an anniversary of sorts

This was the piece of land we bought to build our house on. Five years ago, almost to the day, we came up with Robin to survey it

We stayed in The Ceilidh Place in Ullapool 

and practised in the hotel bedroom! Father, Son and the Total Station! I think we stood it on bits of cardboard so we didn't damage the carpet.

There was lots of  twiddling and tweaking

and standing about pretending to be a fixed point

and analysing readings and numbers on the computer 

and finally getting to do it for real 

Beware of old men in raincoats carrying poles!

and nine months later all the fiddling and faffing and numbers and analysing and calculating paid off and the land was excavated using Hoffmann & Son calculations. With a structural and mechanical engineering background between them they were, more or less, confident they could get it right 

- fortunately they did!

The early part of this blog contains nothing but the house building, and should you wish to look back  there are masses of photos showing the ups and downs and highs and lows of which there were many! The highs today though are

the finished blinds, painstakingly cut to size and slats removed by the husband and wife team who never argue or get cross with one another (if you believe that you'll believe anything!) 

and the cupboard under the stairs (no, of course I'm not opening the door, I need to tidy it up first!) Niels put up the cladding and the chief painter and decorator  painted it.