Happy Easter!

I thought a change of scenery from by bathroom refurbishment project (while my contractor builds my joinery) would be a nice, change so enjoy the next four Easter themed posts.

New capping stones

Here is a before and after photo of the parapet capping stones. The old ones were cracked and split, and didnt project far enough over the brick wall below (which is now bowed and curved because of subsidence years ago), thereby exposing it more to dripping water. Additionally the lead flashing wasnt properly tucked in beneath the capping stones so water could just slide in. Over time these issues lead to the water penetration into my flat along the side wall.

Torn lead in the box gutter and an improperly connected downpipe from the gutter lead to further leaks above the living room window after the timber lintle rotted and sagged, while missing mortar between the bricks lead to the last set of leaks above the kitchen window. The scaffold has finally come down, and I've stayed nice and dry throughout the autumn rains. Phew!

Final Roof Inspections

On the weekend I made my final inspection of the roof repairs and re-pointed brickwork so this week the scaffold can come down at last. While I was up there I took another skyline shot as you really can see everything! (From left) St Paul's Cathedral, The Shard, The Gherkin, and Canary Wharf

Scaffolding up

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The scaffold went up last week, and will apparently be up for 2 weeks in order to complete the external roof repairs responsible for my leak which start today. I imagine that it will likely be up for at least 4 weeks, but will remain optomistic. Luckily I will be away for some of it!

View from my roof top!

Here is the view from my roof top (looking north towards the city) which was taken this morning when I met the builders to go over the works required to stop the leak in my flat. Works start on the interior repairs on Tuesday so I'll be moving everything out of the room this weekend.

Our very own pavement closure

Well at least for the exorbitant rates charged by Thames Water to provide new water connections to the 5 flats in the building we got our very own pavement closure!

Works are now finally complete in terms of linking up new water mains to each flat, but the contractor still needs to finish up work inside the common parts. Despite now having an individual designated line of pipework direct to each flat, the water pressure unfortunately remains largely the same as I had expected (hence my vote against the works in the first place!). The cold water pressure is slightly stronger in fairness, but the hot water is the same because there isnt a hot water storage tank, but an instant hot water heater which can only heat water so fast. Ah well... at least I know that the next chunk of money I spend on the flat will have a more noticeable and satisfying impact when I eventually get the kitchen countertop sorted out!

More cute exterior lights for an Easter Weekend

These 'Eggy Pop' lights from CPH lighting are also cute... and perfect for Easter to have around your garden.

If I had my own garden...

...Id have some of these Davide Groppie 'Lenta' lights around the terrace. All this warm spring weather is making me think about gardens and terraces and how nice it would be to have one! There is a shared one for the building, but with the flat on the second floor its a long way down. Instead I've been making a list of friends with gardens that I can visit this summer instead.

Scaffold Up for Roof Repairs

The scaffold went up this week to sort out a leak in the roof... so it continues to be all stations go on the construction front!