Week 4, 5, 6

It's been a while since I've updated but things are still moving along steadily. Over the past three weeks we have been busy working, attending a friend's wedding up North, and being ill :-(

During week 4, we were hit by thieves who brazenly told the neighbours they were there to check the property for the scaffolding, then helped themselves to all the copper piping we had removed from the central heating system. We had been hoping to get a couple hundred quid for the pipes - it all helps - but I guess we 'live and learn' (...and weigh-in the scrap metal as soon as it's removed!) Not only that, but they also got through a window of the house and stole the drill and set of drill bits. :-(

On a happier note, last week we finally got our engineering advice which has been forwarded to potential builders for quotes. At last.

DF has been fantastic and has been plodding away by himself as I've had a chest infection for 2 weeks now and have been good for nothing (except organising bills etc). All of these photos show the work he has done himself...

Progress in the bathroom...

A nice set of taps that might be re-usable????

Progress in the 3rd bedroom...

Very dusty work!

Beware trespassers!

Removing the plaster exposed an original doorway through to the next house that's been bricked in. It shows that this part of the house has been acquired by the cottage recently - and it makes sense - as all the proportions in this part of the house are Victorian, while the rest of the house has low cottage ceilings and doorways. The opening into this room from the cottage doesn't have a lintel over the doorway, so we knew they weren't originally built together. 

But after the other house was built there was possibly a flying freehold, as where our kitchen is (beneath this room) was the passageway to 'Chapel Yard' at the back of our house (and the original address). The kitchen is also directly in line with a blocked up access/gateway of roughly the same width directly in front of it (across our yard) that apparently lead to the church. What's more, our kitchen walls are basically painted outside brick walls. Hard to explain without seeing it, but imagine an old cottage with wide access up one side of it into a large yard. Later, Victorian terraces are attached to one side of it - the side that the passage runs. Imagine the passageway remaining underneath part of the Victorian terraces, creating an overhanging room (flying freehold). Then eventually (or perhaps at the same time, who knows?) the passageway has been filled as well to become part of the cottage (our kitchen). Capiche? 

 Voila! Fini!

Progress outside...

The old-skool (concrete) damp proofing has been pulled off - which was loose and had an assortment of flora and fauna living and growing in it. The ground level has to be lowered to help prevent damp in the future, as it's currently higher than floor level, and will be even more so once the floor is dug-out and lowered.

 Showing the rest of the concrete damp proofing that will come off. 

 Progress in the master bedroom...

This wall has to be removed in order to replace the floor and joists below it, so the wall plaster has been removed. But we have to leave the wall structure in for now as when the ceiling needs to come down (pushed down from above) there needs to be some extra support for people standing on the very thin, old joists spanning the ceiling. The original construction of reed and plaster is amazing - I wish we could keep it. However, it must be an insurance company's worst nightmare.

Plaster and reeds! Looks as though it could be a bit flimsy - but it's solid as a rock.

Above both bedroom doorways. 

The pile of reed and plaster.