It's a British stereotype, isn't it? Put a group of Brits in any social setting and the standard way to break the ice is to start a conversation about the weather. Being British, the odds are that the conversation will not actually progress much past the weather. If the group were French, American, Israeli or African, the odds are that you wouldn't leave until you had shared your life stories and been invited to stay should you ever pass near their home. (I met a couple from Hawaii recently who gave me their card and said that I must drop by if I ever go to Hawaii! Being Americans, I reckon they meant it, but I doubt that I will take them up on it.) But we just talk about the weather. Nice day, isn't it? Hasn't it rained a lot recently? Last night was a bit parky. What's the forecast for tomorrow?
I think a lot of it is that we are just not used to sharing personal information verbally. This seems odd, considering that most people seem to be happy to share all sorts of stuff with complete strangers on the internet (which I personally reckon is pretty unwise). The weather is always unpredictable and seems a safe topic of conversation; when I was younger we were not allowed at family mealtimes to talk about cars, work, school, sport, religion or politics, which pretty well left the weather as the only topic!
So why am I writing about talking about the weather? Well, I have lots of work that I'd like to do outside and haven't been able to because of the weather we've been having. Right now I have stone walls to build, concrete and paving slabs to lay,
plaster to mix (for inside) and things to sand and paint. I can't really even tidy up the extension as most of it has to go in the
shed which is on the far side of a sea of mud (which is where a lawn
might be next year). I made a start yesterday (Friday) by finishing one end of my low wall beside the drive and starting the foundations for the wall beside the front door, but there's a long way to go.
I now realise just how good the weather was last year, as I was able to take my pick of jobs according to priority, not according to the weather, and could do lots of messy jobs like sanding doors outside in the sun. The only good side of it is that the grass seed which I sowed in hope during March has come up well - the irony is that I decided not to lay turf as I thought that the hosepipe ban would mean that it would dry up...
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Another Limecrete Floor
A slight diversion from our house, to the church across the road where they are in the process of laying a limecrete floor in part the church. This is noteworthy as all too often ignorance wins and a concrete slab gets laid, or the flagstones are sealed (so why bother with a breathable floor underneath?). I found a year ago that there was very little detailed guidance on-line when researching the design of our limecrete floor, so I make no apologies for giving such detail here again.
The church architect got the design of the floor from Ty-Mawr, who are one of the main lime suppliers in this country (I used Mike Wye but there are others...). The floor design is basically the same as the one I laid in the kitchen here (see this post last year), apart from using Recycled Foamed Glass (RFG) instead of light expanded clay aggregate (LECA). In detail, from the bottom up, there is a geotextile membrane, 200mm of (lightly compacted) loosefill aggregate of RFG, another layer of membrane, then a 3:1 mix of RFG and NHL5 to form the slab (I think, 150mm thick).
The slab has now been laid by The Limecrete Company and looks impressive (right). The edges have a vertical inch thick piece of woodwool, whose function I have yet to understand but it might be related to crack prevention. There will be underfloor heating (UFH) pipes added with a 3 inch Glaster screed and 20mm Creeton limestone tiles on top, although this heating will not be connected until a new boiler is fitted in a later phase. This work is the second stage (of about four!) of renovating the church; phase 1 was electrics, lighting, sound and internal redecoration. The next phases will also include installing toilets and a servery, and levelling the entire floor with the same sort of floor with UFH (and chairs instead of Victorian pews).
The church architect got the design of the floor from Ty-Mawr, who are one of the main lime suppliers in this country (I used Mike Wye but there are others...). The floor design is basically the same as the one I laid in the kitchen here (see this post last year), apart from using Recycled Foamed Glass (RFG) instead of light expanded clay aggregate (LECA). In detail, from the bottom up, there is a geotextile membrane, 200mm of (lightly compacted) loosefill aggregate of RFG, another layer of membrane, then a 3:1 mix of RFG and NHL5 to form the slab (I think, 150mm thick).
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Doing Things Wrongly
I do hate doing things wrongly. I always have [Edit - I mean "I've always hated doing things wrongly", not "I've always done things wrongly"!]. In particular, on this house I have wanted to "do it right" and, mostly, I think I have succeeded. I'm going to live in this house for years and I hate the idea of continuously seeing something I did wrongly and thinking "I wish I'd done that better". There have been one or two places where it's not perfect and I've persuaded myself to live with them as they "add character" (great excuse for old buildings).
Now, I've just painted something wrongly. I've been using satin finish paint on the woodwork in the new extension and it looks very nice. It's a cream colour which is basically the colour of the old woodwork and it sets the doors off nicely against the white of the plaster. I've done both sides and the frame of the door from the kitchen into the extension (see previous picture) and I had done one and a half sides of the door into the utility when I ran out of paint. So, on Tuesday at a local well-known store, I bought a second tin after some considerable searching for the right type; I returned home with my prize and continued the task, finishing off the first coat on the half finished door, and then doing a second coat on the side I'd already done as it looked a bit thin. For good measure I did the door frame and also some touch up in a few places on another door frame. All seemed well until I went to wash the brushes; I was sure that satin finish paint is washed in warm soapy water but, to my horror, I found that nothing happened apart from a mess of globules. Check the tin - "clean brushes in white spirit" - so, out with the white spirit and still I didn't catch on.
Later, I checked my work and found that it hadn't dried. This was odd as satin finish is quite quick drying. Looking at the door I suddenly realized. It was still glossy. With a sinking heart I checked the tin. "Full Gloss." All is explained. B****r!
I could leave the one side in gloss but I just don't like gloss paint internally; if I do leave it, then I'll forever look at it and be reminded of my own stupidity. There seems nowhere else to go but back to the store and buy a tin of the correct stuff, and then forget that Tuesday ever happened. Apart from wasting my time and £11 for the paint, I still have the issue of whether I have any use for that paint and, if not, what do I do with it?
Now, I've just painted something wrongly. I've been using satin finish paint on the woodwork in the new extension and it looks very nice. It's a cream colour which is basically the colour of the old woodwork and it sets the doors off nicely against the white of the plaster. I've done both sides and the frame of the door from the kitchen into the extension (see previous picture) and I had done one and a half sides of the door into the utility when I ran out of paint. So, on Tuesday at a local well-known store, I bought a second tin after some considerable searching for the right type; I returned home with my prize and continued the task, finishing off the first coat on the half finished door, and then doing a second coat on the side I'd already done as it looked a bit thin. For good measure I did the door frame and also some touch up in a few places on another door frame. All seemed well until I went to wash the brushes; I was sure that satin finish paint is washed in warm soapy water but, to my horror, I found that nothing happened apart from a mess of globules. Check the tin - "clean brushes in white spirit" - so, out with the white spirit and still I didn't catch on.
Later, I checked my work and found that it hadn't dried. This was odd as satin finish is quite quick drying. Looking at the door I suddenly realized. It was still glossy. With a sinking heart I checked the tin. "Full Gloss." All is explained. B****r!
I could leave the one side in gloss but I just don't like gloss paint internally; if I do leave it, then I'll forever look at it and be reminded of my own stupidity. There seems nowhere else to go but back to the store and buy a tin of the correct stuff, and then forget that Tuesday ever happened. Apart from wasting my time and £11 for the paint, I still have the issue of whether I have any use for that paint and, if not, what do I do with it?
Sunday, 22 April 2012
More Stripping and Plastering
Firstly, a quick update on my health - the expected all clear on the biopsy came, so there's no excuse now and it's back to work with a vengeance.
When we did the extension last November, we had replaced the lintel above this kitchen door as we found that the old one had rotted at one end, thanks to the poor flashing on the old extension roof. This photo shows the door (before it was turned round) after the demolition of the old extension, and the rotten lintel is clearly visible.
This
rot was a shame as the lintel was made of three bits (to give 16 inches wall
thickness) of four inch pitch pine which still smelt wonderful. This
unexpected work meant that some of the plaster already done inside was
removed, and then the rest of the plaster around the door became
loosened when the door frame was done. So, it was back to stripping
plaster on Thursday, followed by some more lime plastering for the scratch coat on Friday.
We have a lot of old doors in the house, most of which were covered in a sort of brown varnish which clogs sandpaper very easily. At first I didn't like them as I thought they were probably the 1920s version of those horrible cheap panelled white things you get in all new houses and refurbishments these days. That's probably a bit unfair as, despite the varnish, I've come to appreciate them - an example of why you should never make changes in a rush on an old house unless absolutely essential. They have four panels with the upper pair being larger than the lower ones; most have a simple right angle recess, but in the lounge and the hall side of the kitchen door they have a bit of ogee architrave (which of course makes stripping more difficult!). These doors are also different sizes - I discovered this last November when I thought about changing the hinge side of the kitchen to extension door, and measured them all to see if I could swap them around. "Never assume - check" was the flight safety mantra when I was in the RAF, and it's true for old houses as well.
Since the door frame was being completely replaced, it seemed sensible to turn the door round, rather than cut new hinge recesses etc. However, the horrible rough white-ish finish now on the kitchen side meant that I knew I would have to do some serious stripping and restoration before too long, as it just looked so bad every time you went in the kitchen. Mind you, the side on the extension was brown paint and didn't look much better.
Anyway, just after Easter I decided that now was the time and I've done the complete thing over the last two weeks (i.e. slowly). The old paint was ghastly and probably toxic, so when I used the heat gun and a scraper, I made sure there was plenty of ventilation. It was possibly half a millimetre thick in places and came off as a nasty goo on the scraper which itself had to be scraped off before the next go. After that the rest was a doddle and yesterday I applied the final coat (see photo left) which is always the best bit - it's so satisfying, as opposed to the scraping, sanding, filling, priming and undercoat which are all just boring
The result is that it all looks much better and Jane loves it, even though I have yet to finish the remaining coats of plaster.
When we did the extension last November, we had replaced the lintel above this kitchen door as we found that the old one had rotted at one end, thanks to the poor flashing on the old extension roof. This photo shows the door (before it was turned round) after the demolition of the old extension, and the rotten lintel is clearly visible.
This
rot was a shame as the lintel was made of three bits (to give 16 inches wall
thickness) of four inch pitch pine which still smelt wonderful. This
unexpected work meant that some of the plaster already done inside was
removed, and then the rest of the plaster around the door became
loosened when the door frame was done. So, it was back to stripping
plaster on Thursday, followed by some more lime plastering for the scratch coat on Friday. We have a lot of old doors in the house, most of which were covered in a sort of brown varnish which clogs sandpaper very easily. At first I didn't like them as I thought they were probably the 1920s version of those horrible cheap panelled white things you get in all new houses and refurbishments these days. That's probably a bit unfair as, despite the varnish, I've come to appreciate them - an example of why you should never make changes in a rush on an old house unless absolutely essential. They have four panels with the upper pair being larger than the lower ones; most have a simple right angle recess, but in the lounge and the hall side of the kitchen door they have a bit of ogee architrave (which of course makes stripping more difficult!). These doors are also different sizes - I discovered this last November when I thought about changing the hinge side of the kitchen to extension door, and measured them all to see if I could swap them around. "Never assume - check" was the flight safety mantra when I was in the RAF, and it's true for old houses as well.
Anyway, just after Easter I decided that now was the time and I've done the complete thing over the last two weeks (i.e. slowly). The old paint was ghastly and probably toxic, so when I used the heat gun and a scraper, I made sure there was plenty of ventilation. It was possibly half a millimetre thick in places and came off as a nasty goo on the scraper which itself had to be scraped off before the next go. After that the rest was a doddle and yesterday I applied the final coat (see photo left) which is always the best bit - it's so satisfying, as opposed to the scraping, sanding, filling, priming and undercoat which are all just boring
The result is that it all looks much better and Jane loves it, even though I have yet to finish the remaining coats of plaster.
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Back to Work
Well, I could now give full details of what is involved in the rather personal procedure I went through last week, but I'll keep it polite. They removed a small part of me and so I now have to wait 7-10 days for the result of the biopsy; however the doctor is quite sure that in his experience I'm OK. The procedure actually wasn't too bad - it's quite odd seeing your own insides on a TV screen and the staff were all wonderful. I have nothing but praise for the way I have been treated at the local NHS Trust hospitals. The worst bit of the whole affair was the preparation for it when you twice have to swallow a solution of magnesium citrate. If you know what that is, then you know what I mean! Google it if you've never heard of it. Enough said.
So, back to work after my enforced rest. The gateway to the back of our house is through a mock wrought iron gate, which is just visible in the photo (right) on the left of the doorway. I don't like being visible to people in the street whilst I relax with a beer or cup of tea in the sunny spot at the back of the garden . So, at last, I have erected one of my back gates; this one was the one that I obtained as a swap for some wavy glass which I didn't need. I had recently spent some time re-painting it, so it was all ready. To fit it I had to remove, refurbish and refit the existing gate post which was attached to the wall beside the front door. The old 4 by 3 post was a bit rotten but I decided to re-use it as I didn't think it was as bad as it looked (it wasn't) and I thought that it might just be oak (it was). I trimmed the rotten ends slightly and gave the whole thing a treatment of some proprietary chemical which is said to be good for preventing further rot. I know this isn't very PC in the period property world but I do not want to have a bit of damp rotting wood attached to the house.
I drilled a hole in one of the quoin stones on the corner beside the door, set well back from the edge, then attached the post with a single huge coach screw. I was then able to drill the holes in the wood for the other screws in situ, lined up with other suitable stones, so that I could drill through to mark three more holes in the chosen stones. Then, by swinging the post on the one loosened screw, I could drill the holes in the stones, which was a bit noisy (sorry!). Then I put the post back, attached coach screws and discovered the bad news: the old post was pretty straight and I had made the hinge line vertical as you look at it, but the thing that caught me out was that the wall wasn't vertical. Jobs are never as easy as one would like, are they? So, it was again loosened so that I could swing it away from the holes and fit some packers, then retighten. I did shear one of the 140 mm coach screws but fortunately by the same method I was able to get to it and remove it with my pipe wrench, and re-tighten everything. To my surprise the gate went on fairly well with the new T-hinges, et voila! It's even horizontal, and is so low that the local cats won't be able to get under it - if they want to use my garden as a hunting ground then they'll have to jump up and over the new wall - when it's done! I don't have a photo of the new gate yet as it hasn't stopped raining since I did it.
I now need to do that "new" wall which is going to incorporate two lovely stones with pintles, so that I can then hang the other gate (formerly the back door, now being refurbished). I reckon that I don't need any permission as there used to be a wall there - I found the old foundations in January - and I don't need permission to do a repair. In any case, no-one could see that part of the gardens anyway when the enchanted forest was still there, as you can almost see from the photo (left). This shows how it looked in January last year after (only) the roof had been done; the wall and gates will fill the gap to the left of the corner.
However, I think it might be some time before I manage that lot, as I am turning my attention back to finishing and tidying the new extension, so that it's fully useable. We have ordered some bits of furniture and I need to buy a couple of wall units for "my own stuff". I know they won't be big enough for everything but I desperately need somewhere to put my things out of sight without going outside to the over-crowded shed. If you don't have an attached garage, where do you keep your tools and materials to hand?
I drilled a hole in one of the quoin stones on the corner beside the door, set well back from the edge, then attached the post with a single huge coach screw. I was then able to drill the holes in the wood for the other screws in situ, lined up with other suitable stones, so that I could drill through to mark three more holes in the chosen stones. Then, by swinging the post on the one loosened screw, I could drill the holes in the stones, which was a bit noisy (sorry!). Then I put the post back, attached coach screws and discovered the bad news: the old post was pretty straight and I had made the hinge line vertical as you look at it, but the thing that caught me out was that the wall wasn't vertical. Jobs are never as easy as one would like, are they? So, it was again loosened so that I could swing it away from the holes and fit some packers, then retighten. I did shear one of the 140 mm coach screws but fortunately by the same method I was able to get to it and remove it with my pipe wrench, and re-tighten everything. To my surprise the gate went on fairly well with the new T-hinges, et voila! It's even horizontal, and is so low that the local cats won't be able to get under it - if they want to use my garden as a hunting ground then they'll have to jump up and over the new wall - when it's done! I don't have a photo of the new gate yet as it hasn't stopped raining since I did it.
However, I think it might be some time before I manage that lot, as I am turning my attention back to finishing and tidying the new extension, so that it's fully useable. We have ordered some bits of furniture and I need to buy a couple of wall units for "my own stuff". I know they won't be big enough for everything but I desperately need somewhere to put my things out of sight without going outside to the over-crowded shed. If you don't have an attached garage, where do you keep your tools and materials to hand?
Monday, 9 April 2012
Diversions from the Project
I've been a bit diverted from the house recently, and find that when I am able to work I don't seem to have any real enthusiasm or perseverance. Various small jobs have been done, or have been started but are still incomplete, and I've even been doing some serious tidying such as taking the old asbestos shed roof to the tip (all nicely bagged and sealed as instructed), together with a lot of glass from the metal framed windows.
The reason for my distraction has been an unexpected health issue, which arose from one of those good ideas which people have to improve the health of the population at large. I wasn't aware of this, but when you reach 60 (as I did in February) you are then invited to participate in some screening test so that you can get an earlier (and therefore more successfully treatable) diagnosis of a particular form of cancer. As a customarily healthy person (albeit retired), I was a bit surprised to find that I was in the 2% of subjects who have an "abnormal" result. "Abnormal" indeed. Who are they calling abnormal? I've spent a good deal of my life trying to appear normal - quite clearly I have failed in that - but physically I reckon I have always been boringly normal.
It transpires that only 10% of the abnormal failures actually have cancer, but such analysis requires further investigation as an out-patient. The good thing about this is that you are fast-tracked so there's no delay. I had the failure result on a Wednesday, was seen for assessment the following Tuesday, and was booked for the (slightly unpleasant) "further investigation" on the Thursday of the week following. The result is either available at once (if no samples are taken) or within a week if there is a biopsy required, so that will make just over three weeks from start to finish, including Easter. I certainly cannot complain about the NHS!
The trouble really with this haste is that it is all-consuming, and I find that I just cannot concentrate on the things I would like to be getting on with. Mind you, the changeable weather doesn't help; I have been refurbishing a couple of ledged and braced doors which will be the new back gates and, having just started to paint the second last week, I had to bring them inside as it started to rain. I've also tackled a few small jobs like finishing the grouting in the extension and putting up some shelves but, as I said, concentration on such things is really very difficult when you are faced with even just a 10% possibility of having something life-threatening.
At the assessment last week, the only questions where I gave an "abnormal" response were "have you lost weight recently?" and "do you get tired easily?" The answer to both these was "yes, because I've been restoring a house!" I think I mentioned before how last year I was able to get into a pair of RAF trousers last worn in 1992, and I've also told (here) the story of learning to stop competing with the fit 30 year olds taking slates and lead up to the roof. As far as I am concerned, I am much fitter than I was when I started this project.
I'll mention the results of this Thursday's investigation when I get them; if I have anything of note, I expect I'll start another blog as it could then become a major preoccupation. NB I won't be publishing any photos of the procedure...
The reason for my distraction has been an unexpected health issue, which arose from one of those good ideas which people have to improve the health of the population at large. I wasn't aware of this, but when you reach 60 (as I did in February) you are then invited to participate in some screening test so that you can get an earlier (and therefore more successfully treatable) diagnosis of a particular form of cancer. As a customarily healthy person (albeit retired), I was a bit surprised to find that I was in the 2% of subjects who have an "abnormal" result. "Abnormal" indeed. Who are they calling abnormal? I've spent a good deal of my life trying to appear normal - quite clearly I have failed in that - but physically I reckon I have always been boringly normal.
It transpires that only 10% of the abnormal failures actually have cancer, but such analysis requires further investigation as an out-patient. The good thing about this is that you are fast-tracked so there's no delay. I had the failure result on a Wednesday, was seen for assessment the following Tuesday, and was booked for the (slightly unpleasant) "further investigation" on the Thursday of the week following. The result is either available at once (if no samples are taken) or within a week if there is a biopsy required, so that will make just over three weeks from start to finish, including Easter. I certainly cannot complain about the NHS!
The trouble really with this haste is that it is all-consuming, and I find that I just cannot concentrate on the things I would like to be getting on with. Mind you, the changeable weather doesn't help; I have been refurbishing a couple of ledged and braced doors which will be the new back gates and, having just started to paint the second last week, I had to bring them inside as it started to rain. I've also tackled a few small jobs like finishing the grouting in the extension and putting up some shelves but, as I said, concentration on such things is really very difficult when you are faced with even just a 10% possibility of having something life-threatening.
At the assessment last week, the only questions where I gave an "abnormal" response were "have you lost weight recently?" and "do you get tired easily?" The answer to both these was "yes, because I've been restoring a house!" I think I mentioned before how last year I was able to get into a pair of RAF trousers last worn in 1992, and I've also told (here) the story of learning to stop competing with the fit 30 year olds taking slates and lead up to the roof. As far as I am concerned, I am much fitter than I was when I started this project.
I'll mention the results of this Thursday's investigation when I get them; if I have anything of note, I expect I'll start another blog as it could then become a major preoccupation. NB I won't be publishing any photos of the procedure...
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Using my Christmas Present at last
It is quite heavy and has been getting in the way in the extension as it was so difficult to move in the box with one end much heavier than the other. Anyway, recently I was bored so I tried it for the first time. Despite the weight, it is easily portable once out of the box as it has a couple of wheels which only touch the ground when you lift up the lighter end. There's a small amount of assembly work (for which you need tools like spanners, but they provide a small Allen key). There was a slight issue with the assembly of it as the usually hyper-efficient Germans had made two mistakes - one was an incorrect machine screw (I found a spare in my grot box) and the other was that a pair of domed nuts could not be fitted as specified because the stud was too long to fit inside the dome; however, I was able to swap with a pair of stiff nuts used for the wheels as these were the same thread and the stub axle was a bit shorter.
The mains electric motor runs a hydraulic pump which sends a ram along a short track and forces the wood against a fixed splitter at the far end. The whole thing has a very sturdy bed for the ram to slide on. Operation was quite straightforward, once you realise that the design for safety requires the simultaneous use of both hands, one on a button and the other on a lever, keeping your fingers out of harm's way. The trick is to make sure that the splitter is against the right part of the wood - ideally it should be lined up radially where there might already be a small split. Trying to split an inch off centre was a bit problematic until I got the idea.
I was a bit suprised that the movement of the operating ram gently removed both manufacturer's sticky labels from where they were attached on either side of the bed. These are the sort of thing that I, if a manufacturer, would want to ensure stayed on my products.
 |
| The results of a couple of hours work |
Jane's verdict: "How good to find a tool that even a woman can use". Just stand at the right end!
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Spring has arrived!
Last spring I observed that the different types of tree in the churchyard opposite blossomed in sequence, rather than all at the same time. Thus, I chose to have four trees of similar types and hope that my front garden will have a similar tree in blossom to match one or more in the churchyard; it looks as though the plan is working. For the record the trees along the front are a Sorbus Aria Lutescens (Whitebeam), a Prunus x yedoensis (Yoshino cherry) and an Amelanchier Arborea, with a hedge of Carpinus Betulus (Hornbeam) beside the front wall and a Malus Rudolph (crab apple) nearer to the house. In fact, the planting was done on 28th November 2011, so they have only been in the ground for four months; this success is probably due to the skill of the people involved and the quality of their trees; they weren't cheap but I really do believe that if you try to save money on this sort of thing, you might just completely waste your cash by getting a result which doesn't meet your desires, so I consider the money was well spent. [Edit: As a much later correction to this, I noticed in the summer that my Sorbus was not in fact the same species as the tree in the churchyard. My tree supplier suggests that the one in the churchyard is a Morus (Mulberry) so in fact my “expert” was not so clever after all. Grrrr….]
One other aspect of the front garden is that I was worried about what the locals would say. I need not have worried, as I have had a considerable amount of unsolicited praise, not just from people who know me but from many random passers-by. (I only have to work in the front for twenty minutes and I can guarantee that someone I don't know will stop and talk to me.) Most locals are well aware of both how bad the condition of the house was and the consequent amount of work done to get it to this standard. One suspects that a lot of people have been observing (and wondering!) as slowly the front of the house was cleared and improved, together with the many visits by delivery lorries (30+?) and the grab lorry (9 or 10) in the last 17 months. I think the comments I get now are partly due to their relief that I could have done far worse. This public reaction is also quite a relief for me, as I didn't really want to annoy the long term locals by completely laying waste the garden!
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Useful Links
I thought it would be helpful to anyone thinking of undertaking a similar project for me to give a list of helpful websites of people I have used. I should have done this a long time ago! (You get a bit slow when you get to my age.) I'll probably update this list periodically in future:
I'll leave it to you to decide which is the best of the national chains who stock building materials, as I don't think they need me to advertise for them. Suffice it to say that I think it helps if you can get known in these places to the extent that they don't ask your name but still give you your discount automatically.
[Edit 21 June] Here's a link to another blog which I have started.
- Lime products plus helpful advice
- Mike Wye Associates http://www.mikewye.co.uk
- Old House Store http://www.oldhousestore.co.uk
- and there are lots of others if you search for Lime Mortar Suppliers
- Information about limecrete - http://www.limecrete.net
- Information and Forum for Period Property owners (excellent forum to learn about lime, dampness and how to look after old buildings etc) - http://www.periodproperty.co.uk
- Cast iron rainwater goods - http://www.rainclear.co.uk
- "Conservation" roof lights - http://www.therooflightcompany.co.uk
- Hardware odds and ends - http://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk and http://www.screwfix.com
- Listed Property Owners Club (who have an annual show at Olympia each February) http://lpoc.co.uk
- Society for Preservation of Ancient Buildings http://www.spab.org.uk
- Tree felling and removal, supply and planting of new trees and hedge - Nicholsons of North Aston http://www.nicholsons.gb.com
- Sash window manufacturer - Traditional Joinery http://www.traditional-windows.co.uk
- Wood burning stove and chimney liner - The Fire Place http://www.the-fire-place.co.uk
- Architectural salvage on line - SalvoWEB - http://www.salvo.co.uk
- The Haynes Period Property manual - http://www.period-house.com/
- Black Limestone flags, imperial bricks, cast iron fireplace plus various other odd bits - Burgess Reclamation http://www.burgessreclamation.co.uk
- NB There is another reclamation company near here who are very noticeable on Salvo which they seem to use as their main marketing outlet. I ordered my front door from them and had great trouble as they couldn't deliver, because the manufacturer couldn't get wood that big! Then I had trouble getting my money back which took over seven weeks. I've never been back.
I'll leave it to you to decide which is the best of the national chains who stock building materials, as I don't think they need me to advertise for them. Suffice it to say that I think it helps if you can get known in these places to the extent that they don't ask your name but still give you your discount automatically.
[Edit 21 June] Here's a link to another blog which I have started.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Project Management
One of the dangers of doing a restoration is that it might never finish. You know, you just keep on doing jobs and bits, and never quite reach the end. I really would like to avoid the feeling, in five or ten years time, of still having jobs which have been outstanding all that time! However, I have no intention of actually having a project plan as, after all, I'm retired and would like to take it slightly easy! (Also, I have memories of project managers who couldn't manage, or who seemed to think that a plan on MS Project was the answer to everything... don't get me started.) Therefore, here are my thoughts on how I will manage the jobs that are left; these fall into at least three four categories:
1. The really important ones which affect our ability to live in the house. The completion of the extension falls into this category, as we can't tidy up the main house until we have the extension to put things in!
2. The major ones which are awaiting some suitable opportunity (e.g. jobs that need good weather, like refurbishing sash windows), need some item to be bought (when I find it at a reclamation yard) or need some special information (i.e. require internet research)
3. The quite important ones which just need to be done somewhen soon, like finish the bathroom and the bedroom wardrobe (both left from last July when we moved in).
4. The rest, which are mostly small tasks scattered around the entire estate, but which includes ones like the toilet roll holder and towel rail in the new loo.
The temptation is to concentrate on the last category as they are relatively easy and quite satisfying, so the trick is to decide on a Sunday evening which tasks in the first three categories will get my attentionin the following week. I will also pick off a few of the easy ones just to keep those ticking over so that they don't become more important and move up the list! One of my techniques as an engineering manager in the RAF was to try to make sure that once a week - often Friday afternoons - I spent two or three hours doing all the routine things (unless a crisis came along). This is how I shall manage the minor jobs here.
In the RAF nearly all of my job was management in some form or other. As an engineer I once worked at a headquarters where I managed two aircraft fleets - servicing schedules, technical defects, modifications, that sort of thing. Some people in similar jobs used to thrive on crises, and in fact only ever seemed to attend to one crisis after another - all routine stuff was ignored as being of no consequence. They would work long hours (they said) or even go in at weekends. Of course, one day, that neglected routine stuff would become a new crisis and so the circle continued. The really annoying thing was that lots of these people got promoted for doing crisis management well, which rather ignored the fact that most of these crises were of their own making. The high priced help never really looked at the whole job you were doing, just the really visible parts of it (i.e. the crises), so those of us who were able to make sure that crises occurred less often by doing our job properly were not rewarded for doing the job well as we hardly ever had a crisis to shine in! You can start to see why I was delighted to leave...
1. The really important ones which affect our ability to live in the house. The completion of the extension falls into this category, as we can't tidy up the main house until we have the extension to put things in!
2. The major ones which are awaiting some suitable opportunity (e.g. jobs that need good weather, like refurbishing sash windows), need some item to be bought (when I find it at a reclamation yard) or need some special information (i.e. require internet research)
3. The quite important ones which just need to be done somewhen soon, like finish the bathroom and the bedroom wardrobe (both left from last July when we moved in).
4. The rest, which are mostly small tasks scattered around the entire estate, but which includes ones like the toilet roll holder and towel rail in the new loo.
The temptation is to concentrate on the last category as they are relatively easy and quite satisfying, so the trick is to decide on a Sunday evening which tasks in the first three categories will get my attentionin the following week. I will also pick off a few of the easy ones just to keep those ticking over so that they don't become more important and move up the list! One of my techniques as an engineering manager in the RAF was to try to make sure that once a week - often Friday afternoons - I spent two or three hours doing all the routine things (unless a crisis came along). This is how I shall manage the minor jobs here.
In the RAF nearly all of my job was management in some form or other. As an engineer I once worked at a headquarters where I managed two aircraft fleets - servicing schedules, technical defects, modifications, that sort of thing. Some people in similar jobs used to thrive on crises, and in fact only ever seemed to attend to one crisis after another - all routine stuff was ignored as being of no consequence. They would work long hours (they said) or even go in at weekends. Of course, one day, that neglected routine stuff would become a new crisis and so the circle continued. The really annoying thing was that lots of these people got promoted for doing crisis management well, which rather ignored the fact that most of these crises were of their own making. The high priced help never really looked at the whole job you were doing, just the really visible parts of it (i.e. the crises), so those of us who were able to make sure that crises occurred less often by doing our job properly were not rewarded for doing the job well as we hardly ever had a crisis to shine in! You can start to see why I was delighted to leave...
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