Problem with the gable end pointing
We had re - rendered the gable end above the kitchen but unfortunately there were still some damp patches on the inside wall, so we used the kango to take out all of the pointing and then re- pointed the wall. We also introduced a stainless steel bell bead and flaunched it to protect the lead flashing joint. Finally we need to paint a breathable waterproofer called Kingfisher on..... hopefully it will work.
The other Gable end
Sarah and Jonny helped us to point the North gable end- CW their names in the pointing.
First fix electrics
Steve the sheep man who is an electrician did the first fix with me assisting him for about 8 days- lots of up and over the inside of the pitched roof - with one channel of cables behind the main room stud wall.
M1 motorway for cables
Kitchen
Positioning lights
Lots of pulling cables through and cutting slots in insulation
drilling 3 foot walls
A bit drill bit
StudworkWe fitted the studwork 3x2 studs to all the inside of all outside walls, and 70mm of insulation between, and then 25mm insulated plasterboard over the top. It all took some time and effort but its nearly all done now.
We used a breather membrane behind the insulation
Bathrooms
I think we have decided that we need a small bathroom in the loft which is sort of above the downstairs bathroom- so that should make sorting out the services easier.
I've just got to remember how to do the plumbing again this time mainly plastic and push fit.
The loft will need a stud wall and we might need another velux.
Bedroom and bathroom internal stone walls
Jen spent a lot of time raking out, cleaning stonework, [ which had had a lot of cows rubbing on it], and then repointing the walls. Good job Jen.
Kitchen door and the ~Bifold
Ewe plastics in Caernarfon provided the doors, composite from Endurance which are really good, and easy to fit- even though they don't provide fitting instructions!
The Bifold door also finally arrived after some faffing.
I built up the external wall with clockwork cut down with the big angle grinder, and then 4 of us did a trial fit with the doors in but class work out. It was a great fit - and should have been given that I measured it about 20 times.
The bifold ready for delivery from warm core-
Its quite big at 3620mm- it took 4 of us to fit it
The big challenge was to get he threshold right - I needed to build up the clockwork about 100mm and we had a double DPC
The opening
The view out
The bifold in- all the finishing would take some time including toe and heeling the glass, fitting the expensive triangles above the bifold and the trims.
Kitchen door- by Endurance- what a nice composite door
The biggest issue in measuring was the external threshold level and the internal finished floor level.
I made a template to work this out. Then we screwed it into place using steel self tappers into the gable frame which was easy, and used one of the DPC's to lap over the blockwork and a lot of sealant.
What was more challenging was drilling the steel channel at the top of door. I drilled pilot holes and then finally a 6mm bolt passed through- there were about 8 of them.
Then we sealed the edges ready to an eternal fillet of cement to match the exterior stonework.
Then we fitted the 2 glazed triangles above the bifold- this was straightforward.
We bought anthracite grey soft board to make the exterior finish- using rapid set mitre glue [ tape surrounding area to prevent glue dripping], and screws with plastic anthracite screw covers to finish off.
We then heel and toed the glass and put he beading in.
To finish of we adjusted the height of the door roles, and all was good.
Now we just need to finish off the inside.
Plasterboard and Pastering
Next up we are waiting for Dylan to do the plaster boarding and plastering- I have had a small hernia operation so not lifting for a few weeks.
We are now in the process of finishes, its a headache, we want to keep as much authenticity for the barn as possible...
Final Stone wall
Steve finally came back and built the short 5 metre wall to enclose the courtyard.
Stone ready for walling
Steve finishing of his arty wall building- he has a great eye for a wall.
A few other pictures
The field has been cleared of a couple of hundred tone of earth and re- seeded
The Swallows
The swallows tried to nest in the barn, but we finally encouraged them to bred in the workshop- they have had 2 broods and come to the barn often to see whats going on.They will be off soon to South Africa.
The arrow
That was for the small hernia operation I needed which has forced a short halt to heavy lifting!
How many ladders does it take, Jen applying kingfisher breathable sealant to the kitchen.
