Detail

There are countless unexpected things in a build - though they ought mostly to be at the early stages when the builders are uncovering what's already there (as with my far-too-small, woodwormy ground floor joists). I don't know why it's emerged, at this stage, that the ventilation ducting is a considerably bigger diameter than on the architect's drawings. A communication glitch between the ventilation company and the architect? 

Anyway, it means that the builders are now having to make lots of adjustments so that things fit and to protect the structural work (joists mostly) and the plumbing and wiring runs that are already in place. It means that there have to be changes to ceiling heights and how things are boxed in and I need to understand the implications of all those and state my preferences. So I was concentrating too hard during this morning's site meeting to take any pictures of the the huge, shiny ducting.

I've also been anxious over the last few days about the various bathroom/shower-room items I ordered before Christmas that were delivered to the builders but that had not been checked as correct and undamaged. After our meeting one of the building managers went off to bring them all to the house.

So an hour later the site foreman (for whom I have huge respect - he is skilled and knowledgeable and he advises me without pushing me) helped me to check off a heap of boxes against my printouts of my order and the rain-sogged delivery notes. When I got confused by all the codes and abbreviated descriptions (which do you think is which out of HG CromettaShVarioEco1001CLThSbar65cmWhChr from one supplier and Crometta Vario Shower Kit from another?) he slowed me down. He checked the contents of all the boxes to be sure that they contained what he needed, handed me back four items that I needn't have ordered, and was intrigued by some Ceramic Sanitary Ware Installation Tape I had ordered that he hadn't seen before but that he thought (as I had) that it would speed up some of the sealing. He sighed to see that the concealed cisterns I had bought were in kit form so he'd need to assemble them (I hadn't known that in my ignorant ordering from specialist websites that I didn't fully understand) but he took it all in his stride.

As did one of the workmen who picked up a heavy box - clearly labelled as needing two people to move it - and shinned up the ladder to the first floor with it under his arm.

Then I came home and cancelled part of the tile order due to arrive this Friday as I'd ordered tiles I thought would be OK for a wetroom floor but which Tivoli spotted just in time were not. Now I have to find tiles that will prevent slipping in my walk-in shower.

I think it's going to be like this for a lot of the next ten weeks.