Today the mission was to remove the ceiling in the corridor. We have decided to do this to improve head height and expose some of the old structure of the house. We have a number of discussions with the architect about whether we should or shouldn't, but we pressed ahead. It also allows us to be more creative with lighting in the corridor rather than opting for standard flush fitting down-lights.
We always expected the job to be horrible, as we had already experienced a similar task in the kitchen. Little did we know what lay above the ceiling. As soon as we removed a part of the ceiling, showers of oat husks came cascading down. These were stored above in the barn, and had fallen between the timbers to lodge in the cavity. What a mess it made, but Reggie and Raphael helped in the removal. We are happy with the result, but it will require us to sand and clean the beams and infill with new panels.
As we removed the ceiling towards the rear door, we uncovered a damp area (with damp husks). We knew that we had to replace some cracked tiles of the barn, so after completing the corridor we replaced the tiles. This task turned out to be quite easy. The first tile was a more modern overlapping tile, and this proved to be very easy. I had to replace two of the very old tiles, of which we have many spares in storage. These tiles hook onto horizontal batons the same as modern tiles, but do not overlap at the sides. You need to locate a thin piece of wood at the joint so that water runs away. Job done.
In the coming week we expect the new doorways to be cut (three). One has already been started on the oldest part of the house, where the walls are incredibly thick. We expect the steel supports to be positioned, and possibly the new part dividing wall between the kitchen and living room to be started. We have to pick up the free standing bath from the warehouse in Basel.
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