Tuesday 26 November 2013

Day 6: Week 2. Orthodontics, Catching Fire and most of a floor.

No pics from today as there's nothing to see. 
Eldest child had an orthodontics appointment, and both children had a day off school today. So this morning involved getting up at the usual time to wait for workmen to appear.
9.30. Van pulls up. "We're here to level the kitchen floor. We'll be about half an hour and then you can't go in there or walk on it for at least 4 hours."
Would have been good to know that before the day...
Sorted them out, established that they'd be fine and any appliances disconnected would be put back. Spoke to Tenant Liaison to let her know that they'd arrived and that we were vacating to a friend's house just up the road. Also that a key would be left with same friend in case the promised shower was going to be fitted. Again, a time and definite day for that would have been useful.
Left younger child with friend, took older one for his appointment.
Can you guess where this might be going?
Moments before leaving with oldest child, an electrician turned up for the key, he's here to fix the dangling light fitting.... guess where? You've got it, in the kitchen, above the floor that no-one can walk on for the next four hours. Shower? "Haven't they done that yet? They usually go in on electrics day." That'd be last Wednesday then. No, no-one fitted or mentioned the shower last week.
Went out, got child's braces fitted (they hurt, a lot, apparently. Sympathy and painkillers have been administered through this evening.) Took child to see Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy). Good film, even better book.
Finally arrived home around 6 to find no shower, no fixed light and most of a levelled floor. Also no message or any sort of information about tomorrow.
Most of a floor? Yes, most, not all of the floor got levelled. They didn't bother moving the cooker, sink or washing machine. They just sort of went up to and round them, and the bit they've bothered to do isn't level. I can feel lines and bumps under my feet - and I'm wearing fairly heavy, thick soled boots.
There was a verbal, "I might try and fit it in tomorrow"  from the electrician.
Well, tomorrow is shopping day. They have until 9.30 to show up and then I'm off out. If no-one shows up by 9.00 then I'll be on the phone to Tenant Liaison again.
Just an aside though, I really, really want to spell that as Tennant....
So, a Borough Council does a kitchen and bathroom refurb and takes 9 days on the kitchen and 4 on the bathroom. They assembled a multi-skilled team who moved in and did the work efficiently, arriving at 8.30 every day and working through till 5 unless there was good reason not to - like the floor being wet and out of bounds. They issued tenants with a timetable so we knew what to expect on which day, which trades were coming in and whether any appliances, water or power would be disconnected at any stage. And Tenant Liaison was so much in my face on a daily basis that I was fed up of them. But they were always there.
This housing association does the exact same job (with the addition of a wall to take down, which took less than a day) and I have no clue what to expect on any given day, they workers seem to like half days and it's taking forever.
I will no doubt rant some more tomorrow. But now I'm off for some sleep, just in case they decide that tomorrow might be an early start or, miracles do happen, a full day's work.

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