Reclaiming the past

Several folk have asked us why we are pulling down such a charming cottage.  First the property has been empty for over five years and even before that, damp was causing a problem and rainwater was coming through the valley between the gables. Now the situation is far worse with a small stream running through the house when it rains; plaster is falling off the upstairs walls which have a fine growth of fungi. 

Fancy this wall in your bedroom!

Much of the timber is riddled with woodworm, there are no foundations in the old part and virtually no insulation anywhere.  UPVC windows hardly suit the style of the building and we would need to spend well into 6 figures to even get it habitable again let alone “eco”. But much of the house will have a future. Bricks and tiles are being removed, carefully cleaned and palletted for resale.  

Team from Winchcombe Reclamation removing tiles

Pallet of reclaimed bricks

Elm floorboards in the upstairs of the old part and a large elm beam below will be sure to find a new (probably very old) home. 

The old roof being removed by the Morso telehandler

We are recovering many of the roof beams to construct a large compost heap (and probably some pony jumps for the grandchildren).  

Whilst Acer and his team stacked bricks and tiles, Nigel (our one-man building guru) and I moved enough soil by lunchtime to begin to mark out the foundations.  There is still quite a slope on the site – both North-South and East-West, so it is going to be challenging to decide on the final level.  

Levelling the building area

It just so happens that the MD of the company who may do the foundations will be in our area tomorrow so will call in the afternoon.  This will give us a chance to discuss detailed plans for the highly insulated floor slab in detail.