Any movement beats inertia
Any movement beats inertia…but sometimes the movement is so slight that it is difficult to discern, easy to overlook. I haven’t posted an update for a bit because it hasn’t felt like there’s been an update to offer. But a few people have asked about progress, so here we go.
In short, I continue to be amazed by how s l o w l y this project progresses. Though, that said, it is more or less on track with the notional schedule that the architect prepared back in April. I remember at the time not really believing it would be 9 months before work would actually get started. The things you learn along the way!
So, what has happened in the past month?
Planning permission for the new shopfront has been submitted and the official notice has been posted. Though only after finding out that I needed to commission a Heritage Statement from a Heritage Consultant (i.e. another expense and another delay, though the report was interesting). We likely won’t get a decision until near the end of January. So, more waiting on that front.
The handleless emergency exit door has been replaced. No longer needing pliers to get out the back feels like progress of a sort.
Building work has gone out to tender and bids are due at the end of the week. So that’s exciting, and a bit scary as it will be the first real indication of what refurbishment will cost. The bids should also provide a more specific timeline for completion. Fingers crossed.
The biggest frustration has been trying to get the water turned back on. It was so easy to get it turned off back in March, but getting it turned back on again has turned into quite the headache. I started trying to work out how to get the water turned on back in October. You would think it would just be a matter of calling the water company. But water provision has been deregulated, essentially creating a confusing morass of middlemen. The utilities broker says that I need to get the water company to turn the water on before we can approach one of these middlemen about a new contract, while the water company says that the building needs to be registered with one of the middlemen first and then that company will organize turning the water back on. I think my head is going to explode! Not to mention that the water needs to be on before building works can begin. So in a way it is just as well that the construction side of things is taking a bit longer to get going. Sigh.
My goal is to post once more before the end of the year…hoping something will happen that will give us a bit of a springboard into 2025!
