“Dogs, this is where your beds will go” … not sure they’re impressed?
- Hils B
- May 21, 2021
- 3 min read
We’ve been working pretty hard since my last post and I have to say we've been pretty tired when we get home in the evenings which combined with our rather sketchy internet connection meant my blogging kept being postponed. So since my last post the builders have finished removing the roof, started knocking holes in 18 inch stone walls for new doors and windows and even started rebuilding some of the stonework. Andrew and I have been doing ongoing jobs like more tile cleaning, chiselling off concrete render, searching for stones around the site as well as visiting quarries and reclamation yards - phew! We realise we are not as young as we used to be!
The dogs are certainly enjoying their new life. Daily we have our lovely walks, still discovering new and exciting places. We are constantly delighted by wildlife encounters such as quietly spotting red deer in the forest or watching from the garden as the buzzards dog-fight above with a local falcon. We have left the on-site roof-robins peacefully to complete their nesting, with the young fledging this week. The ponies are also loving life with their new sheep companions and their rapidly growing lambs. We introduced them and after some initial excitement and a bit of running around, they've all settled down and will happily share the plentiful grass. (Don't tell Andrew, but I can't wait to expand my menagerie!)
We are still thoroughly enjoying the whole project, if occasionally getting attacks of nerves about the enormity of what we have taken on. Seeing the barns stripped of their rooves and great holes being knocked through the walls all looks quite scary, but we know it’s going in the right direction, if a little slower than we’d have liked - I want to move in next week! Patience never was my virtue...
There are daily decisions which all need thought, but often don’t have the luxury of time. As we uncover layers of the building we often have to adapt our plans and there are always knock on effects to every change that keep us on our toes as we reveal the building's history and secrets. I think that together we and the builders as a team are pretty good at resolving most dilemmas that the barns throw at us!
I had been determined to have as much exposed stone as the 'Building Control Police' would allow, keeping within our targets for heat retention. Both builders and Andrew tried to tell me that it just wasn’t a good idea in the Milking Parlour (to be the annex) as the walls were coated with extremely hard concrete render over what was probably just "rubble stone, which would look awful and be a huge job". So, just to be defiant, one weekend I ducked out of tile cleaning and set to chipping away at the concrete to reveal that actually the stone underneath was (mainly) beautiful facing stone! They were right that the concrete was a bugger to get off, but I finished the end wall in time for the builders to see what was possible on the Monday morning. Needless to say, all agreed that we should remove the rest of the concrete... It actually is SO the right thing to have done, and it will be beautiful and full of character!
The builders took over and much more efficiently removed the rest of the milking parlour render on the southern walls. It wasn't easy, but actually will probably save man hours in the long run as there will be no need for those bits to be battened, insulated, dry lined, plastered, decorated etc. Good job!
Below, I've made a little slide show of the milking parlour's progress from removal of the asbestos ceiling, digging out the concrete, laying the floor base, demolition of roof then through to exposing the stone. A long way from finished, but up to date:
So through sunshine, torrential rain and the gale force winds of this week, we have progressed. The large hay barn portal frame is on it's way down to reveal more spectacular views (a planning condition), and we are getting a scaffold 'tin-lid' over part of the barns so work can continue in the dry. Sods law there will be a heat wave next week!
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