GaryH Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 (edited) From a Jan '14 post Uncle Tim's old house used to sport a rather fetching wishing well in the front garden We're just joshing him about it and he's referring to the fact that this 'might' have been mentioned before Edited June 4, 2021 by GaryH 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted June 10, 2021 Author Share Posted June 10, 2021 Mrs WC's wishing well or my naughty throne is progressing well. She expertly handles the small 4.5" angle grinder with diamond cutting disc like a pro! Won't touch the big grinder though, think she learnt the easy way after my A and E visit to have my leg stitched back on Some jobs take so much more work and effort than can be seen in a few photos', this is one of them but I love doing this type of fakery. I'm trying to make the new part of the house extension blend seamlessly with the original house ie looking like it was built 250 yrs ago 🤔 This is the vaulted half of the ceiling for the master bedroom, easy option would be to keep the full ceiling flat and just screw up plasterboard but I don't do easy Instead, I spent a long, hot afternoon sanding down a dozen 17th century re-claimed oak 4" x 3" floor joists. They're left overs after I'd finished the driveway entrance ceiling oak beam/joist fakery. Then nearly a week and half of lifting, measuring, more lifting, individually cutting spacer blocks to fill the fixing area gaps between the warp/twist old beams and straight new roof joists, lifting, secret screwing (no visible fixings) metal straps to hold them up to the new roof joists, yet more lifting. My 'bingo wings are well taut now 💪 Not finished yet so plenty more lifting to go before plastering A job I've put off as I don't like heights is insulating the roof above the 'tall' half of the garage Ridge beam is 7.5m up but I'll be working about 6m head height so spent an afternoon building a sturdy work platform so I can easily move about on. Even put in a guard rail to stop me falling out the window opening into the neighbors shrubbery Spent the today up there and after initially crawling around on all fours not happy, really not happy 😧 I've acclimatized myself to the altitude and made great progress 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mean in green Posted June 11, 2021 Share Posted June 11, 2021 Six or seven metres is plenty high enough if you don't really have the head for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted June 13, 2021 Author Share Posted June 13, 2021 On 11/06/2021 at 09:44, mean in green said: Six or seven metres is plenty high enough if you don't really have the head for it. Surprised myself and very quickly got comfortable working up high, getting work done much quicker too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesworth Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 On 13/06/2021 at 11:12, World Citizen said: Surprised myself and very quickly got comfortable working up high, getting work done much quicker too Don't get complacent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted June 14, 2021 Author Share Posted June 14, 2021 7 hours ago, Lesworth said: Don't get complacent! No worries on that Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 (edited) Heat and pollen have smashed me this week 😭 Roof insulation all done above the garage, think I've used more than 40 sheets of 1.2m x 2.4m 75mm thick insulation boards so far and I'm not done yet More concerning is I reckon I'll use well over 0.5km 😲 of 50mm wide silver foil tape sealing all the insulation board joints. That's a heap of cold drafts direct onto the back of the plasterboard if I hadn't taken the time to do it Also added a useful extra storage area using 6 x 2 timber joists at the top that can be accessed via a loft hatch from the house part. With 2ft thick walls our house has never had any storage space so this area will come in very handy Thought having a 6.1m high vault above the garage was a more than sufficient height as I may run out of stuff to fill it up with 😉 Welcome to my 'Church of the Lightweight' 😎 Mrs WC has made great progress, she's now waiting for me to chop up the slab for the base of the oven and then it's onto making the oven dome, I must order some fire bricks I have rough priority order in my head for doing all the work but sometimes something crops up that needs immediate attention For example, like running out of heating oil and not having hot water. My hand was forced, so time to plumb in the new oil tank. While I'm at it may as well move the boiler to another temporary home out of the elements and way so I can finish off the ceiling above the entrance opening Boiler must weight easily over 150kgs, so Jr. WC was roped in, between the three of us we spent an hour levering, sliding on rollers, dragging and me cursing, fighting it into the garage I'm flippin' knackered and it's not even the end of the week yet! Edited June 19, 2021 by World Citizen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strosek34 Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Crikey, that’s a busy week you’ve had, specially with the heat to cope with, as always I’m very impressed. Thats some roof you’ve insulated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted July 3, 2021 Author Share Posted July 3, 2021 Over 3 years in on this build, really should have made more progress, maybe have done less work ourselves (that's just a stupid idea, where would the fun be in that!) and not let my work get in the way 😟 Then, I think back and 4 years to the day, I was in a coma, packed in ice after I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at home while in my sleep and went over to the wrong side of alive for 10 mins 🤔 I'm still alive and all is good and there are many more updates to come 😎 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaky Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 🙏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnersp Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 9 hours ago, World Citizen said: I'm still alive and all is good And there you go, everything beyond that is a bonus. Crack on good sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted July 21, 2021 Author Share Posted July 21, 2021 Delivery day (again), 750kgs of pizza oven building materials, bit of budget creep over spend on this project 😲 Mrs WC and I could fly 1st class to Milan, have a night in a nice hotel, evening meal at a fancy pizza restaurant and still have change left over. Hoping with enough home cooked pizza's 🤪 we might break even in 10 years Back to the main event, I've spent time doing minor fettling of the oak joists fakery to give room for a layer of 12mm 30 minute fireproof plasterboard. Very pleased with it as I took my time so there were no visible joints or gaps to the oak joints Well it was a job done well, right up until I stuck a 🤬 big hole when my size 10 foot which was swiftly followed by my leg broke through when I stepped somewhere I shouldn't have 🤔 All patched up and now busy joisting out the bathroom and en suite bathroom areas above, 🤞 crossed I don't make another hole. In other news, squatters have moved in to the garage end. I spent a week ripping down Mr and Mrs Pigeon's nest as fast as they could build it, they were so determined that in the end I left them to it. Thought it was a bit heartless not to and Mrs Pigeon seems very relaxed and settled , not even my loudest cursing has made her leave the nest 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nige Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 (edited) I hung some old CDs on string around where some pesky pigeons where beginning to nest in our trees. Sh*tting over the cars and being noisy b*stards. Anyway, they don't like the look of themselves in the CDs so b*ggered off, next option was air rifle. Get rid else your nice timberwork will be covered in sh*te. It stains! Edited July 21, 2021 by Nige Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnersp Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Horrid, disease-ridden little bastards. If the CDs don’t work allow me to suggest .50cal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted July 21, 2021 Author Share Posted July 21, 2021 Do you think a Rick Astley CD would scare them or should I try a Bananarama album? We're an AirBnb for birds, the crows have only just left after nesting in our inglenook chimney, this is what I removed from their last stay a couple of years ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richot1989 Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 The wild life have obviously got your number!! At least its not squirrels - which we have - which wake us up in the night as they run across the loft - especially when they have youngsters playing and making a hell of a din in the loft! Not to mention the mess they make of the loft insulation which they collect for their nest (drey) which is always in the most inaccesable (to humans!) place in the loft!! Keep up the good work and posts, WC👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaky Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Option 3……..buy a Cat, will keep all sorts of vermin away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nige Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Richot1989 said: The wild life have obviously got your number!! At least its not squirrels - which we have - which wake us up in the night as they run across the loft - especially when they have youngsters playing and making a hell of a din in the loft! Not to mention the mess they make of the loft insulation which they collect for their nest (drey) which is always in the most inaccesable (to humans!) place in the loft!! Keep up the good work and posts, WC👍 Dude get pest control in and get them gone. They love eating electrical cables and that ain't good in your roof space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryH Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 3 hours ago, World Citizen said: Do you think a Rick Astley CD would scare them ? I'm not sure Rick Rolling them will work WC 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted July 21, 2021 Author Share Posted July 21, 2021 19 minutes ago, GaryH said: I'm not sure Rick Rolling them will work WC 😂 Got to be AC DC Thunderstruck at volume 11 🤩 while coal rolling them with my truck 😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richot1989 Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 On 21/07/2021 at 22:48, Nige said: Dude get pest control in and get them gone. They love eating electrical cables and that ain't good in your roof space. Have done that, Nige, but they leave poison everywhere and it tends to get back into the main house, which is an issue as we have two dogs. I've been using humane traps and then transporting the bugg*rs to some woods some 5 +miles away. - Yes, I know that I'm not allowed to do this!! Fortunately, they have not returned (so far!!) this year🤞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sopor Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 As far as getting rid of grey squirrels, had one in the loft earlier this year. It would come and go very early in the day or late in the evening and didn't live there - just seemed to use it as a temporary hang out. Pest control chap used one of these - https://www.pestcontroldirect.co.uk/shop/vermin-traps-squirrel-traps-rat-traps-humane-traps/spring-traps-bmi-fenn-spring-traps-wcs-tube-trap/wcs-squirrel-tube-trap/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaky Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 TNT........to extreme! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richot1989 Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Thanks Sopor, I'll probably invest in one of these, having just watched the video on how to use it (without losing your fingers!!). Cheers, Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) Still chipping away at this project, work on it nearly everyday, all day making slow but steady progress with my 2 steps forward 1 step back approach 😟 Pictures I have aren't very good at showing how much work has been done so I'll save them for when it's possible to spot the difference Quite often I have a bright idea, I then start off doing the work and it dawns on me what a monster task I've taken on, in too deep so can't turn back so I keep at it until it's done, kind of like the story of this build 🤪 Today's job is a perfect example..... Never liked the look of the black rain water down pipe on the stone wall of the drive through and thought it needed to be slightly more discrete as it spoilt the look of the front entrance porch So I bought a 4.5" core drill and enough shaft extensions to make a 3.5ft deep vertical hole down through the porch solid stone plinth to hide the soakaway down pipe inside the stone plinth I drilled and drilled, hours went by, after a while I was looking down a big hole, couldn't reach or see the bottom of the abyss I'd made 😲 Eventually I reached the ground, then started again with a horizontal hole, lots and lots of chiseling the holes intersected, I did a thing, mission accomplished, phew! Just mocked up the new down pipe position as my arms/wrists didn't seem to want to work after hanging off a large drill all day. Think it looks heaps neater, no one else will notice but that doesn't matter That plastic white electrical box to the right will have to go too but I'll leave that battle for another day Edited August 30, 2021 by World Citizen 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now