There are a few big jobs on our list still, but there are a lot of smaller finishing jobs. Despite being small, however, they usually require taking everything apart to get to them, adding a significant amount of hassle.

Chris has been keen to treat the kitchen island. While the actual treatment doesn’t take too long, we then can’t use the surface for around a week as it dries. Finally dry, he attached the side properly and sealed the sides.

Alongside the worktops, Chris shaped and treated a top for one of our cupboards from a leftover piece of worktop.

Sanding and treating the study desk was simplier, as we used a more basic varnish. Chris then sealed the edges.

Under the breakfast bar, Chris fixed the final few boards in place and added a trim along the bottom. He then gave it two coats of primer and sealed the edges. Once dry we’ll use the paint we had mixed to match the kitchen cabinets.

Chris ordered a blind for the study to keep the sun out of his eyes. It was a struggle to get in, with the wonky walls making it a tight fit. He then filled along the edges.

Having spent time cleaning the expandy foam marks off the PVC windows, I had to tackle the wooden windows. The foam stripper didn’t work well on the wood, just taking off the paint. Eventually, by trial and error, I worked out a light sand followed by two coats of paint did the job. It was a fiddly and slow job, buy good to get done.

In the bedroom I drilled and chiseled out a section of the frame to put in the catch for the lock. Unfortunately, it turned out where Chris had put the lock meant the catch couldn’t be properly attached. So I moved the lock down and refilled the areas I’d previously cut out.

To get ready to install our cork flooring, we needed to clip off the old lumps of plaster, and fill in and holes in the floor leveller. To avoid clearing the room, I shifted furniture to one side and then the other, scrapping and filling. Luckily most of the floor was in fairly good condition, with only a few bad areas. Idris helpfully left his pawprint in some of my concrete filler, which luckily sanded out.

In the utility Chris emptied the room so he could clean the floor and treat it with stone sealant. A quick job, but one we’d been putting off.

We aren’t planning to do the shower room any time soon, so it would be nice to be able to close the door on it. We have a door ready to go, so I pulled it out and cleaned it up, before offering it up to see if it fit. It only needs a few millimeter off to fit, so that will be another small job for another day.

A lovely view from the hills close to our house.