We brought in a crane this morning to lift into place a large piece of ashlar. It was only with us for a couple of hours, but there was no other way to get the stone into position.  It never ceases to amaze me how large these cranes are.  This has to be the biggest one that we have used to date.  We may need to use a crane to lift the stone into position of the steps in the garden, but that is a while away yet.

The easiest way of lifting the stone into position is to use a (very) large crane to reach over the house and pick up the stone that was already in the rear garden. Communication with the crane driver can be difficult, but this is achieved by Nicky standing on the roof and using hand signals with the driver. It only took a couple of hours.

The easiest way of lifting the stone into position is to use a (very) large crane to reach over the house and pick up the stone that was already in the rear garden. Communication with the crane driver can be difficult, but this is achieved by Nicky standing on the roof and using hand signals with the driver. It only took a couple of hours.

This is the piece of stone (or rather three pieces of stone bolted to a steel beam) that goes across the opening of the bi-folding doors in the lounge. It probably weighs around a tonne, so it isn't possible to lift this one by hand.

This is the piece of stone (or rather three pieces of stone bolted to a steel beam) that goes across the opening of the bi-folding doors in the lounge. It probably weighs around a tonne, so it isn’t possible to lift this one by hand.

The most amazing thing about this crane is the fact that it actually fits on the drive! This is the largest crane that we have had on site during the renovation.

The most amazing thing about this crane is the fact that it actually fits on the drive! This is the largest crane that we have had on site during the renovation.