Finally got back off my arse and went back to the SSKA (Southern Shotokan Karate Association) after 7 years away. I did got to some other clubs since though but the last time I trained was back in 2005! Ouch, all I can say is that I felt it the next day! 
So, what happens when you try and remove 4 rows of old bathroom tiles from the wall…..err it pulls off the old plaster from the lathe & plaster wall. Whoops, so after removing what’s left of the plaster and lathes, a small piece of plaster board was nailed up. I then filled in the gaps around the plaster board and let it dry.
The stuff I used from Wickes seemed to take ages to dry but not surprising as it was quite thick in places.
The next I was able to mix up some one coat plaster ( thanks dad) and put another thick layer on (and used PVC solution to act as a bonding agent). It’s not that straight at the moment but the final layer will resolve that. It doesn’t really matter anyway as I’m going to tile over it all anyway. Still I was able to tile and grout the end wall where the shower is going to be installed. I did manage to start installing the shower today but I need to order a 16mm drill in order to put the 15mm pipes through to make it work! Oh hum, I’ll have to wait a little longer before enjoying the large 5″ shower rose.
Behind the TV are 2 x double sockets, a feed for the Sky dish and an extension lead from the other side of the room where the telephone box is located. I thought it would be wise to bring the phone socket over to behind the TV so I can run my Sky updates, plug the telephone in and connect my broadband connection in a neat and tidy manor. This meant removing the old TV aerial cable feed from outside and then sinking the all the sockets into the wall. Dad lent me a neat drilling template for fitting boxes into walls which came in handy but is still a lengthly process because of all the drilling involved. Basically it’s a double socket shaped piece of plastic with multiple drill holes in which you place where you’d like the socket and then screw fix to the wall before drilling through the template to the required box depth. Once you’ve drilled the 30 odd holes for a double socket you remove it and then cold chisel out the plaster/brick/concrete so the metal gang box can fit in. Once it does you then screw into the wall and then make sure you’ve got chased gaps for the cables coming out of the box and under the floor. Obviously I was putting back some new skirting board so a lot of the cable mess was hidden behind it!
As you can see it looks a little neater than the external plastic boxes that were on there before! Once the re-wiring was done I cut and treated the skirting board before screwing into place. It also enabled me to put the radiator back and get some warmth into the room. Yeah, I know I’ve a wood burning stove but its a little bad to use all the time especially when I’ve not had a chance to chop up some of the wood I’ve got located in my wood shed!
Only another 3423 things to do……
Ok, my hot water tap broke so I decided to replace it with another new set as the old ones looked naff anyway. The new combi boiler system was installed most using polyplumb fittings and plastic pipe so I got a collection of spare parts from B & Q / Wickes (yeah, I ended up switching between the two stores and went with whoever was cheaper……which was mostly B & Q!). The polyplumb fittings are very easy to use and definitely save money and time if you’re doing things yourself. Ok, so I got the initial central heating installation done by a professional (and a good job he did too) but Andy the plumber did teach me that it’s really easy once you know how things go together. I guess anything is once you know what your doing! Anyway a couple of hours later and I had working hot and cold taps again which was good and no leaks! Still before doing any plumbing work make sure you turn off the combi boiler and most importantly the mains water otherwise you might get a little damp!
Finally finished putting up the shelves in my office today using 2×1 batten with pine board on top. I think it makes use of the chimney alcove very well and I intend to do the same in the front room once I’ve finished the edging work. Still now that the office is complete I can start playing the guitar and get round to setting up using Logic again….yay.