Let’s get in early this month…

I’ve mainly been occupied with repointing the external walls. I didn’t do any repointing last year, but want to get it finished this year so I’ve got my hands full. It needs completing before the weather turns colder so I probably have until the end of September to get it done. I had forgotten many of the small skills and techniques that I’d developed previously - Which tools to use when, how to get mortar into that shaped joint at that angle, the fact that when I try to twist my arm to push mortar up into a diagonal over-hanging gap to my left, I pull a small muscle somewhere deep in my forearm and always to keep a bucket of water nearby. Anyway, after I guess 20-30 hours of pointing through July, much of what I had forgotten has come back to me. I’ve also, at last, come up with a mortar mix that I’m happy with - 1 part lime putty : 2 parts sand : 1/2 (half) kiln dried sand (for colour and to dry down the mix if necessary) : 1/2 sharp sand.

I’ve also put in a 9 inch wide concrete plinth at the base of the back wall where there is no path – it gives me a clean line to repoint down to and generally tidies things up. I need to do the same at the foot of the end wall and build a small retaining wall between the plinth and the path at the back of the barn.

The internal doors have been installed. I wasn’t really very keen on the idea of doors. I didn’t like the idea of being boxed in and the openness of the barn being reduced. However, happily, I like them now they are in - a bit of privacy is nice occasionally, we can close the door on the second bedroom which is still basically a storeroom for tools and materials and pretend it isn’t such a mess and the doors work well in the main bedroom / ensuite, allowing us to keep things darker for longer in the mornings (which is good with a two year old who likes to get up with the sun). It also helps that they are lovely looking doors - oak with chrome fittings. I’ve not taken any pictures of them yet, must get my finger out…

No further progress in earth-moving in the to-be back garden.

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Oh dear … the June update passed me by, so here in brief and from some distance (19th July) is a summary of progress…

I have completed under-coating all the windows twice with ‘eco friendly’ Farrow and Ball paint.

Floor laying was slowed by my inflamed knee. My right knee stopped working altogether at one point and kept me from work for a couple of days - bit of a worry when I couldn’t lift my foot off the floor for, but thankfully all better now.

Doors are bought and due to be installed shortly.

We’ve also started planning what to do in the back ‘garden’. Currently a bramble and nettle overgrown lump of ground rising behind the barn - hopefully it can be transformed into a useable and enjoyable garden. There’ll be more on this in coming weeks.

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Spot the difference…

Before undercoating:

From Barn Conversion 2010

After undercoating:

From Barn Conversion 2010

(Difference = Slightly darker / greener window frames)

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May has been a painting month. I started painting the exterior window frames in April and by the end of May I have almost completed under-coating all the windows (twice!). The ‘eco friendly’ Farrow and Ball paint we chose goes on quite nicely, but definitely needs a second, albeit quicker to apply coat to give [...]

April was…
I’ve not yet managed to wield my Fugenboy kit (‘a sealant joint tooling system that produces a professional finish with no tramlines’) to redo the sealant around the showers, but I have boxed-in the frame that the shower tray sits on with plywood ready for tiling and got on (a little bit) with boxing-in [...]