At last, a sole plate...

[Andys]

It's two years since we had our only surviving corner post repaired, our carpenter popped up for more so we thought we'd better bite the bullet and get the sole plate fixed (also the only remaining section, on the north side away from the effects of the weather)

Here it is as I found it four years ago, hiding behind a cement plinth and looking rather damp and sorry for itself

And here's a section once removed. There's a surprising amount of solid wood left, except at the joints, where it would have been useful

And a few work in progress pics. I have to say it's very exciting having the house held up on acrows and car jacks, including one in the lounge wrapped in an old curtain like a very solid ghost. You can see the insulating blockwork put in by previous owners which might be contributing a bit too.

We were a bit short on stone for the plinth due to the chunks of concrete and stuffed-in bricks which came out, solved by a quick scout round the flower beds (there's a good cartload of it which is lucky in a predominantly clay/shingle part of the country). I wonder if it's been hanging around for 400 years, just in case it comes in useful?

We had two conservation-grade brickies for a week to put it all back together, using a top-up of new Bulmers bricks to augment the many original ones we were able to save. Oh yes, NHL3.5 mortar on the plinth and NHL2 for the infill panels, seeing as you're about to ask...

I think it looks amaaazing and will blend in nicely once it goes off and weathers a bit.

Next job: simply remove the rest of the concrete path and choose a ground level... weed matting and pea shingle for the surface maybe?

Andy

 

[Flyfisher]

Lovely looking job. Should last for a few more centuries. Such a pity that the original was covered in concrete - but for that it might have survived.

Good idea to remove the remainder of the concrete path, if only to reduce splashing rainwater up the new wall. I’d vote for a geotextile membrane covered in gravel . . . Probably because that’s exactly what we did after our sole plate was repaired/replaced.

 

[Gothichome]

Very nice, your guys did great work. And good on you for getting it done.

 

[Andys]

good on you for getting it done.

Thanks Gothichome, seeing as you put it like that, it IS an effective alternative to buying a nice car...

 

[plasticpigeon]

Looks splendid!

 

[Westholme]

If you put down pea shingle the neighbourhood cats could use it as a toilet.

 

[Kearn]

Looks great!!! It's so satisfying isn't it!
I remember when I stripped off the paint and other offending muck from the front of our house, my surprise when not one of the 7 posts met the ground any more (sole plate long gone but replaced with brick and lime plinth). Three of these were load bearing for the bays, yet all had more than a foot of rotten or non existent wood at the base!! Seems the old brick infill was actually serving a purpose after all...

Also I felt for the carpenters, trying to joint into the existing good wood which after 400+ years is harder than most substances known to man. Plus littered with hidden remnants of iron nails...

 

[Feltwell]

Lovely job! Always good to see well executed repairs.

 

[Andys]

Yes I'm with you Kearn on that slightly blood-draining moment when you wonder how the structure holds together when none of the posts actually reach the ground any more.

I had to restrain myself from popping out at every opportunity to see how the work was going and ask lots of questions. Well, no, actually, I tried to keep it below once an hour where possible... I hope I wasn't too annoying

For anyone interested in the method of chopping out the old oak, our carpenter used a Forstner auger bit on a huge electric drill, an old claw hammer with a bit snapped off instead of a mallet and a half- to three-quarter inch chisel of the sort you might get down the market, though well sharpened. Saves wear on the lovely woodworking tools! Also we had fair results with an oscillating multitool for awkward spaces, though the blades don't seem to last long (or are waaay too expensive to want to risk damaging on a nail). As I've found before, heat build-up is a problem, helped by keeping the blade on the move side to side in the sawing-slot.