What a relief!!!
OK, about a month later than planned, but at last, things are finally kicking off. G.C. showed up late last week, and I had been stopping by the flat after work in anticipation of seeing some progress... I would phone André from inside and say "Well, I don't think anything has been done yet..." Little did I know that once demo actually started, there could be no doubt whatsoever, since it looked like the flat had been the site of a medium-sized explosion!
Now that things are finally moving forward, I've gone ahead and given notice on the current rental flat. So our moving date early December. Thank God, that means just another month of paying both rent and mortgage... because to continue to do that is definitely not a viable proposition.