Renovation Diary: March 2021

Week 9/21: 5th March

Over the weekend, Ian Birch was in completing the back wall of The Kitchen. He was working late into Sunday evening. Appreciated !

Ian completing the back wall
The finished back wall

As we are now at the construction phase to get The Kitchen and The Storeroom ready for installation of services and facilities, the team have taken the first delivery of many of raw materials required. Again the professionalism of the driver was awe inspiring.

Arty shot through th planters
Lorry with stabilisers out
The onboard crane lifting wood into The Courtyard

The guys have started to use the damp proof membrane kits that were provided by Permagard at a fantastic price to help us move forward with The Kitchen and The Storeroom.

Tony putting up damp proof membrane
Team putting up membrane in The Storeroom

Team work has been essential these last couple of months. Do you want to join them? We could do with more Weekday Warriors to help progress The Kitchen so that we are open as quickly as possible. Come and see us!

The Warriors in The Kitchen
The Warriors in The Courtyard

Week 10/21: 12th March

The Warriors have been at it again. This time they really have been trying to 'stop the rot'. The internal stairs from the School House down to the pub were well and truly rotten and needed to go. New stairs will arrive soon as will more equipment for the kitchen kindly donated by McFarlane Telfer Ltd.

Internal panelling removed from stairwell Bottom of the stairs already removed Only the bannister remains
Waiting to be called into action from down below One large section remains to be taken down Ian stepping out into space from The School Room
Wee Tony looking - well - wee .. at the foot of the non-existent stairs A lot of the stair now removed, first time the tunnel has seen light for many years Wee Tony looking lost and lonely

Meanwhile, the new kitchen backwall has been 'maturing' and we will soon be able to start work with it.

Looking towards The Kitchen door
Picture taken from The Kitchen door

Week 11/21: 19th March

As some of the kitchen equipment starts to arrive the Weekday Warriors have been hard at work preparing the site. Another skip was delivered early this morning as the tidying up continues. With new ceiling joists ready to be secured and a new staircase on order real progress is being made.

The Kitchen extraction needs to go out through The School Room
The exposed chimney breast in The School Room

Meanwhile down below in The Stock Room there was some progress with the damp proofing on the external walls.

The Store Room with damp proof membrane on the walls
Still need to do the outward facing wall

The clearout has started to tidy up The Courtyard for the re-opening hopefully on April 12th. Also we need to dump a lot of rubbsih from the renovation activities. The answer: a skip was required as we have so much bumf.

Another skip has arrived
Pile of rubbish destined for the skip

The team have also inserted SFJC Safety Fast Joist Caps into the backwall that will then be used to further support The School Floor at the point The Kitchen extraction transits through. In the nicer weather, the lads were treating the rafters before insertion.

The lads preparing timber for The Kitchen
Treating the timber just in case
New joist caps into which new rafters will be inserted.

And McFarlane Telfer delivered a number of The Kitchen appliances with have been securely stored away. Did we mention the pizza over? This is going to add a lot to our food offering when The Kitchen is opened fully.

Lexie showing off the new pizza over (well, it is all wrapped up so you need to imagine

And it was one young's birthday too - so the lad celebrated with a couple of well deserved beers at the end of the day.

Is that Tony or not?
Tony enjoying a beer for his birthday

With Easter nearly upon us there is a real feeling of 'spring is in the air' as every working day brings us closer to being able to provide our own food service.

Week 12/21: 26th March

The Warriors have been hard at it again. Having previously installed a structural steel to support the roof this week saw the equally important installation of the cross-beams in the kitchen ceiling. The existing beams have been left in situ and are bolted securely to the new ones.

At one end of the new rafter, on the steel support inserted a few weeks ago
Afixing the new rafter onto the old one
A real team effort and all working on step ladders
Can see the new rafters in place

More walls are now fitted with the damp proof membrane, generously supplied by Permagard. The team were working both in The Store Room and in The Kitchen - even the new back wall was getting covered by damp proof membrane. Should last another couple of hundred years!

The team working in The Kitchen
The Store Room
Covering the new back wall in The Kitchen

RAS Installations are in to start the riser for the kitchen extraction system. The area they will be working in is The Schoolroom to get this ready for after Easter GR6.

The team from RAS
Moving the extraction parts
In The School House
Opening up the roof to take the extraction system

And the boys still had time to have a laugh too! Do you fancy it? Please do get in contact - we need more Weekday Warriors now that the weather is getting better. Stripping, painting ... you name it, we have a task or two for you!

Ian unaware that Tony's head is poking through the floor
And now Ian gets the joke
Close-up of Tony sticking his head through the floor
Renovation Diary for February 2021 Renovation Diary for Aril 2021