Let there be light!

Well, rather a gap since our last post - but our Internet services have been down, with the prognosis that we would be without them until early September - but Orange.fr (now 'the wonderful ...') has actually moved very speedily, dug up the lane and fixed the broken cables and we are back online. Hooray! So, this post covers work over the past week or so ... hence its length, as we have been busy bees!!
The work on the doorway has been completed, with the framework edging finished off, ready to take the doors that arrive in September: 











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The next big job has been the window on the opposite (east-facing) wall. There is no concrete tie or supporting lintel around the small window we are enlarging  -  and there is a mixture of small stones and some very large ones:   

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The first main task is to fit a lintel on the exterior wall side, gradually removing the stonework at the top of the window (the window size is one metre square) and then making flat areas either end of the space so the lintel can rest evenly and level - and this worked well.

Then the gap on the exterior side is enlarged (the wall is half a metre plus thick, so there is actually external and internal layers of stone that means that both an exterior and interior lintel are required). 

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Once as much as possible of the exterior side stone is removed (including some very large stones!), work starts on the internal side, again very gingerly, and space prepared for the interior lintel  -  again, this works well and the lintel goes into place.

Once both lintels are in, then the remainder of the stonework can be taken out and, as with the doorway, the finishing work is done so that all is ready to take the frame and window:

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All this has resulted in our collection of stones, for the fireplace, growing considerably  -  we will now have enough for the rockery that we’re planning as well as the fireplace  … the rockery will be in the garden area view from the new window (without the washing line!):

Now, with the doorway and window opened up, light is flooding into the barn and what will be the new sitting/dining room  -  with the window lighting up the planned breakfast area and the doorway lighting the rest of the room and providing those views out to the garden and the sunsets. Excellent!

Then it is back to the studwork  -  the long wall frame is constructed, ready to take the plasterboard; and at the other end of the development area, studwork is put in place to cover pipes and electricals: 

At this point we can also plan for later work  -  mainly connected with the room and facilities being suitable for wheelchair users  -  such as height of wall sockets and switches, height and depth of work-surface tops. We have also used studwork to cover the double doorway from the barn to the courtyard  -  this doorway is not in use, but lets in a lot of draught , and so insulation and then sealed plasterboard will be a big improvement.  On the external-facing side of the door we are leaving things as they are, as the arch and old door are an attractive, original feature:

The remainder of the work in this stage has been  completing the studwork and placing as much of the plasterboard as we can. It is now the close of stage 2   -  and work starts again in mid-September. We are ‘on target’ and the whole shape of the new area has come into being and we can start to plan more of the detail.