It made such an immediate change to the feel of the room and reenforced the vision that I have had for the little place since we first bought it. I can almost imagine the view through the back doors and out towards the green back yard with maple, apple, pear and birch trees planted along the fence.
Here's the pencil pine post that will support the next beam. This came from a farm in Gruyere, up past Coldstream and was just right for the job. I will ratchet strap the whole frame together on the weekend and peg the joints together. Another good excuse to get back onto the shavehorse too, to shave the pegs. That should close up the small gaps and tighten up the whole deal.
And while I messed about fitting the mortises, good 'ol Dad did the unenviable job of pulling up the cracked and damaged floor boards in what will be the master bedroom.
Turns out they had been 2nd hand way back when, when they were originally put into this little place. But they were too far gone to keep with most of the tongues split off and some gaps up to 5mm across. Pity.
I'm seeing a lot of that in the house, now that we have it back to bare bones. Very old studs in one part of the house that had definitely been used before. Full of holes and black as tar. Original split wood stumps under the house. All the signs of a house built during the depression when times were certainly tough and nothing was wasted. Isn't funny how we've managed to come full circle with regard to re-cycling, but for a whole other range of reasons?
The new roof is the next big job. No colourbond or zincalume here. Traditional galvanised iron, which laid right, will definitely outlast me. And I get to work again with Jim Carew from Koo Wee Rup, the Master Plumber I did my apprenticeship with. They say he hails from Snowy River up by Kosciusko's side....... or so he reckons anyway.
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