Friday, 27 March 2009

Well, it's come at last. The final day. They've packed up and left us. But not before finishing off a few things this morning including fixing the door handles on three of the doors hung yesterday, some plumbing and some last minute jobs. They packed up their equipment and belongings and after hugs and kisses (no, Paul didn't get any!) we waved them off.

Seventeen weeks' work to remedy numerous DIY disasters made by the previous owner, not least of which was the Mickey Mouse loft conversion which would surely have brought the house down eventually, and to transform an unappealing house into a bright, modern and contemporary home.

When we first considered buying Westbroke we did wonder whether we ought to take on a property that needed such major works. It would have been easier to buy something that just required decorating to our taste but there was nothing else available in the vicinity as so few properties come up for sale near the harbour.

So, ever up for a challenge, we went ahead and we could visualise how we wanted it to look, but suggestions and advice from Mark and the boys have taken this renovation beyond anything we could imagine and given this little house the WOW factor. Thanks guys. We've loved having you around, we've had lots of laughs and we wont forget your kindness. We'll miss you and we're sure you'll also be missed at The Barmouth! But in the nicest possible way - bugger off guys, your families want you back!

These are the first of our before and after pictures, showing what a difference the new dormer, kitchen and sun lounge roof and paint job has made:

















The garden will eventually get a makeover, we're not too keen on the Battenburg cake effect of the slabs, so for the moment we haven't had the pillars and dwarf wall of the patio painted.

And here are our boys in all their glory:

Mike: The Daddy, supplier of yummy grub, keeps them in line, they are totally lost without him. Oh, and he's a whizz with a quiz and not a bad plasterer either!

Mark: The Boss, Captain Cute himself, couldn't you just eat him! Never a day went by when he didn't talk to his boys back home, and "my Sarah", giving them an update on progress. Both he and Mike were very honest with ideas, opinions and suggestions they thought would work better than some of our original ideas and we're very grateful they did.

Al: The quiet one of the group, not only a grafter but very decorative too - just look at that lovely baby face.

Sid: Hunky Sid, our very own Vinnie Jones, very camera shy (we've never seen anyone move so quickly when a camera appears) but we did manage to get a nice photo to pass on to his Mum. Pretty handy with a broom and appears to be able to read minds, particularly when working with Mark!

Fred: Ah, what can we say about Fred? I did offer to adopt him but his family might miss him! What a star. He took on the job of painting that grotty rendering and not once did he complain. And he always had the biggest smile on his face.


So off they go, on to their next job. But they've not quite finished yet. There are still a couple of small jobs left and someone will be back fairly soon to finish them off, they need some dry weather to re-felt the store room roof. Also, their fame spread whilst they were here and it looks like they'll be back in town in the not too distant future for another loft job. The welcome mat will be out guys, you know that, so call for a cuppa any time! If there's no answer come round to the front (back) as we'll probably be sitting in the garden admiring the freshly painted walls and the lovely new dormer!