Hagg Leys Farm

Author: stephen (Page 45 of 61)

Roof going back on

June 24, 2013 /

Work started this morning on putting the roof back on the existing building.  By the end of the day all of the roofing felt and lathes will be on the building.  This is a milestone since from this point onwards the building is no longer completely open to the elements.

It will take 7-10 days to get the roof completely finished, assuming there aren’t any problems.

You can also see the two rebuilt chimneys that now match – before the chimney on the left was smaller, rendered and had no string course.  The chimneys, as the rest of the external masonry, has been sandblasted over the last weekend.

 

The two chimneys have been rebuilt and sandblasted. So too has the rear of the property. The felt and lathes are going on first to be followed by the stone slates.

The two chimneys have been rebuilt and sandblasted. So too has the rear of the property. The felt and lathes are going on first to be followed by the stone slates.

End of day 1 on the roof and the felt and lathes have been installed. This means that the worst of the weather will be kept out. There is still a chance that rain may come through some of the window openings, but fingers crossed the weather shouldn't be too bad for the next couple of weeks.

End of day 1 on the roof and the felt and lathes have been installed. This means that the worst of the weather will be kept out. There is still a chance that rain may come through some of the window openings, but fingers crossed the weather shouldn’t be too bad for the next couple of weeks.

The "felt" is actually a green coloured plastic. It feels a little bit like a tent wit only the felt and lathes on the roof. With the green felt on the roof, there is a green tinge to the light everywhere.

The “felt” is actually a green coloured plastic. It feels a little bit like a tent wit only the felt and lathes on the roof. With the green felt on the roof, there is a green tinge to the light everywhere.

Sandblasting – Day 2

June 24, 2013 /

Well, 7:30pm on Sunday evening and it is all done.  Front, back, chimneys, timbers, and 3 fireplaces.  It took around 45 bags of sand (each 25kgs) to complete the work.  That’s a lot of sand, but I will leave you to do the maths!

It now looks superb, but it isn’t something that I would want to do every weekend!

All the window reveals were cleaned of as much mastic as possible and then cleaned so that the windows can be installed.  The old windows were not set equally – some were further out than others – we will fix this issue when fitting the new ones.  This is why all the window reveals needed to be cleaned.

The newly rebuilt chimneys were also sandblasted.  Dragging all the tubes around isn’t easy work, but it only took 30-40 minutes to sandblast the chimneys.  They do look superb.

I will post pictures of sandblasted timber and fireplaces later.

Working left to right, the front of the property is sandblasted.

Working left to right, the front of the property is sandblasted.

The stone surround on the doorway to number 8 was painted. This doesn't last long when sandblasted.

The stone surround on the doorway to number 8 was painted. This doesn’t last long when sandblasted.

Sandblasting the window reveals

Sandblasting the second chimney was a little easier as the scaffolding was still in place around it.

Sandblasting the second chimney was a little easier as the scaffolding was still in place around it.

Two sidese of the new chimeny have been sandblasted. The stone was salvaged from the old porch.

Two sides of the new chimney have been sandblasted. The stone was salvaged from the old porch.

Sandblasting – Day 1

June 23, 2013 /

It is going to take a couple of days to sandblast the outside of the property, the fireplaces (x3) and the oak trusses and purlins in the roof.  This work is being done at the weekend, so that it doesn’t interrupt any of the building work – no one can really work on site while the sandblasting is going on due to the noise and dust.

Proceedings didn’t start until just after lunch, but by 4:30pm the rear and one side of the property had been cleaned including one of the fireplaces.  The idea is to gently lighten the stone and remove some of the black grime and soot that has built up over the last couple of hundred years.  This dark outer layer keeps moisture out, so once the stone has been cleaned, it will need to be treated with a sealant.

The stonework to the right has been lightly sandblasted to take some of the black soot and grime off the old stonework. Ironically, it is the grime that makes the stone waterproof, so once it has been sandblasted the stone will be treated with a sealant.

The stonework to the right has been lightly sandblasted to take some of the black soot and grime off the old stonework. Ironically, it is the grime that makes the stone waterproof, so once it has been sandblasted the stone will be treated with a sealant.

This is not a job for the faint hearted

This is not a job for the faint hearted

Yup, he is still there under that plume of sand. It took about 30 - 40 minutes to sandblast the rear of the property once all of the kit was set up.

Yup, he is still there under that plume of sand. It took about 30 – 40 minutes to sandblast the rear of the property once all of the kit was set up.

The rear of the property has been completely sandblasted. Tomorrow, it will be the chimneys, the front, the fireplaces and the oak roof trusses.

The rear of the property has been completely sandblasted. Tomorrow, it will be the chimneys, the front, the fireplaces and the oak roof trusses.

Installing the roof lights

June 21, 2013 /

Unfortunately, the roof lights specified in the drawings are not going to fit – they are just too big for the opening.  We have managed to located an alternative supplier who can provide slightly smaller roof lights.  These are a standard size, so fingers crossed there should be no problems with availability.

There was a slight issue with roof lights as the size specify by the architect was too big to fit. Slight recalculation and a slightly smaller size has been identified. The rafters have now been cut to fit the new size roof lights. These will be the roof lights into Jo's office.

There was a slight issue with roof lights as the size specify by the architect was too big to fit. Slight recalculation and a slightly smaller size has been identified. The rafters have now been cut to fit the new size roof lights. These will be the roof lights into Jo’s office.

First chimney rebuilt

June 21, 2013 /

Using the stone from the old porch, the first of the chimneys has been rebuilt.  It has a string course made from an old flagstone.  The intention is that the string course will throw water clear from the base of the chimney. Work is now commencing on rebuilding the second chimney.  This will match the first one.

Using the stone from the porch, the chimney between number 10 and number 9 has been rebuilt. An old flagstone was cut to make up the string course.

Using the stone from the porch, the chimney between number 10 and number 9 has been rebuilt. An old flagstone was cut to make up the string course.

The first chimney is rebuilt and work is starting on the second one. Andy is putting one of the purlins back in.

The first chimney is rebuilt and work is starting on the second one. Andy is putting one of the purlins back in.

Last section of the orchard wall

June 21, 2013 /

The very far corner of the orchard (where a new gate will be installed) will need to be dug out using an excavator.  The ground here rises up for some reason.  Originally, there was a large wooden shed here and I suspect that waste was deposited behind the shed.

The wall was in pretty bad shape.  I have pulled out as many of the coping stones as possible and then dug the foundations.  Since one side is lower than the other, I can use bricks in the base of one side of the wall base as these will not be seen as they are below soil level.  Using bricks is quicker and also means that they don’t have to be thrown in the skip.

The last section of the orchard wall has been started. A gate will be installed here roughly where the blue trug is.

The last section of the orchard wall has been started. A gate will be installed here roughly where the blue trug is.

Windows removed

June 21, 2013 /

With the sandblasting planned for the weekend, all of the windows are being removed.  This will allow us to sandblast the stone surrounds before re-fitting the new windows. 

All sounds good, but the house is starting to look a bit sorry for itself.  Still, we have re-built one of the chimneys and hopefully today the second chimney will be rebuilt.  Both of these will be sandblasted over the weekend.

Actually, they are sat on the scaffolding removing the last of the pointing.

Actually, they are sat on the scaffolding removing the last of the pointing.

Just a couple of uPVC windows downstairs to be removed.

Just a couple of uPVC windows downstairs to be removed.

With the windows removed, the house is starting to look a bit sorry for itself. You can see the oak roof truss through the window.

With the windows removed, the house is starting to look a bit sorry for itself. You can see the oak roof truss through the window.

Chimney being built

June 19, 2013 /

Both of the chimneys are going to need to be rebuilt before the sandblasters turn up at the weekend.  The weather forecast for the next couple of days isn’t great, so the pressure is on to try and get everything done.  The scaffolding turned up this afternoon for the chimney and the work on rebuilding it started within the hour.

The first few courses (under the roof slates) are built up in brick and then stone (from the old porch) is used to rebuild the chimney.

The telehandler is used to get bricks and mortar up to roof level. Zep is on patrol waiting for any disgarded Jaffa cakes.

The telehandler is used to get bricks and mortar up to roof level. Zep is on patrol waiting for any disgarded Jaffa cakes. But no luck today.

All the windows have to be taken out before the weekend so that the sandblasters can do their work.

All the windows have to be taken out before the weekend so that the sandblasters can do their work.

Mowing the fields

June 18, 2013 /

With all of the nice weather recently, the grass has really started to grow.  When I first got the new mulching lawnmower, I did have a go at mowing the top field.  It took a couple of hours and was quite hard work.  Now the grass is growing so quickly, this is not a sustainable approach.  I would need to be cutting the grass on a weekly basis.  And that is only the top field.

The bottom field has never had the grass cut since we have owned it, so this is a non-starter as far as a “push along” mower is concerned (even if it is a good “push along” mower!). Far to clumpy and lumpy for a mower.

Time to borrow a tractor and a topper (many thanks to Rob North at Pure North Cider for the loan of the tractor).  All in all, it took a couple of hours to cut both fields – probably a couple of hours in total.  It is a flail mower, so you aren’t going to get a “lawn” type finish, but it does do the job.  The bottom field is on quite a slope and it takes a bit of getting used to as the tractor feels as if it is going to roll.  The trick is to mow down the hill rather than trying to mow across the slope.

All in all, my first time using a tractor and I am pretty pleased with the results (even if I say so myself!).

Only half a filed to mow really as the builders are occupying the other half of the top field.

Only half a filed to mow really as the builders are occupying the other half of the top field.

The bottom field with the septic tank, I was super careful not to put the tractor in the tank (no one would rush to fish me out!).

The bottom field with the septic tank, I was super careful not to put the tractor in the tank (no one would rush to fish me out!).

Not quite a stripped lawn (and it doesn't look like much of a slope), but I did it on my own (and I haven't used a tractor before).

Not quite a stripped lawn (and it doesn’t look like much of a slope), but I did it on my own (and I haven’t used a tractor before).

Pointing

June 18, 2013 /

The pointing on the property is what is called “Weatherstruck”.  This is where the pointing is very defined and stands proud of the joint.  Apparently, the belief was that the protruding pointing would throw any rainwater clear of the wall.  However, this style of pointing is not seen as acceptable as it looks unsightly and can damage the masonry.  The pointing is made of a sand and cement mortar. This is also frounded upon these days as it doesn’t breath (allowing moisture out) and is too hard (harder than the actual stone that has been pointed).

All of the existing pointing needs to be chipped out before the masonry can be sandblasted.  This is a very tendency job and we have had a couple of men on this job since last week.  It should be finished in the next day or so.  Much to their relief.

Once the masonry has been sandblasted, a test panel of 1 meter square will be completed using Nosterfield sand and hydraulic lime.  This should breathe and will be much more sympathetic to the look of the property.

Before the outside of the house can be sandblasted, all the old pointing has to be removed. This will then be replaced once the sandblasting has been completed.

Before the outside of the house can be sandblasted, all the old pointing has to be removed. This will then be replaced once the sandblasting has been completed.

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