Off With the Roof

With the old kitchen safely stored out of the way so that it cannot get damaged, work starts on demolishing the existing extension. But, it’s nothing like as chaotic and messy as you’d imagine.

The first job to get done is stripping out all the old dry lining from the walls and the plasterboard ceiling. You’d probably imagine a huge pile of rubbish in no time at all. But, on the contrary, the plasterboard and battens are taken down quite methodically and rubbish from the site is cleared to the skip on the drive as work progresses.

Part of the reason for the plasterboard and insulation being removed carefully is that it’s hoped that at least some of the old bricks from the extension can be salvaged. They match the existing house well and will save some cost for the client. A lot depends on how well the old stocks clean up. Talking to one of the brickies on site, he explained that the mortar used and how easy it easy to get off will soon tell whether they are salvageable. He went on to explain that on old buildings, lime mortar was used and this is fairly soft by comparison, making it possible to salvage bricks from older properties. And, bricks laid with sand and cement mortar will vary according to the mix used and the time of year – bricks laid in hot summers don’t always bond as well as they should because the moisture gets sucked out of the mortar. Time will tell.

With the walls stripped and the ceiling out, it was time for the roof to come off. Perfect weather fortunately and, in no time at all, the old kitchen was transformed into an al fresco dining area – well maybe not quite.

There’s a door from the back room of the house into the old extension at the moment so there’ll be no major problem if the weather does change. And, the knock through to connect the new build and the back room won’t be happening until the extension is watertight.

The boards used for the roof were somewhat unusual. They’re made of straw and cement and used to be made by a company called Stromit.

The professionalism of the G L Smith and Sons who are carrying out this job was obvious to anyone. The site is kept tidy and clear of rubbish, and work is carried out very methodically. No bull in a china shop here. On top of that it has become obvious that a good deal of planning goes into every job they do. It not easy organising trades and materials in the construction business as there are so many variables. Any unforeseeable issues can have a knock on effect on so many things. You might find the drainage system isn’t as expected or shown on the Architects plans, or you may find that on inspection by the District Surveyor reveals that the footings need to be dug deeper than planned to ensure good load bearing soil under the foundations. I’m sure this is all in a days work for these guys.

Tomorrow the demolition of the brick walls will start so there should be quite a difference to show in the pictures. Here’s hoping for a continuation of the good weather

If you live in the Hertfordshire area and are looking for a professional building contractor, you can get in touch with G L Smith and Sons via their website: http://www.glsmithandsons.co.uk/