Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

Obviously with nasty old Christmas getting in the way (!) progress has slowed a little, but not to the extent I would have expected.

The beams are looking great and have been completely embedded in the wall - the walls have been rebuilt where the holes where pushed through to allow the beams to be put into place. Apparently, each beam weighs around three quarters of a tonne, enough to make the machine that was used to lift them lean alarmingly before getting the job done!

The two windows that we’re putting through on the ground floor gable-end have been measured up and partially cut through. I was worried that they’d be too big, but the size looks about right. The damp problems in the wall have been further confirmed by the builder when cutting the windows out and I’m currently figuring out what to do - I have an idea or two of which more in the future…

Major progress has been made in starting construction of the first floor in the main part of the barn. Last I saw of it, the joists that run lengthwise through the barn, supported by the oak beams had begun to be put into place and the feel of the new building has begun to establish itself - exciting times.

Finally, the opening between the two ground floor rooms of the barn has been fully established and the retaining walls strengthened. There have been a couple of difficulties in getting the levels of the reclaimed oak lintels correct as there are two steps up into the kitchen and a conundrum to be solved in getting the various ceiling, lintel and floor levels correct, but I think we’ve got there, hopefully without the opportunity of me banging my head.

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