Cobbles
[August 2021]
There was always a plan to extend the under floor heating through the whole building i.e. including the original barn. The schedule for the refurbishment had been set in years, rather than months, but perhaps, optimistically, we aimed to have the heating in by the end of the year.
The lounge had a couple of hot water radiators and a log burner but, even after significant contributions to global warming, would remain on the cooler side of comfortable.
Work progressed through July, August and September with the old kitchen and radiators being removed first. The cabinets, that survived, will be reused in the utility, but we’ve said a fond farewell to the green tiles.
The building was converted back in 2000, regulations existed but the application of them not 100% ! The socket (pictured left) isn’t quite in-line with the cable run + the wall light outlet, never used, appears to be live when the lights are on.
Next job was to lift the stone floor, there were a number of hefty chunks. The composition of the floor goes some way to explaining the significant cooling effect in the room – stone slabs, plastic, earth, cobbles – together they act like a big heat sink (forget the nonsense about how they absorb heat during the summer months and slowly release during colder periods! The same is true for the exposed stone walls).
The log burner and hearth also removed to make sure we get everything out before re-laying
The damp proof membrane left a bit to be desired (old fertiliser bags)
We needed to allow for a reasonable depth of insulation (unheard of in the noughties?). The cobbles appear to be part of the original, original floor (not sure when the barn was first built).
Some time, and many tonnes of c&*p, later:-
The old steps were removed, revealing the drain for the old kitchen sink.
With the ‘dig out’ complete, it was time to start to build up the new floor, a couple of inches of MOT first, then sand followed by the damp proof membrane (not a plastic bag in sight) and plenty of insulation. The old wacker gave up mid-job, Brandon hire to the rescue.
