Monday, November 21, 2011

The pack up begins!

The much needed renovation of New College began on the 21st November. The plan is to renovate every bedroom, create 4 new larger common rooms on each floor and add many new features to the courtyard. In the process, we plan to solve the problem of our leaking building once and for all.
 
Residents of New College had to vacate no later than the 16th November to allow the refurbishment to begin. There was much to do.

1. Returning residents needed to pack up their things in boxes to be stored in one of the few spots not being touched (the Main Common Room).

The emerging tower of mattresses and resident belongings



2. Old desks (including 60 indestructible 'Bob' desks), beside tables, common room furniture and much more had to be given away (to vacating residents), recycled, sold for scrap metal or discarded.

At least the metal in the 'Bob' desks was useful!

3. Rooms emptied and beds removed from the building for storage (after all wooden slats were screwed on)



4. We had to take a photographic record of the back of all those old wardrobe doors!

Can you pick the room?

With an army of workers led by Dick Kay all residents and staff vacated the building  by Saturday 19th November. Dick and the other maintenance and cleaning staff survived the ordeal.

New College staff is now in temporary quarters in the New College Village. Most are in an apartment on Level 2 and I'm in a studio a few doors down the corridor. Cosy, but nice.  The Gooleys moved to an apartment at Bronte for a few weeks but are now on holidays. They may need to stay in an NCV apartment when they return.