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A VERY long term project - Finally finished !

This is where we don't want anything but evidence of your finest wood butchering in all its glorious, and photograph laden glory. Bring your finished products or WIP's, we love them all, so long as there's pictures, and plenty of 'em!

Re: A VERY long term project

Postby TrimTheKing » 03 Jul 2015, 14:05

So on that plan where are you chopping off the new purchase garden? How much are you leaving them with?

Or are you just building a wall all around your courtyard (unlikely as I guess that will kill the natural light)?

Cheers
Mark
Cheers
Mark
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby chataigner » 03 Jul 2015, 15:52

It will be a high fence around 10m from the back of the little house, that leaves a tenant a small back yard (south facing) and is well clear of our courtyard.
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby Halo Jones » 04 Jul 2015, 09:08

Exciting!

Is the only access to your courtyard currently through the house? Your purchase looks like you might be able to put in an external staircase at the back of your workshop to allow access from the garden.
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby Wizard9999 » 04 Jul 2015, 09:42

Very nice plan and great the house came up for sale. Will be looking forward to seeing progress, though as the threat title makes clear, not at Mike's pace.

Looks from the various pictures that your existing garden by the workshop is at a higher level than your courtyard, does that mean it runs into the new land, or is there a big drop as per the courtyard? And what plans for the outbuilding i. The new area of garden?

Terry.
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby chataigner » 04 Jul 2015, 11:15

Wizard9999 wrote:Very nice plan and great the house came up for sale. Will be looking forward to seeing progress, though as the threat title makes clear, not at Mike's pace.

Looks from the various pictures that your existing garden by the workshop is at a higher level than your courtyard, does that mean it runs into the new land, or is there a big drop as per the courtyard? And what plans for the outbuilding i. The new area of garden?

Terry.


As you say, the garden is on a slope and, at the back of the barn where the two plots join, they are at the same level.

This morning I ripped out the last of the old chain link fences. As it was all overgrown by ivy there was little prospect of a tidy job, so I simply wrapped a tow rope round one of the posts, attached the 4x4 and heave-ho, out it all came :twisted: ! Just returned from the municipal tip (sorry - recyling station :lol: :lol: ) after dumping it.
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby chataigner » 06 Jul 2015, 08:08

TrimTheKing wrote:
chataigner wrote:Exactly that !


Sweet! A whole lot of digger fun! :D

Cheers
Mark

EDIT : Ah, just re-read it, so no digging out. We need to see a pic from the other direction looking back at the house, just for context you understand… ;)


There you are...

Image
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby chataigner » 06 Jul 2015, 11:02

Halo Jones wrote:Exciting!

Is the only access to your courtyard currently through the house? Your purchase looks like you might be able to put in an external staircase at the back of your workshop to allow access from the garden.


Exactly ! That is part of the long term plan. I looked at a steel spiral staircase for sale on "le bon coin" the other day, but it was too big - over 2m in diameter.
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Re: A VERY long term project - it's mine !

Postby chataigner » 24 Jul 2015, 16:31

The pen pushers have finally finished, it's mine as of today. :D :D

Currently very busy with an exhibition by our photo club, but in 10 days I make a start !
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby MCLUMA » 24 Jul 2015, 19:26

Congratulations

Ps i didn't know you had retired, from all your posts i thought you were still active as a carpenter
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby chataigner » 25 Jul 2015, 10:44

MCLUMA wrote:Congratulations

Ps i didn't know you had retired, from all your posts i thought you were still active as a carpenter


In fact I was never a carpenter, my last professional role was as MD of an international public relations company serving the industrial automation industry. When I retired, I took up making things in wood because I enjoyed it and have learned as I went along. Because my former house was in severe need of resoration, I taught myself how to make windows, doors etc. and so perhaps gave the impression of being a professional, but I'm not.
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Re: A VERY long term project

Postby MCLUMA » 26 Jul 2015, 11:57

chataigner wrote:
MCLUMA wrote:Congratulations

Ps i didn't know you had retired, from all your posts i thought you were still active as a carpenter


In fact I was never a carpenter, my last professional role was as MD of an international public relations company serving the industrial automation industry. When I retired, I took up making things in wood because I enjoyed it and have learned as I went along. Because my former house was in severe need of resoration, I taught myself how to make windows, doors etc. and so perhaps gave the impression of being a professional, but I'm not.



Thanks for clearing that one up :D
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Re: A VERY long term project - 1st tentative steps

Postby chataigner » 03 Aug 2015, 10:50

I've made a small start ! Last week was the annual exhibition of our photo club, so not much time available, but I've started clearing the rubbish. I think the house must have been a squat at some time, the quantity of rubbish inside is hard to imagine. Mainly cigarette packets, asprin packets, the french equivalent of "hello" magazine, old clothing and empty bottles. The rusty fridge still had food in it after over 10 yrs unoccupied - should have had a Haz-chem label ! I taped it shut ready for transport to the tip.

It took 6 rubbish sacks of 100 litre size to clear the floor of packets etc as above. All done now, just the old furniture to break up and burn.

On saturday, Isabelle and I made a start on the back yard. All manner of rubbish under tall grass, weeds and ivy. We cleared around 25m2, see photo, and stacked the rubbish - a crazy mix of wood, plastics, metals etc. I will trailer it all to the tip later today. At least you can get to the door now.

Image

Image

This bit is next - 3m high brambles covering wood and metal rubbish !

Image
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Re: A VERY long term project - 1st tentative steps

Postby Andyp » 03 Aug 2015, 11:18

Great to see you've made a start. Must have been hot work in the garden yesterday as it was 28°C up here.

Are you allowed bonfires down there? Locally we are not supposed to have them at all. Not for a fire risk more the nuisance to neighbours. Never stops us on Bonfire Night of course but it is the only time.
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Re: A VERY long term project - more clearing work

Postby chataigner » 09 Aug 2015, 10:33

Yesterday we attacked the next bit of the garden - the mountain of brambles in the corner.

Under the brambles of course another mountain of rubbish including car batteries, sheets of corrugated iron, numerous plastic cotainers of various shapes and sizes and the remains of a long rotted wooden shed. Rotted because the next door neighbours guttering downpipe is broken off just below the gutter and all the water from the roof has been discharging onto the shed, under the brambles, for years. Not really his fault, access was impossible before. 10mins to repair it - already done !

However, I notice it is only a soakaway and it's a big roof area that discharges there, no link into a rainwater drain and a good part of the ground floor of the house is below soil level, so I think that will need revisiting.

Anyhow - we now have another small clear space, a heap of brambles and another heap of mixed debris mainly rotten wood from the shed.

Image

Image

Image

This evening, Isabelle's 25yr old son (almost 2m tall !) will drop round to help me load it all into the trailer.
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Re: A VERY long term project - more clearing work

Postby MCLUMA » 10 Aug 2015, 12:27

Did you know about the opening behind the brambles?
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Re: A VERY long term project - more clearing work

Postby chataigner » 10 Aug 2015, 13:53

MCLUMA wrote:Did you know about the opening behind the brambles?


Only 'cos it's marked on the land registry plans, I'd never seen it !
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Re: A VERY long term project - more clearing work

Postby Commander » 15 Aug 2015, 18:52

Looks like an excellent start! I was also surprised to see there is an opening underneath the bramble forrest! :lol:
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Re: A VERY long term project - more clearing work

Postby Mike G » 15 Aug 2015, 19:44

I've not followed this closely, David. What is the unoccupied brick building?
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Re: A VERY long term project - more clearing work

Postby chataigner » 17 Aug 2015, 10:20

Mike G wrote:I've not followed this closely, David. What is the unoccupied brick building?


It's a little 2 up, 2 down town house around 650 sqft, mainly stone built in the late 1700's but with a recent tiny brick extension at the back which is the bit you see in this view. It's what I'm going to renovate.
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Re: A VERY long term project - more progress

Postby chataigner » 12 Jan 2016, 20:21

I've been warned that there are damp problems. The owner (a builder) of the neighbouring property which is also partly below ground at the back, has told me that he only uses the ground floor as a store and has extended upstairs to make a reasonable sized property. I can also see from the inside that there are damp problems, but having faced similar issues at my former home, I feel confident that I can get the better of it !!

This last week we have had torrential rain, more than a months worth in 5 days with over 50mm one day. Needless to say, there was a little puddle (perhaps a cup full) in one corner of the ground floor - an ideal opportunity to see where it's getting in (base of the back wall) and why (not sure yet). During the heavy rain I observed the gutters and surface drains and it is clear they were not coping at all. There was a veritable lake up against the back wall above ground, around 5cm deep at one time and water was overflowing from the tops of the guttering down pipes both from the house itself, but also from one side of the neighbouring property which drains into this property's garden. Probably not the whole problem, but at least part of it ! The resulting lake also makes clear that the land is not quite level, it slopes down towards the house - another potential contributor in the event of very heavy rain and surface run off.

During a lull in the continuing downpours today, I checked the rainwater drain that heads off down the hill to the street via a gap in the buildings : all flowing fine, so any blockage must be upstream - and so it was, a totally blocked inspection chamber with no cover, all hidden under the weeds and with brambles growing out of it so convincingly that I hadnt even realised it was an inspection chamber. One part of the house roof and all of one side of the neighbours huge extension roof feeds into it. Now unblocked and fitted with a temporary cover : we shall see what difference it makes.
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Re: A VERY long term project - more progress

Postby Mike G » 12 Jan 2016, 20:30

You're doing all the right things, David. I can't stress enough how important it is to remove the source of the water problems rather than try to deal with the aftermath. This advice is not for your benefit, of course, as that is exactly what you are doing, but for the benefit of anyone who happens to find us here in our little corner of the internet.
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Re: A VERY long term project - more progress

Postby kostello » 12 Jan 2016, 22:52

I used to call that Sarah beeny programme
"Help my house has leaking gutters"
instead of "Help my house is falling down"

Because most of the time the problems with water ingress
......


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Re: A VERY long term project - more progress

Postby will1983 » 14 Jan 2016, 12:15

Looks like a very interesting project and you've already made good progress, i'll be watching this thread..

good luck with the rest of the project..
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Re: A VERY long term project - more progress

Postby chataigner » 23 May 2016, 18:40

The rear of the house is a single brick extension - totally uninsulated. The house is already quite small so I'm reluctant to lose 15cm or so to insulation and I'm wondering whether it would be practical to fit exterior insulation under weather boarding. The brick is totally out of character with the rest of the building and those around it, so nothing lost there.

How does one go about that ? Vertical studs the thickness of the insulation, then a membrane, then vertical battens to space the weather boarding away from the insulation ? Is that how it's done ? The insulation would be in direct contact with the wall - I presume that's OK ? I could fit hollow concrete blocks with a dpc on a separate foundation at the base to prevent the insulation and the studs coming into contact with the soil.
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Re: A VERY long term project - external insulation question

Postby Tusses » 23 May 2016, 20:45

Great thread David !

tis a dream of mine for ... one day !
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