Week beginning 20th March

This week work has mainly been focused on the stone work on the front of the stables.

The progress is slow and steady and the finished result looks excellent.

By the end of the week the stone on the front of the stables was complete.

But once the mercury hit 18 degrees, Gary & Matt took their clothes off!

Even I overcame my fear of ladders to "inspect the work"!

Despite these distractions, the walls for the conservatory have been completed.

Some of the windows are in and the rest should arrive later this week.

Spring arrives

In the week after we returned the weather was milder. The foundations for the garage were dug...

.... and poured.

Some of the windows have been delivered to the stables.

And the outside is being clad in local Croft stone which Mike has excavated from the back garden.

(Note our lack of stone miles eco warriors and Kevin McCloud!)

Mike and Tim have built a small wall in the future patio area today.

This is currently the view of the house from the field.

Return from holiday

So, on the 12th March we returned from holiday and this was what awaited us.

An actual house shaped building where the stables used to be....

....and flat ground between the new walls and the house, which had been a deep hole full of reinforcing steel when we left.

The stone wall between us and the field has gone.

But James was very happy to see Mike and his digger again.



Work continues whilst the Frees holiday

Keen building followers have been worrying that with us out of the country, the blog could not continue, but fear not - a photograph record has been kept!

With no muffins or scones to distract them, Henry and Chris were able to finish the walls of the pool house.

Work progressed on the stables with the first floor walls going up.

Inside the stables were taking shape too.

Mike still managed to find time for digging (despite being official photographer).

The time came to start filling in the gap between the new walls of the pool house and the house.

Back over in the stables, a large piece of steel appears to have been delivered.....

Which allows the roof to start going on above the bedrroms.

And finally, inside the stables, the interior walls are going up on the first floor.

Chilly working conditions

The cold weather hung around for a week but the work continued.

The new roof was taking shape over the future living room.

Over by the pool house, the shuttering at the top of the walls was being prepared for the final pour.

And more steel was being erected to make the remaining walls.

Another delivery of concrete arrived at the end of the week.

And the walls started to go up on the first floor of the stables.

By the time we left for our holiday in the middle of February, it looked pretty much like this.