| I Was Either Feeling Brave or Foolhardy. |
[May. 16th, 2012|09:07 pm] |
Today amongst other things, I got up enough nerve to tackle the garden lighting. This was slightly concerning as it was a mixture of 240 volts and a couple of pints of water. I had wondered Why the circuit hadn't tripped, on opening the first light I found the wiring had fused
Brings new meaning to the term "flood lighting".
Posted via LiveJournal app for Nokia N8 |
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| Fireplace (Mystery) |
[May. 16th, 2012|12:59 am] |
After further excavation it appears that the mysterious arch in the cellar is an extra fireplace or at least a flue for a stove. The discovery is leading me to rethink part of the workshop in the cellar. There's a possibility of putting a stove down there, which on one hand would be really warm but on the other not a good idea to have the dust and grit associated with a real fire in a workshop that has tools that need a clean environment. I'll come to a decision on that in due course, but the big question is... What the heck is a stove doing in what was once a coal cellar? That's got to be a bad thing. There is a possibility that the flue was just for ventilation of the cellar, but I've pretty much dismissed that due the the amount of soot around the output end of the flue
It is hard to see in the photo due to the amount of dust, but there is a pipe running up from the floor of the hearth (excavated to about 7" below the level of the floor) and up in the chimney-breast wall. I've outlined it in red. It is blocked in the cellar but clearly emerges and combines in the chimney in the room above. I'd love to know what sort of stove would have been in the cellar. I have a fairly good idea of what sort of range would have been in what I've been calling the "dining room". However I guess I should now start calling it the "old kitchen"? It was clearly a kitchen due to the size of the fireplace opening, the height of the opening is obviously meant to take a range for cooking.
House archaeology will continue, but so far I have found an extra fireplace or stove or washing copper, in the cellar, the space for a cooking range in what I thought was the dining room. Did I mention the extra rooms that appear to be under the house? It took about ten large rubble sacks and two trips to the dump to clear this fireplace so I hate to think how many bags and trips to the dump it will take to clear just the first exploratory holes in the supposed filled-in extra rooms in the cellar.
Many thanks to my friend Neil for his help in digging out, and excavating the fireplace.
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| (no subject) |
[May. 15th, 2012|12:01 am] |
From the size and height of the opening it seems there was once a small range in this hole. Now I need to decide on what I'm going to fit in this space. A range or a stove? But first there's still a lot of rubble to remove from the hearth. I've already filled the car with sacks of rubble.
Posted via LiveJournal app for Nokia N8 |
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| Life outside of the M25. |
[May. 14th, 2012|01:08 am] |
I have to be up early so posting here at 1am probably isn't what I should be doing right now. Sensible Mr Rimmell is suggesting I go to my bedroom, set the alarm and get into bed. Other bits of my brain are suggesting among other things: pour another glass of wine, order some more books on-line, or even...unpack my luggage that I arrived home with last Wednesday.
There's been a lot going on the last few weeks.
The workshop still isn't up and running. Mostly due to me mulling over certain design options that won't be easily reversible once I've set the work in progress. Which is of course a BS excuse for general procrastination.
Watch this space for photos of progress obtained in the next week.*
*This is a purely aspirational statement.
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 17th, 2012|11:17 am] |
There's a gale blowing outside. I'm up in the office and although the wind is whistling around the eaves it sounds far more spooky than dramatic. "Dramatic" as in "about to lift the roof off and send it to France". I worry about the roof, it does make some spectacular noises at the best of times... Mostly because I suspect it's acting like a big sound box, amplifying the smallest noise. I seagull was on the roof the other night hopping around and in my bedroom it sounded like someone hammering at the front door.
Right now it's raining as well as blowing a gale and I have to go to the post office, Machine Mart, then off to Sandwich to an auction viewing. I feel more like going back to bed with a book and a coffee. Even writing this is just me putting off going out in the elements. |
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| The Last Few Days... |
[Apr. 14th, 2012|03:18 pm] |
Karen came to stay, which was excellent. Neil was down in Dover filming with Time Team, and came to stay after the Channel 4 hospitality hotel ran out. Tried out the restaurant in the pub across the road last night. Rather good and pretty reasonable.
Today Neil and I pulled down the plasterboard ceiling in the basement, a job made very easy as it was barely nailed up anyway. Also cleared out the last of the toot down there, shelves removed, tins of paint that rattle when you shake them, and a good sweep-up and vacuum. Now I'm ready to start repairing the floor joists here and there, then put some of the wiring in trunking, and move the light, add a few more lights, beef-up the stairs, then think about what I'm going to do about a sump pump and cleaning or tanking the walls.
But next I need to shower because most of the dirt that was under the floor ended up in my hair, next time I do a job like that I'm wearing a hat. |
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| The Blocked Drain of Doom. |
[Apr. 9th, 2012|08:00 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  accomplished | ] |
Saturday night it became apparent that there was a problem with the plumbing again. This time it was a blockage rather than a leak. No problem all I needed was a set of rods and I was confident that I could fix the problem. However I had forgotten that here in the UK all the shops must close on the first Sunday, after the first full-moon that follows the spring equinox. This strikes me a a tad archaic and, in this case where I had sewage building up under the garden, a bleedin' nuisance. I at once instigated an emergency policy of "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." 36 hours later I was able to purchase a set of rods and along with another set lent by Jem. Then after much pushing, pulling, swearing and sweating, I was able to clear a plug of fat so large I wondered if I'm sharing the drainage system with a liposuction clinic.
Once again I can not describe the satisfaction I gain from being able to sort out stuff like this myself. In the old flat I would have had to call the managing agents who wouldn't be in the office until Tuesday at the earliest and would, in all probability, have eventually sent round someone two or three days later costing around £200 a visit. Here I fixed it myself for £15, and the rods double as a chimney set too, so more money can be saved. |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 3rd, 2012|08:35 pm] |
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I'm driving 300 miles tomorrow to pick up machine tools. Apparently there's snow where I'm going. |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 2nd, 2012|06:21 pm] |
Now here's a phrase I never thought I'd be writing...
Today I cleared out my greenhouse. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 29th, 2012|07:29 pm] |
I've owned the new house for 1 month 2 days. I guess as I didn't move right away I shouldn't beat myself up too much about not having got too far along with settling in. Much of the remodeling will have to wait until next year, by then I should have a better idea of what I want to do and what needs doing.
Still.... one month... It's flashed by. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 29th, 2012|07:21 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  exhausted | ] |
I've been demolishing shelves in the basement. Rough wood cobbled together and attached to the wall with 20" nails. I've also made an exploratory hole in the wall of the basement into a void. I'm not sure but there may be a further room under the house.Probably the only way to be sure is to have the floorboards up and get in from above.
In other news a quick fix in the built in wardrobes turned into a major job a visits to several DIY stores today. Please don't ask. I'm too tired.
I'm beginning to regret giving the lodger permission to paint her room.... mostly the regret is due to the dodgy music that she's playing while painting. I wonder if it's too late to amend the lodger agreement? ;-)
Now I'm writing this rather than deal with a pile of paperwork. I do paperwork better if I'm at Peggy's café... trouble is I'm now 100 miles away from that café. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 26th, 2012|06:54 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
Leak fixed.
Not without having to deal with usual look of "I don't know what you're on about." at the plumbing shop. Luckily the assistant opened the correct drawer and I spotted the item I wanted just as she was dismissing it as not relevant to our quest.
Cost of repair (re doing the job someone else cocked-up) about 30p. At least there doesn't seem to be any more water leaking from inside the house.
I even had time to fully test the television aerial and establish that it's a useless lump of scrap metal perched on my roof. So I've just ordered a new aerial and I'll fit that myself in the loft and I predict that it will work just fine and cost one tenth the amount the previous useless one cost. I can not describe the joy it gives me to be able to do this sort of job myself and not have to seek permission of freeholders and then have to use "proper trades people". Like the fool who completely ignored me when I told him not to cut that wire because that was my neighbor's aerial.
I may pop out for a pint. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 26th, 2012|11:24 am] |
Today I will mostly be trying to sort out the leak under the kitchen sink. I'm calculating that about 7% of the water that has been going down the plughole has ended up all over the floor. Since finding this I've put a bucket under there (that's how I've calculated the ratio of drain to floor) it's alarming how quickly it fills up. Yes I know I should fix the leak but it's all a bit involved under there (it's boxed in and there's no room to turn a spanner) and I can see the job spiraling out of control, worst case would be having to rip out the entire sink unit. Anyway I'd like to save the sink unit for now because I need to ascertain if the water damage in the kitchen has only been caused by the leak. I fear it may also be due the way water is draining off the new patio. I foresee much lifting of concrete slabs and hours of digging. Nothing I hadn't already figured when first looking at the house, but I wish it would cut me some slack and prove me wrong on my worst fears, it'll save me a lot of work. So the time line should look something like this...
Fix Leak
Wait and see if floor and wall dries out.
If it dries out, I can start work on ripping out kitchen and installing new one.
If it doesn't dry out, I have to lift patio and lower ground level. Pretty sure this is going to be the case. May get some quotes from builders for doing this.
Right I'm off to attack the plumbing with some large spanners and harsh language.
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| Yesterday I... |
[Mar. 21st, 2012|08:43 am] |
... hired a van and drove it up to London to my storage unit. Cleared about a third of the stuff in there. I was mostly aiming to bring back decorating and workshop stuff. But also looking out for clothes as my wardrobe has been somewhat limited there last four months.
Many thanks to Ian for meeting me at the unit bringing lunch and helping lift milling machines and lathe onto the van.
I was back home by 5 and thanks to the lodger and Jem had the van unloaded and back at the deport by 7 ish. Was in the pub by 8 I think.
The dining room is piled with boxes that need sorting, but they'll have to wait until I've done other stuff today like dentists and shopping for wood and furniture. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 15th, 2012|11:42 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  excited | ] |
New bed arrives Sunday. When I say "new" I mean an "old bed". 130ish years old. I will throw authenticity to the wind on one element though, I will be getting a new mattress for it. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 4th, 2012|11:21 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | exhausted | ] |
Yesterday we moved a caravan.
Today we're moving a stone circle.
I may only be a spectator today due to injuries sustained while moving the caravan.
Still I'm on a promise for some very nice wardrobes and a bench top pillar drill.
Moving into my place has been put on to a back burner while all this moving other folks goes on.
One more day and I can get back to sorting out my own house. But will probably put that off for a week while I catch-up on sleep.
Oh and BTFon is crap... keeps logging out.Four more days until I get real internet. |
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| Moving in to the new* house tomorrow. |
[Feb. 26th, 2012|11:20 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  indescribable | ] |
Can't quite get my head around this concept. It has been over a year since I cleared out my flat and dressed it down, de-cluttered, painted it bland... 11 months since I put it on the market... now tomorrow I move in to the house. really can't get my head around this at all.
No internet at the new place so I may be off line for a few days.... apart from the odd up-date from my phone.
*For a given value of new, 1898-1903. |
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