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That 'big project' I've been banging on about for a few years now....

Started by James Harrison, January 31, 2020, 08:06:41 PM

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Hurricane Annie

#1525
June 27, 2023, 06:29:38 PM


When being led down the garden path is a wonderful experience.  The effort will be its own reward. { Not that I'm prone to extensive landscape gardening or anything }

James Harrison

#1526
June 27, 2023, 06:44:23 PM
The garden path, work left to do;
1. Mortar up the joints in the step;
2. Mortar the gutter channel into the path;
3. Finish off the sand antic.

In other news; the new sitting room floor has been ordered...
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Banfili

#1527
June 28, 2023, 12:04:47 PM
Lovely job well done, James!

James Harrison

#1528
July 02, 2023, 10:48:57 AM


So that's the mortaring done, going by my 80% rule (which sometimes modify to the 95% rule), I think I can about say that the front garden is finished and joins the dining room on the 'completed' list.  Not that they're ever fully completed of course, there are still one or two little jobs needed in the dining room (which are in hand).

Except.  The front edge of the path where it runs across the front of the house looks a bit... lacking something, somehow.  A low brick wall maybe two or three courses in height should finish it off, I imagine. 

So I think the next task will be to re-point the stonework on the bay window, finish off cleaning the paint off of it, and then look to repaint it with something more appropriate. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Hurricane Annie

#1529
July 06, 2023, 03:16:45 PM
Quote from: James Harrison on July 02, 2023, 10:48:57 AM


So that's the mortaring done, going by my 80% rule (which sometimes modify to the 95% rule), I think I can about say that the front garden is finished and joins the dining room on the 'completed' list.  Not that they're ever fully completed of course, there are still one or two little jobs needed in the dining room (which are in hand).

Except.  The front edge of the path where it runs across the front of the house looks a bit... lacking something, somehow.  A low brick wall maybe two or three courses in height should finish it off, I imagine. 

So I think the next task will be to re-point the stonework on the bay window, finish off cleaning the paint off of it, and then look to repaint it with something more appropriate.

Gardens are never completely completed .  Would plants complete a picture out front ?

James Harrison

#1530
July 06, 2023, 06:48:38 PM


You mean like this?  I've got some quite nice bushes and hedges out there. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Hurricane Annie

#1531
July 08, 2023, 12:59:29 AM
Quote from: James Harrison on July 06, 2023, 06:48:38 PM


You mean like this?  I've got some quite nice bushes and hedges out there.

Yes ! Just like that . They will grow into a fabulous front courtyard.  Absolutely in keeping with the era .

James Harrison

#1532
July 08, 2023, 04:34:29 PM
I'm quite pleased with how the front has turned out and I think it's only going to improve with maturity. 

Next project then, is the sitting room floor.  I've already got the new flooring ready and waiting to be laid, once it's acclimitised, but with one thing and another it's going to be at least a few weeks even after that before it actually goes down. 

Before I can lay it though I've got to decide what I'm doing with the tiles in the hearth. 



This is one of the better photos I've got of them.

As best as I can tell, they are at the very least reproductions of an Edwardian type.  However, some of them are cracked, others are completely broken and they aren't quite level. 

I'm not proposing to take them all up and relay them because I'm not at all confident I could get a better result so far as the levels are concerned.  Also I think if I were to try that I'd just end up with a collection of broken tiles and after a fairly extensive trawl, I haven't seen this type available.  So I'd be looking at replacing them entirely and if they are original 1900s tiles I don't want to do that. 

The issue isn't so much the cracked ones, it's the broken ones for which pieces are missing and as noted above I can't source replacements. 

The conclusion I've come to is that this is one of those items which I'm going to treat more as an exercise in conservation and curation rather than repair or replacement.  So I'm going to be looking at infilling the cracks and gaps with grout and just keep that as an honest repair rather than try to restore it to full Edwardian splendour.  As I've said a number of times, I have no wish to live in a museum and I'm not aiming for that level of restoration.
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1533
July 09, 2023, 12:49:47 PM
The next little bit ticked off the list...



The hearth tiles.  I can't buy new tiles- I can't match the patterns.  So unless I want to replace the whole lot (which I don't), my only real option is to make best use of what's already there. 



Some of them are cracked, however they're firmly set in place and I don't have any spares to replace them with.  So let's keep them in-situ as a reminder that the house is a care-worn 120 years old. 



In one corner they've mostly come loose. 



And these are the ones which had come loose.  One of the edging tiles came up in pieces but luckily there was one spare tile left that I could swap it with.  The corner tile has been broken in five (two pieces missing) since before I moved in. 



Cleaning the back of the tiles to give the adhesive / grout the best possible chance of working. 



Grouted back into place. 



And the missing bits of the corner tile roughly replaced with grout. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1534
July 16, 2023, 07:18:45 PM
Something of an unplanned working party today...



About half of the new sitting room floor was laid after my brother came to help out for the afternoon.

Better photos, I hope, tomorrow after the other half has been laid.
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1535
July 17, 2023, 12:51:24 PM
Another little job now ticked off the list; all of the awful white plastic plug sockets, aerial sockets and light switiches have been swapped out for brass versions in both the sitting room and the dining room. 

Unfortunately some small areas of plaster were damaged, this has been put right but I've got to wait three or four days for the plaster to cure before I can sand back and touch the paint in. 

But once that's done;
- The dining room is then finished;
- The sitting room would just need some beading around the edge of the new floor, plus new curtains or shutters;
- Essentially the reception rooms would be as good as complete.

Taken with the fact that the front garden is also essentially complete (I know I've mentioned putting in a new wall, but that's not something that's obviously missing), I think that puts me at somewhere around the 1/3 finished mark. 

I did say this would be a big project that would take years...
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1536
July 17, 2023, 07:36:05 PM






Sitting room floor's done.  Well, not quite.  There's a couple of small finishing-off jobs need doing. 

But regardless this is now another part of the project that can be ticked off as >95% complete. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Synistor 303

#1537
July 17, 2023, 11:43:59 PM
Wow, those floorboards look amazing! What are they? You can see the grain of the wood - just looks really good.

James Harrison

#1538
July 18, 2023, 07:24:21 AM
Quote from: Synistor 303 on July 17, 2023, 11:43:59 PM
Wow, those floorboards look amazing! What are they? You can see the grain of the wood - just looks really good.

They're solid hardwood oak floorboards.
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1539
July 23, 2023, 06:01:36 PM
Today I did a couple of little jobs that finished off the sitting room floor (so that's actually a big bit ticked off the list);



Firstly there was a narrow plank and a bit of moulding that needed to be put down in the doorway itself.





And then there was a timber beading that had to be laid around the perimeter of the room to tidy up the joint between flooring and skirting boards. 

So now, once the door has been cut down to size and rehung, and once I've replaced the curtains (neither of these jobs are going to get done immediately), that's this room as close to finished as I can get it.
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Madasasteamfish

#1540
August 02, 2023, 05:09:34 PM
As much as I don't wish to offer any inducements to anyone to bankrupt themselves, I felt I must share this company as a source of potential Vicwardian style wallpapers....

https://www.littlegreene.com/wallpaper

I'll confess to ordering a number of samples for "inspiration" in the event I ever manage to embark on a similar project, but I doubt anyone's bank balance would stretch to covering a wall, let alone an entire room in the stuff.
I made a note in my diary on the way over here. Simply says; "Bugger!"

"DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH."

James Harrison

#1541
August 02, 2023, 06:19:22 PM
Quote from: Madasasteamfish on August 02, 2023, 05:09:34 PM
As much as I don't wish to offer any inducements to anyone to bankrupt themselves, I felt I must share this company as a source of potential Vicwardian style wallpapers....

https://www.littlegreene.com/wallpaper

I'll confess to ordering a number of samples for "inspiration" in the event I ever manage to embark on a similar project, but I doubt anyone's bank balance would stretch to covering a wall, let alone an entire room in the stuff.

"Oh there's one I lik- HOW MUCH A ROLL?!?"
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

Synistor 303

#1542
August 02, 2023, 11:47:44 PM
Quote from: Madasasteamfish on August 02, 2023, 05:09:34 PM
As much as I don't wish to offer any inducements to anyone to bankrupt themselves, I felt I must share this company as a source of potential Vicwardian style wallpapers....

https://www.littlegreene.com/wallpaper

I'll confess to ordering a number of samples for "inspiration" in the event I ever manage to embark on a similar project, but I doubt anyone's bank balance would stretch to covering a wall, let alone an entire room in the stuff.

Yeah, thanks for that! 1 1/2 hours later I have selected and bookmarked a dozen different wallpapers that I have nowhere to hang... But I HAD to save it, just in case I win the lottery and can build my own Victorian masterpiece... (Note to self - buy ticket.)

Madasasteamfish

#1543
August 03, 2023, 06:40:05 AM
Quote from: James Harrison on August 02, 2023, 06:19:22 PM
Quote from: Madasasteamfish on August 02, 2023, 05:09:34 PM
As much as I don't wish to offer any inducements to anyone to bankrupt themselves, I felt I must share this company as a source of potential Vicwardian style wallpapers....

https://www.littlegreene.com/wallpaper

I'll confess to ordering a number of samples for "inspiration" in the event I ever manage to embark on a similar project, but I doubt anyone's bank balance would stretch to covering a wall, let alone an entire room in the stuff.

"Oh there's one I lik- HOW MUCH A ROLL?!?"

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I suspect the closest I'll ever come to having it is using a sample to create a stencil and then painting it onto some cheap lining paper.
I made a note in my diary on the way over here. Simply says; "Bugger!"

"DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH."

James Harrison

#1544
August 03, 2023, 12:58:13 PM
Having had a go at that before, I can attest that that approach is very, very time and labour intensive.
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1545
August 06, 2023, 12:42:19 PM
With the two big projects this year now winding down, I've turned my attention again to the upstairs hallway.  Last seen, about four months ago, with half of the floorboards replaced.

Nothing really looks worse than mismatched timber staining, so I've spent the last week or so sanding down the remaining original (?) floorboards preparatory to completely refinishing the floor. 



The old boards have sanded down remarkably well, it's a terrible shame that whoever put the central heating in did such a number on the boards in the middle that they had to be replaced at all.  Still, more fuel for the November festivities...







Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1546
August 18, 2023, 04:10:50 PM
Next step with the hallway is to repaint the bannister rails around the staircase.  This is a surprisingly slow process, as each rail needs three coats of apint, and what with having to try and reach around the sides and the front it's quite awkward to get it done. 







Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

SeVeNeVeS

#1547
August 19, 2023, 05:23:58 AM
Those risers and spindles definately look better painted. Good job.

James Harrison

#1548
August 20, 2023, 08:03:00 AM
Quote from: SeVeNeVeS on August 19, 2023, 05:23:58 AM
Those risers and spindles definately look better painted. Good job.

I'm finding that having painted them (or at least some of them) it's making a profound difference in how bright the hallway is. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.

James Harrison

#1549
August 25, 2023, 06:08:39 PM


Well, that was a tedious exercise and I'm glad it's finished.  Each of these needed three coats of paint.  That's 3 coats of paint, 17 spindles, 4 sides to each spindle....

Time, I think, to start re-staining that floor. 
Persons intending to travel by open carriage should select a seat with their backs to the engine, by which means they will avoid the ashes emitted therefrom, that in travelling generally, but particularly through the tunnels, prove a great annoyance; the carriage farthest from the engine will in consequence be found the most desirable.
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