Features of the House

I haven't managed to update my blog for a while but I'm back now and continuing the theme of our new self build house.  This is one of ten beautiful sliding sash windows that my husband made - they took quite a long time to make but we're really pleased with the finished product.  There are two like this in the dormers on the top floor and you can stand and look out of the little triangular windows at the sides to get a good all round view across the fields.

I laid this slate floor in the kitchen.  It was heavy work and I was only able to lay about 15 in a session before I became tired and aching, so it took me a good few days.  Then I sealed them and grouted them.  There's underfloor heating pipes underneath all the floors so it should be toasty this winter!

This is one of my daughters helping me with the slate wall in the garden.  It's heavy work but very therapeutic.  I've done it all in stages over a period of a few months and this is the finished wall (apart from the front corner, but I'll get around to that sometime!

This photo was taken in the winter but now there are lots of colourful plants.  I'll have to remember to take an up to date photo to show you as it's quite lovely.

The Round Chimney

After we had put the roofing felt and battens on the roof to make it waterproof it was time to complete the chimney.  It's traditional in our area of the Lake District to have a round chimney stack.  Some are rendered and some are slate.  We are endeavouring to have as many traditional features as possible in our building to stop it looking like a new 'box' and so we decided on a round slate chimney.  As I am the one who can build in random slate it was my job to go up onto the ridge and attempt this construction.  I have to say that I was a bit apprehensive at first because it's a very long way up (and down) but once James had built me an extra bit of scaffolding I gained confidence. This is the result:

I had carried the slate up the scaffolding ladder in a bucket, 4 pieces at a time and laid them out on the platform and then the bucket of mortar.  I can tell you I was tired out before I began! James then finished it off with a circular stone on top of my slates and a pot on top of that.  I had loads of strange looks from passers by who wondered what on earth a woman was doing up there but also loads of admiration too. At the risk of blowing my own trumpet I have to say that we're very pleased with the finished job.

This is one of my daughters mixing mortar, I believe it's one of those life skills that we should all have!!!!!  (oh, she's wearing my shirt).

  And this is me driving the dumper truck - great fun! (That's our old house in the background).

Timber Frame Goes Up.

Following on from yesterday's post:

After we had finished the base of the house we had some scaffolding erected and we were then ready for the delivery of the timber frame of our new house.  James and I had designed the shape and layout of the building and a local company made it up in flat panels which were about 2 1/2 metres square.  These arrived on a truck and James with a couple of other carpenter friends fixed them all into postion.

Living next to a boat yard was a great advantage on the day that we needed to lift the steel beam onto the ridge of the house -  John just trundled down the yard with his crane for half an hour and it was in position, very efficient!

I couldn't believe how quickly it all came together, it took 4 days to get from ground level to a whole house.  I naively thought "we'll be moving in within a couple of months", that was nearly 2 years ago but the amount of work yet to be done was astounding!
We had already built the garage/workshop the previous year which had been a really good plan because not only did it gave us somewhere secure to store things and somewhere water-tight to work from, but it had also been a sort of prototype of the 'real thing'.  It can be seen on the left of this photo.

Our New House

Over the next few days I thought I would show you photos of our house building process.  We started about 2 years ago and are doing it all ourselves - a proper self-build.  My husband designed, drew and submitted all the plans (we have no architect) and then when they were approved we were ready to start.  First of all we had to demolish a small extension on our current house (as we are building in the garden) and then measure and mark out the levels for the foundations.  A chap we know then came with a digger to help with the heavy work.  There were all the drains to position and lay, blocks, concrete and hardcore to go in and then as you can see from the picture above - a layer of sand to put down (that's me!)

After the sand went a damp proof membrane, a wire re-inforcing mesh, a layer of concrete, a layer of insulation and another damp proof membrane.  PHEW! 

We were then able to lay down all this underfloor heating pipe which had a layer of screed on top and that was our finished floor level.  Who would have thought that all these layers were hidden under our feet?
More photos tomorrow!

Knitting Project

When I was in our local library the other day looking for gardening books I came across this knitting book called Simple Style (it was just on the same shelf).  There was a lovely pattern for a cardigan which was knit on circular needles, which I've not used before but I thought I'd have a go.  Whilst looking for wool I found this huge 400g ball of Aran which is in a sort of  '2nd World War brown' colour - rather dull and sombre but also goes with everything!  It's knitting up really nicely so far - I just hope I can cope with the round yoke.  This is what it should look like when finished:

I haven't knit anything for ages but I did start to crotchet a baby blanket last summer in some lovely pink cotton yarn that a friend gave me - it's not finished yet but I don't know any baby girls at the moment so there's no rush.  However, remembering it did make me think that I would like to give my friend a gift in exchange for the yarn so I made her this large purse that will slip into her tote bag and fits her diary, phone, purse and glasses - just what she needed!  Hope she likes it.

Orchids and Cowslips

One day last week my husband and I met up with our twin daughters and had a fantastic walk by the coast quite near to where we live.  This particular field was full of orchids and cowslips, among other wild flowers. It's sad to think that there are not that many places like this around any more - so, so beautiful.

The photos don't do these flowers justice but they are a lovely reminder of a spring day.

This is us, full up of picnic food. We put the camera on timer mode and had to take about half a dozen pictures because our dog Skye kept getting in the way - lots of close ups of tail, nose, ear etc. so this is the best of a bad bunch!
It's been pouring down with rain all day today and looks like it's set in for the week so no more picnics for a while I'm afraid.  Hope your weather is being kind to you where ever you are.

New Fun Bags

Hello, I've been rather too busy this past week to post a blog but I'm more or less up to date with things now and so I've managed to fit in some precious sewing time. Here are the results.  I found this lovely piece of fabric in my collection today and made a couple of shopping bags. The fabric has some very comical birds in pastel colours on it which just makes me smile when I look at it!  I've put them in my Folksy shop.

Then I made another couple of bags for my shop from this pretty blue and white spot oilcloth fabric, which I lined with a co-ordinating floral cotton.  I think they're both quite fun, don't you?