. . . and hoping that the drain runs are buried deep enough to be unaffected by the machinery digging for the foundations.  This would be catastrophic from the building team’s point of view, because a collapsed drain is something they don’t want to have to deal with.  From the Management Team’s point of view it would be catastrophic as well, because any surprise expense along the way means savings having to be made further down the line when it comes to finishing the building.

So anyone expecting one of those instant makeover jobs as on TV when a team of experts races against the clock to produce overnight a transformation will be a bit disappointed here, where work is painstaking and the budget tight.

But the trench for the western extension is just about finished, the danger of drains seems to be past, and the biggest headache for Gordon and Graham is that bloody woman who turns up every morning with a camera wanting a progress report.