UPDATE ON STUDIO 104 RENOVATION: WHERE HAVE I BEEN????

I've been right here, at Studio 104.... on site, everyday!!
The relief of being granted an Amendment to my permit that meant I could dismantle the interior wooden/glass display units, quickly passed.

Why because a whole new set of hurdles was thrown at me.....
The plan was simple. Establish a price with the builder for the extra work of laying a 4" concrete floor. This had been recommended by my delivery man Charlie (loads of experience in delivering large, heavy pieces of machinery) and my Architect.

NO Problem!
The price, I thought was fair but defiantly not cheep and included excavating the floors to accommodate the new, 4" concrete sub-floor.

However..
For each inch of soil that came out of the ground, over a dozen bags of material were filled. This ground was so tightly packed that loosening it created mountains of soil and rubble.
Heavy rubble which then needed to be disposed of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Therefore

That's where I have been.... keeping the work moving forward. Trying to encourage the builder not to leave. Handing over more 'bonuses...or tips' too the builder to keep him sweet and finally....

Excavation of soil to accommodate 4" of reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete running through the centre of the entire space.

Seeing the reinforced concrete sub-floor going down. I made many compromises, including agreeing that only the centre of the space needed to be excavated(keeping the agreed price the same) and that the sides could be simple covered with levelled concrete after the centre had been laid. This saved more excavation, labour and time.

A Dumpy level was brought in to establish levels for tiles.

I eventually brought in a draughtsman, who marked the levels for tiling. Normally one would start tiling at the front of the Studio, using the original marble step as the guide. My tiler had to start at the back , laying the 'bed' for my heavy equipment that had to come in on the concrete and be Jacked into place on it's bed or plinth of Grez Tiles (l tiles laid with a full coverage of mortar and glue (v expensive glue!!) supervised by myself (I was not taking any chances) .

The tiler was obviously not confident with his levels and literally spent a couple of days 'fiddling' with his Plum Line(if you know what I mean)... He was about to lay the tiles 1.5 inches higher than they should have been to reach the level of the marble step at the front of the Studio.

When when I managed to bring in Lorin the leveller. We went to the studio at about 7.30pm in the biggest tropical storm...me holding the measure/rod and assisting in the job!!! And the rain in Malta means the roads are almost impassible!!! Oh Thank You Lorin... you really are an Angel.

Back section is tiled first to house Studio Equipment

So the back section was finally tiled and grouted. A Pity that B&G who sold me the grout and a 'special' water resistant additive (which is used instead of water to mix up the grout), that would protect the grout from discolouring and

make it water resistant  did not tell me that this additive would slow the drying time of the grout.  What the problem with that???????

For two and a half weeks I thought the Medium Grey or Silver Grout that I bought was BLACK... I was mortified, I couldn't believe that, I thought, the additive had 'enhanced' the colour!!!

Then one sunny but windy day this week I arrived at the Studio and my grouting is Medium Grey!!!!

Oh boy I had actually thought of asking the tiler to take up the tiles with a Jack Hammer and start again, realised he would 'Jack-Hammer me" and spent two and a half weeks 'designing' new floor laying patterns which allowed me to change the colour of the grouting AND to Balance Off the Black grouting at the back....oh boy!

The Shop Front is dismantled with the help of a Senior MEPA Official! 

So finally....... A new less aggressive carpenter has been found, Raymond. He actually speaks good English and TEXT in English which is great.

He has taken the original shopfront down. This is now in his workshop. He will restore the Right Hand Side where possible and will Replicate the left hand side and middle signage sections.

Raymond has agreed to a Deadline of 27 March 2013 for the return of completed shop front?????? Watch this space for news on that! I actually believe him????

STUDIO 104- Open to the Elements!

So the Studio is in transition. Thing have moved but I am not 'out of the woods yet.'

More floor tiling in the Studio and the toilet, Gypsum boards throughout, Soffit ceiling, spiral staircase and interior glass doors....which might I add need to have handles of 2 metres long on them,, by instruction of Heritage,,,,,,,,, which DON'T actually exist (in Malta anyway) so I have to have them custom made before the door can be 100 percent ordered as the glass is cut in the UK and the fixings for holes have to be 100 percent accurate.

Ha

Challenges of Renovating in the Mediterranean!! What delightful Funnnnnnnnnn... NOT.

I will be back.