Week 13, day 1: All change with the electrician!

Despite the plan for the weekend being for the electrician to come in and first fix all the electrics, like all the best laid plans, it didn't quite work out. We got a phone call mid-afternoon on Saturday from the builder, to say there was "an issue". He asked if I was sitting down, and then started the story by saying that the electrician had called him when he was waiting at our house, to say he was running a bit late. So the builder left the front door key hidden outside the front of the house for him. Now I am thinking that the "issue" is that someone found the key, entered the house and cleaned us out. When the builder continued, he said that the electrician arrived, and started to work but called him at about half past ten to say he had under-quoted and he couldn't do the job for the price, and actually didn't want the job at all. He had quoted for the work before the electric requirements had all been drawn on the plans, so we were expecting to pay a little bit more, but none of us were expecting this. After an exchange of choice words, the electrician left the job for good. The builder then had to spend the weaken trying to find another electrician at short notice. A couple were found, and viewed the property with him on Sunday to give quotes. Of the three quotes obtained, one stood out as being the most competitive, and this electrician said he could change a couple of jobs around and start for us on Monday. This would therefore only put us back 2 days, and this electrician had a much better idea of what we actually wanted, since he could use the beautifully laminated plans to quote.

Monday morning: The electrician turned up! He started working straight away, with the builder and apprentice starting to lay the shower floors and erect the recessed shelving in the shower in the main bathroom. At lunchtime however, when we were on our way home, we received a message to say that the builder had been called away on a family emergency, and so no further work was done that day. The electrician stayed however, and was at home when we arrived mid afternoon. He had made excellent progress, and there were several new wires in ceilings and walls. The majority should be finished tomorrow, apparently.