30th April

Gorgeous, glorious, sunny day. When I feed the fish I realise how warm it is. The forecast is good so I decide to leave the raincoat at home.
I phone the British Gas solar panel engineer on the way in and he promises to come in to look at the leaking roof under the newly installed panels.
I meet with Steve for our normal weekly progress meeting. He has calmed down about the leaking roof and is now focused on finishing off the second floor. We have a couple of issues but in the main all seems to be going well. The real problems facing us are the unexpected roof leaks and the cost of keeping the scaffolding up for longer than originally planned.

Over the life of the project I've had to take on about 30 separate sub-contractors. I've decided to create an assessment of them. There are some I would go back to, some that I would not touch with a bargepole and a large number in the middle who have been OK and I would probably use again. I create the first view and identify the use again's, the never again's and the ok's. At a more leisurely pace I state saying why for each. I plan to pass this on to our Procurement unit and will ask them how we can blackmark some of these companies.

I get approached to look at paying for the resurfacing of the roads around the building even though it is outside the remit of the project. I can't commit until I know what will be left in the budget but offer to coordinate the work. It cuts across what we're planning as i need to have skips in place and there are new bicycle sheds to be built. All of this cuts across the dates when our new tenants are due in the building and will want access to the building over these roads! Not easy. It needs coordination and no-one wants to own it!

I get quite wet on the way home as the weather mean have got it wrong and its raining when I get off the train although the forecast is no rain until the following morning! It really makes me into a grumpy old git!