The building work has now started. The project is already a day ahead of schedule and the pace has been hectic. Three white vans jostled for space on the drive at 8 a.m. yesterday.
The plaster has been removed from the living room, hall, and porch. It has been very revealing as it has confirmed the damp problem but also shown others we had not anticipated. The wiring was confirmed as idiosyncratic but in addition also very slapdash. Wires joined by tape, and excess coils of live circuitry, were hidden behind the plaster.
However, there have been positive discoveries also. The old wooden door at the front of the property was hidden under the plaster as was a large stone lintel under the dated keystone (1790).
In the living room two large oak beams were found above the windows. We hope to integrate these into the decoration of the room. These, along with the other features, may allow us to start to bring back some character to the cottage.
The weather has remained cold throughout the day, it never really rose above freezing at any point. Unfortunately during this we have had no heating, limited water, and no electricity barring one socket downstairs and one upstairs. The wood-burner has proven its worth during this period as it has saved us from hypothermia.
The animals have coped but the chickens made an attempt for the warmth of the house but left after they decided the straw in their chicken-house was probably warmer than the shell their owners were using.
2 comments:
Those lintels and beams are lovely!
Bad news about the wiring. The people who did all this to your house should be shot (or given a stern talking to). Can you keep any of the stone walls exposed? They are so nice!
It must feel nice to have the chickens back!
I am not sure what stone work we will keep bare, certainly the big stone lintel in the porch.
The chickens are in their element and it is great to have them back.
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