November 2003

Autumn 2003

Eighteen months have taught us just how long building takes - especially when you do everything yourself and have a living to make besides. Our progress seems slow but visitors do see the difference and when I look back at the old photos, I realise that our efforts haven't been in vain.

Our major job at the moment is the insulation and plasterwork outside. The 10 cm Polystyrene blocks were up fairly fast, but that is only the first step. They then have to be fixed with wall plugs ...

... and reinforced with a glassfibre grid which is cemented over the surface. That has to dry out before before the final plasterwork can be done.

Karl has got that done on the West wall, where our new front door is.

All the time we have been worried about the weather. If it freezes while the plaster is wet it will drop off the wall - and if it rains, it washes it off the wall! We've had few setbacks, but have heated the wall under a tarp and such fun and games.

Nearly all this work was done during the week when I wasn't there to help. How he got that heavy cement up the scaffolding I just don't know!

When the weather wasn't right for one job, maybe another was possible. The balcony is growing and underneath we are now storing the wood for the wood fire in the new lounge.

After a desperately dry summer that left the garden like a desert, the garden made a comeback after it rained and flowers started to bloom out of season - and were promptly caught by the frost!

In October the night temperature went down to -8.8°C and finished off nearly everything in the garden and the greenhouse.

The wood fire in the lounge provided the heat for the extension and after months of service is now fully fitted. In the meantime the underfloor heating in the bathroom is also working so the extension is nice and warm.

The balcony has now been supplemented with the rising sun (we live in the Sonnenweg = Sun Way) and it can be seen across the field from the street leading to Sonnenweg.

One mild December day was enough to get the paint onto the West wall:

January 2003 Spring 2003 Summer 2003 Autumn 2003

			Autumn 2003 Eighteen months have taught us just how long building takes - especially when you do everything yourself and have a living to make besides. Our progress seems slow but visitors do see the difference and when I look back at the old photos, I realise that our efforts haven't been in vain. Our major job at the moment is the insulation and plasterwork outside. The 10 cm Polystyrene blocks were up fairly fast, but that is only the first step. They then have to be fixed with wall plugs ...



... and reinforced with a glassfibre grid which is cemented over the surface. That has to dry out before before the final plasterwork can be done. Karl has got that done on the West wall, where our new front door is. All the time we have been worried about the weather. If it freezes while the plaster is wet it will drop off the wall - and if it rains, it washes it off the wall! We've had few setbacks, but have heated the wall under a tarp and such fun and games.

Nearly all this work was done during the week when I wasn't there to help. How he got that heavy cement up the scaffolding I just don't know!		When the weather wasn't right for one job, maybe another was possible. The balcony is growing and underneath we are now storing the wood for the wood fire in the new lounge.
After a desperately dry summer that left the garden like a desert, the garden made a comeback after it rained and flowers started to bloom out of season - and were promptly caught by the frost!
In October the night temperature went down to -8.8°C and finished off nearly everything in the garden and the greenhouse. The wood fire in the lounge provided the heat for the extension and after months of service is now fully fitted. In the meantime the underfloor heating in the bathroom is also working so the extension is nice and warm.
The balcony has now been supplemented with the rising sun (we live in the Sonnenweg = Sun Way) and it can be seen across the field from the street leading to Sonnenweg.
	One mild December day was enough to get the paint onto the West wall: