The Next Two Weeks...

So with our new focus on getting the heat working, that will be the goal of my next two weeks here in London.

It turns out that it's not just a question of getting the plumber here to finish his work - there are a ton of things to do before all the different parts of the system can become operational (déjà vu...). Each of those parts requires work that goes beyond the plumber - and so falls to yours truly.

One of the key issues will be to have the new radiators installed on the walls. The not so obvious problem here is that we don't have walls...yet. Well, not the final, finished ones, anyway. To get those up means hanging new plasterboard on the grotty old perimeter walls, plastering and painting - because once those radiators are connected to the plumbing we won't be able to get behind them ever again.

Initially, I had no inkling of how much would have to be done to get the heat working, but here's a quick list:

• Rewire the entire flat with new electrical wiring and a breaker box - needed to power the boiler (and everything else)
• Install the last section of the boiler's flue pipe (that vents to the outside)
• Level the floor where the old kitchen used to be (one of the radiators goes there)
• Order plasterboard, plaster, fasteners, etc. Then carry everything upstairs  :-(
• Dry-line portions of the old walls with new plasterboard (a lot more work than it sounds!)
• Spackle the joints of the plasterboard (for now, only behind where the radiators go)
• Paint the plasterboard (also only behind where the radiators will go)
• Finalize the heat calculations and sizing of the radiators - then order the radiators along with the valves and pipes
• Hang the radiators onto the walls
• Connect the radiators to the pipes along with the thermostatic valves
• Fill and balance the system
• Turn the boiler on!

Flying Steel

With the concrete ring beam completed, we're now ready to install the steel ring beam. There's a lot of debate among the guys that this steel ring beam is overkill. It seems that on any construction site--either in NYC or here in London--the workers love to complain about the engineers over-designing everything. I partially agree with them, but as this will become our home, of course I think that it's better for it to be slightly over-engineered than not.

So the structural design calls for the concrete beam (which stiffens and consolidates the top of the brick wall), and then bolted to that is the steel ring beam, which provides additional lateral stiffening to prevent the roof from kicking out the walls. The way the building was originally built, the wooden ceiling joists did this job--but we have now removed all of them! These pieces of steel are much larger and heavier than the 3 sections of our beam. These are "c" shapes known as channels and because they are cut to 4 meter (12ft) and 3 meter (9ft) lengths they are extremely heavy.

I flew in last night, and first thing this morning went to meet one of our Polish structural crew to go rent an electric hoist. Our plan is to attach that to the top of the scaffold and then hoist it up the outside of the building and then into the flat.

The steel delivery

Takes three guys to lift one piece

Tying the 1st beam to the rope and hoist

Here goes the 1st one...

Up and away!

When the steel is properly balanced it only takes one guy to guide it

We staged a guy on each level of the scaffold to guide the pieces as they go up.

Jimmy is in front of the window

One of the smaller 3 meter pieces through the window.