Summer Extension Project.

[K Simmonds]

This project is a bit more than the average DIY project but as I'm doing 90% of work myself I thought I'd post up a thread, partly to act as a blog...

I'm fully reroofing my house and building an extension on the back that will give me an upstairs shower/toilet as well as another good size bedroom.

The front of the house is pretty much done ready for slating, the rear however had been much more work. The original roof on the back is two different pitches which caused a lot of hassle. We also have to keep the place in the dry so have to build the entire exterior before we cut the felt out and break through the old exterior wall.


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[K Simmonds]

And some more photos, it's tricky getting shots that fully convey the scale of the project...

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[John.]

Looks a bigger project than an engine swap !

[K Simmonds]

Looks a bigger project than an engine swap !

Yeah, it's been a lot of work to get to this stage, there's still a great deal of work ahead and the summer is getting shorter every day.

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[B5NUT]

Have we had a summer If you can provide a day or hour as evidence that would be great

You have been busy , great work kit

[Ian_C]

Smashing it! Top work! Fingers crossed August + September are a bit drier for you Kit!

[K Simmonds]

Cheers guy's, yeah the weather has been pretty awful so far this summer and spring was dreadful around here... There again one does not want to be working up on a roof in blazingly hot 30C+ sunshine, that really is a killer... As long as it stays dry I'm a happy, roofing in the rain is dangerous due to everything being wet and slipy.

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[Greg_S]

Neat project, always like seeing this sort of work. Getting ready to do a new project myself

[jubjub]

Lol. Is this what becomes of us in older age. Im midway through our loft conversion. If I can get hold of I bit of doused overgrown land, it'll be an oak open fronted car port next. Also been redoing parts of the garden, custom built Oak shed, greenhouse with Cotswold sone walls and a small area of Belgian clay pavers..

[Greg_S]

Too true ? house projects have taken over a bit from cars in recent years

[K Simmonds]

Well the period of time between April and September has now past, though I do find it hard to call that a summer. Rain had slowed me down terribly, one simply can't work on a roof in the pissing rain, it's bloody dangerous not to mention unpleasant. And now it's Autumn proper, frost on the grass past couple of mornings though that has meant nice days.

So we're a good month or so behind schedule, which isn't the end of the world.... Other than my neighbours being really childish about five scaffold poles in their garden, made three days work for me working out how to drop the stuff on their side safely whilst maintaining the strength of it my side of the boundary. That really pissed me off as their only there once a week and nothing was in the way.

Anyway, things have moved on a fair bit from the following photos taken two weeks ago, all the exterior on the neighbours side is finished. My father is sat slating the last bit of roof and I've just today dropped the chimney ready to do a much more modern job of lining it. Not a fun job as I have deal with Asbestos in the fire place and God knows how much soaking fiberglass is above it ready to cover me. Still it's a job that really needs doing as my current woodstove is about knackered plus the chimney was seriously on the piss and letting a lot of water in as the capping was badly blown.

Will take some upto date pictures tomorrow as there's a lot been done since I took the last lot. There still mamy weeks of work to do on the interior structure but the idea is to be working in a nice, warm environment for the winter months.

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[K Simmonds]

Here's some more random roofing pictures, unless you've been to my place it's hard to see how much work it's been to build the structure but they should still show what I've been upto. I do the lead work and my 77 year old father can sit on the firing the slates on. Obviously I loaded the roof out for him which meant caring 400 slates up a lander in packs of ten then distributing them on the roof in packs of four. Bloody good exercise!

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[K Simmonds]

And some more, though as I say it looks quite different now the chimney is dropped to below the ridge line ready to be rebuilt upright once we get a modern liner down it.

The fourth picture is what confonts me inside the building, though as I said I'll take some more interesting upto date photos tomorrow.

Oh yeah the funny looking window on the back roof is a Velux sun tunnel to get natural light to the stair well and landing area. The extention covered over the hole where the Velux in the old roof eas located which did that job before.

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[Ian_C]

Smashing it! Top work! Fingers crossed August + September are a bit drier for you Kit!

Sorry - blame me Kit - I should NOT have written this in July..........

Really taking shape and looking good! Proper slate is lovely to see as well.

Great idea on the light well - they make a massive difference imo

[K Simmonds]

Cheers Ian, yeah you can’t beat geniune Welsh slates, they look so much nicer than the composite alternatives and pretty much last forever.

You weren’t to know that this summer and autumn would be awful for roofing mate, they’re normally two of the best months. But hell, what a rubbish year weather wise.

Roof is now finally finished, I’ve done all the complicated lead work around the chimney and have come up a few courses, am rebuilding it upright in face stone work to make a bit of a feature of it.

My highly irritatingly neighbours are being a complete **** heads, their only here once every two weeks but have to hassle me regarding the scaffolding the entire time they’re down. Two weeks ago I spent three days making sure all the poles were out of their garden, which wasn’t easy and frankly dangerous so they can keep moaning about the rest until the cows come home. Next time they start I’m going to tell them I’m pricing up Christmas decorations for it.