14th October 2008

This month work on the roof seems to have gone slowly for me.  I suspect that this is because I look at the slates, and forget to look at all the other work, like the lead flashing and the chimneys.

You see the two pots on the middle chimney? – Well one of them is now in the garden and will make a brilliant planter for next year.

This is Kevin’s hat – which may look a bit strange – but it is the warmest hat imaginable for those cold mornings.

Gareth – in front of our dormer roofs – The tiles here all have to be cut to fit the sloping sides.

Notice our smart new chimney pots – although they will have tops on them – to stop

a) The rain coming in

b) The jackdaws nesting in them.

We are waiting on our roof light before this section can be slated – hopefully next week!

15th October 20008

The builders continue to make progress – despite the rain we have had.

The garden side of our house is completely felted and battened and also most of the road side.

Would you like to be under this when the rain came down?

Actually it is not too bad – the water does not come in – it is just all a bit damp!

The builders have now started taking the slates off the next door roof at the front of the house, because along the front we have one long stretch of roof over both houses.

While all this work is going on above our heads, the road through the village is being resurfaced, and for us today was the worst day as the heavy machinery was right outside our house. The whole house vibrated with the noise of the roller machine.

There was a bit of a disaster – as a water main burst in the road. (sigh)

I got back from work – no water, no way to get into my drive, pounding machinery …. but …. the builders were still smiling!

8th October 2008

I got to go up on the roof to-day

The slates have all been removed from one side of our house:-

So this is a view of our bedroom ceiling! Fingers crossed for no high winds or wet rain for a few days.

3rd October – Day 5

Site meeting – on the roof

Site meeting today – the builders, the architect, and the man from Snowdonia National Park

As yet – no work has been started on the roof – although the old pointing on the gable end wall has been removed and is being re-pointed with traditional lime – a thankless task for the builders.

We are also going to have to have additional work done on our chimneys.  Like having pots put up there, and having vents put in the top of the chimneys that have been blocked off.  Shedman and I are also going to have to sort out getting the chimneys swept – the challenge is that we only have one fireplace.  The others have been blocked off – so we will have to make openings in them to sweep them (sigh!).

29th September 2008

The builders arrive.

The builders arrived to-day and spent the day taking out the old mortar on the gable end of the house, which will need re-pointing in traditional lime mortar

September 2008

The house at the “Artist’s Garden” was built in approximately 1860 – and is a Grade11 listed building, in a National Park.  We knew when we bought the property that is needed a new roof – what we didn’t know, was how tortuous the process of getting to the roofing stage would be – but at last we are here.  This page is mainly for friends and family to let them know how it is progressing!

18th – 19th September 2008

The scaffolding went up.