Treasure

Even after all the digging, shifting, trampling and burning, the site is still presenting us with treasure. This silver(?) serving spoon made itself known this morning. Just need the other three now.

Claus?

We're running a competition:

Who (or what) is (or was) Claus?

Please send in your answers* to win** one hundred pounds***.

* please note: any answers NOT written on ten pound notes will not be accepted.
** please note: the minimum entry count is 11 - fewer than this voids the competition.
*** please note: in the event of a voided competition, no refunds will be given.

Since it will end up as either my office or Lyn's studio, Dingly Dell might as well have some nice features:

..now with added stone step..

In other news, and in the absence of steel, tomorrow the scaffolding will start going up for the Chapel wall repairs. I make no excuse for the dull photos which will follow.

More later

VAT

Lyn just got off the phone to the tax man. He assured her that this build is largely exempt of VAT, so any we've already paid should go into a claim to HMRC, and we should tell future suppliers not to charge it.

This is fantastic news and makes the house much more affordable.

We feel like having a party, we're so pleased

That is all.

This and that

We've been on site, pottering. I went up a ladder to mess about with one of my cameras, and released my iron two-handed grip for long enough to take this pic of the top of the Chapel wall. Shows the mess it's in, and how much work is needed to make it all safe and weatherproof. Also a nice view of Kinder beyond :-)

This scene, from another angle:

I'm not the best on a ladder, and I think it shows in the white-knuckled grip I have on the ladder. The camera I'm working on here is the one that's best placed to capture the house actually being built in April/May. 

Here's our future plant room, which currently has no roof:

I got Lyn to take this of me wondering if it will ever get built:

More soon

Comments, a polite request

So lovely to have people leaving nice comments.  Blogspot have marked them as "Anonymous" so I can't thank you personally. May I  ask for those not signed into Google accounts to pop a name at the end?

To the two nice commenters on my last post: thank you xxx

This is where my house will go:

Love this pic. You can even see where my bookcase will go. The black tube is 3 phase electricity, terminating in the plant room (below the blockwork). The tube is about 1 metre below future ground level.

There's a delay on the steel fabrication, which has horrible knock-on effects. While we wait, Paul will do some work on the Chapel walls, which as can be seen from that photo, require some love if they are to last as long as the house. they need to be capped and re-pointed, and all the large window openings need sills to prevent water ingress and more damage. For the sills, we'll use the massive old edging stones from the graves, which are stacked up in the front garden at present. It will look fantastic, which is good since it's effectively our garden wall.

We now have proper gates on the road entrance, in case anyone tries to ram-raid us and take Paul's gear:

Speaking of the road, it's held up nicely to lots of heavy traffic, and I consider it the eighth wonder of the world. That may be because it took so long to get it done though.

In other news, Lyn is busy getting quotes for all sorts of exciting things - rooves, solar panels, heat pumps, MVHR, scaffolding, all manner of stuff. It's all very exciting, as I keep saying.

More soon

Dingly Dell, birds singing, painted glass - and paw prints. And plans.

Some pics, and some words:

Our portacabin, "Dingly Dell", which does not as yet have a water supply. Neither is it fully decorated, as Lyn has promised ferns. More on that when she gets it done. We intend this to stay at the end of the job, as a studio for one of us.

Lyn had a peaceful moment in the graveyard, listening to the birds. Needs sound.

Fragments of the original windows.

Seems even the animals can't resist fresh concrete. I hope this little chap was quick getting a wash. Concrete feet make it hard to escape the local moggy.

These massive steels will be replaced with much more graceful ones next week - that's what the footings are for.

An inside view of Dingly Dell, with our not-so-ambitious plans.

More soon