exciting day!
Cat modelling the spot light in the new stairwell that will light up the space under the stairs.
Lots of giggling as Sam models the new bulkhead light for the stairwell, from above. (“You can’t see me, right?”)
Trying to work out where the light should go. This has changed from the original position as the staircase is a now different shape. All the cables have had to be moved too.
Working out where the spotlight on the outside should go.
And of course it is where the stud wall isn’t.
Sam working on the wiring for the light switches.
The cables for the switches and lights for the stairwell were put into the landing ceiling before it was plastered, so Sam takes up parts of the flooring in the attic to access the cables and route them through to the correct place underneath.
I took the Land Rover out for a big lightbulb shop (only the lights in the dining room and the study came with bulbs) and to purchase a 6×3 piece of plasterboard, which fitted in the car without even needing to put the seats down or remove any of Cat’s stuff (it is packed with bags of clothes, outdoor gear, coffee cups and hundreds of coats).
Sam has now routed all the cables from within the ceiling void for the switches and lights in the stairwell.
Now the bathroom is finished Cat can finish painting the skirting board around the shower.
Colin started early this morning to paint a mist coat on the walls and ceiling of Cat’s bedroom, so they would be able to paint the top coat this afternoon.
Cat starting on the top coat in her bedroom. We are painting this with the same Dulux trade colour we used in the attic (we over ordered this paint and have over 5 litres left). This room just has to look okay for now as it will be a spare room and used for storage.
Bulbs added, lights uncovered and ready for testing!
Sam has fitted the plasterboard, just in the area where the switches will be, so that he can fit them today.
Bulbs added to the spot lights on the landing wall outside the bathroom.
Bulbs added in the attic lights.
Oh. The really tiny spotlights are too small for the standard GU10 bulbs as they hang out of the end of the lights… How annoying. Apparently you can buy shorter bulbs so I will have a good search around for some this week.
Sam hoovering up!
The stairwell switch in place and wired up, ready for the plasterers to plaster the wall.
Sam testing the lights. There is a short somewhere so he is trying to locate it…
It’s not here…
Lights!!! The spot in the corridor between the sitting room and the dining room is on and looks better than we even imagined it would! Annoyingly the other lights in the sitting room aren’t. The short could be in there somewhere…
The study lights are all working!
We have been looking forward to seeing the bathroom mirror and light working and it looks perfect! You can change the light from a cool to a warm light, and while the lights are on the mirror heats up to clear condensation. We love it. It looks like a total eclipse.
Cat and Colin have finished tarting up Cat’s bedroom, so Colin hoovers up to finish it off. Ready for the carpet to go down (as soon as all the trades have finished, as it is through here that everyone has to walk to use the ‘builders loo’).
Our plasterers are hoping to pop by this week to see how much they need to do to finish. Crossing fingers and toes they can squeeze us in as they are super busy at the moment. As soon as they have finished we will be able to move in!
Jasper enjoyed his morning walk, he ran for an hour and a half through wet crop fields with his head down. His head and front are soaking wet, his back and bottom completely dry. He behaved so much like a hooligan that he broke one of his claws in two though. Ugh.