Weeks have passed since I put the extension on hold. It started back in October last year and what a tumultuous journey it has been. It’s still not complete.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as smoothly as I had imagined. Even after I pointed out some obvious flaws in the building very early on, the builder kept on going. I was told I didn’t know what I’m talking about. Seriously? It doesn’t take an expert to see that a wall is out of plumb. Nor does it take an expert to see that the gutters don’t line up! I spoke up but was ignored. I don’t understand how he could think this was OK. He said nothing until I addressed the issue and asked him to stop. We are not talking just 10 or 20 millimeters, according to the building report the walls are out of alignment by 80mm!

And so the story continues. I have spent more than 10 weeks living in limbo. I had no idea what to do in the beginning. I hate asking people for help but in this case I had to. I was so upset. This was an awful situation I found myself in and it seemed in the beginning that finding the right help was impossible. Everybody knew somebody, but that person was either too busy or away or retired or simply just not available. I was on my own with this. I hated that fact but it was true. To start with, all I needed was a professional building report. I asked around and found some names, I talked to a lot of people, including engineers, my building certifier, friends, and then finally I was given the name of a great building inspector who does building reports on defective work. He immediately came to take a look. The same day actually! During this time I had also contacted the Department of Fair Trading. I stated my case and explained the urgency of the situation. I was at home alone, exposed to the elements, with my house being open to the weather, all species of creepy crawlies, flying bugs and insects and potential intruders of the two legged kind.

Problem solving can take a lot of time and energy. The weeks went by so quickly and nothing much was happening. I was alone and at times a bit scared. I’ve never felt like that before. Not scared for my life or anything (I actually know what that feels like), just scared of being alone in an open house and scared about what I needed to do. “I’m usually not afraid of anything”, says the fiercely independent, strong female. I was uncertain, vulnerable and way out of my comfort zone.

The building report was far more damning than I anticipated. Could things get any worse? Chris from The Department of Fair Trading came to see the work and immediately agreed with the building report. I had several builders come to look and all agreed (and swore with disbelief!). It took a long time for me to make the decision to sack the builder and tell him that I did not feel that he was capable of rectifying the problems satisfactorily. It is not as easy as you may think to get out of a contract. He was never an easy man to get along with and had acted unprofessionally towards me in the past by being a bully. I knew the only way to do this now was to appoint a lawyer to end the contract on my behalf. At least this way I will be properly prepared in the future if need be.

I have learnt so much about everything.

So, in order to rectify the problem, the extension had to be pulled down! Can you believe it? At least I know that it’s not going to be a patched up job and when finished it will be as it should be. I found a builder offering to help and I know 100% that he is doing a great job.

With the house being open during this time Muffin quickly grew into the habit of hunting all night and sleeping all day. After a few weeks of this I’d had enough! Most nights she would eventually come back inside – bearing gifts for me. In the beginning they were all dead but as she became more efficient she would bring them inside and play with them while they were alive for hours on end. It was horrid. I managed to save one little baby mouse, however I knew once night fell, all would become fair game once more. With the building and renovation also happening on either side of my property, the piles of rubbish and long grass housed a menagerie of playful creatures to entice Muffin. She has been in heaven in the biggest cat playground you can imagine! The same thing happened night after night. This was my very own groundhog day. I didn’t put up with this for long and locked her up in bedroom during the night. She cried and knocked on the door all night trying to escape, jumping on me to wake me up. Her angry defiance along with all the cockroaches, bugs, flies and mosquitoes buzzing around my head have kept me from having a good night’s sleep for weeks. I’m tired and frustrated and need this to be over.

My dear friend Ele always reminds me in challenging times to look for the silver lining. I have found one. I have been sitting in the extension over the past 10 weeks or so, staring at the walls, or rather the plastic sheeting, while my eyes and brain have been seeking out the creative! I have come up with an idea that has given me something to get excited about again. I can’t wait until this idea becomes a reality. You will see it in one of my following posts for sure!

I know that my house will be amazing eventually and the tears and worry will be worth it in the end. Thank you to Frank and Chris for your understanding and kindness and putting me in touch with Jim, to builder Dan for pointing me in the right direction with Steve (Sherlock), to Chris and the Department of Fair Trading, and the new team of builders who have taken on the challenge, and to my supportive friends – you know who you are x

Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end….