Paint it black...

Koen made a small door for the hay loft (from pallets) which is no longer protected by the roof of the extension.

Chim-chiminey...

This is how the loft looks after the rest of the chimney has been demolished...

Sooty & Sweep but no sign of Sue...

............................................. Finally the weather turned and we were able to start demolishing the chimney. There are two main chimneys in the house, each with 3 interior channells for 6 stoves. They travel through the first two stories straight but in the loft they come together at an angle to exit through the highest point of the roof (pics 1, 2, 3). Where they start to come together in the loft there is no room for the flue, so it all has to be knocked down level with the floor of the loft. Easier said than done when the main beam in the loft has been bricked in and supports on...the chimney. On picture eleven you can see one of two new supports that had to be erected to suport the top half of the roof structure. Pictures 4, 5 and 6 show the removal of some of the roof tiles. Pictures 8 and 9 show the 6 channells, one of which was completly closed off by a birds nest. The last picture shows how the main beam was nearly rotten through so the new roof won't be here a moment too soon! We probably have about 1.5m left to take down but luckily we were able to re-close the roof on the same day.

I've got worms!!!

Woodworms that is! Whilst we were laying wooden boards in the loft we found two beams that had been munched on by the little suckers. So now that's another job to treat all the wood in the loft. Current list of things to do in the loft...

1 Board out the loft round chimney - done

2 Open roof around chimney, demolish chimney a meter or so, re-close roof

3 Open boards again to treat woodworm

4 Board out whole loft for removing the roof tiles/upper beams

5 Company comes to put on new frame, 'under-roof', roof plates, fascias and gutters

6 Open boards one last time to insulate

7 Not go in the loft again for at least a year