Scorchio

[September 2021]

For those of you who remember the Fast Show, the old lounge is about to get scorching hot (honest!). The promise of a seating area, warm enough to occupy for more than a couple of minutes, was long overdue. With the old floor out (anyone interested in some York / Lancashire stone?) and the new floor up to insulation level, it’s time for the underfloor heating pipework.

With the Right Honourable Mr Bailey returning (Tom’s dad) and the pipe decoiler (this device has been known to save marriages) the 16mm PEX-AL-PEX pipe is clipped to the insulation and joined to the heating loops with pipe repair couplings (a fancy description for equal straight compression connector – not convinced that was any simpler?).

Top job Mr B.

Next task is screeding. As the mix (4 plastering sand to 1 cement, minimal water i.e. fairly dry) is mixed and barrowed, Tom’s back to lay.

(On a personal level, many thanks to Tom for turning up and making the job possible in fairly unrealistic timescales and extremely testing times)

With ‘reconstruction’ of the old barn well underway, you’d rightly assume all the deconstruction had been done – not quite – Tom’s on a mission again.

The old stairs are coming out, but first we’ll need a temporary flight (Berry’s do a ready made set at a reasonable price).

We needed a human size hole in the wall below (pictures include that of ‘lethal step’).

Next, a ‘mini landing’ – ‘regs’ suggest an area of a minimum size either size of the door opening (and the opening needs to be slightly bigger to accommodate the sliding door frame!).

Self level the floor to stop it ‘dusting’

In go the temporary stairs (guessing they’ve been in Berry’s yard since 2010 when Eyjafjallajökull last went off!)