Amidst our searching for a supplier for the new kitchen, that both meets our sustainable ethos and is within our (slightly elastic) budget, we took time out to rip out most of the old kitchen cupboards yesterday.
The old units are handbuilt and it will be a shame to throw them away - there's scope to reuse some of them in the new utility room and try and sell the remainder. So we tried our best not to damage them whilst taking them out, which proved a challenge as they'd been plastered into the walls in places. Overall we were sucessful with damage to just one of the corner wall units.
As with so many jobs at Hillside, legacies from the previous owner come to light and the removal of the kitchen was no exception. Dodgy wiring, accumulated grime begind the cooker and signs of the old decor are to be expected when removing a kitchen, but yet another Hillside skeleton was a rather unpleasant suprise. This time one of what looks like a mid sized rodent...not that I got too close to inspect it.
Can't wait to get the house well and truly gutted so that we know there are no more suprises lurking anywhere.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Tiled
The bedroom roof tiling has moved on this week, with the roof approximately 3/4 covered. There's a valley gutter yet to be leaded, 1/4 of the roof to be tiled and the ridge tiles to be put in place. That'll then be the bedroom roof finished.
Fortunately Ben's Reclamation http://www.bensreckyard.co.uk/ has just moved up the road from us so we were able to get the reclaimed ridge tiles on Saturday, and it wasn't too big a deal that we got the quantities wrong first time round and had to go back!
The red cedar fascia and barge boards are on order so hopefully they'll turn up this week to allow the shingles to be started on the kitchen/diner.
Both our window suppliers seem to be having problems with their programme and delivery has slipped back...
Meanwhile we continue with the mission to find a kitchen supplier and product we're happy with - visited Ministry of Pine in Timsbury on Saturday and will be having discussions with them to see if they can supply us with what we want.
Fortunately Ben's Reclamation http://www.bensreckyard.co.uk/ has just moved up the road from us so we were able to get the reclaimed ridge tiles on Saturday, and it wasn't too big a deal that we got the quantities wrong first time round and had to go back!
The red cedar fascia and barge boards are on order so hopefully they'll turn up this week to allow the shingles to be started on the kitchen/diner.
Both our window suppliers seem to be having problems with their programme and delivery has slipped back...
Meanwhile we continue with the mission to find a kitchen supplier and product we're happy with - visited Ministry of Pine in Timsbury on Saturday and will be having discussions with them to see if they can supply us with what we want.
Monday, 19 January 2009
Felt
The extension roofs have been felted and battened so are semi-watertight! (It's not really felt, that's something best used for Austrian hats or for kids to stick 'fuzzy' shapes to!) Anyway, putting the waterproof membranes (otherwise called 'felt' by the builder) in place now means the roofs can be tiled (using reclaimed clay tiles) on the bedroom extension and cedar shingles on the kitchen. With all the roofing materials now on site this should happen during the next week or so.
Meanwhile we're still trying to source a timber kitchen that looks contemporary but doesn't blow the budget...not an easy task! Went to see a joiner today who uses reclaimed timber for some of his kitchens. In the showroom the units looked strangely familiar. Rather bizzarely, when we mentioned where Hillside is, he told us he built the kitchen there 12 years ago, apparently one of his first albeit not one of his best!
Small world.
Meanwhile we're still trying to source a timber kitchen that looks contemporary but doesn't blow the budget...not an easy task! Went to see a joiner today who uses reclaimed timber for some of his kitchens. In the showroom the units looked strangely familiar. Rather bizzarely, when we mentioned where Hillside is, he told us he built the kitchen there 12 years ago, apparently one of his first albeit not one of his best!
Small world.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
-6.5
It's been a quiet few weeks over the Christmas holiday with the builders off site until the start of this week. With the builders merchants and other suppliers also closed for the bulk of the holidays we've been limited in what we can do. However, we have been able to locate the best local source of reclaimed clay tiles, even if they are slightly more expensive than new ones, and have got a good price for the timber shingles - just need to find out exactly when the roofer needs them.
We've also spent time trying to source a kitchen again without compromising our sustainability ideals with mixed success - seems that we can get what we want (contemporary designed solid wood units and doors that aren't 'foil' and plastic wrapped), but not with our budget. Sourcing flooring for the kitchen/diner and courtyard has been more sucessful with us identifting a Travertine that we may be able to use and afford thanks to the sales.
With the dry, and very cold, weather we've been having we've spent plenty of time huddled around the stove, particularly over the past few days. Now we're back at work the house has cooled down during the day. Combined with prolonged sub zero temperatures (last night it hit -6.5C outside), the thin doors in the kitchen and current poor levels of insulation, this has made it a slow process to get some warmth back into the house. Just as well we've got the woodburner as it'd be unbearable without it.
It's been an age since I last mentioned the operation of the stove, but it's definitely worth a note that after learning how to use it last winter, and now that we have a woodstack that has been seasoned for a year, any build-up of soot on the glass door is minimal. Since the first burn of this winter back in October I think we've only had to clean the glass a couple of times, unlike the weekly cleans we were doing last winter. So we started 2009 by cutting down a huge overhanging Ash tree branch to give it time to season for next winter - Happy New Year!
We've also spent time trying to source a kitchen again without compromising our sustainability ideals with mixed success - seems that we can get what we want (contemporary designed solid wood units and doors that aren't 'foil' and plastic wrapped), but not with our budget. Sourcing flooring for the kitchen/diner and courtyard has been more sucessful with us identifting a Travertine that we may be able to use and afford thanks to the sales.
With the dry, and very cold, weather we've been having we've spent plenty of time huddled around the stove, particularly over the past few days. Now we're back at work the house has cooled down during the day. Combined with prolonged sub zero temperatures (last night it hit -6.5C outside), the thin doors in the kitchen and current poor levels of insulation, this has made it a slow process to get some warmth back into the house. Just as well we've got the woodburner as it'd be unbearable without it.
It's been an age since I last mentioned the operation of the stove, but it's definitely worth a note that after learning how to use it last winter, and now that we have a woodstack that has been seasoned for a year, any build-up of soot on the glass door is minimal. Since the first burn of this winter back in October I think we've only had to clean the glass a couple of times, unlike the weekly cleans we were doing last winter. So we started 2009 by cutting down a huge overhanging Ash tree branch to give it time to season for next winter - Happy New Year!
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