Keep watching the skies!

22-25 Dec 2013

So there we were, on our own again on Sunday morning, me making plaster mixes, Dave getting on with the plastering.  Hurry, hurry, hurry, while the weather holds!

The slower pace of the day allowed me time to take photos of myself in action!

 And Dave hard at work

 And some technical shots for those of an enquiring disposition .. .  This is one of the corners, tied round with blue plastering mesh between two long laths, one on each side.  This strengthens the corner and helps the plaster stick.

 We did something similar at the windows, although there are various technical problems still to be fixed around the windows - the most vulnerable rainwater penetration site.

 Here are a couple of newly installed long laths - they are tied back to the wood frame through each bale course as yet another anchoring mechanism.  In addition, and unphotographed due to the busy-ness of the past few days, there are short stakes through each lower course into the one below, up to the lintel frame.

 Another self-photo, me tying the long laths.  We tied them with baling twine fixed to screws in the side of the frame, as we didn't want lots of pieces of string visible around the frame.  When the gaps between the walls are plastered the screws will be hidden,

  Martin and Maggie stopped by to collect the pan they'd left full of pea and ham soup on day one

 By Monday, 23rd, the weather was changing, and rain was forecast on the 24th, so the priority was to tarpaulin the walls ...

 ... with sufficient air gap to encourage the plaster to go off and condensation to form well away from the wall.  And to give us room to still work under the tarps if we wanted.

So there we are, the whole of the north face of the house wrapped up like a Christmas present just in time for Christmas eve.