Building work on the quinta has been progressing really well lately, despite us beginning to have to watch the weather forecast to plan what we do from day to day. Rain is forecast for next week, so today we removed one of the floors to clean and preserve the chestnut beams so we’ll have something we can get on with under cover next week.
No floor!
(This image also shows the rain that’s been getting into the walls. The walls are still uncovered, even though the roof is substantially complete, as we’ve been waiting on the delivery of more schist to finish the back, and still have the roof extensions over the stairs at each end of the building to construct before we can finish the sides.)
Wayne and Chris take down a heavy chestnut beam
Michael removing the final beam
Wayne’s best cheesy grin. Be afraid. Be very afraid …
Em and Chris in the new stair well
Em and the old woman, who’s still trying to figure out the final design of the building
The log store also gained a roof this week. We’re waiting on a new delivery of sand and cement to finish this off, pouring two more concrete columns in the back wall and screeding the roof in preparation for its soil covering. We can then start backfilling behind it, facing the walls in schist and continuing the wall nearest the building up the side of the external staircase on that end of the house. This will provide the base for supporting timbers to extend the roof over the stair.
When it’s finished, the log store will effectively disappear underground as we’ll bring the driveway down over the top of it with the main entrance to the building at first floor level. The exposed schist stonework will look like just another terrace wall. Well that’s the idea, at least.
Log store with roof