Following on from my post of a couple of weeks ago, I finally got the go-ahead from the missus to engage Big Steve (who I've known for many years) and his pal Ed to come and do the back door brick-up and inside make good job, and it looks like the estimates from the good folk on here were all just about on the money - figuratively and literally.
They turned up at 8 am yesterday, and while Steve got going on taking the frame out, Ed got busy Kangoling bricks out for the toothing in. That actually took quite a long time up until almost lunchtime in fact, but not a trace of damage to any other bricks. In the meantime, Steve took a couple of boards out of the floor inside so he could start the blockwork from the concrete under the floor. By the close of play, the blockwork inside was complete, and a piece of plasterboard was dotted and dabbed on. The outside brickwork was 5 courses from the top. Back at
8 am today, Ed carried on with the brickwork while Steve got on with an extra little job that involved Drilling a 1" hole from the airing cupboard into a piece of pitched roof where there is no access to the void, and then lifting a couple of tiles to get in and feeding a piece of 1" flexible trunking into the drilled hole at the top, and through the ceiling below. By the time that was all finished, Ed had just about finished the brickwork outside, so he came in to do the plaster skim. Steve stayed outside and Kangoled the old step off the path and cleared all up.
By 1 pm all finished, and I have to say a really superb job outside and in. The bricks are a really good match and it's hard to see at a quick glance even now where the job was done. When they've weathered down a bit, I think they will be barely visible.
So total time - about three man days exactly as everyone predicted, and total cost £785 so well done all with your predictions !
Arfa