Hello Newbie here

[Flyfisher]

Not sure why you can't see the photos Ushy. Can you see them in Joce's quote?

 

[Ushy M]

Not sure why you can't see the photos Ushy. Can you see them in Joce's quote?

Nope - and right click "Show picture " does nothing.

 

[philpjuk100]

Hi he is called Odie because our previous cat was called Garfield (named by the kids) could have named him after scotts but sociable and squirrel seem daft names for cats!it does not seem to matter what you call them they still dont come when you call them! cheers,phil.

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm not sure what the problem is Ushy. I can see them, as can others, but I'm not aware of any particular local settings that are required. I've not done anything special to my PC or browser. Hmm.

 

[MdB]

Flyfisher's pictures are on photogalaxy and I can see them fine here. Your problem could will be due to some over zealous net filtering program that either your computer, your network or your ISP has in place which is blocking access to photogalaxy.

If you can't see these two images below then this is probably what the problem is:

 

[Ushy M]

If you can't see these two images below then this is probably what the problem is

Hmm... I'll try to adjust my browser settings - thanks all.

 

[Penners]

It's so beautiful! My word! I'm reeling at that.....And it's HUGE -how many rooms...whether or not it has turned out to be more than you can manage?

Joce - frankly, you don't know the half of it. I saw the house before FF started work on it, and I regarded it as a mammoth job - way beyond the capacity of a DIY project (by my standards, anyway!).

But FF, with little or no previous experience, has taken on not only the work itself, but also the steep learning curve of how to tackle all of the plethora of problems in the house. He's had some valuable help and advice from another member of this forum, but has done a huge amount of the work himself, to an exemplary standard, on an important house.

It's an extraordinary achievement.

He will now post a self-deprecating response.

 

[JoceAndChris]

He is an extraordinary man, and the house is truly united with the right person.

 

[MdB]

Hmm... I'll try to adjust my browser settings - thanks all.

Unlikely to be a browser setting. Could be a browser plug in setting (if you are using FF or similar).

 

[Flyfisher]

Well, thank you for those kind words but I put it all down to being too stupid to know how hard it would be. :wink:

OK, that's not strictly true. The turning point in deciding to take it on was seeing Middi's project and the time he generously gave to explain how to tackle things and to answer my endless, and often daft, questions. I was also fortunate to be able to tackle it on a full-time basis - I don't think I could have done it at weekends only.

But there's still loads to do and the real challenge will be when the time comes to do the rendering and plastering. I'm dreading that bit.

 

[MdB]

But there's still loads to do and the real challenge will be when the time comes to do the rendering and plastering. I'm dreading that bit.

I was too. I don't have any worries now having worked out how to do both to a good enough finish. I would however find someone that knows how to do it and doesn't mind you asking them 101 stupid questions. That was the key for me.

 

[Flyfisher]

That's very encouraging. I'm hoping practice will make perfect but, to me, plastering has always seemed a more developed skill than general building, where a lack of skill/experience can often be compensated for by working slowly. My only hope is all the things I've read about lime plastering being more forgiving in terms of time. I do plan to attend a lime plastering course though before really getting stuck in to that stage of things.

 

[Ushy M]

Back home now and can finally see the pics of Flyfisher's grand project on my own laptop. What a stunning house - and huge amount of work! (I won't complain about what our little cottage needs any more. Well, actually, I probably will....)

 

[middi]

It is nice of FF to think that I inspired him and at times helped to tackle his project. The reality is that his approach to the task, his logical thinking, his desire to find out how these buildings function, the correct way to deal with the local authorities convinced me that eventually he would succeed in this HUGE restoration project. I didn't have the heart to tell him that eventually he would overcome his naivety regarding old buildings and unfortunately still retain his insanity :wink:

Anything can be achieved with determination, hard work, common sense and a bit of insanity ( like the rest of us) . FF is the living proof.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

FF - those pictures are truly inspirational, as is that other thread from 2006. Keep going - it's a really important job you are doing.

I spent the day sorting out rainwater - thought it was finally time that I stopped all the rain from three rooves being dumped at the base of one wall by digging a soakaway in the middle of the garden. Progress was slowed somewhat by the discovery of cinders, some very old (brown and crumbly) small bones and some intact lengths of Victorian-looking clay pipe running parallel to the house and of unknown purpose. Oh and the base of what looks like a mortared stone wall. The Garden looks like an episode of Time Team!

 

[MdB]

When we dug up our garden for the heat pump pipes I was rather disappointed to only discover undisturbed sub soil along the entire length. You would thought somebody in the last 150 years the house has been around would have wanted to bury a pot of gold somewhere in the back garden...

 

[Flyfisher]

Sadly, I've also yet to find the buried/hidden hoard that must surely have been placed somewhere in or around our house.

I also have a few surface water drains to dig, although I've finished the ones from the front of the house.

Meanwhile, I'd recommend the following as a temporary but very effective fix for anyone with blocked or broken downpipes and/or soakaways - as most of ours seem to be.

 

[JoceAndChris]

That looks amazing!

But how do you tell if you have a blocked downpipe or soakaway?

 

[MdB]

That looks amazing!

But how do you tell if you have a blocked downpipe or soakaway?

Blocked downpipe -> Nothing comes down the downpipe when it rains.
Blocked soakaway -> Drain to soakaway overflows when it rains.

 

[Flyfisher]

Here is an obvious symptom of a blocked and/or broken downpipe, although admittedly a bit extreme. What isn't shown in the photo is a window further down the wall with a wooden lintel, or rather what was wood until the years of water entering the wall and settling on the lintel caused it to completely rot away. It's going to be fun to replace.

I've found that the best way to check the state of rainwater goods is to spend time wandering around outside when it's pouring with rain. Even better is if you have scaffolding and can observe the guttering close-up, although I realise that's not possible in most instances. But even just walking around in the rain will reveal where gutter joints are dripping and if this is splashing up the wall, or perhaps overflowing and running down the wall. Cast iron downpipes can leak at joints if the lower section is blocked. They may also be cracked. Gulleys may also be clogged and overflow, resulting in lots of water being deposited into the foundations instead of being carried away from the house - as was the case with most of ours, hence the temporary piping to move the water well clear of the house.

Simply pouring a bucket of water down a drain is not necessarily a good test because drain pipes will rarely become totally blocked, but they can be serverly restricted. So a bucket of water might appear to drain away correctly but prolonged rain will cause the water to back up and spill over against the house. When the rain stops the water level drops back into the drain and you'll be unable to tell how much may have overflowed into the base of the wall.