Using a Scaffold Tower

I have been very busy this last week.  I hired a scaffold tower for the whole week, as the fire alarm in church needed a servicing; they need a tower to get up high enough for their long pole to reach the detectors in the ceiling.  As this is an annual task, it had to be done in July, and so I had saved a set of other tasks that would be done at the same time.  These included a repair job to the CCTV camera which is mounted high up, the replacement of some high light bulbs, and the removal of the string from balloons which has got wrapped around the fans in the ceiling of the church hall.

At this stage I will vent my anger at the church architect who told my precessors what to fit in the church without a thought for the subsequent maintenance or the running costs.  The uplighter bulbs fitted five years ago are halogens and I have proved that switching the uplighters off saves about £50 per month.  The fire alarm is overly complex, and is wireless even though you could have hidden cables in the roof structure without them being noticed.  The CCTV camera (also fitted five years ago) had a wonderful pair of devices which allowed the video signal and the control inputs to share the same cable.  Great idea, but it's another two components which can go wrong - of course one did, probably in my view because of the known dampness under the suspended wooden floor.  Guess what? These boxes are no longer made so we would need two new, bigger ones at vast price.  However, we fixed that issue by laying the extra cable instead so now there are two less components to go wrong.

Anyway, there was a need to remove the tower from the church for Sunday and, as the hall was also in use, I brought it over to my house for "storage".  It seemed sensible to make use of it so this weekend I have:
a. Refitted the stuff in the gutters that prevents leaf build up (and they are now held in by some wire)
b. Fitted tingles to hold the three slipping slates in the area of the vent slates in the roof (done poorly as they were an afterthought...)
c. Tackled the poor pointing and defrassing on the west wall - there was thin cement over the pointing in some places, and spalling stone elsewhere, plus some large holes which I had blocked temporarily three years ago...
d. Then I had to tidy up the bits and dust all over the path below!

The aluminium 6 metre tower is a wonderful design.  It has three pairs of frames, with easily fitted clip-on bars in two lengths - one for the horizontals and one for the diagonals. Every item is very light; there are four stablisers, and wheels on the bottom of the frames.  On Saturday, Jane and I erected most of it in about 20 minutes; the difficult bit is positioning the top platform at the right level, but I found that the height was adequate at the top of the second frame which avoided that difficulty. I actually got her to go up it once just so she could agree that it is safe when you are up there (and so stop worrying!).  On Monday after doing the wall I took it down on my own and moved it to the church hall, all in about 45 minutes.

Then in the hall on Tuesday we attempted to remove the string from around the fans in the ceiling.  This string is the residue from balloons released by hirers who think it's funny to watch them going round! Sadly, this was one job we couldn't complete, although we did remove the balloons which surprisingly had been there for over three months with no sign of deflating.  The reason we couldn't fix the string was that the tower was too low with two sections and too high with three.  It turns out that we should have had some half frames which would have been just right, so that job will have to wait until next year.

On Wednesday the tower was taken away at last, and I have to say that it has been a most tiring week! I lost count of the number of times I went up and down the tower - at least I should be a bit fitter!

Ze Flashing Lights!

Those of more mature years will remember the wonderful spoof TV comedy series "Allo! Allo!" from thirty odd years ago - I'm sure it's still shown on some Freeview channel somewhere (or else BBC will show it when they finish "Dad's Army" again).  It was all silliness about a cafe owner who was reluctantly involved with the French Resistance in WW2, in case you're wondering.  One of their running jokes was how the knobs on the elderly mother's bed flashed when "London" was calling "Night'awk"on the radio.

Why am I telling you this? Well, we have experienced the same sort of flashing lights over some period of time. The problem was usually associated with high winds (in my trees) and so it seemed to me to be something to do with the above ground cables which supply the mains electricity to all the houses here. The supply to our house is via a cable hung from the terraced house on one side, through the trees to the corner at the front left; there it splits and our feed goes left around the fascia while the feed for next door routes to the right along our fascia (old photo right; the cable is not visible but goes from the top left corner of the picture to a point above my head, level with the gutter).  I was misled by the same symptom happening to other people locally which caused me to believe that it was affecting a good number of houses.  When we moved in I had some interesting times with the electricity supply (which I mentioned in this entry) as the old cable was perished and totally covered by the ivy.  Although it took a fair few phone calls, the job did get done properly and so I thought it was unlikely that the flashing issue was with my end of the cable.

However, I got fed up with the flashing in the high winds a couple of weeks ago - it wasn't just the flashing, but the fact that it tripped our answerphone which then reset itself saying "Answer on; calls will be answered in five rings".  When the power dip is repetitive, you hear "Answer on - Answer on - Ans - Answer -Ans" etc which is really annoying when you know you are alone in the house.  Curiously the power issue only seemed to affect the phone.  No digital clocks reset themselves and there was no other symptom, until the day when (unusually) I had the digital radio on and it all went garbled for some time; it only came good when I switched it off and on.  Then later the same day it went off entirely for over a minute and I decided this was too much so called the electricity supplier.  Of course, I got cut off once making that call by the answerphone resetting itself!  Aaaaagh!

Anyway, at last the problem was reported and they promptly came with the emergency team.  To my surprise they reckoned there was indeed a problem with the new connection - it had overheated (WHY?) and melted the plastic sheathing.  Worryingly, they said that it did happen sometimes even with new bits (but I'm a Chartered Engineer and I like to know WHY!). It's been replaced now and the problem has not recurred, so tranquility rules again.

Wheelbarrows and Contractors

The wheelbarrow is dead; long live the wheelbarrow!

I forgot to mention my new wheelbarrow.  The old one (above left) suffered fatal injuries at the hands of various contractors last year; clearly it wasn't as resilient as I first thought (in this link).  You can see the frame and bucket are only attached by the front brackets - all four welds have gone, as have the sides where the stiffeners are kinked.  I actually saw that happen when we were doing the floor last April (see this link) - a full load of mortar from the mixer was being settled down by shaking the whole thing from side to side and both sides suddenly went outwards by an inch or two with a kink in the middle of each side.  This was most noticeable as from then on the wheelbarrow scraped on both sides of the old French window as we pushed the next mix inside for Chris to lay.

Of course, the sideways action described above is unlikely to be in the design specification, and I'm sure that this action is what caused the welds to go as well.  Everyone who has mixed a load in my mixer has done it, so why don't the designers think of it?  It soldiered on but eventually died in the autumn, so I'll take it to the metal recycling somewhen - anyone want a used wheel in good condition?

Anyway, I needed to have a useable one so I found one of a different design (above right) which hopefully will prove more durable - and I don't intend to have any contractors misuse it!  It has already helped move several tons of materials from the front to the back and carried the mix for the floor in the extension, plus more recently the mixed lime plaster for the wall.

Talking of contractors, we have had possibly the last contractor job done this week, as Kurt the sparky has done the 2nd fix in the new extension; we now have light and power - and hence a working washing machine as well! When I've tidied up I will post a few photos of what it looks like, but right now it's rather messy.  I lost count a long time ago of the number of different workers there has been on this building in the last 16 months, but a quick count reveals at least 39 people from 18 different "organisations" (and I'm bound to have forgotten some!).  Most have been excellent, and I have had very few reasons to complain.

So, although I can't hear a fat lady singing, it's all over bar the shouting.  This is actually quite a milestone, I realize: everything left to do on the house and garden will be done by my own fair hands.  There are hundreds of jobs around the pace and I don't have a list - that would be too depressing!  My project management technique is to decide at the weekend what I think are the most important tasks to be done, and make a list of what I would like to achieve in the week.  Thus the next weekend, if I have done nearly everything on the list, I can feel pretty happy with myself and make a new list for the next week. And so on...

PS In case you hadn't noticed, it's spring.  I am very happy to report that my hedge and trees, planted at the end of last November (see this link), have survived the (admittedly mild) winter and are now about to burst forth with lots of new shoots.

The Plasterers' Return (See *** below)

Yes, the plastering has recommenced, not to mention the Return of My Favourite Electrician (see this link). Actually, Kurt came and did the whole extension in just a day, so I'm not complaining this time - I just haven't forgotten his lack of empathy with old buildings.


I've had a fair bit of work to do before the plastering, such as the installation of three windows.  The first was the sash window which we bought earlier in the year for a bargain £80 - and it's a 95% match to the existing two-over-twos.  This was a bit difficult to fit, due to the previously mentioned cavity closers (see this page), which got caught on the fixing brackets as the window was pushed in as it was all very tight.  The trick was to use a scraper to depress the closer whilst pushing the window, so I did this with the help of my son.  I have also fitted a window board.

The second window is my restored casement window.  The frame and casements were fitted very easily but then I had to fit the glass.  My masterplan here was to use a pair of old sash window panes (from the replaced front window), and cut them down to replace two broken smaller sash panes (see this link for the story on how one got broken), and then I could use the broken bits to cut down to 9x12 casement windows.  Although I thought I might do this myself, I found that a local company would do it very cheaply and with a far greater chance of success, so I invested £9 in this enterprise (much cheaper than buying a good glass cutter!).  Amazingly, the plan has worked, and we now have two draughtproof sash panes (fitted in the hall and back bedroom) and a complete pair of casements - so the extension is fully weatherproof for the first time since we bought the house.

I've also done a stud wall, above a door in the extension.  This was quite straightforward, apart from the fact that the blockwork around the door isn't straight, as both the carpenter and the plasterer have pointed out.  Ho hum.

I realise that I never posted any photos of the exterior of the finished extension, so for starters here is one of the extension itself.  80% of the bricks used were reclaimed from the old building, despite the patchy appearance.  Jane and I reclaimed these ourselves; ones with lime mortar were easy but where cement had been used they were a real pain.  The white ones were on the inside and I expect that they will clean up in time, as the white is old emulsion paint.  My restored casement window is on the left, obviously, although when this was taken there were still 5 panes empty of glass.

I did the gutter a week later and added the offset and downpipe on Wednesday evening (as we were expecting rain that night!).

And here's one (left) of the side of the house, showing the extension with the bargain new sash window which balances the old one at the far end.

Finally, here's the one (right) from the back, behind the stone wall. I have still to add the bargeboard but apart from that the exterior is finished.  Happy days!

Inside, once the plastering is done the plumber will come back, followed swiftly by me and Chris laying the limestone floor flags.  Second fix electrics and plumbing will finish things off, apart from decorating...

Today (Sunday) we held an Open House for friends and neighbours to see the inside, with some early mulled wine and mince pies.  We did this  the same weekend last year, when no-one took their coats and gloves off as it was still so damp and cold inside.  This year, people could not only see all the work that has been done but could also really feel the difference.  I lit the lounge fire and the woodburner just for the effect, but they weren't really needed as it is a very warm house.  One amusing thing was the couple from along the road who live in an even older house; they came in and both stood right in front of the woodburner as their house is always so cold and draughty!  It's this sort of event that makes you realise how much work has been done in twelve months.  No wonder I'm tired.


**** "The Plasterers' Return" (as there's two of them) or "The Plasterer's Return" (as there's actually only one plasterer and a labourer) or even "The Plasterers Return"???  Is "return" a noun or a verb in this usage?  I don't know the answer, but I've put this question in to forestall the comments of my even more pedantic daughter, who might be able to give me an answer.

We're Moving In!

It really seems odd after eight months of work, with numerous contractors and much personal effort, to realise that we can actually move in next week.  It's a sort of end-of-term feeling - relief and deep satisfaction mixed with a kind of hollowness.  Note that I'm NOT saying that the house is finished, merely that things are done sufficiently to allow us to move in (so long as the boiler is commissioned on Monday!).  This pair of photos shows how the public view of the house has changed in the last eight months:

I still have plenty to do as there are many remaining tasks, such as refurbishing the sash windows, finishing the decorating and rebuilding the old "service wing", plus most of the garden/driveway tasks.  For ages I have been giving priority to tasks that get us out of our rented house and into our own place (with no mortgage!).

The last major task was the installation of the newly-made window cill for the new kitchen window.  Chris cast the new cill in cement and did a remarkable job of making a colour which matches the Cotswold stone and pointing.  Although it should have been done before the installation of the window, circumstances dictated otherwise (i.e. Chris broke the first cill, then he broke his foot...)!  It was VERY heavy but it was lifted up by four strong people and slid into place without too much difficulty, leaving me with the task of making good the stonework and pointing around it.  It was a great feeling to realise that this was the last major task and that the house was now effectively finished and secure.  Jane became quite emotional when she saw it - surprising that a cement object could actually be a thing of beauty!
 
The window above used to look like this (below): 

I think that the new wall filling in the bottom of the old door is the thing of which I am most proud of having done with my own hands on this project.

I'm still in progress with my wardrobe which is a major bit of woodwork, and there is still decorating to be done.  However, this week I was helped by Wayne (not Wayne the kitchen fitter, but the brother of Neil the electrician) who has done a sterling job at some of the tasks which I found really tedious like sanding and painting skirting board.

I was visited this week by my son, daughter-in-law and grandson, who last visited only three weeks ago.  Their amazed reaction on seeing what had been accomplished since their last visit has given me a yardstick to show just how busy that time has been.  The list is quite long: front garden cleared, dropped kerb and driveway laid, 30 tons of hardcore cleared, kitchen units, kitchen appliances and two new windows fitted, kitchen floor grouted, bathroom tiled and fitted out, electrics finished, fireplace installed and painted, and lots of decoration done.  Finally, I fitted a net curtain in the new lounge window which made it look as though the house was occupied.

One fundamental thing that is missing at the moment is a toilet seat.  This was an oversight on our part as the soft close type we wanted was about to be introduced when we ordered our bathroom fittings and we forgot to go back in May and order it when it became available.  There's always something that catches you out!

Edit - I'm adding here a few extra photos of the house:

Suddenly, we're nearly finished

The Scent of the Past?

I had my first slightly spooky experience in the house this week. I was stripping the thick layers of paint on the window cill in the main bedroom with my heat gun and favourite scraper.  The window was open and suddenly there was a really strong smell of perfume, as though someone wearing half a bottle had walked past the first floor window.  Then it happened again and it seemed that the smell was actually coming from the paint!  Was I really disturbing the accumulated smell of perfume bottles set on the window cill by the spinsters (first Miss Coleman and then Miss Dealey) who lived here from 1925 until 1984?  I'd just love to know what perfume they wore!

Nearly Finished

It seems strange after so many months work to realise that we are mere days from being able to move in.  Of course, it won't be finished then, just liveable, but moving in will be a great step forward, of course.  Many jobs have been prioritised on the basis of whether they assist the moving-in day, so refurbishment of the sash windows, for instance, has taken a back seat, as has the rebuild of the Victorian "service wing" (as the conservation officer calls it), which has a roof still covered in green tarpaulin and a brick wall in danger of collapse.

The last two weeks have seen huge leaps forward, with many tasks coming good in quick succession; I reckon that 14 different tradesmen have worked in the house in that fortnight. After the driveway (see last week's entry), we have seen the delivery and installation of two new windows, the fitting of the kitchen units, delivery and fitting of the kitchen appliances, installation of the gas boiler, installation of the lounge fireplace and mantel, and the fitting of the bathroom units, not to mention the rest (almost) of the second fix electrics and plumbing.  In that time I myself have tiled and grouted the bathroom (mostly), grouted half the kitchen floor, repaired mortar around the soil pipe, and sanded/painted doors, skirting boards etc, not to mention continuous tidying up!

The one failure was the installation of the new cill for the kitchen window. First, Chris dropped and broke the newly cast cill, then he broke his own foot in a small motor bike accident.  Hopefully, we can muster enough muscle to fit the new cill in a few days, as it lets the draught in under the newly installed window (left) which at least is already a huge improvement on the old galvanised steel door and windows (right).

 The kitchen looks wonderful; the two excellent fitters worked hard and most skilfully, although it did take them from Monday until Friday morning to turn the packs (left) into the finished article (right).  It looks even better with the range installed (below).

I like our new decorative arch on the fireplace in the lounge; this is how it has progressed from horrible (as bought) to great with an intermediate step this week:

My list of tasks is still quite large - it includes making a wardrobe (before we can lay carpets), as well as lots of decorating and tiling.  So, we're on course to move in early in July (and this is June 24th!); then we can start on the service wing, for which we are putting in the necessary applications very soon.

Finally, I was much amused by the fact that our new range has a dog chain.  Honestly.  Apparently it is to ensure that the range does not fall forward when the heavy doors are all opened.  Presumably this has happened to someone and I feel sorry for them.  I guess that someone then at the major range manufacturer has decreed that, to avoid a similar event, a chain should be attached at the back of the range.  However, commonsense has been lost along the way: this range does not have heavy cast iron doors, but rather its doors are light, similar to an oven, and the chain is totally redundant!  Another stupidity done in the name of Health and Safety!

It's getting stressful

I suppose it had to get stressful somewhen, and in many ways I have done well to avoid the stress for seven months.  However, we plan to move in by July 8th (and this is June 11th), there is still so much to do in four weeks, and the stress is now getting to me.  I've just been let down by a contractor who was going to clear the front garden for the driveway, so I'm overcoming the stress of that by doing it myself and saving the money.  I've written before about people who have tight project plans which cause them extra stress as well as costing them extra money, and it was my deliberate policy to try to avoid a similar situation. So much for that idea!

The photo (left) shows some electrical switches and sockets.  Not just any switches and sockets, but OUR switches and sockets, which are all now live!  On Friday I had the pleasure of plugging my electrical tools into the proper socket - away with the long extension leads, just plug it in!  It is surprising how tidying up the loose wires coming out from every wall makes the whole place seem so much more completed.

Also, the kitchen has arrived (photo right).  Looking at the huge pile of boxes, I am really glad that I am not fitting it all myself. 

I'd like to think that all remaining work is organised with contractors planned to come along and do their bit at the right moment, but I know that life is not like that.  Every time that I have had even two contractors at the same time, it has been quite a strain with their conflicting requirements, but over the next two weeks I expect to have seven different contractors working, so I anticipate some severe conflict.  The other work to be done is completion of the second fix plumbing and electrics, installation of a newly made window cill, fitting the kitchen sash window, fitting the lounge fire, doing the driveway (with a dropped kerb) and (significantly) fitting the entire kitchen.  Additionally, I have to do certain tasks myself such as grouting the kitchen floor, painting the kitchen walls and finishing the bathroom tiling; then, before moving in, I also have to finish the decorating upstairs and make a wardrobe for the main bedroom, plus then get a couple of carpets fitted.  There is also a slight worry about whether we actually have space for everything, and so I'm wondering if I should buy a large shed or even a big tent!

Decorating with Limewash

Our (my) intention was always to have internal plaster which was fit to be limewashed.  At that early stage I had not researched exactly what was involved; this has only become apparent recently when I realised that I just had to get on with choosing materials and some colours as (obviously) we want most of the decoration done before we move in - and that isn't very long!

Before I start talking about limewash, I have remembered that there was another matter mentioned in my deleted blog entry which deserves repetition: the electricity supply company came at last and sorted the array of cables to the pair of houses!  This is worthy of mention because the front of the house looks so much better, and I want to pass on my grateful thanks to Elaine at the Southern Electric call centre for taking ownership of this issue which had been outstanding since early January.  This is how the house looks now, without loose cables:

Other tasks are moving on gently, with increasing urgency.  The bath is in place and I am now tiling the bathroom so that the plumbers can install the basin and loo.  The floorboards are all back in place, and I am working sporadically on the skirting, as well as starting to sand the woodwork.  Unfortunately the doors all seem to be done in some sort of shellac (I think) which clogs sandpaper in 20 seconds; I eventually found that it comes off as a nasty hot goo with a heat gun and scraper, after which it can be sanded.  If you think that sounds laborious, it is!  I have also found a contractor to install our dropped kerb, for which I now have permission.  This should get done in a couple of weeks, and then he'll prepare the driveway as well.

Back to limewash: having worked for so long on the plaster, the last part of the process almost took me by surprise when I realised that it was time to choose some colours for all the walls.  We bought a lot of sample pots which were tested on inconspicuous places like the wall behind yet-to-be-fitted kitchen cupboards.  My first impressions were that this wasn't going to work, as it looked awful when I was applying the first coat.  It improved considerably when it dried, which encouraged me to apply a second coat the next day.  This looked even more awful when wet, but as it dried the full depth of colour started to appear, and I knew we had a winner (even before applying the third coat).  TOP TIP- when testing limewash colours, leave a bit of the area with just one coat, so that you have something to compare to (and you can be impressed!).

We then had more long discussions on the colours, with plenty of mind-changing - some colours did not work at all, and others were used in alternative places after being deemed unsuitable where we planned them.  Finally, I bit the bullet and ordered my limewash from Mike Wye which duly arrived two days later (with the final load of mortar and plaster for the kitchen wall).  Limewash comes in 10 litre or 20 litre containers, and my calculations showed that I needed more than 10 litres of each colour, so I had to order it in 20 litre containers.  Sadly, no-one else was present so I had to unload the entire one ton pallet (five 20 litre containers as well as 34 ten litre tubs of mortar/plaster) by myself.  TOP TIP - plan deliveries for when you have a helpful contractor present!

Applying limewash is an interesting experience.  It's not really like any sort of paint that I had previously encountered, being a suspension of lime putty, water and pigment; limewash settles out VERY quickly so an essential tool is a mixing paddle to attach to a drill.  It must be well mixed before use, and you even have to be careful that it doesn't separate while you are using it.  Also, you mustn't overbrush it; if you do, it goes all stiff and basically gives you a build-up of lime putty and hence the patchy finish which I had observed with my samples.  So, after a quick visit to my local DIY store for a paddle, I decided to make a start and do the first coat of yellow in the hall; Jane was coming down on Friday at lunchtime and so I was able to do most of the stairs and landing as well before she arrived.  She then spent the afternoon doing the lounge (in pale green), and Phil the Spread spent the same time doing both back bedrooms - one in a different yellow and the other in mint green (this has a yellow tinge which should mask the occasional yellow stains of old dampness in the plaster).

This week the limewash was applied by myself, Phil and Jaye in every spare minute.  I also tackled the ceilings which have been done in a matt white breathable (NOT vinyl etc) emulsion.  The Regency plaster looked white until I painted it!

We managed two major errors: firstly we bought everything in 20 litre tubs.  This was because we were told that a litre covered between 3 and 6 square metres depending on the porosity.  At the last count we seemed to be covering over 12 square metres with every litre, probably because the surface plaster is so fine; the result is that I have lots of unused limewash!  Secondly we bought a colour which we then decided that we didn't like, so I have almost 20 litres of that going spare.

We are delighted with the results.  Photos do not do it justice.

Conservation Officers and Planning Permission

I am SO dischuffed.  Our planning application for an extension at the back of the property has been rejected on the recommendation of the Conservation Officer who considered that an extension would "significantly damage the symmetry of the pair of [semi-detached] houses".  As far as I am aware, this is the same CO who, on the phone last August , recognised the house from my description and told me that my plans sounded "wonderful".  The refusal was terse in the extreme so I don't even know whether there is any future in an appeal or in submitting a revised plan to include something more obviously new (as opposed to matching the original building) such as possibly a conservatory.  The only consolation is that as we changed our plans last autumn, we can still move in; the original idea was to have the new kitchen in the extension, and so a refusal would have had a severe impact on our occupation date.

In any case, we do have to rebuild the existing extension; the end wall, which supports the purlin for the sloping roof, has a large bow with some loose bricks and I think it would be in danger of falling down if we wait too long.  So, back to the drawing board and consider all the options...  Perhaps the new solution will prove to be cheaper than our rejected plan - at least THAT would cheer me up!

We have done some painting at the front (photo right) on the cement rendering (it's not stucco!).  Our bay window on the left is now surrounded by fresh paint, which matches the other half next door.  Also, it makes a statement to the numerous passers-by that the house is NOT being demolished, as believed locally. We'll do the upstairs bit soon, and then do the bit beside the front door (hidden to the left). 

Talking of the front door, we have now got a superb renovated door (photo left) in a new frame which is all very secure (at last).  We just need the electricity company to come and finish their job of fitting new supply cable (we've only been waiting since the first week of January!).

The scaffolding comes down!

At last, having had a nearly finished roof for several weeks, it is now complete (and is a thing of beauty) so the scaffolding was taken down yesterday - photo right (ours is the left hand half).  We have actually owned the house for only eleven weeks and a lot has been done, but I have really become fed up with ducking my head to avoid the diagonal scaffolding tie-bars between the French door and the front. I'll probably still be ducking for weeks, even though the path is now clear. 

Today it was quite a surprise to find how the left side of the house was now quite light, without scaffolding, undergrowth and leaves; working inside (with no electric light) is now much easier.  Also, we had not really remembered how light the house itself was, as we had only been inside it a few times before the scaffolding went up.  It was a real delight to find the sun shining into the front room this afternoon.

Apart from repairing ceiling laths in the two back bedrooms, we have been removing lime plaster in preparation for replastering.  Much has been damaged by water ingress from the roof, especially though a split in the lead in the box gutter. The two back bedrooms are separated by a lath and plaster wall, which also required to be stripped as the plaster was all crazed and had come away from the laths - huge areas moved alarmingly, and some had been patched with modern alternatives.  Don't ever assume, just because something is covered with lath and plaster, that it is not load-bearing.  Kirsty What's-her-name on one of those property programmes on TV loves to suggest that a wall will come down in minutes, just based on tapping it and saying that "it's only a stud wall".  It's not always true for plasterboard, and it is certainly not always true for lath and plaster!  This is the wall structure we uncovered:

Those two X frames which you can see are both made from oak beams, 4 inches by 3 inches.  Each X is about 6 feet wide and 8 feet high.  At the top of the central stud, pointing downwards, is a metal bolt which has a square head about 1.5 inches across.  The laths are in really good condition and even the nails are still shiny, not rusted.

This is a major piece of structure and not just a simple stud wall, although at first its purpose puzzled me.  There is no corresponding wall in the kitchen beneath; on the right of the picture is a major internal structural wall, about 18 inches thick, largely of squared limestone, and on the left is the external wall which is about a foot thick, in limestone rubble.  After mulling this over whilst going to sleep, finally it dawned on me: this structure is holding the external wall in place!  [Edit: a more learned friend says that it "to provide lateral bracing and stop any movement in your load-bearing walls".  That's what I meant to say...]

We now move to the next phase of work; the first fix electrics is almost done and re-plastering starts this week.  My groundworker will be in soon to look at lowering the path and drain, the gas supply is being arranged and the plumber will be giving me his quote tomorrow.  We are applying for various permissions (still) which I am afraid might well turn out to be the critical path.  Perhaps we might be in by June?

See Amid the Christmas Dust

The electricians have not been seen for twelve days (see "Kurt the Destroyer"), so it was almost a surprise when they appeared on Wednesday this week, and worked Thursday as well.  Mind you, it was not a pleasant surprise really, as I am now well aware that young Kurt is not the best person to have working on a period house. 

Firstly, it did not take them long to make the entire house a complete tip (again); when I arrived at 9.30 on Wednesday, it was hard to believe that they had been there for less than 90 minutes.  Most floorboards, which I had re-fitted but not fastened, had now been lifted again, plus an annoying few more had been lifted even though I thought that job had been finished.  Then, with no floor board beneath, they used their wretched Kanga to chase cable runs, leaving yet more dust everywhere.  In the course of those two days they also broke a hinge on a bedroom door, trod on the thermometer (carefully hidden in a corner), put a foot through the lath in the ceiling above the landing and repeatedly used my tools without asking!  (NB I am aircraft-trained, where it is a cardinal sin to lose track of one's tools, so you do NOT borrow tools.)

I will admit that one issue was not Kurt's fault.  When he removed a length of skirting board in a bedroom, it came away from the wall with a 30" x 4" x 4" bit of oak attached to it (leaving a large hole in the inner wall face)!  (See photo right.)  The rest of the skirting board is attached with nails driven into wooden plugs in the wall, as one would expect.

I have grave reservations about the use of wood in walls in this house, and would love an explanation for what this was meant to achieve.  There have been other examples which seem totally pointless, as mentioned earlier (see "Is it really only three weeks?" in November).


Progress Update

Anyway, the good news is that the roof is effectively finished, as see by these three photos.

My (very expensive) 5 inch cast iron guttering has been installed (see right), and I think it looks lovely. Chris the roofer said that it went together very well indeed, and I had ordered exactly the right items, apart from one extra length of guttering. Ah well, better safe than sorry - I'll use it on the extension. After the imminent removal of the scaffolding the downpipes will be fitted next week.

I took delivery this week of 25 rolls of insulation for the loft; this is 60% sheep's wool and 40% recycled polyester (to give it body), and cost as much as the guttering.  At least I can look a conservation officer in the eye with a clear conscience!

I am now tackling the laths in the back bedrooms.  Both these ceilings had been damaged by dampness from water ingress, and so it was no surprise to find that many laths were rotten.  I had bought new hand-riven oak ones but of course they were a different size to the ones fitted.  In fact, in retrospect, the current ones may not actually be hand-riven as they are mostly far more regular in all dimensions than the ones I have bought. This makes replacing individual laths quite difficult and I found it easier to remove some extra ones so that a larger area was replaced.  Worryingly, the extra ones I removed were also found to be rotten, so I ended up replacing probably 40% or so.  By the way, this really is a rotten job, as every time you nail, dust falls on you, despite having brushed the joists and laths above twice.  Top tip - do NOT drive the nails completely in until you are sure that you are happy with the spacing, which includes checking from further away, off the ladder.

Intriguingly, I found myself humming "Hey Big Spender" whilst doing this job.  When I realized this, it then took me some time to find the subconscious link (answer next week).

Kurt the Destroyer

We've owned the house for six weeks now, and I'm still amazed at the speed of things.  The roof is almost done, but we lost the whole week except Monday to the weather - annoying when it would only take three days perhaps to finish.  The electricians started last Friday, and the ground floor installation is almost done.  Neil the contractor employs a younger chap called Kurt; he is really very good and likeable, but this week I have discovered that he is really "Kurt the Destroyer".  Chasing the runs for the cables into lime plaster walls produces prodigious quantities of dust and debris, which covers everything including the kettle, cups, tea bags, first aid kit, my glasses etc.  He just doesn't notice or care, it seems (what is his own house like?).  Feeding cables down the walls from the joists above means that he has to lift the upstairs floorboards and so makes a mess works both upstairs and downstairs at the same time.  He also broke a window in the French door (which is going to go eventually, but not yet) by trying to get a massive tool store in through it, which was NEVER going to fit.  So, the entire place is a real mess, and we have invited the neighbourhood round on Sunday for mulled wine and to have a gander at our work.  (The real reason is so that when we finish they will appreciate what we have done all the more!)

I had some success this week; the front room floor joists are virtually finished, and I have ordered some reclaimed floorboards which are to be planed to size. In the meantime, in preparation for Sunday's visitors I have re-laid the old floor boards (without fastenings), and the whole room feels better.

I have also constructed a loft access hatch.  This might sound simple, but when you have suspect and not necessarily parallel joists of various sizes, with a rotted sill plate (due to the roof leaks) which I had not noticed before, it becomes decidedly complicated.  I had to design and construct a new pair of joists to support the sides of my hatch as I did not trust the existing joists to bear the additional weight.  This is a view from the hatch along the new joists:

This is the new bit of sill plate (the bit of wood on which joists rest), made from the bit of joist which I had just cut out for the hatch space.  There is a real joy in immediately finding a use for a nice bit of oak which you have just made redundant!  I was quite surprised to be able to lift the new joist (on the left) with my shoulder whilst slipping the new sill plate underneath.



In case you like roof timbers, here are a couple of views of the A-frames inside the roof:

So, before the roofers cover the membrane and it is lost to natural light for 40 years, I have been able to make the loft hatch.  At least there was a benefit of the bad weather!

Second Week Progress

Well, we've owned this house for two whole weeks now and the pace is relentless.  In that time I have had on site at least sixteen different people of almost every trade possible, apart from the plumber who is coming next week.  I'm still shattered but tomorrow I'm off for a charity meeting, so that's it until Monday.

This week I have had the electrical system disconnected entirely and replaced with a new circuit breaker box which supplies four sockets and the two storage heaters.  This was because I had no faith whatsoever in the existing system, and there seemed no point in checking it out when I knew that we would want a completely new system.  My caution was entirely justified today when, in removing the bedroom cupboards, I found that the square pin sockets were supplied by lead sheathed cable!  LEAD SHEATHING!!?  I had no idea that such a thing existed - at least I will profit by recycling the lead.

I have also had two chimneys checked so that I am now able to safely light a fire in both main downstairs rooms.  It really is amazing how much a room cheers up when you light a fire.  The effect was further improved when Jane then demolished the dirty, damp and dark cupboards beside the chimney breasts - suddenly we could see the room as we knew it ought to look.  One of these cupboards in particular was riddled with woodworm and I took much pleasure in burning all that wood outside.  The shelves were lined with local newspaper from May 1954, which included advertisements for the local cinemas which were showing Doris Day in "Calamity Jane" and the Marx Brothers in "Duck Soup".  Sadly this paper was too damaged to save as it was riddled with woodworm holes and so fell apart as we touched it.

The roof has progressed and Barry the Chippy will finish his work tomorrow hopefully, which will enable some slate to be refitted.  I think that completion of the roof is now intertwined with work required on the chimneys stacks, which is obviously a complication that the roofer is used to, so I'll leave him to it.

I was most impressed with the structure of the roof.  Essentially the load is carried by two large A-frames which Barry assures me are probably original:

These frames are staggered: the far end of the right hand A-frame is resting on an internal major structural wall and beyond that are two bedrooms, and the left hand A-frame goes to the far wall.  Here's another view of the right hand one:

We had wondered about using the loft as another bedroom but this A-frame is right in the way; the mechanics of replacing it would be hugely difficult and expensive (even if allowed) and if we didn't do that, I wouldn't want two rooms which were only six feet wide (the rather thin joists are at about 300mm spacing).

Finally, I also had a go at some pointing this week.  Given the exceptionally mild conditions forecast (as lime mortar does not like frost when setting), it seemed a good opportunity to fill in a few of the deep holes in the rubble on the side of the house.  This was done to bring it up to a 20mm depth, and the final pointing will be done when I have bought the matching colour for our lovely yellow/cream mortar.  I have found that pointing is time-consuming (as one would expect) but it also appeals to some deep desire of mine to put things in order and I find it very satisfying.  I am afraid that I have rendered a small part of the insect world homeless just before winter, but it's another small step forward.  There's a lot more to do!

Taking Breath after the First Week

One of my aims in doing this project was to do it at my own speed.  There is no point, I reasoned, in having a tight timescale and creating stress for myself if I'm actually in no particular hurry to get the house finished.  I want to take the time and enjoy this, I thought in my innocence.  We've now owned the house for eight days, and I've never been busier!  Clearly it is not going as I expected.

The plan this week was to get the electrical supply protected on Monday, so that we could safely erect scaffolding on Tuesday and commence roof work on Wednesday.  Unknown to me the roofer knew the track record of the electricity supplier and so arranged the scaffolding for Wednesday instead - wise man!  Due to van failure, the electrical work did not happen on Monday and on Tuesday when I phoned it became clear that Monday's work had not been rescheduled...  After a few pleading phone calls, the emergency team came out late on Tuesday - dark and raining - and kindly did it.

While the scaffolding was going up on Wednesday, I had a call from a chimney sweep company who will check and sweep two of our chimneys so that I can light a fire or two to warm the house up.   The scaffolding finished early on Thursday, so the roofers started and by the end of Friday the former roof lay on the ground in the garden building site, with the naked rafters now covered with tarpaulin.  As work progressed I continued the removal of the ivy which was now possible using the scaffolding, although annoyingly there is still some ivy remaining just below the working platform twenty feet up.  Barry the carpenter ("chippy") visited on Friday and will be happy to do other work on the house.  He also surprised me by saying that he would come on Saturday and Sunday to do the soffits and fascia.  This caused me to have to turn up on Saturday to finish removal of the ivy in the region of the electrical supply bracket, as well as being able to tidy up when the old soffits and fascia were removed.

The chippy removed the fascia and soffit except where there was still ivy, where he left the soffit for me.  The power cables (ours and next door's) came away from the rotten fascia very easily but the real issue was where these cables disappeared into the ivy and emerged at the bracket two feet lower.  Gradually I removed the soffit and the dead ivy stems from both sides of the corner bracket and was down to the last three feet when there was a bang and a flash - the supply for next door had some bare cable!  That was enough for me - time to call the electricity supplier again - this time as an emergency.  (Anyone remember the Flanders and Swann song "The gasman cometh"?)

I forgot to mention that the roofing contractor's mate called Chris asked if I had a plasterer, as his brother in law was a plasterer called Phil who lived just along the road...  (Is there a slang term for a plasterer?)  So Phil came along on Saturday morning and seemed very keen and capable - another contractor found.  Then Phil asked if I had an electrician or a plumber, and to my surprise while I was waiting for the electricity lineman at 4.30pm, Neil the Sparky turned up to have a look - another contractor found.  Eventually the electricity lineman and his mate arrived; it turned out they were the ones who should have done the job on Monday!  They condemned the existing supply cables as dangerous (for both houses) and connected a temporary supply, leaving the way clear for the ivy removal, and departed at 6.45pm.

Thus it was that I have just spent nine hours working at the house on a Saturday.  This week has seen far more progress than I would have dared to expect even on a tight timescale, never mind my relaxed approach.  At this rate the roof will be done in a week and we are off to a flying start, with several contractors lined up, but I am shattered.