As the last roof tile was momentously placed, we punch the air for the biggest and literally the longest single element of this project has been completed - the roof is finished! And WOW! So smart!
It has been a marathon that certainly wasn't sprinted! This time last year we'd not even started to take off the tiles. Since they came off, it's been a long journey removing the rotten roof timbers and rebuilding from bare stone walls. Now all the 'cleaned' tiles have been put back where they belong above the beautiful sturdy new oak frame with copious amounts of insulation sandwiched in the middle. This feels great!
We needed quite a few extra roof tiles as the roof had 'grown' slightly in size due to all the new layers of insulation etc. plus there's been some breakages along the way. Trying to find matching tiles these days is pretty daunting as everyone is after reclaimed tiles due to the shortages of new clay tiles nationally. Luckily our regular trips to the salvage yards of Somerset proved fruitful and not just for roof tiles ... I love reclaimation shopping!
Lots of the windows have gone in now, and this is another great milestone getting ticked off the list ...
The first windows were the oak frames on the north side of the building. These face the driveway and are deliberately understated and designed to blend with the stone and oak lintels. We wanted the barn to remain looking like a barn from the front, keeping the shape the Victorian's intended. It has such symmetry and for an agricultural building is incredibly beautiful and 'crafted' with such attention to detail. The south and west elevations face the views and are where all our living accommodation will be. Here we have gone for black 'Crittall' style aluminium windows, mimicking the old windows that were in the milking parlour when we bought the barns. This has allowed us to have low maintenance windows that should last a few lifetimes, while at the same time giving us beautiful frames to the picture-landscapes we are so lucky to be part of.
Inside, the barns are starting to feel like a house. Stud walls are nearly all done, insulation and plastering is well underway and painting has started! We can actually retreat in here for some warmth now as the underfloor heating has been on low to heat and dry the screed floor (as well as half the county!!).
Kitchen units were delivered this week, a little premature but actually 4 months delayed which turned out to be a blessing! At least we have dry spaces now to store it until the 'long barn' catches up with the rest of the building.
The Long Barn, which had the roof delays due to supplies of oak being held up in the summer, still needs quite a bit of work. Now the roof is finished, we can get the high vaulted ceilings insulated, plasterboarded, plastered and decorated while the internal scaffolding is still in place.
Once this is done we are racing to get the scaffolding removed so we can then lay the underfloor heating and final screed at ground level in this part of the building. The rest of the barn is all ready for the flagstones to be laid once the painting is done, but the Long Barn will have to wait until the screed is properly dry, a process that could take a couple of months. We've toyed with the idea of moving into the area of the barns that are nearly ready, but this throws up a number of issues which may not make it worth while. We'll see. Anyway, the next big push now is to get to a point where we can take down the internal scaffold so we can get drains and plumbing connected, floors, stairs, fireplace and a importantly a kitchen in... and then hope US! "When?" I hear you ask ... a good question, the answer to which keeps evading us. Watch this space!
Go to the gallery for more photos of the journey so far and to look at how far we've come. Thank you for following our progress - we'd love to hear from you too!
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