I've been registered with Freecycle, the website where you can give stuff away for free, and obviously also collect things for free, for a while. Todate I've not got around to using it, as anything I've wanted to get rid of has either ended up on Ebay or hasn't been worth trying to pass on other than via the dump.
If you read early Hillside posts you'll know that we had to buy a replacement oil tank. We went for a second-hand steel one as we thought it was the more environmentally friendly option. Now that the oil fired boiler has gone, and with the wood pellet boiler due to be ordered, we've been trying to get rid of the tank. It turns out that nobody wants to buy a second-hand steel tank, they'd rather have plastic ones. And with the scrap metal market having collapsed recently due to the crash in metal prices we've not been able to give it away. It looked like we were going to have to pay someone to get rid of it, especially as the oil contamination limits how such a tank can be disposed.
A couple of Irish guys turned up last weekend and, after asking, took away some of our scrap metal for free but they wanted £20 to get rid of the tank. We didn't pay them - who knows if the tank would've ended up in a hedge somewhere!
Hence Freecycle. As a last ditch attempt I posted the tank on Freecycle, and was pleased that we got an almost immediate response from somebody who wanted it for their biodiesel manufacture, but it turned out to be the wrong size for them. Another post on Freecycle and I got a reply from Garry who said he could take it off our hands, which he did this morning.
And after spending a few attempts trying to get rid of the tank on Freecycle I'm hooked - with the build budget getting more challenging every day freebies are looking more appealing. Just put a request in for 100 paving slabs!
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Sowing
The garden is still very much a work in progress, and will be for some time with the focus being on the build. However, we set some time aside today to sow some seeds in anticipation of having a garden (of sorts) later this summer.
So we have runner beans (courtesy of Rose the receptionist at work), Basil and cherry tomatoes (Gardener's Delight) and lollo rosso lettuce seeds planted out in seed trays in various places. We've brought the lettuce and tomato seeds back to the annexe in propogators to see if that gives them a good start. The beans and basil will have to germinate without the added protection of being indoors, but I have put them in a very crude cold-frame to help get them going. It should also stop the rabbits eating any young green shoots!
Last weeks bonfire in the bramble patch has done a great job of clearing the ground and provided a load of potash to enrich the soil. Digging it over yesterday it doesn't seem to have too many roots in it so it may yet prove the place to plant to beans if/when they sprout.
We just need to get the digger back to do the drainage ditch before we plant anything out as I don't want that trashing any plants. It did enough of that last year.
So we have runner beans (courtesy of Rose the receptionist at work), Basil and cherry tomatoes (Gardener's Delight) and lollo rosso lettuce seeds planted out in seed trays in various places. We've brought the lettuce and tomato seeds back to the annexe in propogators to see if that gives them a good start. The beans and basil will have to germinate without the added protection of being indoors, but I have put them in a very crude cold-frame to help get them going. It should also stop the rabbits eating any young green shoots!
Last weeks bonfire in the bramble patch has done a great job of clearing the ground and provided a load of potash to enrich the soil. Digging it over yesterday it doesn't seem to have too many roots in it so it may yet prove the place to plant to beans if/when they sprout.
We just need to get the digger back to do the drainage ditch before we plant anything out as I don't want that trashing any plants. It did enough of that last year.
Monday, 13 April 2009
Beating the traffic
Unlike many others we didn't go out for the day today, to make the most of the fantastically sunny Bank Holiday. We did go to Hillside, but I don't count that as 'going out'.
Amongst other things, we (or rather C) finished undercoating the window frames with more Auro paint and primed the new front and back door frames. I finished one of Friday's jobs, which was the removal of a rather nasty 70s hearth in the old dining room. It has now been stripped back to the original brick and flagstone. Most satisfying of all, I spent a couple of hours in the sun cutting back half the bramble patch, burning the cuttings on a bonfire as I went. Not very carbon neutral I know, but proved to be a very effective way of clearing the most overgrown part of the garden.
As we returned back to the annexe after our busy, but rewarding, day we couldn't help seeing the 3 lanes of stationary cars on the east-bound M4. Happy Easter!
Amongst other things, we (or rather C) finished undercoating the window frames with more Auro paint and primed the new front and back door frames. I finished one of Friday's jobs, which was the removal of a rather nasty 70s hearth in the old dining room. It has now been stripped back to the original brick and flagstone. Most satisfying of all, I spent a couple of hours in the sun cutting back half the bramble patch, burning the cuttings on a bonfire as I went. Not very carbon neutral I know, but proved to be a very effective way of clearing the most overgrown part of the garden.
As we returned back to the annexe after our busy, but rewarding, day we couldn't help seeing the 3 lanes of stationary cars on the east-bound M4. Happy Easter!
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Scaffold
More progress this week, with the scaffold that has shrouded the bedroom extension finally taken down. It's amazing how much the appearance of the new part of the cottage has changed now that it's fully exposed.
We had hoped that the removal of the scaffold would mean the return of the mini-digger this week, but looks like that'll not be for another week due to other commitments. When it returns the mini-digger has a few jobs lined up - finally re-introducing the dry ditch at the top of the hill, levelling off the topsoil, and excavating the hole for the rainwater harvesting tank. The 1500 litre tank arrived this week so we could do with getting it into the ground in advance of the plumber starting first fix.
One thing we didn't need the digger for was removal of yet another body from the garden! While replanting the hedge on Good Friday we found a half buried old blanket which, rather aptly for the time of year, turned out to be a shroud. It was only as we dug the rest of the balnket out from it's shallow grave and were greeted by the death snarl of a canine skull that we realised we'd found yet another of Hillside's previous four-legged residents. Unlike the goat bones which still adorn the top of the hill, which I must collect and give a proper burial, the dog-in-a-blanket has been rather unceremonioulsy dumped in the builders skip. I'm sure it wont mind!
We had hoped that the removal of the scaffold would mean the return of the mini-digger this week, but looks like that'll not be for another week due to other commitments. When it returns the mini-digger has a few jobs lined up - finally re-introducing the dry ditch at the top of the hill, levelling off the topsoil, and excavating the hole for the rainwater harvesting tank. The 1500 litre tank arrived this week so we could do with getting it into the ground in advance of the plumber starting first fix.
One thing we didn't need the digger for was removal of yet another body from the garden! While replanting the hedge on Good Friday we found a half buried old blanket which, rather aptly for the time of year, turned out to be a shroud. It was only as we dug the rest of the balnket out from it's shallow grave and were greeted by the death snarl of a canine skull that we realised we'd found yet another of Hillside's previous four-legged residents. Unlike the goat bones which still adorn the top of the hill, which I must collect and give a proper burial, the dog-in-a-blanket has been rather unceremonioulsy dumped in the builders skip. I'm sure it wont mind!
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Sliding Folding
They have arrived at long last.
Back in 2008 we ordered the aluminium framed glazing and sliding/folding doors for the kitchen/diner. They finally arrived and were installed yesterday. I've only had chance to make a quick site visit today, but they look good.
We considered going for a timber system for these windows as well, but decided that aluminium was the most economic even if it isn't quite as sustainable due to the energy used in aluminium processing. At least the frames will be fully recyclable at the end of their useful life, which ought to be a lot longer than that of timber.
Hopefully we'll now get some decent summers, unlike the last two, where it'll be worthwhile being able to open up the side of the house for 'outside-in' living.
Back in 2008 we ordered the aluminium framed glazing and sliding/folding doors for the kitchen/diner. They finally arrived and were installed yesterday. I've only had chance to make a quick site visit today, but they look good.
We considered going for a timber system for these windows as well, but decided that aluminium was the most economic even if it isn't quite as sustainable due to the energy used in aluminium processing. At least the frames will be fully recyclable at the end of their useful life, which ought to be a lot longer than that of timber.
Hopefully we'll now get some decent summers, unlike the last two, where it'll be worthwhile being able to open up the side of the house for 'outside-in' living.
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Lime and green
With the final smooth coat of render being to the the bedroom extension this week we've followed the builders advice and started painting the external walls before the scaffold is removed.
We've considered two external masonry paint options, both from the Greenshop. Silicate paint was our initial choice as it's a long-life solvent free and breathable paint. But after discussing the nature of Hillside,and in particular the problems we've had with damp in the original cottage, we've been advised to use a lime-based paint.
So we've bought a load of Stuart Furby's lime earth paint. The paint comes as a two-part system comprising a bucket of lime slurry, which requires a good mix before using, and bags of non-hydraulic lime with the chosen natural pigment. We've opted for 'Pale yellow ochre' which is not dissimilar to the existing cottage colour, albeit much cleaner!
On the new render we've used the white lime slurry as a primer to avoid having to use excessive coats of the more expensive finish colour. As this only requires a good stir before using it's not that unlike conventional paints, albeit rather watery. The caustic nature of lime does mean you have to wear rubber gloves to protect your skin from splashes, along with safety specs for eye protection, but it's good there are no VOCs or other petrochem products to breathe in.
For the second coat we've mixed in the colour which is more of a challenge. We used a spatula that we found in the shed but the manufacturer recommends a whisk which we'll use for the next pot, as it's a challenge stirring the bags of non-hydraulic lime into the slurry. Coverage has proven to be about what they claim on the tin, 1 litre for 5m2, but we do need to do a second coat in most places. Hopefully the old render won't need as much except where it's badly discoloured.
We applied the paint by brush, as recommended, and not by roller. This has undoubtedly made the job more effort but we don't think a roller would apply the lime paint as well as a 'conventional' paint.
We've only done two walls so far but they're looking good.
We've considered two external masonry paint options, both from the Greenshop. Silicate paint was our initial choice as it's a long-life solvent free and breathable paint. But after discussing the nature of Hillside,and in particular the problems we've had with damp in the original cottage, we've been advised to use a lime-based paint.
So we've bought a load of Stuart Furby's lime earth paint. The paint comes as a two-part system comprising a bucket of lime slurry, which requires a good mix before using, and bags of non-hydraulic lime with the chosen natural pigment. We've opted for 'Pale yellow ochre' which is not dissimilar to the existing cottage colour, albeit much cleaner!
On the new render we've used the white lime slurry as a primer to avoid having to use excessive coats of the more expensive finish colour. As this only requires a good stir before using it's not that unlike conventional paints, albeit rather watery. The caustic nature of lime does mean you have to wear rubber gloves to protect your skin from splashes, along with safety specs for eye protection, but it's good there are no VOCs or other petrochem products to breathe in.
For the second coat we've mixed in the colour which is more of a challenge. We used a spatula that we found in the shed but the manufacturer recommends a whisk which we'll use for the next pot, as it's a challenge stirring the bags of non-hydraulic lime into the slurry. Coverage has proven to be about what they claim on the tin, 1 litre for 5m2, but we do need to do a second coat in most places. Hopefully the old render won't need as much except where it's badly discoloured.
We applied the paint by brush, as recommended, and not by roller. This has undoubtedly made the job more effort but we don't think a roller would apply the lime paint as well as a 'conventional' paint.
We've only done two walls so far but they're looking good.
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