At the moment there are very generous grants for people to do up derelict buildings here in Ireland (up to €70k), however one of the conditions is that you must have the house entirely finished in 13 months and that you agree to either live in it yourself or rent it out for 10 years after with no change to that in that time. For those of us who would like to embark on a project like this ourselves and just work at it and take our time to do it right, 13 months is almost impossible without just employing a builder to do it all especially if you work part time. I have decided to go ahead without the grant and your videos have given me great confidence
Keeping some of the stone exposed would def. give a rustic atmosphere and lots of character. If understood correctly thats what you are looking for. ....hope so. Keep on showing us your wonderful workmanship please!!🌺🥰🌺
Goodmorning, thanks for the video. Wanted to share some of my experiences in France. The outside walls are usually pulled up 60 or 80 cm wide. In fact they consist of an outer and an innerwall. Inbetween they dumped all kinds of rubbish varying from glass to old clothes and rubble. These are occupied by mice, rats, loires and insects. Especially in wintertimes. You are using the building in a completely different manner than intended, the holes were filled up with wooden beams for keeping animals behind bars or feeders. As an example. You leaving it open for decorative historical reasons has it’s charm but what you are also doing is making a porthole, the void between inner and outer wall gives way to the critters to come and check out what’s going on in your living-space. So be sure to also block the inside of these voids. Unless you find it ok to be stared at whilst eating breakfast lol. Good luck with the build, I am enjoying the video’s and your characters very much.
I like what you did with the "nooks" and personally, would leave the stones apparent. But, this is coming from someone living in a house that is all stone, except for the bits where we built interior walls! I think you have less of a stomach for being surrounded by stone than we do... to each their own!
The straw found at the back of those holes was probably stuffed in there to keep the cold out. I guess when you're sitting in your gorgeous kitchen in a couple of years you can use some leftover hemp to achieve the same effect.😮
You guys have done such a great job. It looks warm, bright and inviting inside. The hemp plaster has a lovely warm undertone. It’s such a pity you can’t keep that as your final finish. Don’t stain that pole yet, leave it light. I love what you are doing, great to see all the progress each week.
I like the pole in kitchen and you did a nice job to clean it up. The stone exposure gives a hint of character and you two certainly do a great job in any project you do. I always enjoy~!
Yep, we considered that … the ‘thin’ part is still about 200mm thick. So we’ll loose/gain a little heat, depending on the season, but the holes are quite small in comparison to the entire wall
The straw/hay at the back of the holes will be rats/mice/loir. Thanks for the vlog, as always, a joy. ps Limewash inside can be problematic. it cannot get the weathering (whatever anyone says who is new to it ) that you need and get on the exterior - where it should be used. Distemper works really well; is not dusty; has a lovely finish and is more flexible. Little Greene do an excellent range and I have used it for the past ten years. I make my own limewash for the exterior using hot lime; three coats the consistency of double cream. Hope you don't take this as an insult but the stone 'features look a bit 1970/80's kitsch...😅
Maybe you could make use of the holes to build some sheelves. But I do like the the stones as they are. And I could see one of your kittens using these nooks to sleep in, but they may be too big to fit in them by now.
Now I understand why experienced renovator/restorer people do the fiddly bits that will show in the end, first, whenever possible. Those bits in my home were done at the end when I was tired of the whole job. I think your little niches look great and really show off the character and history of the structure.
I think we might try that upstairs but we want to keep the rooms downstairs white to help with reflecting the (small amount) of natural light as much as possible
Don't worry about "the -in- your- face" look of your 'nooks' I can imagine your kitchen cupboards and shelves in your unique kitchen space. Regards from South Africa 🇿🇦
Maybe by sticking some wood in there perhaps from the old beams and then putting a horse brass on there for a decoration. I'm sure you'll figure out just exactly what needs to be there so good luck to you and have a beautiful day 🌻
As always,you did a lovely job with those stones and certainly to make them a feature seems to me to be a great idea. The room really benefits from that little feature. Perhaps those wee candles in the niches would be lovely.
When you put a finish or stain on the various bits of wood, they probably won't match. They aren't supposed to. Like the "nooks" in the wall, the exposed woodwork is part of the history of the house, installed by different craftsmen at different time periods. Celebrate them.
Looks good. Small chisel, pick or dremmel to remove old plaster. Will eventually blend in when finished. Expose the pockets' stones. Maybe a fine abrasive or polishing wheel to remove debris and highlight the finish and colors.
I think a hole in the boundary draws the attention, possibly part of our guarding instinct; one feng shui principle is to be able to see the entrance to the room from the sofa, for example. Perhaps place a fabric ball in the hole, something you find beautiful.
I thought the bottom floor of the house was originally for animals and storage. The holes look like places a wooden beam was inserted to make a study gated area or to stabilize other wooden structures. Remember they did stuff by mortise and tenon joints back in the day. While being very sturdy the wood would still need a solid connection to a wall. It's perfect height for a gated area or mid level shelving stabilizer. It does look like it's coming along wonderfully. Now, what are your plans for Christmas? What have you two brewed up for the season of high spirits? What can you make from your garden haul that will be on the table? I would love to see your "make, do, give" creations.
I love the stone detail. I wonder if inserting downlighters or a different kind light of sorts into the holes may not add even more character? Of course, I'm not sure of your electrical system setup and simply like the idea. 😁😋😁
You think just like us 😀 We’ve put cables (hidden now under plaster) in each nook, now we just need to work out what type of fitting to use to get the best result
Hey guys! Thanks for sharing what you're currently up to! Have been following your journey for a while now - since your old channel. What kind of pointing are you using? Looks greyer than the lime mortar I've seen.
It was some putty we made a while back (aka slaked quicklime) and sand. While it looks grey when wet it turns quite white as it dries. Keep an eye out for the kitchen plastering video and you should be able to see how it turned out after a few weeks
If you are putting some form of lighting in the holes could you not put a mirror in the back of the hole to reflect the light to make them stand out more. Love your video’s
Is there a hard & fast rule that trowels should be used? I use my gloved fingers. I can press the material in firmly and the outcome is much smoother. Am I incorrect in using this method?
I think you said in a previous video that the lower level housed animals. Would the holes in the wall be the support for the walls for the animal stalls? They look like they are all at the same height.
I know nothing at all about stone walls, and therefore am curious as to why it is "not ideal" to have too much of the first plaster/mortar between the stones and less room for grouting plaster.
When doing the pointing work between stones you need to be able to press the material into the gaps … we didn’t leave enough space to press, so it ended up being more like just spreading a thin coat onto the plaster rather than pressing in
It’s not really grout, rather plaster. And it doesn’t really weaken it, but can put it at risk of not bonding to the stones or earlier layers of plaster. So far it’s holding well so maybe not as much of a problem as we initially thought
I like the holes, but not the exposed stones, imo looks too busy. Not a fan of exposed stone unless a whole wall or quoins outside. Do enjoy your attention to detail in that you both do everything well. 😊
I might be the only commenter liking your idea of possibly whitewashing over the stones, as I think leaving them would be visually distracting. You need to decide where you want your eye to focus first...on the stones on the wall or the entire room as a cohesive whole. Love your passion and attention to detail on this restoration and commitment to get things done properly for the long haul. ❤
