Home improvements - time the house had some TLC!

[JhnBssll]

I spotted a break in the rain and finished the wall this evening after work 😊

The slate arrived today too - looks nice! I've ordered some more custom cut bits today to give a bullnose lip to the steps and to cap the raised bed wall, should look good all being well

I've got to collect some stone sealant from screwfix tomorrow so I can give the slate a couple of coats, then I'll start painting the new wall and steps black 😊

 

[JhnBssll]

Bit more progress this evening, I've unpacked the slate ready to wash and seal and I've painted the brickwork below dampcourse Amazing the difference a bit of paint can make!

I started with the new wall...

Then carried on across the front of the house. I still need to do down the other side but I've got some soil to shift before that can happen

Nice to have some visible progress again, it's been slow going recently what with all my other projects and the flooded kitchen Speaking of kitchens, we have contractors in on Thursday to tear it all out - I wonder how long we'll be without for

 

[jowwy]

Bit more progress this evening, I've unpacked the slate ready to wash and seal and I've painted the brickwork below dampcourse Amazing the difference a bit of paint can make!

I started with the new wall...

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Then carried on across the front of the house. I still need to do down the other side but I've got some soil to shift before that can happen

View attachment 595316

Nice to have some visible progress again, it's been slow going recently what with all my other projects and the flooded kitchen Speaking of kitchens, we have contractors in on Thursday to tear it all out - I wonder how long we'll be without for

will you putting more lead across the top of that porch roof??

 

[JhnBssll]

will you putting more lead across the top of that porch roof??

Certainly will, I still need to put mortar down the edges of the tiles too. The lead up there is re-used from the original porch canopy, eventually I'll extend it to the ends of the new roof. It would be urgent if it was leaking, but it went through last winter with no problems so will get done when it gets done

 

[jowwy]

Certainly will, I still need to put mortar down the edges of the tiles too. The lead up there is re-used from the original porch canopy, eventually I'll extend it to the ends of the new roof. It would be urgent if it was leaking, but it went through last winter with no problems so will get done when it gets done

its been a top job so far........but still want to see the mancave/garage job being completed as well, you set yourself very high standards and targets

 

[JhnBssll]

Mancave may need some attention soon, simply because i have nowhere to store the insulation while I lay the drive Would be good to get it done to be honest, I really didnt need the kitchen flood

 

[jowwy]

Mancave may need some attention soon, simply because i have nowhere to store the insulation while I lay the drive Would be good to get it done to be honest, I really didnt need the kitchen flood

i was going to re-do my mancave this year, but to be honest i have done so many garden projects i just want to stop and enjoy it all now

 

[JhnBssll]

I've only had a few spare hours over the last few days but have made a bit of progress by digging a hole and filling it in again

Here's the hole, complete with rather large unidentified concrete lump in the middle. Fortunately its lower than the slabs will be so I don't need to remove it

Here's the hole after I'd filled it in again I filled it with ballast then a layer of sharp sand, all tamped down as I went. I hope to get the chance to mix up some mortar tomorrow and put some slabs down I've bought some black dye for the mortar, should look better against the black slate.

We also had the wet floor stripped out of the kitchen yesterday, so the subfloor is now drying. Once that was out a friend popped over and replaced the stopcock and questionable pipework

Once the fabric of the building is dry the rest of the kitchen and floor will have to come out ready to be replaced, that should be fun

 

[JhnBssll]

I laid the slate path today All went well until I rain out of sand with 2 bit of slab left to put down Had to tidy up and nip out for more I used black dye in the mortar as a bit of an experiment, looks nice wet but will have to wait and see what it looks like dry... This will all be underground anyway of course, hence being useful for an experiment

The custom cut bits of slate are still a few weeks off so the temporary concrete slabs remain on the steps for now but they will match the path, as will the top of the raised bed wall 😊

Lots more digging to do now

 

[Profpointy]

I'm done for the day In fact I might be done for the week

The digging is nearly finished, its hard going in places with lots of rubble buried in pockets so the breaker has been getting some use

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I've shifted a decent amount, no wonder my arms ache - I'm used to an air conditioned office

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I might carry on tomorrow but it rather depends how I feel in the morning

When you said "lots of rubble buried in pockets" on first reading I thought you'd been emulating "The Great Escape" for getting rid of the spoil to avoid paying for a skip

 

[Gunk]

So will you park the van on the front John?

 

[JhnBssll]

So will you park the van on the front John?

Occasionally yeah but it'll mainly be used for the Tesla when it arrives - the charging point will be on the side of the porch 😊

 

[JhnBssll]

These arrived today, two more pallets to come in a few weeks time. Doesnt give me much time to lay these then clear and prep the other side I best get digging

 

[bikingdad90]

If you can’t get any bricks from Marshall’s, I’d recommend Brick Services Company
https://www.brickservices.com/free-brick-matching/

 

[JhnBssll]

I spent a few hours last night loading the paving blocks in to the wheel barrow and carting them round the back - 808 of them if you're asking Ended up being quite a good workout Here they are all stacked up in their temporary home...

With them out of the way I had somewhere for my spoil heap so I could start digging 😊 I spent about an hour and a half at it this evening with several rest stops as it's bloody hard work The clay soil interspersed with lumps of concrete, flint and bricks make the mattock a necessity I managed to get this much shifted in around 90 minutes and I would guess I'm about 40% across the first section so I should finish digging this bit tomorrow afternoon. Once it's dug out to the right depth I can mix some concrete and start laying the perimeter blocks 😊