Plastering? Check. UFH? Check.

6 February 2014

The plastering was duly finished on Monday night, allowing 2 days for the UFH. Predictably, Chas was delayed and was only half-way through on Wed evening, just hours before the team was due to arrive on site to lay the screed.

Tom had to make a round of uncomfortable phone calls to call off the various parties (including the electrician, who in turn had to postpone the digger) and call in some favours regarding rescheduling. Needless to say, Tom was not a happy camper.

Despite this, he says:

"The barn is really starting to come together now, I’m really pleased with how its all looking."

And we can see why.

First, the UFH. I rather like it. Cancel the concrete floor.

This is the shower room, and the pipes all emerge from a boxing-in arrangement which will sit behind the toilet. The unaltered area to the right is the shower wall, which will be tiled. The cubby above the toilet is built in front of an existing niche in the stone, which we asked Tom to preserve. In the end, the wall depth became so thick that he has had to build out from the niche. That means it will be an extra deep space, at the back of which will be original stone.

 Er...we somehow have to fit some stairs in there on the left.

This is the corner of the room where the wood pellet stove will go, and this mess of pipes will be organised into 4 attractive manifolds :)

Now, the upstairs. Of course, the beams still need to be cleaned up, and the plaster needs to dry out.

The Juliet balcony is done!

And the other one too. No falling from the top floor windows now. Here's a photo of the one at the front of the barn.

The last pic shows the cladding that will go over the area of wall overlooking Monsieur's cabine - this  was, if you recall, open to the air, which is why we decided to put in two windows there, and have the rest clad in wood. We had envisaged lapped oak, but Tom has suggested larch (at this thickness, less inclined to warp), which is what these sample pieces are, I gather.

Next stop: The Screed. Mind the gap.