Dirty work!

The current project is the 3rd bedroom renovation; affectionately known by the kids as the "cobweb room" Having stripped the wallpaper and installed the electrics, we then poured a lightened concrete scree to get a level floor (there was about 10cms difference between the middle and the edges of the room)  We used a system with blown clay pellets instead of gravel in the mix which made it a bit lighter than normal concrete but it still felt heavy after the 100th bucket was pulled up to the second floor (thankfully we had an improvised pulley) and we poured the mix between metal rails we had set into mortar piles all set level and at the right height;

The end result is very satisfying and it felt like a big step forward - at least the floor is level even if the room isn't square....

We then sorted out the attic as the access was through this room.  There was no hatch into the attic so we had cut a large hole in the ceiling a while back to inspect the loft.  We have treated the roof beams with two coats of insecticide, repaired a few broken tiles in the roof while we were up there and added 240mm of rockwool to keep is toasty this winter.  Finally a new hatch has been installed so we can shut all that away.

We considered untreated raw sheepswool insulation which would be the ultimate eco friendly insulation as it was available locally and glass-wool is not great for the environment but we sacked it off (excuse the pun) as research showed that it is prone to mite infestation;  reducing our energy costs is important to our self sufficient aims so we allowed ourselves the luxury of man made loft insulation instead even though it ITCHES....

In the last few days we have been repairing the lathe and plaster ceiling and rubbing back the beautiful beams in the ceiling.  Not the cleanest of jobs.

We have also uncovered some beautiful beams around the fireplace and started lime plastering the worst of the holes in the walls in advance of a full repair job on the plaster. 

Wish us luck because we want to sleep in there in 2 weeks!  Piece of cake. Onwards.