I get laughed at when I insist on using a bowsaw from time-to-time instead of a chainsaw. I’m glad to read that I’m not the only one who appreciates the rhythm and relative silence of this method of cutting wood.

From Woodland

I worked with a small triangular bowsaw. It is surprising how much you can do with one in a day. Bowsaws have the supreme advantage of being quiet and allowing you to work at your own human pace. The manic dictatorship of the chainsaw seems to deafen you to all reason or judgement. A chainsaw is ideal for mechanical jobs like cutting up logs, but deprives you of the greatest pleasure of working in the woods: the opportunity to listen to the natural sounds around you.

From Waterlog: A Swimmer’s Journey Through Britain~ Roger Deakin

Whatever the original structure, a conversion means major building work.

Take the opportunity to build in major renewable technologies – PV, solar hot water, rain-water harvesting head my list. Invest now for sustainability and low bills.

I found this lurking inside an old off cut of wood…

From bochgoch

Pretty hey?!

Once painting (windows frames) and pointing (repointing the stonework) are completed, I’m hoping that the good temperatures and most importantly dry weather of late summer-autumn will extend long enough to allow for some further work outside the barn.

We intend to dig out much of the the bank that currently dominates what will be the rear garden and then to landscape it to provide a level lawn area surrounded by slopping banks, terraces and retaining walls. Due to the nature of the plot we’ll need to cleverly build quite a few retaining walls of varying sizes. For the smaller, less steep slopping areas where structural strength isn’t such a concern I like the approach taken at the foot of the wall on this photograph from robinlucianobeaty.blogspot.com:

Garden Inspiration

There is quite a lot of dry stone walling around the place already – this will be nicely in keeping and also quicker and easier to build than a solid mortared stone wall.

Utilise as much of the original structure as you can and make the most of it.

Keep internal beams, exposed stonework (on fully internal walls only, building regulations prohibit exposed stonework on the interior of external walls), reuse original flooring…