Opening up a walled up cellar ?

[Maf]

I live in a bit of an oddball mishmash house (take a look at http://www.pilotbb.net)

The back is a full storey higher than the front yet there is only one small cellar. Convinced that another cellar was to be found, I knocked a small 'exploritory' and found a hidden cellar.

The wall where the old opening is has been roughly rendered and white washed. I can see running joints at either side but no obvious lintel. I thought I'd get a builder in to open it up just incase.

Builder in question (I've used them before) says that as we are dealing with an unknown quantity he would stick two men on the job for about a day and see how it goes.

Fair enough, but isn't £400 per day for builder and mate a bit steep ?

 

[Ian Bond]

I'd be nervous about doing something like that too - wouldn't be insured if the house fell down (assuming I survived)!

Not that it's stopped me from doing things like that though.

At least you are aware of the potential problems.

I've hired props** before now, just in case I needed to secure dodgy masonry, but if it appears too risky to DIY, then it's worth paying for the builder's experience, knowledge, extra pair of hands and insurance.

Can you take more render off first and try to find the presence, extent and condition of the lintel? I've done this myself and found rotten timber lintels, cracked stone lintels (hence bricking up) and no lintel at all.


** I admit the first time I worked on a fireplace I was over-enthusiastic. The lintel was more precarious than I'd thought due to successive bodges, serious damage, and ill advised alterations. But it was too late, and I hadn't got the props. So, I used stout pieces of timber as temporary supports, closed the door very, very gently and had a nail-biting journey to Sp**dy Hire for the necessary equipment. It was all OK in the end, and I rebuild the dodgy brickwork. But I will never, ever do it that way again as it was far too stressful.

 

[shelli]

My builder costs £150.00 per day and his mate £75.00 - so I think £400.00 is a bit steep. I love your house page - tis fascinating.

i would negotiate him down to reasonable amount get to hire shop for Acro props and let him have a poke about - we opened a hole in our (rubblestone northern) farmhouse gable end wall for a door and there were 2 courses of huge lengths of oak in the section we opened - happily one at just above head height making perfect lintel - our house is also a strange construction though by farmers of yore so I dont know if adding oak was standard practice to strengthen the construction of the rubblestone build or if they just had some spare wood knocking about and decided to "Aye, stick a git bit o that in, for't fettle it like".

Farmers can be a bit random!!

Anyway if you prop it as you go you can always run out and buy a nice concrete lintel if theres no support

Shelli

 

[chuckey]

Don't knock it out all at once, knock out a block about 12" square at waist level (to be above any muck inside). Poke your head in with a head torch or video camera with torch. . .Now you can make a decision. With the aid of said camera or mirror, you should try to work out the state of the "filler" brickwork and if a lintel is in place.
Some people are a bit "funny" about houses and would do this rather then use the space. FWIW I know someone who knocked down flat a single skin victorian scullery, because, Er, it was single skinned. Had a placcy conservatory built on the side of the house.
Frank

 

[MdB]

Don't get too enthusiastic though.

 

[Penners]

And report any skeletons to the police.

 

[Maf]

I've found out why it was blocked !

The lintel has sheared (hopefully this means no skelingtuns)

I'm sure there's another hidden cellar to find yet tho !

Any cellar historans on here ?

 

[Penners]

Any cellar historans on here ?

The only kind of cellar that I know anything about is one that's full of bottles....

 

[Ian Bond]

Can't help there, but I enjoyed looking at the pics of your house - hope you can add some more of the re-discovered cellar.

I've not found anything as good as a hidden cellar here, but have opened up a few blocked up alcoves. Always quite an exciting moment, wondering what's been concealed for many decades. In my case, not a lot.

No skellingtons, but I did find a decorative cast iron flue for a wash copper, and some shelves. And some Victorian paintwork. Hardly the discovery of the century, but it's all good fun when you're up to your neck in dust and debris.

 

[Aidan]

n

 

[Penners]

Aidan - may I suggest that you try to make your messages a bit more succinct? We don't have time to read a load of waffle.

 

[Ian Bond]

.

 

[Jon Maine]

!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

?

 

[Penners]

Brevity 10/10.

Comprehensibilty 0/10.

 

[Edwardia]

I've not found anything as good as a hidden cellar here, but have opened up a few blocked up alcoves. Always quite an exciting moment, wondering what's been concealed for many decades. In my case, not a lot.

No skellingtons, but I did find a decorative cast iron flue for a wash copper, and some shelves. And some Victorian paintwork. Hardly the discovery of the century, but it's all good fun when you're up to your neck in dust and debris.

Opened up dining room fireplace here, and found bones..not a skellington though, but bones in a takeaway box !

 

[Maf]

Cellar is now open and is rather strange. It's still full of bulders rubble and I'm to scared to investigate further until all possibility of skellingtons has been removed !

There is a tiny (but well formed) window with steeply slooping sides so that on the outside of the building is no more than a slit (a bit like those arrow shooting windows in castles!)

The room itself is some 4ft narrower than the room above which suggests another wall (perhaps a coridor) behind it.

Even stranger the thru-stones that bear the flags that form the floor above. They have odd chisel marks on them, yet they look fresh !!

Will post pics when handyman Jim (the local skellington finder) has cleared it out.


http://www.pilotbb.net

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Maf - how exciting. Keep us posted and look forward to the pics.

A very interesting website you've got. WRT to history of the owners further back than 1903, have you done a census search? I managed to get back to 1841 without too much trouble, but think I was lucky. A subscription to Ancestry is well worth the money.

Robin

 

[Nemesis]

Your previous thread Maf:

http://periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8335&p=91828#p91828

 

[Penners]

Opened up dining room fireplace here, and found bones..not a skellington though, but bones in a takeaway box !

Does your dining room fireplace pre-date Kentucky Fried Chicken?