House Warming Party.

December 12th was our house warming party, as well as the final act on completing the project. From now on we can get back to being a family, and start looking after ourselves.

The evites were sent, and word of mouth did the rest. Bang on 5.00pm the doors opened and our guests arrived seemingly as a tribe. We counted 121 guests.

The house just seemed to absorb them. We had tables set up in the cow stall where we served hot food and drinks. We kept the place warm with a gas heater blower.

The top of the house remains cold, and we offered vodka to the hardy travellers who go that high.

It was a wonderful party to share the project closure with Andi our project manager/architect as well as other workers.

We closed the door at midnight and fell into bed. Today has been a day of clean up and relaxtion, and the feeling that the house is now in our hands.

We hope that you have enjoyed the blog. I am not sure as to whether I will upddate it.

Take care, and thanks for looking.

John

A quick update...Stairs, Trees, Jacuzzi

The outside of the house is now painted. Well the main part of the house that is. We will paint the shutters and other places later.

The stairs in the house are now installed. We had to paint the spine of the stairs before the final treads were fitted. The cabinet maker who fitted the stairs did a perfect job. Fitting the stairs against a rugged stone wall was areal challenge. The result is wonderful.

Winter is rapidly approaching, and it was way beyond time to start tidying the garden before winter. The trees have been left to grow wild for a number of years, and need a hard prune. Two of the trees had been undermined by mice. These we just pushed these over.

The removal of the cut branches and trunks took some effort.

The next day saw an opportunity to relax in the jacuzzi. 38 C is the ideal temperature. It is now time to tidy up this area.

We are planning a house warming party for Dec. 12th.

Back to work....

Ok these Saturdays really come around quickly when you have horrible house moving tasks to complete. This morning, it was time to move the sofa bed. Easy..I hear you cry. Not so. The bed is a half round, and needed to be threaded down a spiral staircase. The was a tough and almost impossible task. The upshot is that it is now in place in the guest room.

A few more large items got moved. The Tv, the sub-woofer and Reggie moved more kitchen items.

The afternoon was spent pruning the trees. I gave them a good haircut as they have been left to go wild for a few years. Musangi and myself made 4 trips to green tip to dispose of the cuttings. We actually removed an apple and a plum tree that had been undermined probably by mice. We simply pushed them over. A fun task for three people.

The scaffolding is now away from the house, and it is so much easier to navigate the drive to the garage.

Settling in, and completing the fine details

Not too much to report, but progress is still being made. I am incapacitated today, as I have contracted conjunctivitis. This is rather inconvenient, but it does not stop the carpenter fitting the final stair treads. He is really doing a wonderful job, and the result should be fine.

Once in place the stairs will be fitted with some up-lights, which will be triggered with either a switch from the bottom or a sensor at the top of the stairs.

I have been considering the final tasks for Reggie and myself. We have painted the stair spines, we need to fit a couple of shower curtains. We need to decide on the final colour for the window shutters, and then paint the window shutters mmmmmm scratching my head for more work.....


The weather here in Switzerland is wet wet wet. This has kept the painters away, and they will not return until at least Wednesday.

We are looking forward to the scaffolding being removed.

More moving today....

Another day of hauling and carrying. You know some people go to the gym to use the stair-master. We have it for free. Moving from an apartment with a spiral staircase, and then down two more flights of stairs is tough going, and then adding that to walking the items up the stairs at the new house,....well you get the picture. Buns of steel....

The good news is that we have all of the components ready to assemble inside the wardrobes. We have also transported most of our clothes. Talking of clothes. I have never really considered moths. Sure I have turned my nose up at he smell of mothballs. Well today was a real surprise. I found six of my jackets eaten through. Now for those that know me, this could be considered a good thing. My jackets are long in the tooth.

It is really time to start planning a house warming party. On Dec. 15th last year we had an open barn party where many people came to see the original house, and peruse the plans. It was a bitterly cold day, well below freezing. This year we can offer them a warm house, and even warmer jacuzzi. The major hurdle is to decide on a theme for the event. Suggestions please....

An interesting piece of local gossip came our way today. The recently married daughter from our neighbour and her husband have purchased the house behind ours. They originally wanted to purchase our house, but we beat them to it, and the air turned frigid when they saw us celebrating our purchase on the day of signing. We hope things warm back up. Anyway. Congratulations to Este and Marco.

Some of the vital tasks this week are as follows:-

1. Seal the great wall
2. Paint the underside of the stairs
3. Relocate and position the satellite dish, whilst the scaffolding is in place
4. Establish the office
5. Keep on moving.....

A relaxing few days...

Friday night, and the house is toasty warm. We have enjoyed our first few days in the house. It is great to use the new showers, and sit at the granite breakfast bar.(not at the same time).

We are now connected to the phone system, so we have internet again. I will be posting lots of pics over the coming days.

The jacuzzi is nice and warm, and we have up up a simple screen.

The painters are still painting the exterior, and it is looking lovely and bright.

We have lit the fire several times, more for effect than for heating, as the underfloor heating is wonderfully efficient.

We have yet to really receive any guests, but that will change this weekend, and people will start to look at the result.

In terms of interior work, there has been very little. The electricians worked for a day inside fitting the last two heated towel rails, and the glass has been fitted in the three downstairs doors.

The neighbors have has had their end of the barn repaired. It really was in poor condition, and needed fixing. The mice decide to pop over to our place, but have not been seen for days. Obviously we are way too noisy,

We are IN.......Yeeehaaaaa

Well we are now in the house. We moved in on October 31st, and what a day it was. The week leading up to the move day was incredibly tough, with so much work to complete. The fireplace was receiving its top coat of render as the lounge suite and dinning table.

We had the help of friends in the afternoon with Patritcia helping Reggie in the kitchen, and Marcus who helped me moved the lounge suites, and the dining table and chairs. These proved to be very heavy, and having to wrestle them down the stairs from the apartment was very tough.

The first evening was spent making beds, followed by the first dip into the jacuzzi. What a lovely experience. Bed beckoned at 9.00pm.

This morning was very interesting listening to the rooster waking the neighbourhood.

Today we have lit the fire for the first time, and we have been just taking in the new surroundings.

We will post some more picks once we have tidied up a little.

Lights, cleaning...action

Today has been another progressive day. I had the help of the village asylum seeker who spent the day cleaning upstairs for the most part. I started the day by giving the downstairs beams a final sanding to remove any plaster that had spilled onto them.

I then gave the exposed stonework in the hallway and kitchen a final clean. These stones look lovely.

The plasterers returned again to give the fireplace its first coat of render. They will apply the second and final tomorrow.

With the help of one of the carpenters, We fitted the shower screen in the en-suite. I must say that the en-suite is just great.

Here is a Friday night summary. All upstairs rooms are clean including the windows and bathrooms. The downstairs bathroom is clean as is the guest room. The remaining rooms to clean are the lounge,kitchen and hallway.

Will we move on Saturday. I am up for it, but the other half has no plans....

Progress report...Lights, painting, furniture.

Lots of things have happened today. The telephone cable was attached to the house, and the plumber has now finished his work.

I completed the painting in the main en-suite today, and this only leaves the gangway to paint (yahooooo)

The carpenter delivered and fitted the sliding door for the kitchen as well as two other glass doors.

The electricians have fitted lights in Raphaels' room and the office, so now every room have lights in place.

Before lunch Reggie and myself built the wardrobe for Raphael, and after lunch I constructed two wardrobes in the master bedroom with the help of the asylum seeker who resides on our village. He is a wonderful man from Congo. So we have wardrobes in each room.

The kitchen company came again today, but have yet to complete their tasks. The kitchen is fully operational, and will be completed within the next two weeks.

Friday will be a cleaning day as well as more detailing. The front door needs some more fettling, and I need to fit a second piece of glass to create a double glazed unit.

Time to rest.....

Wednesday...A busy day...

Another productive day. It started with a meeting with the project manager and a cabinet maker. He will make a hospitality bar, and custom linen cupboard for the first floor landing.

This was followed by a visit by friends, which meant a guided tour and a coffee break. Soon after I painted the remaining two door frames, and then turned my attention to painting the undercoat in the en-suite. It will get its top coat on Thursday morning.

The electricians have been installing lights in each room, and it only remains for lights to be fitted in the living room, the room of Raphael, and the office.

The painters are speeding along. We have opted for an off white house with a kind of New England Barn red trim. The photos do not do it justice. Actually the photos make it look like a lap dancing club (oh yes that is in the next village).

The plasters have been working outside today. Because the house has been built in 3 stages, the back of the house had a weird combination of exposed beams and cement render. We have tried to balance things up.

The day is still still young. 6.00 pm. We are now about to head over to Germany to return some 12 packets of tiles, and 4 packets of parquet. We ordered too much. This is a nice feeling.

So what are our remaining tasks?

1. Paint the en-suite.
2. Re-assemble the front door fittings.
3. Clean the house.....
4. Build two more wardrobes
5. Move the furniture.
6. Install the glass shower screen.


mmmmm. I am sure that there is so much more.

Not a fag paper in it....

Today was always going to be a tough day. It started at 7.00 with a number of small tasks. I cut and replaced a roof tile, before moving on to the exciting task of carrying wardrobe components up x flights of stairs. What a joyous 3 hours.

The plasters appeared again, and appeared to undo previously completed work.

The electricians doodled about, and appear to just turn up to kill time. The tile layer returned to measure his work so as to calculate his bill. We got him to fix a couple of things.

The painters started on the exterior to the house. They started by washing the surface by hand, and checking the integrity of some of the old facade. Reggie and myself both agree that these painters really love their job.

After lunch we had an appointment with the cabinet maker to discuss the glass types for three doors.

On return to the house the parquet layer was just finishing. He has done a very nice job.

So as to not feel left out we started to assemble the wardrobes. The first being in the guest bedroom. We measured and measured again to ensure that we could get a 3m wide set against the back wall. What we did not take into account was that the house was built in 1678 and the room is by no means square.

The bottom line is that the wardrobe fits to perfection. You cannot get a fag paper down the side of it.


Once on a role our attention turned to the office cupboards. They are now assembled apart from the doors.

Tomorrow will see us assembling the wardrobe in Raphaels' room. Oh the joys. We are still planning to have our first house sleep on Saturday.

Sunday Sept. 25th 2009

So the lull before the storm is upon us. We have done very little in terms of preparation for a huge week. Today we visited the house with the brother and wife of Reggie. Whilst there the painter arrived with some colour samples for the house. I must say that this painter loves his job. The good news is that the external painting of the house begins tomorrow. This is wonderful news, but it also means that we have to get a wriggle on in terms of painting the window shutters.

So off to sleep now before the village bells strike into the next day. By the way, the village bells were paid for by Rosie and Paul, the deceased owners of the house. The bells are named after them, we have been told, and it is difficult to not think of them as they toll.

Back to work....

I have been away this past week on business, and it has been interesting how progress has been these past few days. I must say, that I am rather underwhelmed at the progress, and I will be cracking the whip on Monday. There actually has been some progress, and maybe I am just getting moving fever. The parquet is all but complete, and some more electrical progress has been made.

Some of the tasks for Reggie and myself to complete early next week, will be to paint the door frames, paint our en-suit (quick job), and paint the stair supports. In preparation of painting the door frames, I have filled the screw holes today.

The first piece of bedroom furniture has been assembled, and what a challenge it turned out to be. The wooden components of the furniture was ok, but the quality of the metal fittings left a lot to be desired.

The almost complete furniture is now complete (apart from one missing screw). Raphael will really enjoy it we hope.

Today I added some chemicals to the jacuzzi, and tested the heating. All appears to be tip top.

This week will be a huge week. I want to be lounging in the jacuzzi on Saturday night next week, and really have my heart on sleeping at the house that night.......Watch this blog....

Scaffolding......Coffee saga

The scaffolding has arrived today in preparation for the painting of the main house. This should start in about 2 weeks, and will take 2 weeks to complete.

We had a detailed discussion with the two painters today, and looked at some color scales and charts. I believe that it it does not matter how many charts you look at, you really need to find a house painted in the colors that you like. We have found such a place in Sissach.

The tile layer has just about completed the tiles around the fireplace, and these are looking very nice indeed. He can now turn his attention to the front steps.

This afternoon the glass screen for the main en-suite was delivered. I will try to get this installed on Friday to enable the tile layer to complete the tiling in there.

Everyone who visits the house tells us how nice it is, but we are not sure if they are just being polite or what. Reggie and myself are just too close to draw a conclusion, and Raphael does not want to visit the house, as he has been dragged there so often.

One of the ongoing sagas for us has been the purchase of of Miele Nespresso coffee machine. Easy task I hear you say. We thought so to until we purchased one. It arrived and much to our dismay it had the wrong surface finish (Aluminium) and a no return policy. We decided that we would sell it on the internet after we had found another one in Stainless steel. We found a stainless one. It was sent to us, but the firm made a mistake as it is the wrong model, and they do not have the correct one. So now we have 2 machines.

We then decided to change the Alu front for a stainless front ...cost...800CHF cripes...

Miele told us to find a broken machine with a stainless steel front. And this week after much trawling of the internet we have. Now we have 3 machines. We will send the wrong model back, we will replace the alu with the stainless from the defective machine, we will install it, and enjoy our coffee. The remainder of the defective machine we will keep for posterity.

Fireplace and floors

The parquet is now laid in the guest room, as well as Raphaels room. The tiler has been working on the fireplace. This now allows the flooring to be laid in the living room. Once the flooring is in we can then construct the wardrobes.

The electricians continue to work on the wiring and the fixtures. They will soon turn their attention to the workshop, garage, cow stall and barn. Today they fitted what can only be described as a full on server cabinet to house my small router. This will be changed for compact unit.

Reggie spent some more time on the old brick wall. We need to seal this with a a compound to stop the dust coating visitors as it does on a daily basis.

The kitchen designer paid a visit today to discuss the changes that need to be made to meet our specifications.

The cable man visited....let me explain. This not the tv signal supplier, but the person who will place cables on the stairways to stop people taking a tumble. We prefer these to regular banisters,

Lights. Action.....Jacuzzi

Quite a few workers at the house today. The parquet layer has started work in the guest room, and the tiler has returned to complete his tasks, as well as lay tiles around and in front of the fireplace.

The electricians are busy finalizing their internal work, and we now have lights in most locations and power to sockets.

The jacuzzi arrived late this afternoon from its original home in Geneva. The mode of arrival was a sizable truck with a super crane. The slab was already prepared, and the task of locating the object only took 20 minutes.

Tonight Reggie is taking advantage of the newly functioning lights, and is painting the kitchen.

By the end of he week we hope to have all of the tiling completed, the parquet finished, and the sun awning installed.

This should then leave us to clean and start installing wardrobes.

The weather is starting to turn chilly with the first frost expected this week. We will be happy to be in by the end of this month.

Sun blind, shade, awning.

Today was an early start. Up at 6.15 to go pick up Dani from the train station. Why so early you ask? We both had pick up projects near Zurich to perform. Dani had ordered a swing set for the family, and I had to pick up the a second hand sun awning.

We set off in the Discovery with the trailer in flat bed mode. The trip was uneventful to the first location apart from the new Westring system near Zurich. This comprises many tunnels which in turn confused both the gps system and the driver and added some time and distance to the drive. On arrival we loaded the components of the swing set, and headed off for the sun awning.

The awning is 5M wide and extends out 3.2 metres. This should prove to be useful for future outdoor events.

The early start did nothing for my energy level, but the children from Dani and Sarah were happy with their new swings by mid afternoon.

Wonder Wall

Today we built the glass brick wall comprising 56 bricks. This has been a really fun project from inception through to completing the build today. It started off with discussions with the architect many long months ago. We always had to overcome the challenge of the amount of light streaming into the first floor landing. This area links each of the bedrooms and office as well as the staircases. The challenge was to construct an en-suite that allowed light into this area. Urs proposed a high level milk glass window, and it was very easy to take the next step to glass bricks.

Once the decision had been made we had the task of sourcing the materials, as well as concluding the framing construction. The bricks we purchased in Germany. We were amazed at the price discrepancy between suppliers, varying in range from 14 Euros per plain brick down to 2 Euros. We also purchased some coloured bricks (8) which complement the wall tiles in the en-suite.

Reggie did a wonderful job designing the pattern on an Excel table, which enabled flexibility in various designs.

So the wall is built, and short of grouting we are very happy.

The tile layer has made plans to finish the fireplace early next week. The parquet will be laid next week, so we can really think about moving in....And then we can plan a party.

Granite, paint and fixes

The granite for the kitchen bench and splash-backs arrived today. This was fitted in the afternoon when no-one was home. The bench is super, and for the most part the splash-back too. The exhaust fan was fitted yesterday above the cook-top, but this was fitted too low. The result of this is that the granite has been cut to fit this exhaust fan....We are very unhappy with the kitchen company right now.

They have also made a design error with the fitted fridge freezer. Things need to be changed...and quickly.

Reggie wielded a paint brush today, as well as completing some fine detail work on the great wall.

The under floor heating system is now operational, which is lovely.

We are really in the home run. We will have the parquet fitted throughout the house early next week, and work will be completed on bathrooms and the fireplace.

One of the tasks to be completed on thursday is the multi coloured glass brick wall....watch this space.

A week away....

Just returned from a week away on business. There has been some progress, but not too much which is rather frustrating.

The flooring has not been laid, and the granite for the kitchen has not yet appeared. To top that off the plumber has broken a pipe which drains the spa bath in the en-suite, and of course the part cannot be had in Switzerland. In American football terms, it could be called a negative gain.

The painting in the kitchen is not yet complete, but this will be done in the next 2 days.

The plumbers have been attempting for the third time to locate the air extractor in the kitchen. They have cobbled together a solution and in doing so have damaged the wall. Great news......

I now need to go and get a glass of red.

Bye or now

Many tasks...so little time

Saturday was an incredibly busy day. It started with the grouting of the tiles in the laundry. This was then followed by the COMPLETION of the great wall. The brick arch over the entrance to the living room received some much needed attention.

Painting of the living room is now completed as is the guest bathroom. The only places left to paint are the kitchen, the hallway (we will do this after we have moved in), and the small hallway entrance to the kitchen. These are all simple tasks.

The sun shone, so it was time to tackle the job of applying the bitumen to the garage roof. Now this area is not small at all, but the task was soon completed.

Today is Sunday, and we need to clean the house up, as well as wash the upper great wall. We also need to position the bathroom fittings and cupboards in each bathroom so as to help the none to sharp plumbers.

I will be away on business this week, so Reggie and myself will agree a task list for this week.

The slab is laid....

Good news. The slab is complete, and awaits the arrival in the next 2 weeks of the Jacuzzi. The delivery of the said item has been under discussion with the moving company,

The day started very nicely with the early morning booking of our winter holidays. This was followed by a leisurely breakfast before the hard work of the day got underway.

James and myself tidied up the work that we completed late last night. We then cut the reinforcing steel to size. Straight after lunch we headed to the local hard core supplier. 800kgs is a lot of shoveling. Of course Raphael got to ride in the front loader.

We then returned for the concrete.

The task of shoveling this so soon after the hard core was not very enjoyable, but that was then followed with the slow leveling process.

Bottom line...we are done. Tomorrow we will remove the formwork, and tidy the area up...

The carpenters have completed the 2nd floor entry area, and more light fittings and boxes have appeared today.


Reggie has started top coating the living room. We need to finish this tomorrow.


All in all a productive few days. Still many things to do, but the list is shrinking.

Doors, painting, walls, it`s a whirl...

Today one carpentry company has been fitting the doors, and another has been building the enclosure into the second floor. The electricians have been cutting the holes for the spotlights, and have been continuing to fit the switches. We also have external sensors and power boxes.

The day started off rather early with a visit to a town about 25 kms from here. I had to pick up a flat pack wardrobe from a second floor apartment. What a load of rubbish(about the second floor) I thought, as I scaled the six flights of narrow stairs. The task of walking the stairs multiple times was mind numbing.

On return to the house, James and myself with the help of Raphael set about preparing the formwork for the whirlpool. The task is all but finished, and tomorrow we will hard pack it, and then pour the concrete.

The living room now has an undercoat of paint, and the top coat should go on tomorrow.

Work work work.....pleasure.

Kitchen, painting, wall....

Today the electricians have been fixing the switch plates. The carpenter is fitting the doors, and the tile layer has packed up and has left. He only needs to return to fix the final details when the doors are fitted, and the toilet fittings are put in place.

Today started rather early, with a quick trip into Germany to pick up the last of the taps (the one for our bathroom). I then zipped to the airport and picked up a great friend. James is the godfather of Raphael and lives in Berlin. The two of us then headed to Hornbach and Bauhaus to pick up a door and frame for the attic.

On return we picked up reggie and went to view some sandstone for the fireplace and heated bench seat.

By mid afternoon we had started work at the house. James painting, Reggie .... and myself working on the wall. This is all but finished.

Tomorrow we must head out early to pick up the wardrobe for Raphael. This will be followed by more painting, and a possible start on the jacuzzi slab.

The kitchen is mostly complete now. We await the last granite slab next week.

Onwards we go.

Painting Party...

Well maybe not a party as in drinks and music, but a party of friends helped family Harrison along the long road of house painting.

Family Schaefer turned up with daddy Dave looking after the kids, and Jill applying the power through a paint brush. The ever dependable Simon turned up as did Rachel. We cannot thank these friends enough for their time and energy.

We had the unenviable task of applying the undercoat in the main bedroom, office and Raphaels room, as well as the en-suite.

Applying undercoat is more difficult than top coat as Reggie and myself found out today. The great news for family Harrison is that the first floor is finished now after a second day of painting today (apart from the main en-suite). I also managed to get undercoat on the guest room and entrance to the guest room.

The main sections of the kitchen arrived on Friday and have been assembled. There is some tweaking work to be carried out, and photos will follow soon.

I have a few days off work this week, to crack on with finishing tasks. On Tuesday, James Brown (the godfather of Raphael) is visiting. I hope James knows what he letting himself in for.

Paint and Tiles

Not much to report today. The painters have been painting the ceilings, and have fine sanded the cassette ceiling in the lounge room. We intend to paint this ceiling magnolia white, to tie in the detail with the colour of the kitchen cupboards.

Gert. The tile layer has all but completed laying the tiles in the kitchen , and has started laying the tiles in the guest bathroom.

The kitchen should arrive on Friday and should be fitted on Friday and Saturday.

This week we have purchased a wardrobe for Raphaels room and the guest room. Again we sourced these from the internet, and we will collect these over the coming week.

Tonight I picked up the fallen apples and cut the lawn. When I say lawn, it is comprised of various wide leaf weeds and other foreign types of grass. At least it looks tidy.

The weather is noticeably cooler, and the days are drawing in. Tomorrow evening we will meet with the stone mason to discuss the stone to be located around the fireplace edge and heated bench seat. To comply with Swiss regulations, we also need to lay stone on the floor surrounding the fireplace.

No pics, but a report

Saturday 12th September. The plasterers have finished, and the window sills are finished. The rooms are now cleaned and the house awaits the arrival of the painter.

On Friday the front door was taken away to be cut down, the back door will be taken away on Monday for the same.

The pointing of the main wall is mostly complete and looks very nice.

Today, Sunday, we will spend some time measuring our current wardrobes, and try to establish which ones fit where.

Here is a short list of what needs to be completed:-

1. Electrical fittings to be completed including main power board.
2. Ceilings and walls to be painted.
3. Upper walls and doors to be constructed and fitted. 2nd Floor.
4. Parquet to be laid
5. Kitchen to be fitted.
6. Front and rear doors to be refitted, and lacquered.
7. Pointing to be completed.
8. Bitumen to laid on the garage roof.

Window Sills, Doors, Tiles

Today the carpenter cut and fitted the window sills. These are oak and should compliment the oak parquet floors when they are laid. The plasterers will return tomorrow to finish the detail around these. The plastering is all but complete, and our attention is now getting the house back to lock-up stage.

The front and back doors need some fettling to refit, as the floor levels have changed. Raphael enjoyed using the electric sander.

Today we took deliver of our en-suite sink, which nicely matches the shape of the bath, as well as the stainless sink which will be located in the kitchen. The kitchen tap also arrived today, and it is just so elegant.

The bathroom tiles are looking fine, but we have been having many unresolved discussions about building 2 niches into the wall.

We must dash now, as we need to drive to Germany to pick up the parquet and a few other items.