The filthiest job of all (Aug - Nov 2006)

After we took possession of the flat we still had three weeks left on our lease at the old flat. We took the opportunity to strip out all the ceilings on the main floor, before moving in all our stuff. With only 15 minutes walk between the two flats and still plenty of daylight in the evenings, we could get quite a lot done each day after work. Even so, it still took the best part of three weeks to do it all, including several trips to the dump. It was utterly filthy work, and it was a relief to be able to go home to a clean house each night. These photos were taken after most of the dust had settled.

Some of you may be wondering, why take out all the ceilings? The reason is, the existing joists between our two floors need to be replaced in order to enable the upper floor (i.e. roof space and bathroom) to be converted into a bedroom. They are not strong enough to carry the load associated with either bathroom or bedroom, and do not comply with building regulations. It's a big job to replace all the joists, and a bit of a pain, but it's essential work.

It didn't take long to feel the effect of having no ceilings and no roof insulation - it was freezing! With winter fast approaching we put insulation into the roof to keep the place from turning into an icebox.

This was our first experience of working in cramped surroundings, in amongst all our stuff.

The insulation sheets made good curtains for a while, and also helped to keep some of the heat in!