Renovations Diary: 23rd August, 2019

It’s easier for you to come down and see the progress rather than try to explain it. We cannot do it enough justice to be perfectly honest. The tradespeople and volunteers have really put in a shift this week to make a giant step forward.

The main parts of the bar have been built, including using the 300 years old cedar timber for the top. It was prepped, cut and installed. Finally a layer of oil has been added with further coats later today. The beer pumps have been installed and the lines are going in.


The bar carcass

Lino Len and Ian dreaming of a future beer

Preparing to cut the cedar

Pete the builder and John Symon measuring it out

Bar top now added

Bar starting to take shape

Bar almost there

Before final bar pumps and equipment was added

You may have seen on Facebook that Lino Len and the team have laid the oak flooring. Also Lino and Barney laid the floor behind the bar itself. Unfortunately a lot of it is covered for now until all the other work has been completed.


The new floor

Stacks of boxes to opened and laid

Volunteers laying the floor

Intense concentration

Lino Len and Barney

Doing the centre line first

Cutting a fiddly corner

Trevor and Ian working ona tricky corner

Lino Len laying the floor

Once going, Len lays the floor quickly

Finishing the floor

Outside the ladies toilet

Levelling the floor

Outside the gents

Laying behind the bar

Lino in action

The Gents is no longer a storeroom and the floor tiling started. Tony has been beavering away all day on it and fingers crossed, he should finish it tonight. That allows the plumbers and electricians to finish it in the next week or so.


Tony laying tiles

In the gents toilet

Nearly finished

Just to do the difficult cuts at the toilet itself

Bar top now added

Bar starting to take shape

A drainage specialist came on Wednesday and has successfully cleared the main drains. Kelvin has been in today and cleaned the portaloos out ready for the weekend.

We decided to keep one of the chimney breasts as brick, the same as the feature walls. The guys dug out all the old mortar and prepped the bricks. Alan and Gerry then came in and did the pointing to make it look the same as the other walls.


Showing the new flooring

Before it gets covered up to protect it

Ready for pointing

All the old mortar has been removed

After repointing

By Alan and Gerry

Still a way to go with it but we do have fire surround already. This should be a working fireplace when it is complete and add a warm feeling to the bar as well as looking fabulous.

Here are some other photos taken during the week.


Emergency exit sign going up

Frank, one of our electricians

More painting by Izzy

Before the floor goes down

Plastering a chimney

Ian finishing the last of the chimneyse

Temp bar was set up (again)

Was required when the bar being built

All the rubbish was moved

No big yellow bags any more

More painting by Liz

Just before the bar opened on Saturday

Collecting a donated piano

In the back of the school van

Checking the piano out

Lexie and Richard

Bar just before opening

Saturday morning required everything to be moved back into the bar

Ian marking out his spot

Demonstrating one of the new stools

Platerboarding in the school

wehere the mini-kitchen will go

Laying the floor

At the front door

Bar just before opening

Saturday morning

Behind the new bar

Just before opening

Ico:Backwards Ico:Forwards