Simon Posted April 28, 2008 Author Share Posted April 28, 2008 You mean this one Tris? Do you a good deal on it Steps are a bit dicey though..... :D Thanks for the kind comments on the house. It was the only one we viewed and I knew it was the right one straight away. Had a damn good tidy yesterday afternoon so it's looking a bit more respectable. I'll get some photos this evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted April 29, 2008 Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 I told a lie, I found some photos of the roof part covered and joinery in the early stages on the other camera mem card. Utility door fitted. Had to widen it to fit the frame. It was previously fitted on one of our jobs but was wrong so I purloined it for this. Handing has been reversed so I need to fill the old ironmongery holes.... French doors between kitchen & courtyard swung.... Second atempt on these went considerably better than first attempt on utility door The 1st floor bedroom extension & porch, new bedroom window yet to be removed from behind wall on left and installed into hole on right... This was a 10 at night job but went remarkably well!! Roof felt & battened. Infill in wall in the middle to be lead flashed... This will be the model room Benches to left & right & shelves on the gable wall. Probably have to share it with Mrs H so will be known as 'The Study' Roof over the loft part battened, rooflights fitted. Now they were a piece of cake. Except when one went sailing off down the roof and hit the deck below. Ouch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Interesting project there Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted April 29, 2008 Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 Interesting project there Simon Interesting's not the word! The old man told me it was a bit big to take on when I started, I said if you're going to do it you may as well do it big. Having nearly finished one room I'm starting to dread tackling the rest of it. Because I'm doing EVERYTHING now, except plumbing and electrics, it's a fairly major thing to take on with everything else I have going on at the moment. Will be worth it when it's done though, will be a wonderful place to bring up a family, just a long, hard, EXPENSIVE road to get there!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Interesting's not the word! The old man told me it was a bit big to take on when I started, I said if you're going to do it you may as well do it big. Having nearly finished one room I'm starting to dread tackling the rest of it. Because I'm doing EVERYTHING now, except plumbing and electrics, it's a fairly major thing to take on with everything else I have going on at the moment. Will be worth it when it's done though, will be a wonderful place to bring up a family, just a long, hard, EXPENSIVE road to get there!! :D I don't know what it is about fathers and sons but fathers always seem to think they know best. Different story with daughters though ...usually they think the "sun" shines from u know where of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted April 29, 2008 Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 I don't know what it is about fathers and sons but fathers always seem to think they know best. Different story with daughters though ...usually they think the "sun" shines from u know where of them Tell me about it, my father and I have disagreed more than agreed over the years Generally, although we are both convinced we're right 100% of the time, it's roughly 50/50! Now my sister, well, the old chap thinks she's wonderful and the feeling is mutual. She can do no wrong, and despite the fact that we both earn the same, I pay a mortgage, bring up 2 kids, run 2 cars and everything else I do, she pays nothing towards her flat, doesn't run a car and is more broke than me. Yet it always seems to be me who needs the financial lectures :D Oh well, I think he's proud of me really :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 Right, this morning I'm nursing a very bad back after some light demolition and heavy duty wardrobe modification last night. My project was to knock through at first floor to connect old to new. Mrs H & the kids went to her mother's for the evening to leave me to it. Rather cleverly, back in November last year when they were about to start the second lift of brickwork, I got the brickies to run the Stihl saw down the wall where the new hole was going to give me one clean edge against the new blockwork. This was done before they started so the opening is exactly where it needs to be, tight on the blockwork. This wouldn't have been possible now seeing as I wouldn't have been able to get close enough to the wall with the diamond blade. In the event, I decided against the diamond blade anyway as it just generates obscene quantities of brick dust - not what you want on new decoration. So I chalkline marked the hole, smacked each brick with a bolster and then SDS hammered it out. Quick and fairly mess free. There was no lintel to go in as the opening is right under the original huge oak wall plate which is not now doing anything, so that simplified the job a great deal too. It's a wonderful thing designing your own home if you're building it yourself, you can account for all the things you can and can't do and make life very easy for yourself when you come to pick up your tools When we bought the house we acquired several items of furniture, a double bed [the couple were splitting up hence no need for it ] a fridge, washing machine, TV & video and two very nice antique wardrobes. When the previous owners bought them they said they had a devil's own job to get them in. I still can't work out how they did it to be honest. Anyway, they said they couldn't go through it again to get them out so we could keep them. Well, the big one is going from our current bedroom into the new one. My intention was to knock out the hole, dryline the opening, T&J & sand it, then put the carpet down, move the wardrobe and finally build the new corridor partition. However, I discovered last night that just ain't gonna work, the wardrobe was already too big to fit through the hole. So a great deal of fettling was required, starting with knocking the cornice off. Still too big so the legs had to come off. Still too big so I had to set about it with the trusty SB4 to plane the top down a bit. Still too big so knocked another course of bricks off and took a floorboard up. Still too big so another course of bricks came out, another floorboard and the corner was nipped off the top of a floor joist. Eventually I managed to squeeze it through with a couple of mm to spare. Took hours!! So, a few photos of latest progress.... Unfortunately most of the pictures I took were portrait and poxy photobucket is putting them all up landscape, despite the fact that I rotated them before uploading them, *F@$%**@?&^$" > Not a particularly comprehensive document then of what I did then but here are a few... The hole completed.... Wardrobe getting fettled.... Wardrobe coming through... Wardrobe in situ in new home.... From the existing landing.... Not much left in here now.... No doubt more will get done over bank holiday so should be some more updates next week! Incidentally, I stopped to get some diesel on the way home last night and had a nose about a shed while I was there. Few pics going up in a new topic for the vintage / classic truck / bus / car boys out there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 Bank holiday was not a hugely productive time so far as the house was concerned but instead I spent plenty of quality time with the kids which was far better. One major milestone reached over the weekend was that, for the first time ever as a family, we all now have our own rooms..... Sunday morning. Studwork going up.... Steps down from new corridor to new bedroom now built.... Sunday afternoon. Partition boarded, new liner made and fitted... Sunday evening. Inside George's new room... Last night's job, papering the wall behind the new bed... I really got my ar*e in my hands over the papering. The bloody stuff just would not cut, just bunched up under the blade and tore. The sides and top edge will get a fine bead of white silicone to tidy them up. I was still at it at 1 this morning, by which time Mrs H was asleep in the bed in the middle of the room with all the lights on and me swearing and throwing things... :D She didn't even wake up when I dragged the bed with her in it back into position. The miracles of heavy duty pain killers!! New KINGSIZE bed and new posturepedic mattress. Given the choice I'd never get out of it For the last 2 1/2 years we've been sleeping in the previous owners manky old double \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Bank holiday weekend was an absolute shambles in terms of productivity ...... Got a couple of things done inside and started squaring up outside, place was a tip and you could barely get up the drive.... First off, dog and I headed over in the Manitou.... He's never ridden in it before but he was pretty chilled, took him a couple of minutes to settle and apart from switching the inching pedal to dump - took me ages to work that out - he was a GOOD BOY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Main job was to clear out the 'bottom yard' as I like to call it, basically a dumping ground and that's what it's been used for for the last 2 1/2 years Demolition rubble was loaded into the 8t AW for the old chap to take up to Marlbrook to fill a culvert by a pheasant pen which was washed away in the floods last summer .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Then a damn good fire to get rid of the last of the rubbish ... last few pallets were reduced in number with a bit of re-jigging. This evening I have to push the rubble into the culvert and re-park the pallets so I can get the Landy and the Forester in the yard. Plus a million and one other jobs before Mrs H gets home. The builders are knocking out the kitchen wall and putting the window in baby's room today so everywhere is just a hideous mess!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Bet it feels kind of free to have a good sort out though. Even on a small scale when I clean the car, room, worbench etc it always seems less clutter you see - less clutter in your head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Bet it feels kind of free to have a good sort out though. Even on a small scale when I clean the car, room, worbench etc it always seems less clutter you see - less clutter in your head. I'm trying to see the positive but this weekend has been something of a disaster! Every job seemed to take forever and the week has not started off any better, trying to sort out getting this beam in has been a nightmare..... just glad Mrs H is not around to see the armageddon that's hit her poor house, everything is a disgrace, massive clear up needed before she gets home!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Well, it's been an awful long time since I updated this so here are a few photos of recent progress. I did sod all over the summer as I was rushed at work so have only really just started to do anything in the last month really. Anyway....the seagrass carpet is down in the bedroom and skirtings are all on, bit not oiled yet, waiting for my Rustins wood dye to arrive.... Downstairs is moving along as you can see.... we knocked through months ago.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Hole sort of completed..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 George's new bedroom window... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Window in place and view out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Now, the kitchen and snug moving on.... It had a bit of a set back after I found damp in the corner. I laid into the builders and got them to break the floor out and knock some blocks out the wall to check the DPM....I had to strip a load of drylining off and cut the utility partition out again, a reet pain, I was not happy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Imagine then my surprise when I find that old git next door has recreated the hanging gardens of Babylon's irrigation system and aimed it at my house.... er, criminal damage anyone... So the damp wasn't my builder's fault, it's because this old b@$7@£% has laid a bed of straw against my wall and connected a load of 110mm soil pipe up to catch water and divert it against my wall, to soak into the straw to make sure it stays there..... never before has the winter killer flu epidemic in the elderly seemed like such a good thing... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 After putting everything back together, it was taped and filled.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Next comes some decoration and this week the floor is going down along with the underfloor heating.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 And this will be the study [tractor room ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Nice study... how big is it Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 I've decided too that I will make all my own doors. I've got some nice Idigbo ones already but they're odd sizes so won't fit the existing openings. I made the framed and ledged one for the attic entrance which was a bit labour intensive although it did turn out OK. All the others will be ledged and braced instead. I've done this ledged and braced one out of 150x25 [ex] whitewood tongue and groove. I V-notched the face of it one one side with the power planer. I'll then colour it with Rustins Antique Pine wood dye when it arrives and give it a couple of coats of Danish Oil to finish it.... that's the theory anyway, hopefully it will come up nice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Nice study... how big is it Simon 3m long by 2.4m wide Bill. The eaves kick in at about 1100mm, max headroom is about 1850mm. I've got a load of 2x2 PAR which I will make a continuous desk down each side, 600mm deep, 3m long with a T&G top, all dyed and oiled like the doors. That way Mrs H can have one side for her work and I can have the other for my 'work' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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