On the Tiles

We're all of a buzz at the moment.  Things are happening left, right and centre round here.  If you remember, the targets for the year were overly ambitious.  A quote from my review of last year:

And looking ahead, what do we want to achieve in 2015?  For me, I’d like the heating completed.  This will mean sorting out the pantry where the boiler is destined to go and fitting another water tank in a cupboard on the first floor.  I’d like to repair the chimney where the jackdaws roost and, while the scaffolding is up, get the roofers in to do a quick once over.  I live in terror of major roof repairs, which I think will cost a small fortune.  

I'd like the rotten pillars that prop up the porch repaired.  I’d like the sitting room chimney lined and a wood-burning stove installed.  I'd like to decorate the sitting room and S's study.  And, dare I suggest, another bathroom for my mum or (whispers) a new kitchen? 

And now it's September and none of this has been achieved.  But we are focused and determined to tick some of these things off the list before the end of the year.  First up is the stove.  It was supposed to be fitted on 27th August but getting things to happen in the right order defeated us.  (We'd had the date in the diary for months but hadn't thought about the lead times for actually getting the stove bought and delivered!)  We also decided to retile the hearth.  It was red quarry tiles, not particularly refined or in fitting with the lovely fireplace so we wanted some new ones.

And, for once, some 'before' pictures.  Although S had already started work on the bricks.

We finally got our act together and the stove is due to be fitted next Friday.  It's sitting with me in the sitting room as I speak.  S has remortared and cleaned the bricks in the fireplace.  The tiler arrived today and fitted the rather lovely Fired Earth tiles.  They are large, limestone tiles, fittingly called 'Cathedral' and, supposedly, "reminiscent of the ecclesiastical floors after which it has been named...truly looks as if it has been walked on for centuries".  They are lovely though.

Our tiler was once described to me as the 'John Lewis' of tiling so has a rock star profile in my world.  Here are some pictures of him at our 'gig'.

Equipment in place

Cutting Begins

Three Down

Four...

Cut!

Final Stages

I think he's pleased with it...

The Hearth

Rapturous Applause!

The scaffolding arrives tomorrow, two lots, one for the chimney in the sitting room and one above H's room at the back of the house, which is colonised by jackdaws, and then the only other thing we need to do is to mend the chimneys, get the roof checked and then hand over to the stove fitter to sweep chimneys, cap them and fit the stove.