A new bathroom

The 'old' bathroom

Well there was nothing really wrong with my 'old' bathroom but as a consequence of breaking my hip on 06-November-2015 and subsequently returning home on 23-December I found my shower enclosure very 'challenging' to use because it was a little on the small side.  Also I thought that the biggest mistake I made with the house back in 2013 was not to put underfloor heating in the bathroom.  So I took the plunge and addressed both issues and asked Jim Birch of Oakcraft Narrowboats (Jim uses reclaimed timber which I like) if he would consider remodelling my bathroom and the little en-suite in the top bedroom.  He kindly agreed to do the work and for what I think was a reasonable price.  Jim and his mate Dave finished the work on 1-March - I am delighted with it.

NB - I'll post some images later today of the 'new' bathroom.

All done now

The lighter colour is just dust and will
wash off with the next shower of rain

The roofers, Simon, Pete and Scott are here today tidying up - there is a mess!  All the work has now been done.  The image shows a different 'colour' to the roof on No 4 which is just dust - it will revert to the same as the rest of the cottages with the next rain - forecast for tomorrow!

Now just waiting for someone to come and quote to 'vault' the ceiling in the top bedroom.

Week two

The rear roof of No2 (mine)

The work continues apace.  There was, I think, a slight delay last week in getting James' flat roof done but now things are moving on.  All four houses are having Veluxes added to the east facing elevations which will improve them no end.  The decision now is to find out if we can 'vault' the top bedrooms - No4 was done a long time ago but I think we need to get structural advice before going ahead.

The Velux conundrum

The Velux in place on James' house    

Both James and I have had Velux (conservation style) installed in our rear facing roofs.  They couldn't go where we had anticipated they would due to:

• The overhang of the roof
• The thickness of the walls
• The huge size and the purlin

As the Veluxes are going to have to be boxed in where they are the conundrum is whether we have the internal ceiling (currently flat) vaulted or not - I suspect we will need a structural engineer to advise but it seems a good idea to get someone to look whilst the rear roofs are off on Nos 3 and 4 next week.

In the meantime I have had a 2015 brick (with a 'cache' inside the brick) put into the front of the chimney to show the work done in 2015.  There's a 1915 brick but we don't know what the occasion was for putting such a brick in there.

And the roof work moves on

The roofers (Simon and Peter) have really been getting on with things so we are now at the stage of the two front roofs being 'complete' although there is still some pointing work to do on the chimney. Some difficulty was experienced with the two Velux windows due to the height of the purlin but that's now been overcome. The brick-shaped hole in the chimney is awaiting a new brick with 2015 engraved on it.  There are 1915 bricks in each of the three chimneys but no one can say what happened in 1915.  Simon and Peter, who are undertaking the work, have advised that the roof has not been replaced prior to their work this week.

New roof for next door already

My neighbour James, who is swanning in Melbourne!, has had his front roof taken off and replaced this morning despite the bitterly cold wind coming from the north west. The colours of the tiles, since they have been cleaned, is really quite amazing. There are shades of slate blue and grey which are really quite beautiful - Simon and Peter, who are doing the work, say it will look even better when it rains - it's bound to rain!  Images are here.

A 'new' roof

Scaffolding going up at the
rear of my house.

The opportunity arose a few weeks ago to join in with my neighbours and have the roof 'replaced'. Well not replaced exactly but rather the tiles taken off, cleaned and replaced; at the same time, replacing the laths which are seemingly about half the depth they should be in this day and age.  At the same time new insulation will be placed under the tiles and 300mm of insulation will be placed on the ceiling.  That should make the top bedroom warmer in winter; I don't mind it being a little chilly but also will welcome it being a little warmer.  Additionally James (who lives next door at No1) and I are having a 'conservation' velux window installed at the top of our stairways.  As that side of the roof faces east it will not be affected by any listing imposed upon the house, will provide additional light in the mornings and ventilation during the warmer months.  I have been taking a number of photos which can be found here. I shall update with new images as the work progresses during the week. Things started today (Friday 6-March-15) with the scaffolding being erected.

The late Jack James 'trindling' his mop
outside the Canalside cottages - clearly
showing the use of the garden at No2

One of the interesting things that has come up is that I don't, apparently, own my front garden.  It is owned by Canal & River Trust but the very thoughtful local Senior Waterway Manager, Neil Owen has kindly said that should I wish to ask for 'Adverse Possession' they will not oppose it; in fact they will support a transfer of ownership. The photo on the right is the property of David Blagrove (to whom I am indebted for allowing me to have a copy) and is dated Spring 1967.