Ruined

There are days when everything just seems to go wrong. After having a day off DIY for Chris to give his uncle a hand with turkey plucking, we were hopeful of a productive Sunday. Having had a massive stack of insulation delivered, which is now filling up most of our lounge, we began by trying to get it cut to size ready to screw into place.

Although light, the large insulating boards were awkward to work with, and all the bits underfoot from removing the wooden ceiling, made it difficult to manoeuvre. In order to fit the insulation in as close to the roof insulation as possible, we had to remove a few more boards, and then mark and cut out recesses for the ceiling hangers. Fiddling around with such tight margins was in itself frustratingly slow, but add to this the fact our walls and roof are impossibly wobbly and the boards fairly stiff, it seemed a little bit of an impossible task.

The final, and literal blow, came when I managed to drop a crowbar on my face (surprisingly little damage, but still painful). Chris didn’t escape the curse of the day, however, slipping on ice and landing on his back on our dog walk.

With all that we decided to call it a day. Four bits of insulation done out of ten, so not a complete waste, but still a less than perfect day.

We arrived at the house this weekend to see a world of white. Being higher up than our current house, we drove from frost into flurries of snow. The highest hills were completely white, with the valleys still largely green.

We started out by clearing out some of the last few bits and pieces left to us as part of the sale of the house. Within the recently sold Welsh dresser we had a large number of glasses. Sorting through what we wanted to keep, the rest went online for sale.

With the breakables removed we cleared out the rest of the items that had accumulated in the dining room and kitchen, ready to take down the wall.

Our next job was to replace the remaining rotten beams in the dining room. Luckily we only had three to replace, as getting the beams out and back in is a fiddly job, involving a great deal of work with a crowbar.

We had been debating for a while whether we could get away with not removing the wood panelling on the eaves. The argument for removing it is so we can put in a thicker layer of insulating material. The concern was that removing the very old, slightly woodworm eaten wood would cause it to break. The wood panelling on the ceilings seems to have been there for a long-time, and is part of the character of the house. In the end we agreed to try and remove the panels as carefully as possible. Luckily most seem to have come off well, though we may need to change the ceiling in one room to something plainer, to reuse panelling in the other rooms.

Our final job for the weekend was installing more metal straps, going from the rafters to the walls or the walls to the floors. The aim is to drill into a big stone for the screws, however we have struggled either to line up the straps with large enough stones, or prevent the stones from splitting. In the end Chris had to cut the bent ends off the straps so we could rebend them to suit individual sections of wall. Hopefully these little bits of metal will stop our walls from slowly moving out and away from the rest of the house.

It’s lovely to be back inside working on the interior of the house. Jobs feel so much smaller and quicker than the never-ending roof. Of course the list is still somewhat endless, but ticking off items just seems to be more achievable. And even though it’s pretty freezing in the house at the moment, it’ good to have a little shelter, afterall, the weather outside is frightful.

Right back at the start of our renovation, one of our first jobs had been to collect a van-full of secondhand scaffolding. From unloading the van, to putting it up, to taking it down, moving it and putting it up again, assembling and disassembling the scaffolding has been one of the most exhausting parts of the renovation. Not only that but it was the activity I was most convinced would lead to broken bones. After all clinging to a rusty pole with one hand while hitting another rusty pole with a lump hammer in the other hand, all while several meters off the ground, just seems like it should end in disaster. Yet here we are, the scaffolding coming down for the last time, and no broken bones. There were, all told, quite a lot of scaffolding related bruises, and one or two near misses, but all bones thankfully intact.

Our final task before taking down the scaffolding was to finish the last of the guttering. Rather than move the scaffolding yet again, we opted for installation via ladder on the side of the house. This was the straightest and best bit of guttering we installed, either showing we had significantly improved our skill level, or because this side of the house is the least wobbly (I think the latter).

In order to install the downpipes at the front and back we needed to take down the scaffolding. As we no longer need it we will sell the majority, hopeful earning back what it cost us to buy. With the price of renting scaffolding being several hundreds a week, buying it and reselling it once we’re done will have been a significant saving.

At the front we first had to reattach the mains cabel to our neighbours house before we could install the last bit of guttering. This huge wire always freaked me out, making me think of health and safety videos with people getting dramatically fried when they accidentally cut through a mains cabel. Chris was more relaxed about hammering in nails right next to this deadly wire.

Putting on the downpipe didn’t take too long, however we left the final section, as the plan is to dig a soakaway for the rainwater, so it can seep into the front garden. This will save digging drainage in front of the house. While the downpipe at the back of the house runs into an existing drain, we will need to dig a drain for the one at the side of the house. This will be part of our work with a mini digger to establish the rainwater drains at the back and side of the house. Currently, the existing pipe is crushed, and during heavy rains the water backs up and floods our neighbours kitchen. So top priority before winter truly sets in.

Having decided we didn’t want the old oak welsh dresser that came with the house, we managed to sell this to a couple on marketplace. However, when they arrived it turned out they didn’t want the top of the dresser, so this remains to be sold to someone else. Though I’m generally good at directing people to the house to pick up sold items I did confuse them by telling them to look for the house with the scaffolding, only to take it down before they arrived.

So now the roof is done, and the scaffolding down, we can start to work inside the house again. At the end of the day we measured up the windows ready to put an order in to replace the rotten single-pane frames. As everything has gone up in price we will be forced to install PVC windows at the back of the house, paying the extra for wooden ones at the front and the sides. Because of the design of the house, with the roof overhanging more at the back as this is where the more extreme weather comes from, currently windows cannot be opened fully at the back, as they hit the rafters. We’re therefore opting for top opening windows at the back of the house, with more traditional windows on the other sides. I’m looking forward to getting the windows in, especially now the winter is coming and the house is full of icy drafts. One more step towards a warm and comfy home.

Since we brought the house in May, we have been the ultimate in party poopers. I’ve said no to birthday parties, family gatherings and even just countryside walks. Unfortunately, with only weekends to get the house done, it’s a necessary sacrifice, thankfully only for this short period of our lives.

Yet, there have been things that we just couldn’t bow out of, and since October we just seem to have had one thing after another which have collectively eaten up our time, from a sick dog to volunteer days to rugby tickets which had been reassigned after covid cancellations.

With only the odd weekend day, and a few evenings, progress has been frustratingly slow. All these unavoidable delays make this, our first full weekend in four weeks, feel like the unblocking of a stubborn drain.

Our first job was to finish installing our run of ridge tiles. The ridge tiles that we took down when disassembling the roof had been caked in cement, which needed to be chipped off before we could reinstall them. Getting the cement off was slow and back-breaking work, and unfortunately not all of the tiles survived the process. These broken tiles, plus those that broke when we took them off the roof, were surprisingly difficult to replace. Having searched through all the usual channels, we ended up at a roofing reclaimation yard. Even then the closest we could find was a similar shape and colour, but with a raised edge at one end, where it was supposed to overlap the next tile. Our only solution was to use an angle grinder to cut off this offending edge, making the tiles just similar enough to fit in with the remaining ones we had.

Fixing the ridge tiles in place was fairly simple. We stuck a breathable membrane along the edge of the ridge, which would allow moisture to escape from the attic. Chris had opted for a dry-fix system for attaching the ridge tiles. This involved securing them into place with a series of plastic clips, not overly difficult except for scrambling up and down scaffold boards to get the tiles in place.

The only complicated part was where the three ridges met, with the tiles needing to be cut so they fitted together as neatly as possible.

Having finished the ridge tiles, our next job was to install the guttering. At the back of the house there hadn’t been any guttering for a long time, and this had caused some serious issues with a iron support in the back wall, causing it to rust and swell. This, we believe, is the cause of many of the cracks we’ve found in the back wall.

One of the reasons we think no guttering was put in place is because, with guttering installed, the windows can’t open outwards fully. Our plans long-term are to install windows that open inwards, so we can have guttering but still enjoy some fresh air.

Technically, installing the guttering should have been fairly easy. We ran a string from one end of the roof to the other, using a level to check it was straight. With this as a guide we screwed the brackets in to place, slowly lowering them towards the end we wanted the water to run towards. Having painstakingly completed this task we clipped in the guttering and poured a bucket of water off the roof to check it ran the right way. The whole bucket emptied itself out in the opposite direction. Gravity it seemed disagreed with us. Luckily there were drains at either end of the roof, and it was agreed not to fight with nature, but let it run the way it wanted to. At the front of the house we had a little more luck, sending the water in equal parts left and right. Half will go into a new drain we will have to dig, and half into the garden.

Our final task on the roof was finishing the lead, and adding fresh mortar around the chimney pots. Having run out of ingredients for the mortar, I stopped by our neighbours to borrow a cup of… cement. Luckily for us she too is in the middle of a spot of DIY and had enough to share.

And that, amazingly, is that. We started the roof 4 months ago, in the blistering sun, and end it in the cold and rain. It has certainly been the toughest and most technical part of our restoration. I can’t say I’m sad to be moving on to something new, but it certainly has been an amazing experience to repair our own roof. Now we can move back inside, ready to take down walls, swap out stairs, and maybe even get some electricity back into the rest of the building.

Having landed a new job, and handed in my resignation, I decided to take a week off between roles to get some more work done on the house. The week started with all hands on deck, my parents having travelled up and Chris being free for the weekend. With the additional help, my dad and I continued getting slates on the roof. Working along the final edge, it was slow going, as the gap to get up and down got smaller and smaller with each new slate added.

Inside, mum got on with the wrist breaking task of chisling out the old render from our central wall. With this wall planned to remain as exposed stone, the new mortar here needed to be particularly neat. Unfortunately, the old mortar seemed surprisingly tough and difficult to remove, compared to the rest of the house.

Freed up from roofing work, Chris started on the final lintel in need of replacing. Looking at the thin and rotten wood that had been take out, it was surprising the wall hadn’t collapsed years ago. With dad to lend a hand, the three of us lifted the first of the new concrete lintels in place, only to see the second lintels wouldn’t quite fit in. In order to squeeze it in, a corner would need to be cut off first, requiring the loan of a tool off Chris’s brother.

With mum and dad off to the aquarium with the grandkids on the Sunday, Chris and I continued plugging away at the roof. I finished off the last few slates, while Chris started on the ridge tiles. And then, suddenly, the last slate was in! Who would have thought we’d ever see the day when there would be no more slates to add to the roof. And with a little more work on the roof tiles and guttering, the roof will soon be done.

On the Monday, Chris headed back to work and dad returned from his jolly staring at fishes. In his wisdom, Chris left us in charge of installing the electrics for the sockets throughout the house. Having never worked on electrics I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea, but luckily my dad has some experience, and Chris drew us a handy little map.

Due to the nature of the house, with no gap between the ceiling and the floor above, and thick internal walls, installing the electrics involved a great deal of thought, and plenty of scrambling in and out of the attic. Luckily we were able to reuse some holes left by previous electrics, rather than spend hours drilling new ones. Still, one way or another, we got the majority of the socket electrics in place before dad was heading home.

Left to my own devices, and having run out of the correct cable for the last little section of sockets, I began purging the house of broken slates and other miscellaneous waste, filling our third skip of the renovation.

Although I had run out of human companions, I found a few woodland critters hanging around the house to keep me company, including a young smooth newt and a beautiful Herald moth. Although Disney might have taught me otherwise, they refused to do any work.

My next job was to smash up the false wall over a doorway that was going to be removed and bricked up. Inside I found a stash of old moss, suggesting a mouse might once have had a cosy little home above the entrance.

And my final job, before taking a rest day, was to pull up a floorboard next to the wall we would soon be removing, ready to install a steel beam above. Though it may not look like much, this well-nailed floorboards did not want to move, and took significant persuasion with a crowbar to prise it out.

And just like that, another week gone. Still, at least we get to work inside the house now it’s getting colder. And who knows, soon we might even have some light, and maybe one day, even heat. We can but dream.

In a day and age where you can order almost any variety hot food to arrive at your door within the hour, or get next day delivery on anything from socks to craft scissors, it’s frustrating that building materials can take days or weeks to appear. Despite only having a small area of the roof left to slate, the delivery company weren’t able to get slate hooks to us in time for the weekend. So as annoying as it is, we started on a few other jobs.

For me, I spent the whole weekend focused on our foremost chimney. Having started taking the render off, I continued to chip away, clearing out the soft mortar. The bricks were in surprisingly good condition, and for the majority of the chimney repointing was enough to make it watertight again.

When it came to the top two rows, several of the bricks were loose, so I had to remove them in order to reset them in new mortar. However, having removed a few bricks, it became apparent the chimney pot itself wasn’t stood on anything other than old crumbling mortar. With Chris’s help to lift the pot down I could properly clear off all the old mortar before one again rebuilding everything.

Whilst I was busy with all this Chris used the camera we had brought to check the drainage, to inspect the chimney flue, finding it unsurprisingly full of old nesting materials, which he was luckily able to remove. He then spent a frustrating hour wrestling with the lead flashing. Unfortunately we had attached the slates before correctly installing the flashing, so he had to break several slates in order to get it in the right place.

With the roof temporarily on pause Chris was also finally able to finish the third lintle, which has been half-done for a while. With newly purchased spotlights Chris even signed himself to an evening’s repointing around the freshly finished lintel. I must admit I spend the evening curled up on the sofa with the dog…

I don’t know how we got so lucky to have so many friends and family come lend a hand, but it’s certainly much appreciated. This weekend was the turn of my old school friends Sarah and Michael, who travelled over specially from Sheffield to work in appalling conditions for no pay. Lucky them.

The weekend started unusually early (given that we live a 45min drive away), with a 8am delivery of slates from Manchester. After several disappointing local purchases, we got a recommendation for a place that was a little more pricey, but guaranteed good quality reclaimed slates. With 400 delivered it should hopefully be the last slates we need to buy.

Keen to keep her feet on the ground (who can blame her), Sarah got started in the house, removing the plaster from beside the main stairs. Most of this was super crumbly, making it a relatively quick job. Michael helped to reach the higher sections, and also cleared out the rubble to the skip.

Next Sarah set to repointing the bathroom wall, which had been left till last as it’s a small and fiddly space (sorry Sarah). As a room that had probably suffered from damp, the mortar was particularly poor here, meaning it was good to see it finally refreshed.

While Sarah worked hard inside the house, the rest of us returned to the roof. I spent much of my time on the awkward last few rows on the front of the house, which required lots of back and forth cutting slates to size and then nailing or gluing them in place. Chris spent much of the first day trying to get the flashing around the chimney sorted, a frustrating job, while Michael continued adding more slates to the middle of the roof. By the next day we were all working to get more slates on the back roof.

By the end of the day only a small gap remained, but we will probably need to borrow the cat ladder once more to get this final edge safely finished. With possibly only 150 slates left to put on, we’re getting very close to a waterproof house.

With roof space getting tight, I migrated back to the front of the house, to remove the loose render on the chimney stack. The bricks underneath weren’t as crumbly as we expected, so we can probably just repoint and leave the bricks exposed, which should prevent the damp from building up.

Despite a large number of fiddly and slow jobs, we seemed to get a lot done this weekend, which is the magic of having extra pairs of helping hands. When closing the large terrace doors I noticed some old writing on the wood. It looks to me like the pair of scribblings say ‘wise Dave’, and ‘wiser Jon’. I guess it might be time to replace the names, but there might have to be a contest to decide who gets the be the wiser of the houses new wise guys…

A big thank you to Sarah and Michael for their hard work and enthusiasm.

With the structure of the roof repaired, we were now ready to begin rebuilding what we had so laboriously taken apart. So, booking another week off work, we set about a 9-day marathon of roofing. With the slates cleaned and sorted into three piles, depending on their condition, we started our work on the hip of the roof, the smallest section, but also the most complex due to the amount of edge compared to area.

We were lucky enough to have a good deal of help on our week off, with my dad travelling up to lend a hand, and my mum and brother joining towards the end of the week. Our first job was to finish the last bit of membrane and batoning, now that the purlins were safely within the roof.

Once the batons were in place, adding the first slates had to wait till we had repaired the stonework beneath the edge of the roof, some of which was crumbling away, and painted and installed the fascia boards. We had opted for wooden fascias, which needed painting with a white undercoat and a black gloss. The fascia boards were then screwed directly onto the wooden beams, beneath the roof. Over the top of this then went a felt tray, a piece of plastic, which covers and protects the wall from water running off the slates into the guttering.

Finally, all that in place, the first slate went on. We had opted to use hooks when putting our slate back on. These hooks are nailed in beside each slate, and would then hold the slate above in place from it’s base. The advantage of hooks is that individual slates can easily be removed when they need replacing. It also means that we could reuse more of the broken slates, as we didn’t have to get nails through them. As long as any broken sections were covered by the slate above, they would be watertight.

In the interest of additional safety, however, the first two slates on the edge needed to be fixed in place with nails, as did any that were on edges elsewhere. The first slate put on is a half slate, which overlaps the edge enough to allow any water to run off into the guttering. Over the top of this, a full slate is nailed. We did have some half slates from those we had removed previously, but many of our half slates had broken, meaning we had to cut more from broken whole slates. For cutting slates we used the edge of a section of scaffolding, and the back of a billhook. Placing the slate on the edge of the scaffolding, along the line we wanted to break, we carefully hit along that line with the back of the billhook. This was time-consuming and slightly back-breaking work, which often ended in a broken slates that could no longer be used, but it was necessary to make the best use of the slates we had.

The same technique had to be used to break slates for the edges of the roof, where the slope meant we had to break each slate individually to get the right shape to fill the gap. It was this that made the first side slow work, as there were relatively high amounts of slates that needed shaping.

Halfway through our second-day rain set in. While working high up on scaffolding in the rain isn’t entirely comfortable, it was incredibly rewarding to watch the rain pearl off the slate and run down from one to the other, until eventually, it dropped away into the void where the guttering would one day sit.

It was part way through the second side, at the front of the house, that the cavalry arrived. By now we felt like roofing experts, with each new section simply being a repeat of the last. The front of the house had the additional benefit of having large sections where no cutting was required. We utilised the extra energy to carry slates up from below, and place them on the roof, ready to go on, significantly speeding things up.

While myself, Chris, my brother Tom and my dad, carried on the work on the roof, my mum set to work on a very large and overgrown box that was blocking out the light from the lounge window. Once, this box was apparently part of a manicured hedge, but having been left to grow wild, it had become rather a beast. The dense and tangled bush didn’t give up easy, and it took mum several days to get right through and clear away enough that, for the first time since we brought the house, we could see a view from our lounge window.

Up on the roof life continued, one slate at a time. Having finished around half the front we began to start preparations on the back, Chris being concerned that we shouldn’t overload one side with slates while the other way bare. In order to set up enough scaffolding at the back we had to take down and move the scaffolding at the side of the house, as well as some at the front.

To rid us of yet another load of rubble, garden waste and broken slate, we ordered another skip. With this ready to be filled my mum and brother set about trying to tidy up the inside of the house as best they could, once more full of rubble and dust.

While all this was happening we had a visit from ScottishPower. When we moved in we had gotten in contact with ScottishPower as the mains electricity cable was brought in to the house through the door frame. While this used to be standard practice, today it is considered unsafe, and we had been told electricity companies will move this for free. Having been in touch with ScottishPower three times, being told the first few times they would not do it and we should pay a private electrician (for which we were quoted around £1K), finally our third attempt reached someone who better understood the companies obligations. Already working within the area, the engineers decided to drop in to redirect the cable through our walls. In order to tidy things up Chris also requested that the unit be moved upstairs, where it would be hidden at the back of a future built-in wardrobe, something they were happy to do.

Another handy visit came from the North Wales Wildlife Trust. Having previously worked with this local conservation charity, we were aware they had a project to tackle invasive species in our area. Getting in contact, we asked if they would come and treat the Japanese knotweed in our garden, which they agreed to do. While both myself and Chris have the licenses to treat this invasive plant, we didn’t have the equipment, and didn’t think it made sense to buy a whole bottle of herbicide when we only needed to treat five small plants. As a thank you, we donated some money to the charity, who will return next year for a second treatment.

With mum and Tom gone, myself, dad and Chris continued with the roof. Although tricky corners and odd angles around chimneys, made some sections more difficult than others, it was pretty much more of the same. By the end of the week we had two sides completely done (aside from a few slate down one edge) and the back half covered. However, sadly we had run out of slates. This was to be expected given the number that had broken when removing them, and the many more we had broken when putting them back on. Having collected 200 more off a home renovator on marketplace, we quickly realised we would probably need another 400 to finished.

So now, with our 9 days done, we are a great deal closer to having a roof, and a much straighter roof at that, but we, unfortunately, aren’t finished yet. Our next job will be to find someone locally selling second-hand slates, the same size and colour as our roof, and then on our next weekend, it’s back to roofing. But it’s certainly true we never would have managed all we did this week without the kind help of my family, so a big thank you to my mum and dad and my brother Tom.

Asking for help is something most of us are disinclined to do. This is largely because we, incorrectly, view the inability to carry on alone as a weakness. Yet, there are plenty of tasks that are simply easier, and lighter, when shared. Such as renovating a house.

We were lucky to have many extra pairs of hands over these last few tasks, helping both with larger and smaller jobs. My best friend Becky stopped in for several days on her way to Scotland, and offered help with work. Over her weekend stay this included finally clearing the ivy off the outside of the house, a task that had been right at the start of our planner but we still hadn’t gotten round to, taking more plaster off the internal walls, and sorting more slates into piles ready to return to the roof.

For myself and Chris, our work focused on getting the house ready to receive the new steel purlins. This included several evenings filling in the stonework around the padstones, and moving a section of scaffolding.

How to go about installing the purlins was something we had discussed and debated several times. The weight of each steel is 150kg, significant enough that we doubted we could lift them between the two of us, let alone bring them up to the top of the scaffolding and into the roof.

It was pure luck that our neighbour introduced himself to us as a farmer and roofer. After hearing he had a machine that could possibly help lift our purlins into place we asked him if he would be willing to let us rent it. Unfortunately, it turned out this machinery was on loan and shortly heading back to its owners. However, he kindly offered to lift our purlin up onto the scaffolding with his tractor, at no cost.

With this generous offer of help, and the extra muscle of Chris’s brother Rich, we felt we might actually have a chance of completing the work without death or disaster.

The evening came when everything was ready and in place to begin. Watching the large steel purlin being lifted up on the forks of the tractor it was surprising how light and delicate they looked. Placing them up onto the specially erected scaffolding was the relatively easy part of the job. I must admit, of the four people heaving the purlin into place, I was definitely the least useful… but I still wasn’t useless. Many hands make light work.

Our first task was to post the purlin through the opening into the loft. Next we had to thread it passed the central wall into the second loft space. This required a fair bit of chisling and manuvering to achieve. Finally we had to get it sitting across the two opposite padstones. Moving it into place within the loft wasn’t without its difficulties. With four people squashed into a space where you couldn’t stand up, and can only place your feet on certain beams without falling through the ceiling, while trying to muster the strength to heave a heavy beam about the place, was certainly no easy feat.

Finally, we managed to get the beam securely resting, only to have to head out and do the whole thing all over again. It was a relief when both were done. This certainly was the most difficult and technical aspect of our whole renovation project. There’s simply no way we could have done it without the extra help, and particularly not without the kindness of our neighbour.

Once in place more work was needed to raise up the rafters that had sunken down without the support of the old purlins. For Chris, this meant at hot and taxing day wedging rafters with pieces of wood, while slowly shimmying the purlins into place. Once everything was better aligned Chris cut bird mouths (notches out of the wood) into the rafters to allow them to sit on the purlin itself.

Though there is a long way to go with the roof, having completed this aspect of the work we have finally got to the heart of the problem, reinforcing the rafters with a new and stable resting point. With this done we can finally build back a better, stronger roof. Hopefully one that will last us a long way in to the future.

What is a padstone I hear you cry. Well I recently learnt that they are large, surprisingly heavy, blocks of concrete that prevent massive hunks of steel from dropping through your ceiling. So pretty important, all in all.

The two purlins in need of replacement in our roof are opposite each other on the side of the house that adjoins our neighbour. Luckily the two purlins on the other part of the house are in good condition. Rather than bringing more wood into the attic, our structural engineer suggested we opt for steel beams instead. This is largely due to the fact that the wood required would be too big and heavy to be manageable by hand.

Once in place the beams will sit supported at either end on two walls, our boundary wall and what was once the boundary wall between our two, now combined, houses. Rather than sit the purlins directly on the walls our structural engineer recommended padstones of a particular size. These will help to spread the load of the heavy steel beams, and add structural integrity.

Normally it’s me who has unrealistic expectations of how long a job will take, but when Chris told me he thought installing the padstones would only take a few hours, I suspected he’d fallen for the dream of the ‘quick job’.

In an ideal world we would have installed the padstones when the rafters were being replaced. This would have given us much more space to work. However, because the structural engineer came down with covid we sadly didn’t have the designs in time to make this a reality. So instead, on one of the most sweltering days of the summer, we climbed up in to the cramped and suana-like attic to work bent double and soaked in sweat.

We had four padstones to install, one for each end of the two purlins. In order to get them in, we needed remove enough stone that the padstones could fit in with space for the purlins to fit below the rafters. We also had the option to cut the padstones down in length, as long as we didn’t cut them smaller than the minimum size.

While breaking out and removing the rocks and bricks from three of the sections was hot and awkward work, with little room to swing a hammer, the fourth hole was by far the hardest to create. Not only was the mortar rock-hard, unlike the slightly crumbly mortar elsewhere, we also very quickly found ourselves in our neighbour’s house…

Roughly down the centre of our adjoining wall is a brick chimney. To the right of this is a stone wall, the same thick limestone walling that makes up the rest of the house, with two constructed faces, with a rubble centre. However, on the left of the chimney we have a brick wall. This wall, we were hoping, would also have two layers of brick, one of which we could remove to put our purlin in. Unfortunately this was not the case, and our first brick came out bearing the jolly yellow of our neighbour’s upstairs hall wall.

Luckily for us, Helen, who lives next door, has herself had experience of home renovation and restoration, and she was quick to reassure us that it wasn’t a big problem, and could easily be resolved after the purlins were in place. So, with her blessing, we continued to make a bigger hole in her upstairs landing, ready for the fourth padstone to be put in place.

Once the holes were ready we had to get the padstones bedded down on a layer of mortar and make sure they were both flat and opposite their partner. In order to better line them up we used a laser leveller, which looks like something from Mission Impossible.

Around two stone lighter after our intensive hot yoga session, we finally had all four padstones in. Once set we will need to build back the walls around the padstones, to better secure them in place. Then we’ll be ready to get our 5 meter lengths of steel in place. Exciting? Or terrifying….

After our hot and dusty evening we headed out for a swim in our favourite spot on our local river, something we’ll miss once we’ve moved. Still, hopefully there will be other new and exciting places surrounding our new home once we move. Once, that is, the house is finished…