How did the BBC Wales do it ?

[Alex]

Not wishing to hijack Robgils post about the frost this weekend, I had to ask a question, so here it is. BBC Wales are starting one of those reality series this Monday evening where they have 2 families living in cottages in Snowdonia, as they would have in 1895 or something. I had a nose at their website and apparently the original cottage (grade 2 listed and falling down), was rebuilt/restored over last winter and finished ready for the family to move into, in March of this year when the filming started. Not wishing to get into the pro's and con's of this type of programme, please can someone explain to me how the builders, under the watchful eye of CADW (Welsh Heritage body) managed to use lime inside and outside during the winter that we had.
We had snow on the ground from the week before Christmas until the middle of March.

Alex

 

[robgil]

bbc budget Alex , they probably hired people to hug the cottages during the frosty nights to keep them warm.

 

[christianb]

They probably used a hydraulic lime for the exterior, and covered it in piles of tarpaulins.

 

[philpjuk100]

When I was an apprentice an old chap,Owen Jones (OJ to everyone) retired,we had a "whip round" and gave him a teasmade,he pointed out he was retiring to a cottage in snowdonia with no mains power!

 

[HeatherJ]

The one lime-using restoration mason I could find here worked on an old church downtown through the coldest stretch of last winter. I asked him about temp. (mostly because I wanted to lure him away to work on my basement ), and he explained that no expense had been spared to build a heated tarped area to work in and the temp was maintained with gas heaters day and night. (We get weeks when the temp. doesn't get above -10C as a max. and the lows can easily go below -30C at night.) Anything is possible if you have the cash...

The BBC series sounds interesting! I used to live two valleys north of where it was filmed, in a one-up one-down slate quarry terraced cottage. I still miss the Victorian hearth in the kitchen - I never managed to get it hot enough to bake in the oven, but it was fab for getting yeast to rise. Shame that it looks like the language used will be english instead of Welsh.

 

[Alex]

Robgil :lol: :lol: :lol:

philpjuk100 - That's the sort of thing that would happen to me.

christianb - Thats my failing, I don't quite understand the differences between the different types of lime. I just go to the lime place, explain what I am going to use it for and they sell me the right stuff, easy :roll:

Alex

 

[philpjuk100]

When I was an apprentice an old chap,Owen Jones (OJ to everyone) retired,we had a "whip round" and gave him a teasmade,he pointed out he was retiring to a cottage in snowdonia with no mains power!

I still remember OJs speech after giving him the teasmade even though it was over 50 years ago "this is the happiest day of my life,every day coming here has been purgatory,if I see any of you bug*ers again it will be too soon,if you come to wales do not look me up Ill shut the door in your face and ill leave this bit of chrome plated junk for the next lucky person to retire as Ive no f-ing power" he then slung his old army butty bag over his shoulder and marched out!