Impossible to save?

[Flyfisher]

I can see the value in sacrificing a sawblade for that end result but I've had the tip of a TCT blade fly off my sawbench when ripping old timber and cut me just above the left eyebrow. A trivial injury that could have been so much worse.

I confess to not always using safety goggles when machining new wood, but I always do (now!) when working with old wood.

 

[LadyArowana]

Well done Zebra, I like that, I don't care if it's not what a purist would do, it looks lovely. It's not as though it isn't obvious that it's not the original old structure, so I don't think it is really an issue.

 

[88v8]

Very good. Would have been a shame to waste those olde timbers. Doesn't really matter that it's only skin-deep, after all the only part of any wall one sees is the skin.

Interesting point about the sawing. I have a whole roof's worth of nail-riddled C18 oak. Perhaps I can use it with some sort of combi blade.

Ivor

 

[CliffordPope]

I quite like that. I would think of it as a bit like these rooms that are built from the interiors of famous liners - the old Mauretania's dining room is preserved in a hotel somewhere. If you display a framed original photograph and a brief description of the work, it becomes an interesting talking point, and actually adds character to a room.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Well done. That's a lot of effort. I'm all for fakery. If new houses were as attractive in my eyes as historic ones then i would choose to live in a new one, it is not the age but the style that appeals to me.

 

[Zebra]

Yes, it's quite obvious it's not the real thing, as all you would have to do is poke your head above the loft hatch to see that it's built in modern blockwork. I'm writing a detailed description of all the works I'm doing, including instructions for future owners about not using the wrong paints etc, which I shall squirrel away under the stairs, or with the consumer unit or something, and which I hope will be here when I'm gone.

 

[88v8]

Well done. That's a lot of effort. I'm all for fakery. If new houses were as attractive in my eyes as historic ones then i would choose to live in a new one, it is not the age but the style that appeals to me.

I'd never thought about that.
AFAIC, I think you may be right.
Mind you, time does add a certain patina.
And the quirks that would never get past the Building Interference Department.
And then, there's the quality of materials. Well, sometimes

I'm writing a detailed description of all the works I'm doing, including instructions for future owners about not using the wrong paints etc, which I shall squirrel away under the stairs, or with the consumer unit or something, and which I hope will be here when I'm gone.

Good idea. Was thinking the other day how to pass on knowledge of the drainage we've done at the back, could so easily imagine someone filling that in to remake the flowerbed we destroyed. And then of course it's not only knowledge, but understanding, and being willing to learn. In the end I concluded it's pretty well impossible. It only takes one careless owner, or even someone wanting to deliberately conceal the 'complications' of living in the house, and the info is gone. I might still try.

Ivor

 

[JoceAndChris]

Lovely work Zebra. Well done! It's nice to reuse old parts, we've got light fittings made of old roof laths here!

I've often posted that I think revealed beams and timbers are a modern fashion, long ago I'm pretty sure that many many if them would have been covered - with plaster, or with lime wash, or wall paintings, or with wallpapers hung on a backing, or with tapestry, or with Kidderminster stuff. Our ancestors did not like to look at the construction as we do. So any worries about authenticity are misplaced in my view, and leaving a record of what you've done is an excellent idea.

 

[wobs]

I'm writing a detailed description of all the works I'm doing, including instructions for future owners about not using the wrong paints etc, which I shall squirrel away under the stairs, or with the consumer unit or something, and which I hope will be here when I'm gone.

This is what I did for my last house that we sold this year. I even included what colours I used.

The new owner wanted to know all about the linseed paint and where I had used it it, which was encouraging. But as I said in the document, it was also for my benefit, as I could refer to it for certain things.

I hope a copy ends up in the deeds pack, along with the history of previous owners, which was a very interesting read.