Renovation Sickness Strikes Again

11 November 2010

It is that time of the year again. Cast your minds back to this time last year when Claire suddenly got it into her head that our house needed sprucing up before Christmas. Well the renovation sickness has started again.

This time she is in a panic about our Christmas Eve party. She has sent out a million and one invitations and is now worried we won't have enough space for them all. Trying to tell her that she should have thought of that before she “Facebooked” the invites, is like talking to a brick wall.

Anyway I have explained that an extension is out of the question and we have settled on a garden party arrangement. Yes it will be freezing, but apparently I have to construct some sort of gazebo (we always wanted one anyway – so I am told) in the garden, into which we can put lights and patio heaters. Claire has even drawn the design she wants and will position it close to our French doors, so our guest won't have to get too chilly.

Big sigh...I can't say no. I swear she thinks this is just a one weekend job, but a bespoke gazebo with electrics takes more than one Saturday afternoon. She has kindly said she will do the painting, but it doesn't quite make up for it.

But it doesn't stop there. I am also told our downstairs toilet doesn't adequately represent our home. If the Mum's from the school, gates are going to be using our “throne” then it needs to be very quickly updated. To be fair, the avocado suite should have been replaced years ago, but it is functional if a little 80's.

So it is off to B&Q for a new cloakroom suite which I will have to get in before the big day. Of course this means new tiles, flooring and painting. The rest of the house will just have to do. I am not repainting the living room. We did that last year and it does not need redoing. I don't give a monkey's that the colour is now outdated. It will be night time!!

One of the advantages of having my little helper Katy, is that I can get her to help me around home as well. It might not be cost effective, but it certainly helps out when it comes to keeping the wife happy.

This week I have been showing her how to replace radiators. A pretty simple job, but we had a whole house full to do. The ones which were in there were pretty old and single ones. We replaced them all with double radiators in an attempt to warm the place up. It is cavernous and these poxy single radiators were hopeless.

By the end of it, Katy was an expert and it is one more job I feel confident I can leave her on her own to complete. It is a good feeling to know that she is learning something from me. I don't think she is learning much at college. She is telling me that she is finding her course a little hard. Reading between the lines, I think she is having trouble fitting all the course work in. Being an apprentice and doing your college projects is not easy. I hope she sticks at it because she will make a cracking plumber.

Anyway, next week I will be in the middle of this gazebo, as long as nothing else has been put on the list.