What’s Up?

It's been a while since I've posted but that's because things have largely been bobbing along very nicely - apart from the mortgage but more on that later.

The slab was superbly done as I've written before. This was the sunny Saturday after the guys had finished:

So with the foundations complete, Russ set about building the retaining walls, ably assisted by his labourer, Dean. The walls are 2.4m high and not in the easiest position to build. I visited on the Wednesday following the completion of the slab. This is what I found:

Three day's work - one man and his labourer!

I next visited at the weekend. To be greeted by this:

Since then Russ has built the first courses of the inner leaf and now the first concrete pour into this wall has taken place.

There will be another two pours as it is built in stages to stop the pressure from the internal fill buckling the wall.

We've made a few changes since we started. We are planning to put a stepped path along the left hand side and not have the soil touching the wall at all at the other side having a path alongside instead. Yep, we've built a bloody expensive retaining wall at that side that isn't retaining anything!

We've also, after a lot of chopping and changing, commissioned the tanking company. More about that as it progresses.

The water is (finally) due to be connected on the 21 October having been delayed many times by us. And the electricity connection is ongoing with some (so far) great service from Northern Powergrid. Good to hear. I just wish Yorkshire Water and Openreach were as proactive!

So, what's the timetable?

Internal leaf completed and filled in a couple of weeks (11 October-ish); building the front wall then begins; exterior tanking starts on the 18 October; water connection and ducting for the electric on the 21st, then it's the joists for the upper floor, steels and walls. Once it's at this stage (5 December) the internal tanking will happen. Phew!

We're not going to be watertight by the end of the year - though there's still optimism.

And finally, the f***ing mortgage.

We started this process six months ago and seem only a little nearer to securing the deal. In part this is because we are having to work not only with a mortgage advisor but with a self-build packaging company. So the advisor asks for stuff, the packaging company asks for the same thing. We both send it, then they ask for it again. Now the building society is asking for the same stuff. WTF!

One thing that really ticked me off was a request to illustrate how I would support Lou and Sam over the next five years "as you are not married"! Read the frigging application forms, will you?

My response possibly didn't make me any friends. 😬

Now the craziness of the last few days since the bonkers 'mini budget' Kwasi Kwarteng inflicted on the country has left me worried that our mortgage lender will just walk away from this.

Watch this space...I am - in horror!