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Our Dutch house has a new foundation, and we decide to spend the summer months in Holland for some serious home improvement.
We knew that, upon arrival, we had to refill the central heating system with water, but discovered that the water pipe had been
severed, one part hanging down the ceiling, the other part buried under 40cm of concrete. No water, no toilet to flush, no heating!
Just lucky we took the early flight from
Eilat, so Henk could start fixing it right away. It took till 20:30 until cold water was restored to some of the taps!
The next morning, the water pump of the heating system was found to be stuck, so a service man had to come for that, and two days
later the improvised connection to the leaden water pipe burst, so we needed a plumber anyway.
Upstairs, several walls were cracked and doors got stuck because the floor had visibly sagged almost a centimeter. The building
constructor did not find it necessary to support the floor when taking down the walls on the ground floor, causing lots of preventable
damage. Henk rents a couple of stamps (adjustable steel supports) and takes down part of the ceiling to put the stamps directly
under the floor beams.
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A thick layer of dust covers the living room and kitchen. Sonja tapes a large sheet of plastic to cover the open staircase, while Henk
puts the door back. That is not as easy as it sounds, since the wall to which the door was attached has sagged at an angle into the
concrete floor :-(. Amitsa looks in astonishment at the activities.
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The temporary door in the hallway was creatively constructed so that no holes were drilled in the walls. It is supported with several
planks and beams, but disintegrates the first day of use.
But here is..........
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BOB THE BUILDER TO THE RESCUE!!!!
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He smashes the door, and all the ceilings at the ground floor: three layers on top of each other: tiles, wood, board, reed and plaster.
The pile of rubble is gigantic: a thick layer of almost 20 cm high all over the floor, and lots and lots of dust.
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To hire a skip is very expensive, so we hire a big trailer and bring the rubble away ourselves. Four fully loaded trailers that day.
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Bob is in demolition mode, and takes down the chimney with his new Makita hammer drill. Next to go are the wall coverings. It takes Henk a
full week to completely clean the ground floor. The plastic on the staircase does not keep all the dust out, and the entire house gets
another layer of dust, even worse than after the foundation works. And Sonja had just finished cleaning the entire house ;-(.
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The name is Bob, James Bob.
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A few surprises emerge when removing the covering of the walls: the wall is supported by just four minute pieces of brick, and
in one of those is a big hole: no support at all. The cement is bad, and the wall is cracked. |
Now that we have rented a scaffold, we also remove the old sunshade, that was once white, but is now almost black of dirt and age.
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A truck with forklift brings the new wall. A carpenter had some time available to quickly build a new wall on the new concrete floor,
to support the first floor beams.
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They even start three days earlier than expected, while we were still busy removing the rubble. The two big gloves with Sonja inside
help to load and unload the trailer.
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A crew of carpenters, 3 Dutch of 4 Polish, work throughout the weekend. Communication is in faltering German, pidgin English and sign
language, but since they are all highly skilled, they know exactly what to do. |
In no-time the wooden frame for the new wall is erected.
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Meanwhile, some home improvement upstairs is under way: the toilet is replaced by an extra high model. Amitsa takes the first plunge....
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In the living room things are also on the move: when Henk's new study in the attic is ready, his messy laboratory will move upstairs.
All office and administration work will move to Sonja's desk in the living room. To make space for that, the desk is expanded two fold,
and six extra book shelves are made. Henk's piano, standing idle for many many years, also has to go. After trying to sell it for
three years, Henk wields his hammer (barbaric huh?). Perhaps this was the best, for it was infested with wood worm.
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Sonja paints the study, it gets new floor covering, and several tubes are made to the ground floor for electricity, communication and
pressurized air. A brand new heating system is installed, and a small air conditioning in the study, for it is oriented to the south, and
on hot summer days the room gets terribly hot.
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Working conditions are not bad here, not to mention the catering..... real 'Yarden' bubbly from Israel.
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Downstairs the work also continues: a thick layer of 10 centimeter styrofoam is placed on the floor, and on top of this the
final floor of another 10cm of cement will be poured.
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All pipes for gas, hot and cold water and the central heating system have been prepared on the floor, and are now covered with foam.
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Amitsa watches with great interest when a big lorry arrives to bring the cement and reinforcement steel.
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Another big truck dumps 9 cubic meters of sand.
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The concrete mixer runs all day, and wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow filled with cement is brought inside.
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The cement is poured directly on top of the foam that Henk put down yesterday.
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Berry spreads the cement on the floor to the sound of his laser-level, while Peter keeps the mixer running.
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The result: a perfectly horizontal and flat floor.
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Four summer months in Holland, and weather was so awful that we could sit outside only 3 evenings. We took out the BBQ from Arad
and Hepi charcoal spiced with rocket fuel. The meat from the supermarket tasted not really good, and when the bacon was put on the
grill Henk disappeared from view. Big clouds blotted out the sun. We should have anticipated that.... pork on an Israeli BBQ ......
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Time for R&R: Mario and Anja come to visit us in Dordrecht, with Kevin and little Rowin who was born prematurely during their holiday on
Tenerife. Three months early meant they had to stay on the island for two months until Rowin could be flown to Holland on a special
medical flight. Now he is a happy and healthy baby.
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Henk gets going with 450 meter of wooden beams and gypsum board. He made the walls and ceilings in the kitchen and store room, and
now starts to renovate the main room. First a wooden frame is erected, insulated with stone wool, and clad with gypsum boards. This gives
very good insulation, both for warmth and for the toilet sounds of our next door neighbor.
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Replacing the electrical installation is also DIY. Nine electricity groups, and tubes for telephone, TV and fire alarms.
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And another gypsum board hits the ceiling.
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All boards and beams are screwed with a grand total of over 5000 (!) screws.
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Another first: tiling!
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The tiles and the toilet work out just fine for such an amateur.
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Almost ready. We move two more trailers of debris, the last of 12! The rain is pouring down, creating havoc with Sonja's hair. Three more
days of vacuuming and cleaning make the ground floor ready for our neighbor to move in with his physiotherapy practice when foundation
repairs start at his place.
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The result for now: nice walls, nice ceiling, a working toilet. The rest will be done this winter. For now its off to Eilat.
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