Been taking a few photos for the Responsible Travel and our own website. A lovely locally made cream bun featured in this shot - but it didn't last for long afterwards!
Sam and I have been slowly but surely ticking jobs off the list. Sam still has to make a few shelves in the kitchen, a bench on the porch, put up some guttering etc and I still have to find a desk for the study and make the lounge curtains. Our airtightness test is planned for 3rd week november.
Finishing off seems to take forever - but it's probably the way we do it! We could get a team of people in and put in a big order from Argos or Ikea for all the stuff but that wouldn't sit well with the ethos of this cottage. So Sam continues to make doors and fit skirting etc and I am trotting off round charity shops carefully selecting some lovely recycled items. Helping charity and reducing landfil is very time consuming!
Tomorrow we are taking Eurostar to Brussels and on to Tongeren for the European Straw Bale Gathering. On Wednesday we tour Belgian straw bale buildings, then attend workshops and talks for 3 days before returning home on Sunday. I am very excited but must go iron the bedding for the cabin and cottage guests arriving while we are away..............
It was absolutely mad getting ready for the open day. All hands on deck and lucky if we could crash out for 4 or 5 hours sleep! Thank you to everyone who came to help, especially Julie and Kate. I couldn't have managed without you!
We had over 150 people come to look around over the 2 days. The response was amazing, probably thanks to two good articles in the Hull Mail and Yorkshire Post.
We are still finishing off bits and pieces. Our work rate has slowed a bit but we couldn't keep up pre open day pressure for ever!
Corrinne (www.ecoteriors.co.uk) found these lovely curtains in a charity shop and I have made them longer with a green sheet and some ribbon. Kate enhanced this pine wardrobe with cream painted panels (Earthborn Eggshell in vanilla) and next to it is Lisa's lovely oak dressing table. Just visible is the end of the £5 Laura Ashley bed Richard picked up at a York sale - sorry this post is late - the computer crashed. Thank goodness for auto recover!
Local firm JP Davids from Riccall commissioned our log stove today. It's a Highlander from Dunsley heat - made in Yorkshire! We stoked it up from our large pile of timber off cuts and all seemed well. The radiators in the bathroom and shower room warmed up nicely.
Sam finished making the staircase today and fitted it in position. Still needs the banister but looking good! 3 days to open day and still loads to do. Heading in the right direction........!!!!!!!!!
You can see the truth window in this photo too (made from a £3 clock from the Salvation Army shop).
I'm going to miss that ladder!
The plumbing is coming together - the bath is in place upstairs and the shower downstairs. The Earthborn clay paint is going on a treat. Even the grass seed outside is starting to germinate!
Yesterday we insulated the floors with warmcell but ran out so will have to order another pallet. The swallows have flown their nest on the porch so we can continue the cladding when the BT engineer has fitted the telephone line tomorrow.
Have to dash - paint brush awaits - 17 days to go to open day!
Boy, has it been hot today! So it was quite a relief to be working in the cool interior of the cottage on the 2nd coat of clay plaster in the lounge. This photo shows how we reinforce the window reveals with hessian. We also puts strips of hessian along the top of the wall, overlapped onto the ceiling. We are aiming to have all the 2nd coat on by the end of the week.
Upstairs, the 2nd coat is dry now so we can start on the top coat next week. We are planning our open days for 31 July/1 August - a pretty tight schedule!
This is a very wide window reveal in the south bedroom with it's second coat of clay plaster (the bits are chopped hemp). It looks lovely, but being a shorty,I need a step up to open the window!
Most of the upstairs now has it's second coat and is drying well. We now have our electricity meter fitted. We will be powered by 100% renewable energy from Good Energy. The sides of the porch are clad with larch. Most of the roof overhang is now finished off with T&G boards and the T&G for the study ceiling is receiving it's fire retardant. HR prof is an eco fire retardant that Ali saw at Ecobuild. Three coats to reach "class O" followed by Earth Born vanilla paint for wood. The ceiling is sound proofed with 100mm Thermafleece and Silentjoist (3mm sheep's wool from Environomix) will prevent any wood on wood squeaking. More on the upstairs floor build up later..............
Can't believe it's a month since my last post. Time is certainly flying by! We have had a week of glorious sunshine. The hegdes are green, the swallows have arrived and I have a farmers tan!
All the external walls now have their 3rd and final coat of lime. We have had some concerns but seem to have worked through them. Moving the bales and tarps to get some air in has hepled a lot. The west and north sides were drying too slow and this was causing the top coat of render to crack horribly. And there was I worried that the walls would dry too fast!
Lime washing in progress now, painting the lower timbers and windows and cladding the porch. If it rains there is still plenty to do inside.
