We're turning a corner!

What a week! Just when it seemed as if the build was never going to end we entered into that magical stage in a refurbishment of this scale where it all starts to come together. After weeks of deconstruction where now start to see reconstruction & the builders are suddenly working with more hyperactivity than a 5 year old on Christmas Day morning.

The plastering has started at such as place that you get the sense that if you stand still long enough you’ll get skimmed! The sparkies has actually started final fixing in the kitchen, where the white rock walls are up & the extract ducting is in place. The kitchen could be made ready in less than a week if need be but the rest of the build wouldn’t, plus we do have the major snag, & concern, about when our water & gas supplies will be upgraded. The gas in particular is always a fun process & requires a degree in patience & good humour if you’re going to get through the 10 point process.

All the new windows are in & the elm/pine floor is down. Most excitingly the bar is now being constructed using the Allied Irish mahogany bank counter we purchased a few months back & the lengths of panelling seem to fit so perfectly it’s as if it had been purposely made for the space.

All the progress suddenly alerts us to the fact we are going to open in June (probably) & suddenly the many tasks you can put off until just before opening need tackling, & there is the major issue of not having a head chef yet.

To boot the method for getting money from the bank is fantastically complicated – instead of just giving us the loan we’ve agreed with them we have to draw it down as jobs get ticked off. There also the issue of probably not having enough money so the pub will need to open first with the rooms being finished off a couple of months later. This should give us the opportunity to get some cash into the business to help towards getting the project finished. And just to compound matters our VAT quarter, when we can claim a sizable amount of VAT back doesn’t fall very favourable.

It’s squeaky bum time that’s for sure!