Starting the Ceiling Boards

28 / 29 November 2017

This one is going to be a long job.  We decided to start the ceiling insulation in the bedroom for three reasons: it is on the mezzanine and therefore relatively low, mistakes will not be publicly visible, and we want to be warm this winter.

The process is: we cut batons to run alongside the rafters.  Because every other rafter is cross braced, we have to cut the batons around the braces, which involves a very acute angle.  Where the rafter joins the wall or the apex beam there is an obtuse angle.  We are using plywood panels, which we can get in 125 cm lengths, so every 125 cm we need a cross baton.

So, we measure, cut, check, drill, sand, varnish with two coats and then fit the batons.  We can't measure the cross batons till the side ones are in, and they then need to be cut, checked, drilled, sanded and twice varnished before being fitted.  We can then stuff with insulation, which is proving happy to be stapled to the roofing boards, and is therefore the easiest part of the job, when we'd expected it to be more difficult.

Having fitted all the batons and the insulation we measure, cut if necessary, check, drill, sand, twice paint and then fit the plywood panels.  These need to be fitted one by one so that the next one can be measured from the fitted one.   And then there are the electrical fittings for overhead lights ...

As you can imagine, there is a huge amount of waiting for things to dry built into this process.  We need to have several sections on the go at once, but we don't have enough inside space for long pieces of wood and large sheets of plywood to be laid around drying.  It's going to be a long job.

 First stage, filling in some long-overdue-for-attention spaces in the internal walls.  This one's been stuffed with pillow innards and will be boarded with tongue-and-groove, because that's what we've got to hand.

 This is the space where the first panel and a half will go.  The side batons are in, with the acute angles round the cross-bracing on the left hand side.

 Dave drilling the screw holes in a baton.

 Some time later, the first panel is in and the insulation.  We tried using a wood preservative but decided that we prefer white paint, which is more forgiving as well, so this one will have to be re-painted in situ.  At least it's not over the bed.

The second panel - painted white - fitted too.  The white is much nicer.

Monster Glass Arrives

27 Nov 2017

Rowan has been busy, calling at the glass workshop to arrange for the roof panels for the conservatory/trombe.  They were delivered on Monday, and leaned up against the wall propped up with pallets.  It was a blustery night and we were sure we wouldn't find them still there on Tuesday.

Monster Stove Arrives

Friday 24 Nov 2017

After two abortive arrangements for the stove to be installed, we finally agreed a day that continued to be forecast as sunny, so the stove was actually going to arrive!

They (Mr Panos, of Soufleros Stoves in Lamia) said they'd stay overnight in Amfilochia, as Lamia is about 5 hours away.  We didn't know quite when to expect them, so we were up early and making sure the space was cleared for action:

 Never seen so much space in our living room (the other end is extra-cluttered, though, of course)

Panos, Yiannis and Dmitri (the boss and Panos' father)

They arrived promptly, were happy to drive into the field, and managed to manhandle the monster stove out of their van, across the gate bridge, up the ramp to the kitchen door - without falling through the increasingly dodgy terrace boards, down 30 cm into the living room and up 30 cm onto the plinth.  It can't have been their easiest installation.

 Scary moment - when there's a big hole in the roof.  Although it was interesting to see how nice it would be to have a skylight in the studio ... (hmm, thinks!)

 At work on the chimney.  It took all three of them a couple of hours on the roof to be sure of a good watertight fitting, we were pleased to see.  We've had a lot of rain in the few days since installation, and had no ingress so far.  Very impressed with the service throughout from Soufleros, very professional, clean and conscientious.

 Installed, and imposing.  Very large close to, but feels the right size for the room as a whole - and speaking of holes, it is raised up 30 cm from the current, temporary floor level.  When we have the floor in, it will be less towering.

 Later that evening - the first firing.  Armchairs in position already.

The next day.  Firing it through the day with all the outside doors open to burn off the new smell.

Logs collected and chopped.

Volunteering Thursdays

Thurs 23 November 2017

On Thursday mornings we continue to go to Lefkogaia to support the social enterprise recycling initiative.  Lucy, Panos, Naomi and sometimes others also come on a Thursday so it's turned into a nice gathering - with lots of cardboard. 

 Hard at work, slitting boxes and sorting packaging at the warehouse.

And when asked to pose: Dave, Mr Tomas - the full time volunteer, Leslie, Naomi and Lucy being silly.  Dave has managed to cut his face with the knife he's slitting boxes with.  Note to self, don't ask him to pose when he's armed!

Monster Pallets Arrive

Tuesday 21 November 2017

We had been warned to expect two large pallets carrying the new solar electrics, but we had no idea...!  Also, we didn't know what type of vehicle would bring them, or how they would be delivered.  In the event, it wasn't very good - the lorry driver refused to come into the field, and just offloaded the pallets onto the road.  This is about 100 metres from the house.

They arrived on a Tuesday, and luckily we had Rowan at the house to give directions in Greek and to liaise with the driver.  As Tuesday is singing school with Rosa, we also had Brian, a friend who had come for a lesson and agreed to stay and help with the delivery.  In the event, the arrival was just as I was due to start my lesson, so I couldn't concentrate, so Rosa and I went to help too (with the lighter boxes and cables).

 Rowan, Dave and Brian wait to see what's coming out of the truck

 Number one enormous pallet, in danger of running off down the hill

 And a second one, not as big, but including two batteries over 100 kilos each.

 Brian and Dave start the gruelling marathon of shifting fifteen individual panels to the house.  Rosa and I were laughing at their steady pace, but then tried carrying one ourselves and refused to do another.

 Later that evening, as it slips towards dusk, we're panicking a bit, what to do about 100 kilo batteries by the roadside.  Can't lift 'em, can't leave 'em.  So I rang Robert at the hardware shop and asked if he could help.  No problem, he just had to collect his kids from school, drop them at football, collect his pickup and a friend and he'd be right there.

When they arrived, his friend turned out to be small and wiry and not very young.  I squeaked - they're very heavy boxes ...  but they just lifted them up and loaded them onto the back of the truck.  We were, to put it bluntly, gobsmacked!

 Having driven the batteries to the gate, they put two pieces of wood through the pallet and carried them into the house.  A little puffed, but game to do the second one immediately after.  We were still reeling in amazement.  Well done Team Albania!

 In situ, the batteries are enormous, they only just fit on the bit of floor we built for them, and within the width of the wall alcove.  We didn't expect anything so LARGE.

Dave, excited as a kid at Christmas, opens the boxes.

Outdoor things

18 - 20 November 2017

We've not had any time for the garden recently, as we are trying to push on with the work in the house, but a few things demanded our attention.

 First off, Dave decided our self-seeded pumpkin (it just appeared, on the big Hugel bed, presumably from seeds in the compost) and butternut squash (likewise) were not likely to ripen any more, so they should come indoors.  Here they are posing on the stove plinth, together with our last remaining unfitted windows, in need of a bit of filler and paint to be ready for fitting.

 In close-up 

(the pumpkin did get quite a bit yellower, and we had lots of pumpkin soup later in the month)

 Then, out of the blue, I had a call from Rosa, saying did we still want some well-rotted goat manure?  What can one say but 'Yes please!'  A day later and 30 sacks turn up.  That's going to be quite a distribution process when we get round to it.

 Meanwhile, we had to put off the stove installation yet again.  We were forecast to take the brunt of a rare 'Mediterranean Hurricane' gathering steam in the Adriatic.  So we battened everything down, using the new bags of manure to weight the dinghy and woodpile cover.

 While huddling indoors from the storm, we spent time developing this 'Acute Angle Jig' for the drop-saw, so that we will be able to cut the required sharp angles for the batons needed for the ceiling boards - which is the next job, once the deliveries have arrived.

 It's not much of a harvest, but I was very proud of our two Goji berries, that survived to adulthood on the bush.  We'll try harder next year.

The sweet potatoes have done much better.  This is the crop from the first plant that Dave decided to harvest.  Not bad.  There are quite a few still in the ground, hopefully growing bigger.

Oops, forgot a wall!

14 Nov 2017

Just checking everything is ready for when the batteries finally arrive, and realise that one little bit of wall in the entry has been forgot.  Not a big deal, as I had decided to plywood this little corner, can't remember why, probably just plaster-fatigue at the time.  Somehow the relevant piece of plywood and skirting board had survived several storage relocations and could be found. 

The entry won't be heated, so the wall was stuffed with insulation before being boarded up

After the Plaster - the Limewash

6 - 13 November 2017

We are waiting week by week for the arrival of our two big purchases, the new solar electrics and the monster stove.  The electrics appear to be being delivered by continental drift, while the stove is continually being postponed because the weather forecast is poor.  However, this is, for the moment, a Good Thing, because both these arrivals will cause disruption and use up space.  While we have all the furniture in the middle of the room is not a good time for this.

So the pressure is on to get the living room walls finished, and the room reorganised.  Three coats of limewash coming up!

 First coat on the first four panels that were plastered (left end). Luckily the weather has been warm and sunny to help speed up the drying

 And coats on the panels over the stairs, which were plastered before Mum and Richie came to stay, but there was no time to paint them then.

 The living room, showing the obstacle course between one end and the other.

 Three coats completed on the stairs, pics above and below - showing how nice the wood looks when the masking tape comes off.

 The two big panels by the bedroom, fresh and sparkly white.

 Only the last two big panels in the living room still waiting for coats.  The weather has turned cold and wet, and I rushed the first coat of limewash onto not-quite-dry plaster, which probably put the drying process back a couple of extra days.  (Tut!)

 Finally, Monday 13th - the wall is pronounced 'done' and the masking tape comes off.  It looks lovely.

 The little corner over the arched window has also been plastered and limewashed.

Furniture back against the wall (mostly).  A bit of space to move again.

Starting the 'Trombe Wall'

1 - 8 Nov 2017

While Dave and I worked on the interior wall, Rowan and Jade were starting the framework of the 'trombe wall'.  A trombe wall is a passive solar heating mechanism where an area of thermal mass has a glass wall placed in front of it in a sunny location.  When the sun hits the glass, it superheats the air and the wall behind it.  This warm air can then be cycled through vents in the wall into the house, and back out as it cools. 

We have two challenges: one is that we didn't take the time to build the south wall in cob - in the end, we had enough bales and just wanted to get the job done - so the wall is insulated but doesn't have much thermal mass; and the second is that we don't want this heating system to operate in the summer - we would boil!

Not too sure what we're going to do about the first problem - maybe build a floor with a lot of mass, or store some water in old radiators painted black?  As for the second, we have decided to have a glass wall that can be deconstructed.  So Rowan is designing and building what is effectively a very small conservatory with removable glass panels.

 The basic structure goes in: there will be wood panels below the lower bar, and fixed glass in the top section.  Six big wood-framed glass panels will go along the front, to be removed when the weather warms up in spring.

 Rowan and Jade at work

 First stage complete.

 Painting on wood-protector - our favourite shade of orange!

 While doing the plaster, I realised there was one small area of the wall that couldn't be finished, over the little arched window, as it needed an arched trim to plaster up to.  So Rowan took a moment to fashion one for us, so this corner could be completed.

 The mini-conservatory from the east, with lots of wood stacked up ready for the next phase, and glorious sunset.

Living Room Plaster - the final wall

1 - 3 Nov 2017

The last few areas of the living room have been lathed and ready for plaster for a couple of years.  Somehow, they've never been 'the next thing to do', something else has always taken precedence.  But, as of today, they have finally reached the top of our priority list, and Dave started Wednesday morning by making mixes.

One tiny section to do on the turn of the stairs, where I ran out of plaster last time.

 The main stretch, including the area behind the tool dresser, swathed in a sheet in this photo, to keep the tools from getting plastered!

 So the work starts (after masking off the electrical fittings).

 When we moved the tool dresser, we found these two sections that had never been lathed, having been lost behind the dresser; and on removing the 'temporary' plasterboard above, which we had put in to protect the straw bales stored in the living room from the risk of fire from the kitchen (back in 2012), we found a third unlathed section.

  By this point, the last few laths strewn amongst our offcuts were nearly exhausted, and it took some scrabbling around to get enough wood of approximately the right length and width to finish the section.  Luckily the plaster will hide all the bodging.

 Work proceeds ...

 and is completed. 

Recently I found a roll of 4cm wide masking tape, which is ruinously expensive, but makes it a doddle to mask off our 7cm wide beams.  As this was a small area, in a high profile location, we decided to try masking the wood, which we haven't bothered with before.  Unmasked wood requires a lot of washing down, and remains 'limewashed' looking.  We'll see how this turns out in comparison.