With the roof on and better than expected weather in the colder months work carried on outside. Our original plan entailed cladding the first floor in wood. As part of our 'Cornish-New-England' theme. Allowing it to age naturally. In theory, this is low maintenance. In reality, I had visions of having to regularly pressure wash … Continue reading Whether to weatherboard
Roofing came with a choice to make: To loft space, or not to loft space. More of a debate than it sounds given our open plan living space... Do we sacrifice storage for increased ceiling height? Yes, yes we do. The loft space would have been tiny, costly and hard to access vs. much higher … Continue reading Adding a roof
Getting out of the ground was easier than anticipated. A refreshing and novel change to the stress of getting the land, and issues dealing with planning. Four years of nothing but bills and hassle vs. three weeks from 'waste ground' to foundations. Karma perhaps, or another reason to be grateful for my great-great-grandfather's shrewd investment. … Continue reading Block Work, and creating our heat store
Cornwall's rich mining heritage is one of the reasons we have our land. It is also a cause for concern when it comes to what's hiding underneath. Fears of contaminated soil, mining features, mining spoil, undocumented offshoots of known/unknown mine shafts, and more. What lies beneath? All of the above could negatively impact the chances of getting a mortgage, and easily cost … Continue reading Getting out of the ground
The forge, fire station, and coach house In the late 19th century, my Great Great Grandfather returned from a cross-Atlantic-adventure. An explosives engineer and miner, he and his brother went to seek their fortunes. The demand and rewards working across the Atlantic were high. He struck gold and returned to Cornwall a wealthy man. On returning to Cornwall, … Continue reading Why the Old Bus Depot?
Intro Who hasn't sat and watched Grand Designs and considered what they'd do differently. How you'd manage a budget differently, or not have put the wall there in the first place. How silly the people were to think it would only cost £XXXXXX to build, and how laugh out loud funny it is when they say they'll … Continue reading Our house build: the Old Bus Depot
Olly Brand 