Sunday 25 February 2018

Never mind "Back to the Future" ...

Well the saga of our house, and the builder, continues. Work was done, but not finished, and the builder was sacked for being an ar****le (I can't spell the Greek version) and so Savvas came to continue with the work. I felt that he was not doing what the structural engineer had advised and - sure enough - in the areas where the new work had been done, the damp and the mould returned with a vengeance. All work stopped and then a phone call that Savvas was going to arrive with a new builder.

A Bulgarian builder (with a very expensive liveried van) arrived and there was a site inspection and a lengthy conference. The end result is that, apparently, this builder recommended doing what the structural engineer told us all six months ago. And so, he will remove all the work already done, come out three tiles all around the house, dig down (which was never done previously) so that the saturated ground underneath the tiles can dry. He will then remove the plaster and some brickwork from the house (a metre or more up the walls), and apply the magic formula which will insulate the ground and the walls. Ye Gods! It is apparently going to take a fortnight. After that the outside of the house will need to be repainted (as it was last year), and the interior will need to be made good and touched up by the decorators.

After that we have to hope for a prolonged wet spell to see whether this has cured the problem. If so, great celebrations. But how much money has been wasted on "cheap" options? Why employ a structural engineer and then disregard his opinion? No doubt Savvas lights his big cigars with €50 notes.

Watch this space. But not in the next few days. My 65th birthday is on Wednesday and I intend to celebrate in style so that both Ann and I have a great few days. My old friend Mikkis used to refer to himself as a "Pensioneer" (to rhyme with Musketeer) and that is what I shall be. Who said life was dull?

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