Planning

Ahem... I'll just leave this here.

 Planning vote

You're welcome.

Surveys, Surveys and Covid 19

We've had a couple of surveys done on the site, and the results are in.

First the Asbestos Survey concluded that there's no asbestos on site. That's a relief, as it could have been a real problem. 

Then we had a desk-based archaeological thing done. It concluded that there's an outside chance of disturbing some bones from the old graveyard when we do our footings. Means we will need a proper archaeologist on site during that part of the work. Highly expensive, a bit of a nuisance, but fascinating. :-)

These surveys will go towards the planning decision, hopefully demonstrating our intention to cut no corners. As mentioned, the next planning meeting is on this coming Monday. Any news from that will of course be reported here.

In other news, the council meeting planned for last Monday was postponed due to a Covid scare at the Town Hall. We await news of the rearranged date. A lot rides on these meetings so we're hoping there won't be too much of a delay. Also hoping nobody gets sick.

More soon

(Lack of) Progress Report

We're still on stop, so not a lot to report. Hopefully planning permission will be granted soon - there's a meeting later this month. Then we can get back on site and start the real work. The access road we need so badly is still just a dream, and we're forced to consider Plan B - do everything through the narrow front gate. Not ideal, but would side-step a lot of red tape with the Town Council. For now, we continue with Plan A and hope that common sense prevails and we get access.

My stop-motion camera is still dutifully taking photos of an unchanging scene, and I keep replacing the battery. Perhaps some snowy scenes will brighten up the eventual result.

The electricity people arrived today, dug a big hole and installed our feed cable to the cabinet. In a little while the meter will be installed, and we'll have real actual power to work with. Think we won't bother with gas and the house will be all electrical. Our feed is three phase, so we have the potential to install some very powerful equipment - cookers, kilns etc. We've looked at ground source for heating and decided it's probably worth the high installation costs, as the savings on bills are enormous.

Lyn has begun thinking about how the house will look and feel. It's a bit early for that really, but I am looking forward to seeing what her artistic tendencies will do with such a large canvas.

That's it for now, sorry it's a bit downbeat. I post this the day after yet another national lockdown so it would have been nice to say something more positive. 

More soon, faithful Owlers. Keep your chins up.

 

Planning Applied For

 So our plans have been uploaded, now we wait for the GO. Fingers crossed. We love the version we ended up with, hope we don't have to change too much. I'm keeping the alligator pool whatever happens.

We're currently on a stop notice period for 28 days, after unwisely removing a chimney (which was about to remove itself onto some poor bugger's head) and being photographed and reported for it. Yes, someone took the trouble of photographing Paul the builder as he went about his work, and helpfully sent those photos to the enforcement officer. Words fail me.

Before that, we found a lovely old parquet floor where our garden is going to be...

Also more mosaic floor, this time in the doorway to the garden, where it can actually stay..

 More when we have it. Hopefully when planning is granted we can get back on site. For now, we wait.

Update - 20201012

So we still await official permission to build our access road. This means that no real actual useful work can begin, which is why I keep posting about peripheral matters like the walls, fences, tree-felling and other garden shenanigans. As I type, Lyn is at her desk next to mine, attending a Zoom town council meeting as a member of the public. In that meeting, the matter will be discussed. There's even an outside chance we'll get our document signed off - it's on the agenda. However, we hold little hope as our town council is famously unhelpful.

On the subject of town council helpfulness, these notices appeared on the field across which we want to build our access road. Handy with the old printer they are. Pity they never answer emails. To be clear, we wouldn't dare step on the field until permission is granted, as we know how litigious they can be.

The north west passage has always been impassable due to 30 years of mulch and fallen masonry. The team got to work and uncovered this rather lovely walkway, which will remain as part of the finished grounds.

We discovered the town hall's email machine, will hand it back this week.

We had a tree feller round. He was bonzer.

As we clear the grounds, we dig up many ferns that will come in handy when Lyn creates the woodland garden. These things cost a fortune. Here's our in-fern-ary:

More later. Hopefully good news on access, fingers crossed..

Stop motion start

Camera's up. Now to wait for results.

Installation was fairly painless

Initial shot: (Note preparation for bonfire night)

More soon.

Stop motion

 Well, this is the camera.

Now to get it wrapped in England-proof bubble wrap, and mounted on high. Watch this space in 18 months or so, for a good 2-minute film of the build process.

Update - 20201001

 October already. Gosh.

Planning permission for planning, as planned, is ongoing at the planning department. I plan to update this item with monotonous regularity... as planned.

We await permission to build our access road, despite it being granted verbally at a full Town Council meeting in August. we must wait for the piece of paper. Most frustrating.

Meanwhile, trees are being cut down inside the main building, where they have no business being in the first place, and also the old Sunday school, for the same reason.

This:

..is the basis for my stop-motion camera. It is it is it is. I plan to make a two minute film of the main build when this is all over. Thanks to No1 son Jack for the hardware AND the software, the advicewear and the supportwear, and all other wears in between.

This:

..is the old Sunday school, now a logging camp, soon to be a beautiful walled garden, with cats. Some may recognise it from earlier photos, when it was basically a woodland area. Here on the right is the back wall of the main building. Our bedroom window will overlook this area.

This..

...is Lyn, down amongst the pews in the main building, making a bonfire. 

We had a visit from an Environmental Enforcement Officer, instructing the builder not to make any more fires until yet another piece of paper has been obtained. This after a complaint from "The public". Yes, even a project as Town-enhancing and regenerative as this one, has it trolls. Motives unclear as with all such people.

This..

..is my attempt at an arty photo. I call it the city on the stump.

More soon.

In god we truss

 So the two remaining roof trusses had to be removed, as they were likely to fall on the builder. It was quite exciting.

Chop chop

 Good news today: we have permission from the authorities to remove the trees from inside the two buildings, and some from outside. Pics to follow :)

 

Path of destruction

 Well, the path didn't last long in its pristine condition...

Here's a little walk-around, during which I did a lovely narration. Then on playback, I remembered my phone's mic doesn't work properly, and all I got was static. So here it is is without the tour guide:

Does anyone know what these are?

Doesn't really matter, as they ended up on here:

More later

More paths

 The men have been busy with that digger. Side of the building is unrecognisable..

We'll soon move on to clearing the inside of the building. Huge job, photos to follow.

In other news, I've ordered a load of bits to make my own stop-motion camera. Based on a Raspberry Pi computer (google it) programmed by Jack (my son). I'll do a few photos as I build it, should be well boring. Eventually it'll be mounted high up inside the building so we can watch as the thing takes shape.

Later taters

The path is clear

 Well we have a path! This is literally the way forward. Or backward.

In other news, planning permission has been applied for. Very exciting, but I'm told it can take months. Watch this space..

We smoked a wedding

 So this happened. Lyn dumped the embers of yesterday's fires out of our custom-made bins onto a pile of pulled brambles...

Of course, it all caught fire.

Cue mad scramble for water, as the Town Hall next door were busy photographing a wedding party in their car park.

So where do you go for water in a derelict property? Why, the gatepost of course..

No idea why, but this pipe - originally for a gas light - has become connected to the mains water. See hilarious post from last week for fountain pics.

Oh yes, and more burnings...

We found and burned these lumps of wood, then realised they might be to do with the old church organ...

Ah well. more later...

Burning stuff #2

More burning. More backache. More beer. Now with added brambles. Front area down to the road is now pretty clear. We uncovered a couple of graves, as expected.

Moonrise over Chinley Churn from the graveyard:

Spot the wife:

In other news, we received the prelim plans from Jeremy Architect:

..yes, that is a tree INSIDE MY HOUSE. Take that, Kevin McLeod :)

Almost apoplectic with excitement. Can't possibly sustain this level for two years ...can I?

More soon

Burning stuff #1

 First burning completed. 3 hours of beer and backache.

A little historic mini-drama now..

And then we celebrated..

It got late, and a bit spooky. Yellow eyes, and the ghostly Town Hall looks on..

In other news, our installation of an electric meter continues apace.

In other other news, planning moved on a step today, as we received some drawings from Jeremy the Architect which look pretty good. We'll have a lift for our old age it seems :)

More soon

Work has begun

 Well, we've started.

Job 1 is to clear the grounds for jobs 2 --> x, and involves cutting a lot of brambles, burning a lot of old wood, and eventually chopping down trees.

Builder Paul found the water stopcock and turned it on. Never expected this:

  

Much hilarity. Then we turned it off.

Some wildlife shots:

  

Must go, I have to help Lyn drill holes in a bin. There's going to be lots of burning...

Parallelly, (a word from the subcontinent there) plans for planning planning permission applications are being planned. I don't have pictures of the planning plans, sorry, but suffice to say the plan is sketchy, and the sketches are even sketchier. More soon.