RSJ

RSJ stands for 'reinforced steel joist' and it's how you open up a brick house. Of course there are several different types, and you need a structural engineer to tell you what size.

On Sunday, we met with the prototypical Englishman: jolly, friendly, a little self-depracating, and could talk for England. He said it would take 20 minutes, but he was there for an hour and a half, and in the end couldn't tell us what we needed to know.

That's because he discovered the upstairs wall was offset from the downstairs wall, so he couldn't calculate the load. Instead, he has to come back to do some 'probing' (ie destruction) and even though Jess and I are legally committed to buying the house regardless of what happens to it, it still seemed rude to start punching holes in walls while the current owners are still living there.

So he'll be back on the 18th, which is fine because I don't actually need to get permission from the local council, I just need to notify them I'm doing it (and pay a £300 fee, of course).

However, while he was there, he and Jess went into the attic. (I didn't go because the ladder was unsafe.) When the architect was there a few weeks ago, she poked her head in the attic and pronounced that if we did a loft conversion, it would be small and there wouldn't be enough room for a bathroom. The engineer thought that was nonsense. I don't know which is true, but Jess was quite pleased, so I'll go with the engineer.

My job this week is to line up a plasterer, an electrician, and a builder, so we can get started on the 18th. Of course, last night Jess pointed out we couldn't run off to California while all of this is going on, so we may have to revise our travel plans...