Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 10)

New doors for the outbuilding

September 29, 2014 / stephen

We are almost there in terms of finishing the new home for the mower. Over the weekend, we made some doors and got them installed. They made using 165mm wide tongue and groove floorboards. The original doors (which are probably more than 100 years old) were made the same way but using much bigger boards (some of them well over 300mm wide). You just can’t get these size boards anymore, so we decided to use the smaller equivalent. It is a shame as I would have loved to have kept the old doors, but there are just too far gone to go back on (plus they don’t fit the wider opening).

The boards in the new doors are held together using strips of 18mm plywood. This should resist any twisting and help the doors remain straight as the wooded boards dries.

They just need a bit more paint and a lock!

A quick coat of the paint – the same paint that was used on the window frames – and the outbuilding is starting to look a lot tidier.

The outbuilding slowly being rebuilt

September 15, 2014 / stephen

Only one stone needs to be replaced before the props can be removed.

We are going to need to empty out all of that old wood, but we can get a mower in here! Tomorrow we will remove the props and replace that missing stone.

We are going to need to empty out all of that old wood, before we can get a mower in here! Tomorrow we will remove the props and replace that missing stone.

We have used a couple of ashlar lintels that were left over from the house renovation (I think we ordered them by mistake, but no one remembers!). Anyway, they have been put to good use and now form the course above the door. This is support behind the steel beam behind.

We have used a couple of ashlar lintels that were left over from the house renovation (I think we ordered them by mistake, but no one can remember where they came from!). Anyway, they have been put to good use and now form the course above the door. This is support behind the steel beam behind.

Cutting the grass in the bottom field

July 18, 2014 / stephen

The grass in the bottom field as reached waist height and we really should have cut it before now. With rain forecast for this weekend, it seems the right time for us to cut it.

We borrow a tractor and grass topper from a neighbour in the village which makes quick work of cutting the grass. We do have to make two passes though as the grass is so long. The slope on the bottom field also means that you need to mow up and down the slope (and definitely not sideways) otherwise there is a risk that the tractor might topple over.

A couple of hours work and the job is done!

We really should have cut this grass before now. We really have let it get a bit long. It is up to waist height. There is nothing else for it, but to get the tractor and topper out!

The grass was so long that we had to cut it twice. This just made the task twice as long! Still it looked much better once done.

The guy riding the bike in the background has two paddles strapped to the top bar of his bike. He cycled back a little later, but this time he had only one paddle strapped to his bike. What happened to the other paddle?

This always looks like good fun when someone else is doing it, but it isn’t really. There is too much of a slope on this field (although you can’t see it in these shots) and it feels as if the tractor is going to topple over. You can avoid this to a certain extent by mowing up and down the slope, but it still has its moments!

The curious incident of the dog in the daytime

July 12, 2014 / stephen

About 5pm today, a white Citroen car pulled up alongside the wall that runs along our orchard and threw a dog over the wall. I couldn’t have been more than 20 feet away on the other side of the wall when it happened, but I wasn’t quick enough to catch the car registration number. It took me a minute or so to work out what was going on and the view of the car was obscured by the trees.

We tried to catch the small white terrier, but unfortunately it escaped in to next door’s field. Trying to find a dog with short legs in a field of long grass is rather like looking for a needle in a haystack!

It did reappear and we did try and catch it again, but to no avail. We did, however, meet one of our neighbours from the next door farm.

We alerted the police to the event, but there isn’t much that can be done. It is amazing how scummy some people are! Hopefully, the dog is still out there somewhere.

The rain is back!

June 29, 2014 / stephen

Ever since we planted the grass seed in the top field, it hasn’t stopped raining. It has only been light rain, but it has been going on and off for a day and half. This is ideal for the new grass seed, but not too great for local events.

We have moved in!

March 25, 2014 / stephen

While it is not entirely finished, we have moved in. We are keen to start living in the property so that we get a sense of what might need to be changed (while we still have some opportunity to change it!).

In July 2012, we thought the end date might be around March 2014. At the time, I remember adding an exclamation mark as I thought it was such a long way away (see here on the About page). Well, I guess it was at the time.

We still have the master bedroom to finished as well as the two attached ensuites, but the other bedrooms are finished and there are working bathrooms too! The ground source heat pump seems to be settling down and we have heat and hot water (most of the time). We have lights despite having a shortage of light switches. However, you can always revert to an iPhone or an iPad if you can’t find the switch (but this does get annoying rather quickly!).

The kitchen is still a bit of a challenge. The granite sinks haven’t shown up yet, so we have no worksurfaces. And this means no water (hot or cold) or hob. However, we seem to be managing for the time being although I am guessing that this will soon becoming frustrating.

Of course the outside is still to do, but there again it isn’t the summer yet!

Kitchen update

March 21, 2014 / stephen

Although it looks like it will be another week or so before the granite sink bowls arrive, the kitchen appliances have arrived on site this morning. With any luck, they will all be fitted by the end of the day. This is just as well since we would like to get the timber flooring down in the hall (where the appliances are currently stacked up!).

The kitchen appliances arrived first thing this morning. They are due to be installed by the end of the day.

Update on the outside of the property

February 13, 2014 / stephen

The builders left site this week since the external shell work has now been completed. We are now concentrating on the plastering, decorating, plumbing and electrics.

With the majority of the building work now complete, hopefully, the noisy/dusty/muddy part of the build is complete. We still have the top soil to be put back down in the back field, but we are going to wait until the weather improves.

In between the storms today, I took some photos of the outside of the property.

This is the view of the renovated cottages and the new extension. We still have the gardens wall to finish, but this is going to have to wait until it gets a little warmer!

The sunken garden has still to be finished. However, we have decided to concentrate on getting the inside of the property finished first. The wall in the garden still needs to be finished off when the weather improves.

The bi-folding doors in the new extension, and the double doors in the older part of the property, all open out onto a two level terrace. There are stones steps up to the bi-folding doors in the lounge and timber steps up to the upper terrace outside the master bedroom (the set of bi-folding doors to the right in the new extension).

In between the storms, we have had some sunny weather. This is the back of the building and there are only the last remanants of the builders left behind.

The first of the internal doors is fitted

February 6, 2014 / stephen

There are 16 internal doors in the property. The first of them was installed today.

This is a major milestone for us and now we might stand half a chance of keeping (at least part of) the house clean and dust-free.

The doors are made of oak and have been supplied by Oakwood Doors in Huddersfield. We purchased a one of door as a prototype a few months ago. The door handles are from Zoo Architectural hardware and supplied via the door handle company (who also supplied all of the latches and hinges).

The first of the internal doors was installed this afternoon. This is a major milestone for us. And now we might stand a chance of keeping dust out of some of the rooms. The rest of the doors will be fitted upstairs tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Door liners

February 5, 2014 / stephen

With any luck, we will start installing some internal doors tomorrow. I can’t wait. This will give us the opportunity to clean up some of the rooms and keep them clean. With the decorators due at the end of the week, this is going to be really important.

The width of all of the internal doors are slightly different. This means that we have to make all of the internal door frames by hand. The good news is that at least we know they are all going to fit.