Christmas at Bay Tree Cottage

I’d been mulling it over all afternoon and ended up thinking that I had made a big mistake. Two, in fact. First of all Elana might think I fancy her, or something, hence the inappropriate suggestion. Secondly, either Maya, or Elana, could have had a meltdown if I was the first male to sit down at the table with them since their loss. Did I need to worry? Not at all.

In fact, Maya has only just gone upstairs, after some coaxing from Elana, to get ready for bed. She’s going to have some iPad time instead of reading, which I gather is a treat, while we make a start down here.

I’m waiting for Elana to come back down, as I don’t want to go poking around on my own.

It’s a credit to her that although it is a work in progress there’s still a very comfortable feel to this cottage. She’s tried to soften the ugliness by painting it white throughout and the colourful rugs add a fun element. With only the side lights on, the unevenness of the walls and the fact that the windows badly need replacing isn’t quite so obvious. You don’t even notice the bare patches of concrete in between the splashes of colour. She’s a homemaker, that’s for sure. A twinge in my chest reminds me that I didn’t choose a homemaker to settle down with. Anita feels that things should be done for her, that life owes her something. I tried to explain that the deposit on the apartment took everything I had and after that we could only buy things as we could afford them. I worked a lot of overtime to get the basics, but my absence seemed to annoy her even more. And then, of course, she was disappointed that we could only afford to buy the more reasonably priced stuff. Every penny had to stretch as far as we could make it.

I guess Elana is in much the same position, although her situation is entirely different. Elana asked how soon she could get the chimney swept and start using the fire again. When I told her it takes about twenty-eight days for the mortar to cure, both of their faces fell. I’m not sure what that was about, but it didn’t go down well. It’s not as if it’s needed for extra heat, so I guess there’s a bit more to it.

‘Right, sorry about that,’ Elana traipses down the stairs, stopping on the last step to put her dusty slipper socks back on.

‘Those will be a thing of the past, soon,’ I comment and she looks up, smirking.

‘If only!’

‘Two very powerful words, there. I spend most of my days thinking the same thing.’

Damn it! Why did I say that? I’ve been sitting here letting everything get to me again and this isn’t the time, or the place.

Elana flicks the switch on the kettle. ‘Time for coffee, I think. I know what it’s like, Luke. Don’t feel awkward.’

Our eyes meet and I nod, because we both understand it’s all about acceptance.

‘Right, I’ll grab my clipboard.’

As I walk off into the dining/study area to grab my back pack, Elana explains her dilemma.

‘I know I can only afford to get a few things done, but as I’m not sure when I’ll get another influx of spare cash, it’s going to be tough deciding what can, or should, wait. I have to make the decision with my head and not my heart, if you know what I mean.’

‘Do you have the original survey report handy, by any chance?’

‘I’ll dig it out. Here you go: coffee is on the side table.’

As Elana disappears back upstairs, I move out into the sitting room with clipboard and pencil in hand. On closer inspection most of the walls aren’t in a poor condition, exactly, they’re just not totally smooth as in a new property. All of the wood seems to be sound, although there’s a little woodworm in one of the overhead beams, but none of it is active. There doesn’t appear to be any damp, but the window frames are rotten and they all need replacing. The fireplace isn’t original and is in good condition. As I walk around I continue making notes.

By the time I walk back through into the open-plan area, Elana is sitting at the table with the report.

‘Great, let’s have a look.’

I take the seat next to her and we both lean over the document, scanning the pages for anything that jumps out.

‘Ah, the woodworm.’ I point to the paragraph and Elana nods.

‘Yes, we had the wood treated before we moved in, just in case anything was still live.’

‘Good, even if it’s old stuff it’s always best in a property of this age.’

By the end of the document, I only have two concerns.

‘There are some blown areas of plaster under the stairs. I noticed it when I turned the outside tap valve on and it’s mentioned in here. It also talks about similar areas across that back wall. Let’s take a closer look.’

I drain my coffee mug and then grab the clipboard, heading off to take a look at the under- stairs cupboard.

Crouching down with the door open, there’s no smell of damp. I turn on my small pocket light and train it on the back wall.

‘Elana, if you look over there you can see that there’s no visible signs of mould, or anything that indicates water ingress. This hollow plaster will need to be hacked away, I’m afraid. But let’s check further along the wall.’ I stand up and walk her over to the bottom of the staircase.

‘If we pull out this unit I think you’ll find similar problems along the entire run. I had a look at the ground levels outside this morning and I’d say that in the past the level outside has been lowered to cure a persistent damp problem. The exterior wall was then treated, but over time the moisture left in the wall has affected the bonding of the plaster in a few places.’

Sure enough, as I ease the cabinet forward and begin tapping the wall, I demonstrate the difference in sound between plaster that is firmly attached, and the hollow sound where the moisture has forced the plaster away from it.

Elana gives me a grimace.

‘I had no idea there was even a problem. Is it difficult to fix?’

‘Don’t panic. This is minor stuff and there are people who will ignore the problem until it spreads, cracks, and eventually a chunk of plaster falls off. It’s a messy job hacking off the blown areas, but once it’s been patched you’d have a sound surface to re-paint.’

The worry line on her forehead deepens.

We move on into the kitchen, which is the easiest room. The newly fitted units are fine. The areas that need tiling above the work tops are sound and the ceilings throughout have been replaced. It then takes about twenty minutes to measure up the downstairs to get the square meterage for the flooring. And then we’re done.

‘The good news is that there are no really nasty surprises here. And the survey report confirms that. Shall we take a seat and start making that list so you can prioritise the work?’

***

An hour and a half later Elana seems relieved that although she’s only going to get a few things done within her five thousand pound budget, she has a good grasp of the outstanding jobs.

‘Thank you for explaining things in detail, Luke. It really helps. I didn’t know where to start, if I’m being honest.’

‘Hey, it’s my job. If you are happy to accept that the plaster has to be remedied first, then it will probably take about a week in total, with drying time, before you can paint over it. However, that won’t stop me from laying the flooring, assuming you pick something that is a stock item. It’s a pity you don’t have enough money to replace the downstairs windows, too, as that will be quite a messy job at some point in the future. But it’s a costly one.’

‘I think I need a strong coffee, will you join me?’ She’s frowning again, but maybe she has a headache. It’s been a lot to take in.

‘That would be great, thanks.’

‘I’ll just pop up to check on Maya – can you carry these biscuits through to the sitting room? We might as well make ourselves comfortable. Back in a couple of minutes.’

I watch her walk across to the staircase, stooping to take off those dusty socks, and then taking each step carefully to move soundlessly up to check on her daughter.

Even though they are two instead of three, this is still a good life for them both. It’s not perfect, but Elana is clearly a survivor.

I head off to the sitting room, put the small tray on the coffee table and then make my way out to the downstairs cloakroom, phone in hand.

‘Dad, it’s me. I’m at Bay Tree still, so I’ll be quick. The lady asked me to price up the outstanding work. She only has a small budget, so she can’t afford to have all of it done immediately. Is there anything we can do for her?’

‘This is the widow lady, right?’

‘Yep.’