Tuesday 10th December was the rescheduled Day of the Windows. I was relieved when once again the designated window fitting day was calm and dry, given that the larger of the failed windows takes up the entire end of the upstairs sitting room. I knew they were still on target to come when I got home from work yesterday afternoon and found a pile of scaffolding by the chicken house. It was the same type as ours, and I wondered briefly why the Systems Administrator had moved all the scaffolding, before clocking that it was hired in. It seemed rather a waste to be hiring scaffolding when we already had some exactly the same on the premises, but I suppose Everest would not feel secure using strange kit they just picked up on the job, and their insurance presumably wouldn't cover them.
The window fitters were due from eight onwards, so I made sure I was up and about by then. At nine the phone rang. They had found their way as far as the lettuce farm, which was good going (and better than today's aborted DPD parcel delivery) and only needed instructions for the last bit. They were the advance guard, there to help lift the monster unit, so they sat in their van waiting for the other team to arrive, who had the actual windows. Just to complicate their day, their van had a slow puncture.
At about ten the phone rang, and it was the second team calling to say they'd had problems with their van as well, but were now on their way. I asked what we should do about the first van, and they said they'd ring them. The team in the first van said they might as well get their tyre fixed while they were waiting, availed themselves of the System Administrator's compressor to temporarily reinflate it, and disappeared.
Eventually the second van turned up and the first van came back, so we were up to full strength of four fitters. They moved some more furniture out of the way, spread dust sheets on the floor, and set about removing the old window from the sitting room. Then nothing much seemed to happen for quite a while, and we gathered that they could not get it out. The sitting room began to smell strongly of aftershave and frustration.
I am a coward about building works. I don't mind the builders personally, I just didn't like the banging, or the tense air of unresolved difficulties, so went out for the afternoon, leaving the Systems Administrator to deal with it. I nagged the SA into being lead manager on this one in the first place (I lead on vets and tree surgeons), partly because the SA is good at grappling with technical difficulties, and understands the social niceties of when to offer tea better than I do. I got home two hours later to find a great deal of male bonding and Right Said Fred sitting down moments over cups of tea had gone on, as it had really been very difficult, first of all to get the old window out of the wall, and then to get the unit out of the building, because it was so heavy they were afraid to carry it down the stairs in case they slipped and broke something. Eventually they had to resort to throwing it through the hole in the end of the house, but they managed to avoid the SA's satellite dish and my fig tree, so that was fine. I'm glad I wasn't there, though.
After that there was an enormous amount of very heavyweight drilling. We kept well out of the way in the study at the opposite end of the house, but could feel it vibrating through the walls. The SA went to see how they were getting on, and discovered they were struggling to attach the window to the house, the walls being soft as butter in some places, and about as yielding as granite in others. That has been the SA's general experience when trying to put up any kind of hook or shelf over the years.
By quarter to four it was obvious they were not going to have time to do the kitchen window as well, but happily they too had worked this one out, and already booked another slot for tomorrow morning. By nightfall the big window was securely in place, though still lacking some trim, and we could not admire the effect of the new, un-fogged unit, because it was dark, and the glass still had its layer of protective film on it. It is a monster window, though, with an integral steel frame to stop it flexing in the wind, and a lifetime guarantee underwritten by the industry. I'm sure it will be very nice when it's finished.
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