Getting even more plastered

I've brought you some tales of woe regarding tradespeople in the past, especially recently, so it gives me great pleasure to give an unconditional and heartfelt thumbs up to our new plasterer, together with grateful thanks to Bon for the recommendation.

Wayne called several times before actually starting the job, to check we were ready and get an idea how much of the original plaster had come off. He arrived at the time he said he would arrive. He listened to the story of the leaking central heating pipes, picked up my wrenches and tightened the joints, then waited while I repressurised to check the leak had stopped. He and his mate Pete treated our home with respect, putting down dust sheets and mixing the plaster outside to reduce dust and mess. Some people see wooden painted stairs and bare floorboards and seem to assume the house is a building site and they don't need to take care. Not these guys.

They arrived shortly after 7.30am and worked virtually non-stop until 4.30, by which time they'd completed the ceiling and most of the walls of my side (leaving only the chimney breast and the small alcove to the left) and one wall of Nikki's side, as well as having prepped both halves of the room completely and applied bonding to the skirting board areas where there had been considerable fallout.

While they were here, we went about our business, dropping Paul at the airport at 10.30, completing a swift grocery shop for the long weekend with the girls and unloading that. I picked my girls up at the appointed time and returned to a job almost complete, bar a little polishing. Their parting words for the day were a promise to return at the same time tomorrow...