12. Back to knocking stuff down.

The old chimney is taken down.

Stripping back the roof tiles reveals the fascia needs a little tlc...

Strongboys are inserted to hold up the roof while the brickwork below is removed.

The first few rows of tiles are removed for access to the top of the brickwork.

A new 9"x3" timber beam is inserted to hold up the existing roof above the extension.

With the beam and strongboys in place it's safe to start removing the brickwork below. Skip number 10 is full and I realise just getting rid of the rubble has cost well over £1000.

The first lift of scaffold goes up and the bricklayers are back for another day's work. The extension is really starting to take shape now.

Next week I'll be grinding out the mortar on the side of the existing house ready for repointing. Nice.

11. The steel arrives.

The big steel lintel which will span the opening for the folding sliding doors on the rear elevation. At 6 metres long and weighing in at 400kg, it's a monster. It took 3 of us to push it up the drive (Thanks, Jim A).

A bit of adjustment [with a sledgehammer] was required to the wall of the old garage to manoeuvre the lintel to the back of the house.

It's a tight squeeze.

After the best part of a day levering the lintel around, it's finally onto the hired genie lifts.

Nervous moments as nearly half a tonne of steel teeters above my new brickwork. And my head...

The two 60kg universal beams are a walk in the park in comparison.

Steelwork in place, genie lifts back at the hire shop, and no slipped discs or squashed toes. Result.