… in this pic is all the varnish on the tongue and grooving. That’s because, for once in my life, I’ve found some clear varnish that really is clear.
So clear in fact that I couldn’t see where I was up to each time. I was impressed with that.
What you also can’t see is all of the rubbish, debris, sawdust, polystyrene offcuts and the like. I decided to start by tidying up and picking up all of the stuff.
And after half an hour of this I thought “This is ridiculous – I’ll be here forever” and got out the yard brush. One reason why I started from the top is that you brush the rubbish downwards.
And when I get to the ground floor? well, that’s easy. I’m putting in a suspended floor and all of the rubbish can go underneath.
Which reminds me – it rained today – about 8mms – and I happened to put my hand on the sandy soil that is the ground floor of the house (at least where I dug out for the battery box) and it is as damp as heck. A suspended floor is pretty much essential, I reckon.
And while I’m on the subject of that, now that I have the door on upstairs, the temperature is keeping pace more-or-less with what I get in my room. But it’s a totally different kind of temperature – like it’s a dry temperature upstairs and a damp wet one down here. I’m surprised I haven’t caught pleurisy living in here and I can’t wait to move in upstairs.
I’ve also installed all of the light fittings upstairs and started on the plugs at the “other” end of the room. It looks like I’m heading for an electrical day tomorrow.
Won’t you get mold growing if you leave it damp?
Excellent for mushrooms
Well, I haven’t got mould growing on me from living here (at least, I don’t think so)
Hmm… YOu will have to give serious thought to putting a layer of waterproof cement on the bottom floor. Alternatively, put a layer of concrete to level the floor then put a layer of heavy plastic sheeting over that. Then put at least 6 inches of concrete on top of that. You should be good to go then and then you can put a suspended wooden floor if you wish.
It’ll get a layer of dry sand, a heavy duty plastic sheet and then another layer of dry sand. 6 inches of concrete over 25 square meters is about 3.5 cubic metres of concrete and there’s no way I’m mixing that.
Perhaps digging a 3′ deep drain channel around the base of the house, filled with gravel and covered over may help to divert water down the slope at the back of the house rather than it seeping into the house.
If I dig that deep I’d be worried that the whole house would just slide into the trench. I have my doubts as to the depth and solidity of the foundations.
You can always get the walls underpinned.