Roof almost complete

I have to say, Lutz, the carpenter/roofer and his team work like demons. They start at 7am and work till 5pm, at least, and in the past two days I've been away, the back of the house has been transformed. The roof is now watertight, apart from the gable dormer, and is ready for tiles which will come in about 2 weeks. A new roof frame has been built for the gable dormer, and it looks great. The roof windows need to be put in, but that'll just be a matter of cutting holes in the insulation boards. Speaking of which, these boards were a change from the original plan, and I'm pretty happy with the suggestion from Lutz. 35mm thick, wood-based insulation boards which are breathable, give an initial layer of insulation and sound-proofing, and they are environmentally friendly. They'll eventually be backed up with cellulose insulation to keep us snug.

Back of the house, September 1st, 2011

The view of the future bathroom inside the gable dormer.

Up at the apex.

There are a couple of open points that we didn't know were open points relating to the use of these insulation boards on the sides of the dormers on the front of the house, but a decision is needed soon, as this is delaying the gutter guy. I think I like the idea of using these boards there too (the gable dormer at the back has 55mm thick boards on the sides), but it means doubling up on some work that was already done. I'll have to make an executive decision.

Meanwhile, last Saturday I took the rest of the plasterboard ceiling down in the expanded kitchen. That was pretty dusty, with layers of clay dust from the original ceiling, and all sorts of grain lying  above the boards and, in one corner, an old rodent toilet with piles of shit and a little skeleton. The ceiling above is mostly original, with clay-covered laths between oak beams. In the foreground of the picture below, it can be seen that some of these were replaced in the 70s. Most impressive, is the 6-metre-long beam spanning the entire width of the kitchen, finally fully exposed. A new post has to go back in the middle, as otherwise the house would likely sink in on itself.

Kitchen ceiling, September 1, 2011.

The plan here is to leave the oak beams exposed and plaster between them. The newer ones can be completely covered, as they are modern tat. We'll see how far we get.

This weekend, it's going to be a big cleanup operation with three people coming to help. My "brother-in-law", his friend, and a neighbour I have never met, but who offered to help. Plan is to remove all the remaining dry lining and clear all the piles I've accumulated since early this year onto a trailer for proper disposal. Well, that and some food and beers for the helpers!