LOG BURNERS ARE FOR THE BIRDS

Decided that all forms of tongue and groove, laminate, plastic and immensely posh floors should be confined to bankers and footballers. Have therefore laid ordinary boards down over the floating floor to make it appear like a suspended floor. I've screwed them down and plugged them. It works and its back-breakingly cheap. Probably finish with polish. No stilettos though. Just the kitchen to go, and alot of doors.

Have changed from 3/4 building and 1/4 surveying to vice versa. It feels good to be making money rather than spending it. Have found that obtaining a new-build VAT rebate from HMG is a Catch 22 that even Joseph Heller would be proud of. If there's anybody out there onshore, you owe me.

I won't tell you how many starlings have been trapped in our log burner else someone might get upset.

Trendy glass balustrade a bit out of character.

You can just see a bit of curtain that Suki has made in between bell ringing and cello lessons.

Lathe now back inside due to exterior deterioration.

OTHER BEINGS PREPARE TO HAVE SEX IN OUR BEDROOM.

We are now camped out in the spare bedroom. The probem with beds spanning two levels has been resloved by cutting 8 inches off the legs at the head end. This has created more space in an otherwise small room - but quite cosy. The starry blinds on the velux windows have four moons. This is is to confuse visitors and insects.

 

Meanwhile, in our bedroom, two mysterious insects appear to have found each other in an ocean of white paint. Congratulations and good luck.



The ocean of white paint.

AH HA HA HA STAYING ALIVE

Long time no blog.  I ended up in casualty after a long day in late September carrying in a large load of plasterboard followed by a very good meal in the local french restaurant.

Those people who have thyroid problems will understand why my bodily and building processes have came to a virtual standstill. Scary - but I am now on pills and my muscles seem to be recovering; and I have had a thorough heart check up. The outlook is much better.

At no time have I actually stopped work though there have been times when I could barely walk up the stair. I just had to plod on very slowly and the plasterboarding is now nearly complete.

It has been encouraging to have the log burning stove installed as well as the air heat pump. The heat pump is adequate on its own and burns about 400 watts which at 12.5p per kilowatt hour should come to about £100 per year. The ventilation system is now running and the sink is installed.  It's a relief that the ventilation and heating seem to be acceptably quiet. We have had friends to stay overnight.

Roy and I cut down most of the tree out the front which has greatly improved the view of the sea.

Barry is due to complete the wiring in March and thereafter it's mainly decoration. We have decided to cover the floors with pine boards, rather than laminated boards, vinyl or any other such high finishes. It's also cheaper! Thank heavens for a decision.

Sink installed in Ikea worktop - kitchen plasterboard done.

January bleak out back.

The trick is to prevent it running too hot - it seems.

Air heat pump - heating and cooling from two units.

90% of trees out the front removed. Bewick's swans in ponds.

IT'S A COVER UP



Rather like the human body
the outside can look quite
attractive...



while the inside is a chaotic
alignment of channels leading
to the outside world at a point
which is usually covered up.



People are asking me when it's going to be finished. There is no completion date because there is no contract, apart from the one twixt me and God, but I feel the need to aim for sometime so I have in my mind a virtual contract; it is complete when all is done except decoration and floor coverings. I am aiming for the end of August.

On the downside there are graduation ceremonies to attend and concerts in which to perform

http://www.englisharts.org/events.htm

so I am spending more time scraping oboe reeds than hacking lumber. On the up, there is help from the boys who are twice as big and strong as me because they are descended from Eric Bloodaxe of Northumberland.

Felix has come to help out with insulation.

ITS GONNA RAIN AN RAIN AN RAIN AN RAIN AN RAIN

Oh dear. Some time has gone by. Two months. My excuse is that I have had a horrible cold. There have been some achievements though.

The hot water tank is fixed up to the solar panel and provides us with piping hot water after a mere two hours of sunshine.
All the plumbing to first fix is now done.
All the air ventilation ductwork to first fix is done.
All our stuff has been returned from store. This may be a mistake, but it saves some money.

Finally - I have got some fascia boards up. A big delay was caused by a misunderstanding between me and the timber merchant, causing me to lose my temper for the first time on this project. It appears that this state of mind is normal for the customers of this firm. But they are very likeable people - a good lesson on how to be incompetent and get away with it.

It took so long to obtain the boards that the sparrows moved in. Last week I had the miserable job of blocking up their nests, which is probably illegal. However I did look at the RSPB web site and found out that they nest from April to August and intend to pair for life and keep the same nest til death they do part. It is therefore better to take action sooner than later. Well that is what I tell myself.

I spent last weekend cyling on Exmoor listening to my friend (the one who twines to the left)misinforming me that residential property investors increase prices preventing young people from buying. As if the cycling weren't bad enough. Somerset looks like a good place to build houses - and many of them. Though I don't suppose I can justify owning two homes - not unless I let the sparrows in.

Humans may be more endangered than sparrows as the clouds form over the euro. It would be good to get the building work done before Barclays goes bust. Suki has bought some curtain material which must be the beginning of the end.

Somebody told me once - a picture is worth a thousand words.
 

Fred helps with fireproofing the cantilever section

kitchen area ready for damp proof membrane

stuff arrives from store

Pipedilly Circus

some plasterboard goes up.

SPRING

these daffodils are short - maybe because last year they supported a pile of concrete

more plumbing - sukis first bath gets a little closer

ventilation ducts going in but it now seems preferable to open the windows

the MHVR box (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery). Can anyone explain to me why this acronym is in the wrong order?

RADIO 3 INTERRUPTED BY WHISTLING ELECTRICIAN

Another communication failure - this is where the bathroom mirror goes.

The gardener at my school scowled at us and called we boys vermin. So we in turn called him Vermin. If you came too close, Vermin would smack you across the face. In hindsight it is credible that he wanted us away from his gang mower and certainly not eating his strawberry crop. It worked.

The servants staircase was towards the back of the Edwardian house which was my school. In contrast to the main mahogany stair which served the ground and first floors this back staircase went up to the second floor and down to the basement. The steps were quite small and had metal treads on grey linoleum. There were two flights to each storey and as I got older I found that I could fly down the steps faster missing out more treads. By the time I was eleven I could jump down a whole flight and descend the entire height of the building in a few seconds.

The basement was quite mysterious. Immediately opposite the bottom of the stair was a room housing two enormous oil fired boilers, constantly failing to heat the entire building. It was a bit frightening so best avoided. Moving on to the right was the boot room whose door was carved with every boys intials since the beginning. The next room was locked - Mr Drover taught woodwork there - no nickname for him as he had fought in Burma and would occasionally show us his Ghurkha knife. After this the corridor melted away into darkness and cobwebs.

Turning left at the bottom of the stair was a television room for the sixth formers, introduced to balance the new practice of displaying the first formers’ pictures on the classroom wall. After that was an area occupied by Mr Deans the caretaker. He was a tall but plain scotsman who wore a Churchillian boiler suit. One of his tasks was to clean 42 pairs of black leather shoes on a Wednesday. Mrs Deans was more than a match in facial presentation, having a large wart on her left cheek, and too much lipstick. She did the washing up for 84 boys and staff three times a day.

But Mr & Mrs Deans, of the basement, were the happiest people about - certainly happier than the headmaster who smoked himself to death on the first floor in between beatings and chapel services. The basement wasn’t frightening because, although dark damp and smelling of boiler fuel, the whistle of Mr Deans could always be heard resonating along the corridors - a whistle to summon the sirens from their whirlpools, and with a vibrato of operatic proportions.

I had not heard the like of it since, not until Barry came to do the wiring. I should ask him whether he attended the basement conservatory.

Its been brassy...

...but pretty when the sun comes out...

...and I have been busy inside...

...trying to work out where to put the bath.

The last few weeks have been stressy in the real world due to ...

1. an unexpected influx of surveying work resulting in no building progress last week
2. no 3 and his gep ya (jealousy) - next stop the moon
3. a car crash - suki now just about recovered.

But after a relaxing weekend in Goteberg (thanks Catharina and Kent) I am recharged.

The studs are up and wiring in - only three days work for Barry.

CEDAR NEW FRONTAGE

The roof covering is now finished. Happily, I am still alive. Had I fallen off it would have been the Durufle Requiem - out of choice. Having been to the top of Centre Point this week (thanks James) I have renewed respect for all high rise buildings!

Richard and Doug are putting on the cedar cladding for me. Hoping to get the exterior done by Christmas (2011).
 

REAR

Simon is wearing a vest, short sleeve cotton shirt, cashmere jumper (Johnstones of Elgin), second jumper (from Aviemore), English Arts Chorale fleece, brushed cotton jeans, knee protectors and Clarks shoes (holey reliable).

After a few hours walking on battons your arms get longer and swing like an orangutan.

Roofing in bad weather is tough. I am siding with Wat Tyler and should be at St Pauls protesting about credit default swaps on Greek Debt made in my name by my bank. The copper clouts and rivets have caused my lips to crack and its we haven't yet reached November - only about 800 tiles to go.

I am out of touch but is there anyone concerned about Jeffrey Archer handing back the the throne of England to the RC church. What's this bit of sea for? What's the Tower of London for?

As I watch the harvest moon rise over the sea I consider the soreness of my bum - only a weekend biking in the black mountains is comparable to tiling, notwithstanding the bath mat I have stuffed down my shorts.

"I was now heavier than the barrel, and half way down I met the barrel coming up, receiving a severe blow upon the shin". Fortunately this is a lightweight pulley made from the washing line - suitable for carrying lunch but not much more, though I did walk into it and saw stars for a day.

After the first week I have just over a quarter of the tiles on but am gradually getting faster.

WINDOWS AND DOORS

I know not why, but I'm more uncertain than when I started. The first anniversary of commencement has gone by, and the next task - the roof covering - is daunting. I rode a horse called Rocky yesterday and that was bad enough. Mounting and dismounting the worst, so I shall need good roof access arrangements. When you look into the horse's eye he appears to have the knowledge of the world, but when you hear the steady printing of his proud feet, you realize that riding is just the bi-product of one of natures great eating machines. The best thing I learned from Amanda is that you can ride a horse into another horse as easily as the milkman reversed into my car last week. Not sure whether I believe this and would prefer all milk to be delivered by horsepower.

Everything is buzzing down here - the timber merchants are so busy they need a new lorry. All I hear on the radio is gloomy. This shows that by the time all those statistics have been requested, collected, reviewed and published, they are at least a year out of date. If it's as bad as all those clever economists would have us believe, my mother's policy of growing vegetables to ward off the German invasion may yet bear fruit. However, I maintain that the better way to be a success in the capital markets is to pick your moment from a deckchair on Winchelsea Beach.

ROPES PULLEYS AND GEARING





After a sleepless night in the tent ...



I finally came up with a system of ropes ...





To haul the windows up to the first floor - fortunately Suki is very strong.