1997 |
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August |
Eureka – we found the chapel and our Building Design Consultant! |
October |
Purchase completed |
November-December |
Drawing up plans |
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1998 |
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January-March |
Planning application being considered … |
April |
… and finally granted |
May-June |
Obtaining estimates |
October |
Work finally starts |
November |
The borehole is sunk |
December |
The drains are dug, some new foundations created … |
… a whole lot of new holes appear in the walls |
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… and the new upper floor goes into the chapel |
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1999 |
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January |
The 'calm' before …
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February |
… the 'storm' (most of the valley underwater), followed by the 'Moment of Truth'
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March |
We put Plan 'B' in hand … and the first first of many scheduled moving-in dates passes without incident …
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April |
The second moving-in date passes
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May |
Underfloor heating goes into the ground floor and radiators on the upper floor … just don't ask about moving-in dates, though, OK! |
June |
Swallows are already nesting in the new garage … and we have more or less all our windows. Everyone is working flat out to complete the installation of the electrics and plumbing … |
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July |
Inside the dry-lining and insulation are complete, even some of the plastering is underway and the floor tiles have been laid in the cottage |
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Outside the new bargeboards and 'conservatory' are in place
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August |
Now all the glazing is in and the oil tank is not only in place, but also filled; the outside lighting is up and we even have some fencing and a garden gate. The water is pumping to clean the system and the phone lines are promised, but the television satellite dish (we receive no analogue signal here) may take a little longer … |
September |
Don't look now, but the mega-move has taken place and we seem to be finally in!
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Apart from settling in, we are sealing the new woodwork and realising we need to move swiftly onto 'Phase 2' – the lime mortar pointing of especially the west wall, which turns out to resemble a gruyère cheese on a bad day and lets in the wind accordingly |
October |
Give us a break, OK! |
November |
Don't ask! |
December |
Suddenly it is winter – and rather special, too |
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2000 |
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February-March |
The big slates for the chapel ground floor finally arrive from China (would you believe?) and lime mortar pointing begins – on the west side. The chimney stack (left) and the kitchen window (right) are shown here during the work |
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… and afterwards |
April-May |
It is Spring … and the primroses appear miraculously (Luckily this happens even if you don't have to time to do anything about it.) |
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The porch roof gets tidied up, the south side gets pointed and we take advantage of the scaffolding to paint all the woodwork on that side (except the main door) |
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Edward Wozencroft (left), who farms the land across the Dernol stream, Craig Price (right), who is 12 years old in this picture and remembers attending at the age of about 2 or 3 what was perhaps the last service at the chapel before it closed, and one of Edward's sheepdogs |
July |
Pointing the east side |
September-October |
Pointing the north side Once again we used the scaffolding to paint the woodwork and also do some pruning of the trees which were threatening to eclipse the chapel |
September-October |
This vantage point also gave us some new views: looking (left to right) south-east, south … |
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… and south-west |
December |
Winter again! Luckily some people never grow up … |