After two years of dragging trailers full of logs, the home made two wheeled tractor has been superseded.  It struggled with traction on wet grass and when it gets good grip the lashed together axle started bending.  After considering the cost and time involved with buying wheels and bearings and a different brake, I had […]

We might have been a bit quite on the Blog over the last few months but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been progress on the cottage.  I’ve spent most weekend s , starting on a Thursday night chipping away at the long list of things that need doing.  It’s been a long hard slog but […]

So I’ve got a roof on the wash house,  I can now get a boiler in, the pipe work is laid through to where it needs to be.  So at first glance it doesn’t seem such a big step to get the hot water flowing and the central heating running.  However the radiators need fitting […]

This is probable the first mention of the MHRV (Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation) so here’s a quick run-down of the thinking behind it. The Cottage will be a  holiday let,  if it was just us I probably wouldn’t  have gone to the time and expense of installing the system, we would open windows and turn on […]

Yes I did eventually get around to doing this. The lead flashing had to cover  the soilpipe from the bathroom toilet so for a relatively inexperienced lead worker it was a bit of challenge.   The curves and angles made it particularly difficult to measure and cut the pieces before beating them in to shape. Only one piece […]

Yes old Bakelite light switches can be used as long as you need a screwdriver to take the lid off them.  Some have covers that are screwed on, these should not be used under the current wiring regulations as there a risk that inquisitive little fingers can get to exposed live terminals. The switches we […]

Another fiddly time sapping job to get right but WOW what a difference it makes.  It looks like and feels like progress. Previously there was no insulation in at all just plaster board straight on to the rafters.  That all got ripped out before the new roof was put on so it’s been bare for a good […]

The top of the stairs to attic has a landing with an old dormer window.  Head height at the top of the stairs is an issue as is the ceiling of the dormer. The cheeks of the dormer are also short on space. The solution I’m trying here is to provide the maximum insulation possible […]

Georgian Panelling Preparation and Painting – First new Paint OK  not so much to the actual painting,  it’s the preparation and restoration of the Georgian? panelling that has been far more interesting. I’ve been working on  preparing this section of panelling as a relatively quiet job in the evenings for months.  It would have been easier […]

This is purely a visual repair to a cast iron air brick to the outside toilet.  A combination of a leaky roof and zero maintenance had left the top part to rust away.  This was one of little jobs that was holding up another one, this time fitting guttering to wash house.  I could have […]