Chris and Bev – Heads in the Clouds

The site has been very busy for the last couple of days, taking on the characteristics of a proper building site: mud, noise, dust and occasionally smells. But we’re delighted with progress and relieved that the guys on site are all working well together in spite of the potential to get in each other’s way. Good weather has helped.

Gavin and Billy have been stripping soils and stockpiling the good stuff for future landscaping. There’s some rich, seemingly fertile soil, benefiting from decades of chicken poo and there’s still a definite whiff when the soil is first uncovered. We’ve also unearthed the foundations of the largest poultry shed. The soil stripping is to save the soil from being lost under rubble and heavy traffic, but has the added benefit of getting the levels broadly right for the new building footprint.

Hortons, the demolition contractor, is using a relatively small crusher that’s good for sites with the restricted access, but it will have crushed the remains of the bungalow in about a day and a half. Ben reassures us our crushed rubble will be of a good quality and it’ll save on our stone requirements when work on the foundations of the new house begins.

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Meanwhile Chris spent the day up a ladder. Our approach to the maintenance of the wall will be minimalist. It’s upright and robust and certainly not in any danger of falling down (unlike Chris …). We could spend ages and a lot of money repointing the wall but that would change its character and its nooks and crannies wouldn’t be there for insects and bats. There are however a few stretches that really do need attention – notably where the coping brick layer is missing or unstable. There’s a stretch on the north wall that has trees growing out of it and where the top layer of bricks are simply balancing on ivy. Chris has cleared this of vegetation ahead of Lee the Brick making the repairs.

Next week brings the start of the lockdown relaxations and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors. We’d also like to see our planning permission for the new house ….