Mmm... Fish fingers, garden beans, courgettes and tomatoes... That's better. Now, where was I..? Ah yes, the Building Site...
Here's the wall that needs removing...
(Our Eldest can be seen, preparing the top of his future workbench, using the ubiquitous WorkMate...)
Here's the footings being prepared to receive future masonry, calculated to be plumb to the roof (unlike the present wall...)....
We can't just remove the wall, or the roof would come down. We'll do it in stages, from left to right. Here's the timid start...
... which quickly becomes ...
Our Friendly Neighbour helps out with spreading the rubble over the forecourt...
The masonry gets started, and the double-door frame set in...
Meanwhile, Our Eldest prepares crosspieces for the timber framing...
I've bought some wood from a local sawmill; it's Douglas Fir. How appropriate..!
Getting serious...
What came down must go up. The roof is now shored up on the left...
Cutting in to receive the transoms and stuff...
... and planing...
Now a bit more can be demolished...
... and its masonry laid ...
A good friend has some old beams we can use, so we go to collect them...
Another upright in place...
... so more demolition ...
... and masonry...
So far, so good...
Windows, flooring, whatever...
... and we start filling in the gaps, using a double thickness of expanded cement blocks, leaving an air-gap...
Here's me, contributing to the effort by taking the photos...
Getting there...
... precariously...
Nearly finished ...
All is fitted and mostly cleaned up ...
A good coat of protective paint on the woodwork; this is a year later...
... and a more recent photo...
The whole job took two months, basically. It's survived three winters since, and has proved to be maybe even better than anticipated. Well worth the effort; it took me nearly three decades to firstly work out how to do the job, then gather the monies required, and finally have the courage to bite the bullet and do it. No regrets.