tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66264914512108354812022-03-28T01:45:30.689+01:00Building The Orchard::::::: an Arts and Crafts ecohouse in south London ::::::::buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-80693833168096851572019-04-29T19:43:00.000+01:002019-04-29T21:12:02.906+01:00119. Hot and cold glass<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cWQtanODbyo/XMdFNumKlOI/AAAAAAAAEX8/Hzv7V3Bk97gOS2XuEBldyL-BrvhiR6sBQCLcBGAs/s1600/pw-right-top-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="340" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cWQtanODbyo/XMdFNumKlOI/AAAAAAAAEX8/Hzv7V3Bk97gOS2XuEBldyL-BrvhiR6sBQCLcBGAs/s1600/pw-right-top-2.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">More stained glass windows, complemented by our own fired glass</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />29th April 2019<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />We're still at it. Ford recently completed two stained glass windows for the lower panels of our bedroom windows, one for spring and one for autumn. I installed them using mitred oak to match the rest of the household joinery.<br /><br />In front of them sit two paperweights with colours matching the colours of the windows. We achieved this match by making the paperweights ourselves during a fabulous one-day course at Peter Layton's glass-blowing studio in Bermondsey. We had a bit of help but nonetheless produced some rather gorgeous things including Ford's swirling blue-green vase, now perfectly placed in front of the bathroom window, and my own fluted orange vase. The flutes were made by spinning the initial blown cylinder in an incredibly hot kiln so that the glass stretched out like a wheel, then removing it, holding it downwards vertically on its rod of iron and keeping the spinning going so that the glass folded on itself as it cooled. You only get one shot, so I was pleased that the petals folded so well.<br /><br />The photos here show how Ford made his yellow and pink paperweight: get a blob of molten glass from the kiln, shape it using a big wooden ladle, add colours, create a small hollow for an internal bubble, then add more glass on top, before finally shaping it and cutting it off the rod. For good measure I've included a photo of me blowing some clear glass - being a trombonist helps!<br /><br />Since my last blog, almost a year ago, we won best new brick house at the 2019 Built It awards. The photo below was taken by David Miles. Thanks to him and to Northcot Brick, who sponsored the submission and supplied our beautiful hand-thrown bricks.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LzUkt14G_EE/XMc8htEb5KI/AAAAAAAAEW0/esHDSK-JIP4_lzcGIly15XV0k0V33defgCLcBGAs/s1600/left%2Bwindow.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dVVn-iBrhBU/XMc8htOPSdI/AAAAAAAAEWw/zCKOSUiJHk40SwoJv79zLrL8MlmK-LTOwCEwYBhgL/s1600/right%2Bwindow.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eb72byrQAZE/XMc7mj6xRoI/AAAAAAAAEWo/PV4qUKDJXNEynSK6vBMuC_oNaufNepY6ACEwYBhgL/s1600/blue%2Bvase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eb72byrQAZE/XMc7mj6xRoI/AAAAAAAAEWo/PV4qUKDJXNEynSK6vBMuC_oNaufNepY6ACEwYBhgL/s1600/blue%2Bvase.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8fynruqYrg0/XMc8hgawk-I/AAAAAAAAEXE/M2eWF5NxB9QZugyyiLD7Wvee7CTkLN7QgCEwYBhgL/s1600/orange%2Bvase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8fynruqYrg0/XMc8hgawk-I/AAAAAAAAEXE/M2eWF5NxB9QZugyyiLD7Wvee7CTkLN7QgCEwYBhgL/s1600/orange%2Bvase.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="500" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iESmJqc2UzM/XMc7lX8bRwI/AAAAAAAAEWg/kaEOIOiOM80FPDPEUdJXr-dQsCYqDgbygCEwYBhgL/s1600/1-blob-small.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7BZAcihJmEs/XMc7lR4BK5I/AAAAAAAAEWg/I9d-URdYIbsZRo7VmSP_VR8uAIiGkfCQQCEwYBhgL/s1600/2-shape-small.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-buu9SKmDzpQ/XMc7la6RrRI/AAAAAAAAEWk/9K8l7qtORSQ4WAZuKMxuz0DeCW39ymlbwCEwYBhgL/s1600/3-colour-small.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2AF9aN19VI/XMc7mFR8IEI/AAAAAAAAEWo/oq-a1UyqSuwINS-lXOWAwkRDhW7IXl6HQCEwYBhgL/s1600/4-bubble-small.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nJccywfATfI/XMc9r3pWnMI/AAAAAAAAEXM/WfVSL0yIrL4wV-f2vKGjRvusHRpGB8G2gCLcBGAs/s1600/5-cut-small.jpg" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BwMveM-PYE8/XMc_hyHJ_9I/AAAAAAAAEXg/Hk8gvRuGU0cxIXuMztKG5u8aM4gKUc6HwCLcBGAs/s1600/pw-left-2.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gzjXP-Bqgnw/XMc7mTR1f4I/AAAAAAAAEWc/TajKB9XDv1o60MsiWZIFxfcE2TLxprIOgCEwYBhgL/s1600/6-blow-small.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ihhr7OJeOh4/XMdBFWlAVXI/AAAAAAAAEXs/eHmFUjQfGdMpGecpxoQYzes7egT1o1JEgCLcBGAs/s1600/ORCHARD%2BFRONT%2BOVER%2BWALL%2Bfor%2BSubmission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="501" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ihhr7OJeOh4/XMdBFWlAVXI/AAAAAAAAEXs/eHmFUjQfGdMpGecpxoQYzes7egT1o1JEgCLcBGAs/s1600/ORCHARD%2BFRONT%2BOVER%2BWALL%2Bfor%2BSubmission.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-24225188731431226872018-05-28T20:32:00.000+01:002018-05-28T20:33:11.540+01:00118. Pond life<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="340" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RCgJLEX85vs/WwxW2fJ-BgI/AAAAAAAADyU/vU3RLSaFXIUuZEdGEb8iU5J-VsIPrNKdACLcBGAs/s1600/finalgarden-top.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">The hard landscaping of the back garden is finished</span><br /><br />28th May 2018<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-13ynpnNHQW0/WwxWSM4TWnI/AAAAAAAADxY/hM_3250kMEYgcvzCdeRX-QuIjzP4Tto6gCEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-13ynpnNHQW0/WwxWSM4TWnI/AAAAAAAADxY/hM_3250kMEYgcvzCdeRX-QuIjzP4Tto6gCEwYBhgL/s200/finalgarden-2.jpg" width="200" /></a>I've been working on the back garden since long before we started building the house. I built the back wall, cleared the land, imported lots of good muck, laid out the paths and even planted a few trees at the edge before we laid the foundations for the house itself. It's taken a long time to finish the last details but this weekend I installed the pump that runs the fountain of our new raised pond, completing the picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g87zmeWfu5Q/WwxWRcMZQLI/AAAAAAAADyM/WHru54TVORUeWHe0oxhoyppzVRHZKqO0wCEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g87zmeWfu5Q/WwxWRcMZQLI/AAAAAAAADyM/WHru54TVORUeWHe0oxhoyppzVRHZKqO0wCEwYBhgL/s200/finalgarden-1.jpg" width="200" /></a>The final leg began a year ago when I started laying the heavy granite setts that I managed to persuade the builders across the road to give me (they were demolishing what was once a brewery). This was not an easy task as they were big, heavy and all different sizes and depths. I used a string line on a slight slope away from the house to keep everything just so.<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VNarZAJW39A/WwxWScw7H0I/AAAAAAAADyM/csH2jKY4ZgIbZAWLuKRE5etL-pvbr-MdgCEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VNarZAJW39A/WwxWScw7H0I/AAAAAAAADyM/csH2jKY4ZgIbZAWLuKRE5etL-pvbr-MdgCEwYBhgL/s200/finalgarden-3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Then, below the concrete block wall on our northern boundary, I dug a hole and laid foundations for a raised pond. I laid a couple of courses of concrete blocks below the level of the setts, then carried on up with left-over bricks from the house (red) and back garden wall (yellow), picking out a simple pattern in Flemish bond.<br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4aFDC2Rulg/WwxWSghoWdI/AAAAAAAADyM/cy_ETmgmIFEyt5-2uUwzHkviwPsLbiX5gCEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4aFDC2Rulg/WwxWSghoWdI/AAAAAAAADyM/cy_ETmgmIFEyt5-2uUwzHkviwPsLbiX5gCEwYBhgL/s200/finalgarden-5.jpg" width="200" /></a>Returning to the task after the winter, I rendered the wall and, while the render was still wet, created an exploding mosaic using fragments of broken Victorian ceramics. We collected these from a beach in Kent where a long-derelict Victorian brickworks was once supplied with fuel from the dust barges of London, which brought not only the remnants of a million open hearths to be refired but also the remains of thousands of domestic accidents and arguments. The design aims to capture something of the energy with which all these plates and saucers and teacups met their end.<br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ua_EXmnmkXU/WwxWShvAfEI/AAAAAAAADyE/FMsJRYAXt181DrFbeyXSKRVSpj2bw_lVACEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ua_EXmnmkXU/WwxWShvAfEI/AAAAAAAADyE/FMsJRYAXt181DrFbeyXSKRVSpj2bw_lVACEwYBhgL/s200/finalgarden-6.jpg" width="200" /></a>I limewashed the wall using a mixture of pigments that included a late entry that adds a particular intensity to the finish: cadmium red.<br /><br />Finally I rendered the inside of the pond, painted it with a waterproof finish and completed the plumbing. The pond is fed with rainwater from the roof and overflows into the 1500 litre water tank beneath our new patio, from where I can pump water pack into the pond when needed.<br /><br />The plants and the fountain were the final touch. There ain't nothing like a tinkling fountain on a hot afternoon in May.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MR0cBh8l-bY/WwxWRfaJb4I/AAAAAAAADxU/Z8l11-WVOyAm7xhEFW0pJrPXvxh1jNosACLcBGAs/s1600/finalgarden-11.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0LdFevV2mSg/WwxWTT-SCPI/AAAAAAAADyQ/1OxbWoam638GoV71upfZbwhylDvGWEJ7gCEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-9.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbweZlPjIqs/WwxWS8O5ELI/AAAAAAAADyI/smVQaeFDIg8-laJ8hRNJTan0V67jIx5MwCEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-7.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzAeNBxf3NU/WwxWRfwSdZI/AAAAAAAADx8/o4faPEzKqbwWnbquYFSU7-YRutJafBaYgCEwYBhgL/s1600/finalgarden-10.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-18199005996347382712018-04-19T23:46:00.000+01:002018-04-19T23:49:19.804+01:00117. Twenty-seven invertebrates<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="340" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fERggkxGWcM/WtkaNqfjuYI/AAAAAAAADt8/F9qCuSdCZRYv9Womod7rADUofpGLQx0bQCLcBGAs/s1600/bottom%2Bdetail%2BIMG_4665.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">No-one in the history of the world has had a bathroom door quite like this</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>19th April 2018<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qZMjv21z_A/WtkWUTqfhXI/AAAAAAAADt0/npivcK_M81QXHfAtHoslQ1trCmKucw0uACEwYBhgL/s1600/solder%2BDSC01538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9qZMjv21z_A/WtkWUTqfhXI/AAAAAAAADt0/npivcK_M81QXHfAtHoslQ1trCmKucw0uACEwYBhgL/s200/solder%2BDSC01538.jpg" width="200" /></a>It all began with the octopus: beautifully cut, copper-foiled and soldered together by Ford. Then one invertebrate led to another and now we have 27 - three panels of nine - in our bathroom door, held in place with lead cames (I made the oak frame but no-one is looking at that).<br /><br />They are: scallop, brittle-star, Christmas beetle, stick insect, butterfly, spider, hermit crab, scorpions, giant sea snail, mussels, caterpillar, acorn barnacle, rotifer, octopus, jellyfish, sponges, grasshopper, brachiopod, snail, marine flatworm, tick, centipede, seapen, squid, starfish, pacific deep vent shrimp and earthworm.<br /><br />Ford made many of these while grieving for his mum, Beth, to whom the door is dedicated. In the process, he has become a master-craftsman. It's just amazing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-49R5upNMnZE/WtkWTjyCndI/AAAAAAAADtw/xDxR94LlfPcMxS6ElFFZlh5qrk_zK4CTwCEwYBhgL/s1600/full%2Bdoor%2BIMG_4665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-49R5upNMnZE/WtkWTjyCndI/AAAAAAAADtw/xDxR94LlfPcMxS6ElFFZlh5qrk_zK4CTwCEwYBhgL/s1600/full%2Bdoor%2BIMG_4665.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hGhyyGh-zE/WtkWUukUF8I/AAAAAAAADts/KIDPH2UJ2ZQNQ29MthGxjp-D3XMxMUm6QCEwYBhgL/s1600/top%2BIMG_4669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hGhyyGh-zE/WtkWUukUF8I/AAAAAAAADts/KIDPH2UJ2ZQNQ29MthGxjp-D3XMxMUm6QCEwYBhgL/s1600/top%2BIMG_4669.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V-evneOS9t8/WtkWUHp4kuI/AAAAAAAADto/qA4FTFhFHVAqvI9RR6GA5AT-1_566UUdACEwYBhgL/s1600/middle%2BIMG_4652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V-evneOS9t8/WtkWUHp4kuI/AAAAAAAADto/qA4FTFhFHVAqvI9RR6GA5AT-1_566UUdACEwYBhgL/s1600/middle%2BIMG_4652.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrkyv1uT15Q/WtkWTh8kOVI/AAAAAAAADtw/00fylq8TSV4CR_NkfgEuwEvdUpK2ykqkwCEwYBhgL/s1600/bottom%2BIMG_4678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrkyv1uT15Q/WtkWTh8kOVI/AAAAAAAADtw/00fylq8TSV4CR_NkfgEuwEvdUpK2ykqkwCEwYBhgL/s1600/bottom%2BIMG_4678.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-49177993169191840032018-04-18T11:37:00.000+01:002018-04-18T11:52:20.283+01:00116. The front of the house is finished<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="340" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vEhcLZ48Ue0/WtcdtKT1hLI/AAAAAAAADs0/G4NeU3WPoBE5bzNRokNTvga06wYS0fVgQCEwYBhgL/s1600/gate%2Bdetail%2BIMG_4593.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">A new gate and some brickwork details</span><br /><br />18th April 2018<br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CpNDtHkDwGE/Wtcdt5a6y4I/AAAAAAAADso/sIOv8U2NUHk5G5GJ4og4rbVyguWVk5XbwCEwYBhgL/s1600/site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="500" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CpNDtHkDwGE/Wtcdt5a6y4I/AAAAAAAADso/sIOv8U2NUHk5G5GJ4og4rbVyguWVk5XbwCEwYBhgL/s200/site.jpg" width="200" /></a>Our site was originally the back of a long garden with a derelict garage. It was quite fortress-like, fronted with a high brick wall and big double doors with a massive concrete lintel over them. The lintel had to go early on. leaving nasty gashes in the wall, but we kept the old gate through most of the build.<br /><br />I've finally replaced the gate with something much smaller which I made using six of the sycamore boards from the old tree that used to stand in front of Tree House next door (I also used these to make our library shelves - see <a href="http://buildingtheorchard.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/77-end-of-one-of-many-stories.html">blog 77</a>). It's definitely in the spirit of the house: organic, handmade, a bit wacky.<br /><br />I've also mended the piers that used to carry the lintel using some leftover Northcot bricks: sloping specials which the greenhouse (conservatory) sits on to achieve a drip line. I had just enough left over to finish the piers and tie them neatly into the wall.<br /><br />So, four years on from breaking ground, we finally have a tidy front of house, just as our little apple and pear trees are beginning to blossom.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="500" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5-vwd7OC8A/WtcdtNzpiHI/AAAAAAAADsw/iNhtoWtWZFoxz7iYaf9w6GpUN9oPAdr6wCEwYBhgL/s1600/gate%2Band%2Bfront%2BIMG_4561.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="500" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iq_ekCuyGOM/WtcdtcPv5qI/AAAAAAAADs0/lLIiRSaQoD0QyguBu1aGcZua066kAkI8wCEwYBhgL/s1600/new%2Bpier%2BIMG_4571.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kTGAIjIebGo/WtcduDWWDzI/AAAAAAAADs8/lKoAONMHatQJ_nR1bOVjMNez3DUwbhfUQCEwYBhgL/s1600/two%2Bhouses%2BIMG_4585.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-48750073006157751572017-10-05T14:59:00.000+01:002017-10-05T15:04:18.469+01:00115. Cooking the spoil from the foundations<br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="340" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dEu2WzCSx78/WdY3xllAEJI/AAAAAAAADm8/rvRBntfBnoIf5TDVSECvOR1DS6hStA8PQCLcBGAs/s1600/top%2Bfour.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve been installing tiles made from our very own clay</span><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">5th October 2017</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5OBHqh_oQUs/WdY3xkyQDeI/AAAAAAAADnA/iLTYURVbv7Ib2OQaFt9yEh1XwOFFAzd9gCEwYBhgL/s1600/piling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5OBHqh_oQUs/WdY3xkyQDeI/AAAAAAAADnA/iLTYURVbv7Ib2OQaFt9yEh1XwOFFAzd9gCEwYBhgL/s320/piling.jpg" width="320" /></a>One thousand two hundred and twenty-seven days ago (in <a href="http://buildingtheorchard.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/20-its-clay-all-way.html">May 2014</a>) we began piling the foundations for the house. Most of what came out of the ground was remarkably pure clay – the area is marked on Victorian maps as brick fields – so I filled some bags and stacked them at the back of the site with the intention of doing something creative with them when the house was a bit nearer completion.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Earlier this year I started experimenting with this clay at the <a href="http://www.thekilnrooms.com/">Kiln Rooms</a> in Peckham, a great place to discover the joys of making ceramics. I quickly discovered that the clay did indeed fire to a lovely brick red but could only be fired once. At 1200C, the temperature at which most ceramics are fired when they are being glazed, the clay melted. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fortunately earthenware glazes are available which can be applied to the soft, unfired clay for the first firing at 1000C. But you do tend to get unpredictable results. I have made a virtue of this and created 24 tiles for our library balcony balustrade, each of which shows the effects of different clay samples, glazes and firing temperatures.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I mixed the clay 70/30 with crank, a gritty clay which helped to reduce blistering in the kiln, rolled it out, cut the tiles to size, allowing for shrinkage during firing, then used leaves from our many fruit trees and bushes as masks, over which I painted the glazes. There were a lot of losses but I got there.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JlobjSnBIHc/WdY3xKIFTgI/AAAAAAAADnA/iZoQynckxmA5NsfXwHkDmGyzLqT2gZWugCEwYBhgL/s320/mask.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wj-iD6uTcWo/WdY3wm-cG-I/AAAAAAAADnA/ONF5ed7Udz8T6YzrhJPeKrk8y_YY99DXwCEwYBhgL/s320/glazing.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HL9ywtgt_do/WdY3w-O8YxI/AAAAAAAADnA/KT0CFrOCq0ABGH0allzupiWO9b-IYYkIgCEwYBhgL/s320/gooseberry.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As it’s a library, the tiles are in alphabetical order: apple, apricot, three different blackberries, blueberry, cherry, crabapple, fig, gojiberry, two gooseberries, grapevine, greengage, honeyberry, lemon, pear, plum, pomegranate, quince, two raspberries, redcurrant and whitecurrant.<br /><br />We've still got masses of clay left so I am now making a landscape of Scottish lowland hills for the sill behind our wide ground floor window seat. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OO9v7amdX1U/WdY3wq2wVlI/AAAAAAAADnA/Ud2Cf8-7Xi8FetvaIOXA_OlmJuIR06pgQCEwYBhgL/s1600/balcony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OO9v7amdX1U/WdY3wq2wVlI/AAAAAAAADnA/Ud2Cf8-7Xi8FetvaIOXA_OlmJuIR06pgQCEwYBhgL/s1600/balcony.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpyUt51zdSE/WdY3wglEijI/AAAAAAAADnA/4-bWw8PDvJwgRmN25GC_UR0Ju5MW44ezACEwYBhgL/s1600/all%2Btiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpyUt51zdSE/WdY3wglEijI/AAAAAAAADnA/4-bWw8PDvJwgRmN25GC_UR0Ju5MW44ezACEwYBhgL/s1600/all%2Btiles.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-23052449802181270072017-07-04T12:08:00.000+01:002017-07-04T12:23:30.797+01:00114. The greenhouse is finished<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="340" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6fPRm_axy4/WVt0f4Je44I/AAAAAAAADjo/ZyVHxcSJpws7MUK3N2tnTuuzJlGS93dEQCLcBGAs/s1600/bird%2Bdetail.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">And everything is growing like crazy</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> 4th July 2017<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"></div><br /><a name='more'></a>We’ve been building our first floor greenhouse for some time now. Adam and his team from Touchwood Homes put up the solid oak frame in April 2015, Ford and I put the roof on the following month, and I spent most of June that year making the leaded windows. I tiled the wall with wood-fired tiles from Fez a year ago.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KvnlWr_ZaeI/WVt0hardviI/AAAAAAAADkE/fU9fokLbeE8Oin2Vhnxa_JQRh0CjhUx2gCEwYBhgL/s1600/vine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KvnlWr_ZaeI/WVt0hardviI/AAAAAAAADkE/fU9fokLbeE8Oin2Vhnxa_JQRh0CjhUx2gCEwYBhgL/s320/vine.jpg" width="320" /></a>It’s been fully operational since spring this year. Currently we have a vine, a lemon tree, a peach, a pomegranate, chillies and tomatoes. The room faces east and south and so gets very warm indeed. However, because it is outside the insulated envelope of the house (it is unheated in winter), the house itself does not overheat. The door between our library and the greenhouse is a proper exterior door with triple glazing (supplied and fitted by The Green Building Store way back in September 2014). It is quite special to get up in the morning, open the door and step straight out into this space, with the morning light pouring in.</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The final components to go in were a copper hopper and downpipe, which channel rainwater from our bathroom roof into an open-topped tank from which I can easily supply the thirsty plants, and the last window at the very top of the tiled wall, which master stained-glass-maker Ford has turned into a face-off between a parakeet and a robin. It’s a perfect final detail for this, the most traditional and exuberant of our Arts and Crafts spaces. <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gN0YTSrNZ5Q/WVt0g8qYDhI/AAAAAAAADkE/yNHavHVpFVkFfYPUeWajeY4VolRyLZTAwCEwYBhgL/s1600/full%2Bview.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KOsuR4jJf_A/WVt0gfjWKLI/AAAAAAAADkE/Ha3Os2y4WpMRgWRz5BXB5wWBJB7Lo-A9QCEwYBhgL/s1600/brick%2Bwall.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x5cR5RCmh8k/WVt0hdBUi3I/AAAAAAAADkE/12osg7M2lxwZPVOEGMsV-UMa6Kh1H6bTACEwYBhgL/s1600/hopper.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ktTD31v1Ntw/WVt0gk3P8FI/AAAAAAAADkE/rU6vZhVHk0U2IykU_z3lgpyHfntpuKBrACEwYBhgL/s1600/exterior.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8N9ti4nqNqI/WVt0f6VozVI/AAAAAAAADkE/-Vf9fz3WMt0_zUNrSrc08x6SSd5XAbLkwCEwYBhgL/s1600/birds.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-12632430207209455282017-03-22T16:08:00.000+00:002017-03-22T16:32:35.694+00:00113. Bricks, mortar and horse manure<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDzKmmFVH_U/WNKcKkDDqfI/AAAAAAAADco/LnD53YTLCi0ZWixh4y_7flAUz1obzkd3ACLcB/s1600/box%2B1.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">I've built a window box with our leftover bricks</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">22nd March 2017</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Three years after we started building the house, I’ve finished weather-proofing the building.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89t3NICGwYQ/WNKcKt4iu7I/AAAAAAAADcw/aJ8xxKciHUYE4NhTU49lOW5hhkpnqjx_gCEw/s1600/box%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89t3NICGwYQ/WNKcKt4iu7I/AAAAAAAADcw/aJ8xxKciHUYE4NhTU49lOW5hhkpnqjx_gCEw/s200/box%2B2.jpg" width="200" /></a>When the brickies were here two years ago they missed a bit: the big three-metre-wide space beneath our rear window. This was because we wanted to build out here as well as up and the scaffold was in the way at the time. The scaffold disappeared long ago but this job has had to wait until now for me to summon the energy to construct a rather epic window box with our remaining Northcot bricks.</div><div class="MsoNormal">.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bricklaying is proper graft: messy and exhausting. It’s also a serious skill and my one-week training course years ago was only just enough for this job. Anything bigger and I would have run into trouble. Keeping everything aligned in three directions at once (straight, level and plumb) is not easy. As in other areas of life, wonkiness can overcome you with ease.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmYDWdrSORg/WNKcKtQNN0I/AAAAAAAADcs/7hp2d-Vc-nkrdAvl6i2GxI_UG5v9pT2hQCEw/s1600/box%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmYDWdrSORg/WNKcKtQNN0I/AAAAAAAADcs/7hp2d-Vc-nkrdAvl6i2GxI_UG5v9pT2hQCEw/s320/box%2B3.jpg" width="320" /></a>I built up the ends first and then used a string line to fill in the sides. As the wall was a full brick length thick, I could pick out a pattern with the brick headers (short ends) and stretchers (long sides) using black bricks. I planned a zig-zag but ended up with a wave as my joints were too thick and I lost a course. Never mind.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal">As with the main brickwork, I matched the handmade Northcot bricks with lime mortar from Mike Wye in Devon: lovely traditional muck with a lower carbon intensity than cement and much better resilience to movement. I skipped the mortar between the bricks on a course near the bottom to create weep holes, ensuring that my raised flower border does not turn into a swamp.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I filled the bed with a different kind of lovely muck (horse manure) plus topsoil and planted it up with coreopsis, echinacea, salvia and dianthus (for once, no fruit). At the other end of our little back garden, beneath the wall we built in 2013 at the very beginning of this adventure, I cut some more bricks to edge our renovated yoga lawn. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-97OXYtlftU0/WNKcLAXymEI/AAAAAAAADc4/U2FfCP0209A3B7r2meVeNa4sKvjZdOLuACEw/s320/box%2B4.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1MndV3J6rWM/WNKcLBtBHQI/AAAAAAAADc0/Wq5T3Zu3LlQue3Q6E8O2J8IgX-feI1-6wCEw/s320/box%2B5.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--TdbW0Yf1QY/WNKcLK2hnSI/AAAAAAAADc8/Rmr7sQ5nDrkkdAueTILZqCcwNdjXeNiYQCEw/s320/box%2B6.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tuX3ewvLN_I/WNKcLSdJn8I/AAAAAAAADdA/NTrbUEALC0E2GYoe2uTQEbHBFcVZQ5EfgCEw/s320/box%2B7.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COEKpGLtdss/WNKcLX6tezI/AAAAAAAADdE/UwGJgw62lgorCYI2VOUGmhBv7pb3RXbmACEw/s1600/box%2B8.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCD8HbXQN9I/WNKcLmlslAI/AAAAAAAADdI/NRvZMMRuW-EMicGE_JISp6P_iLXQ1yt9QCEw/s1600/box%2B9.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-48679246078785489242016-12-07T10:47:00.001+00:002016-12-07T10:50:34.556+00:00112. Sweet lord you play me false<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RT5xewaYVC0/WEfmhuBF4XI/AAAAAAAADT0/GQXLcKd10sk3P67y7hzpxWJOPaRi-4CQwCLcB/s1600/cat.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">The loft is complete</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">7th December 2016</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-pepyITJuk/WEfmhwDu5_I/AAAAAAAADT8/OUdOoy6XtdAUBYu1Gt2Go3VyYMDJ7Y1HgCEw/s1600/halfway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-pepyITJuk/WEfmhwDu5_I/AAAAAAAADT8/OUdOoy6XtdAUBYu1Gt2Go3VyYMDJ7Y1HgCEw/s200/halfway.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">After a couple of months stranded on Prospero’s island I have returned to Naples (well, Clapham) and completed work on our last room: the loft. This is strictly a ‘non-habitable’ room, as it doesn’t have a window, but that’s not deterred us from designing it to be as flexible and multifunctional as possible. As well as fulfilling its traditional function as a storage space, the loft will also be a spare room, a gym (perhaps) and, for those inclined, a room-sized chess board.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RZ-9vFfwHvk/WEfmh-kQvSI/AAAAAAAADT4/mj_5X9HH6jw6xI68yDsGnL2fmlAt36SxwCEw/s1600/complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RZ-9vFfwHvk/WEfmh-kQvSI/AAAAAAAADT4/mj_5X9HH6jw6xI68yDsGnL2fmlAt36SxwCEw/s200/complete.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">I finished the floor with cork tiles so the opportunity to create a pattern could not be resisted. The tiles I bought were supposed to be 300x300mm but in reality they were slightly bigger than this and the dark tiles were slightly bigger than the light tiles – the kind of problem that might drive others to distraction but which I now pretty much expect. Building is like that: every task presents its peculiar problems to be resolved somehow or other.</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">I ironed out the irregularities as best I could and stuck them all down. So now our guests can engage in a little high-brow competition before retiring, if they’re not raiding the fancy dress trunk. Unfortunately we are short of some pieces. Currently we only have a black queen (the Gayer-Anderson cat), a black rook (Ganesha) and a black pawn (an Oscar). Happily, however, we are rather fond of peculiar long-term hobbies. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rtV-Dd66f-c/WEfmjPmB66I/AAAAAAAADUE/MKz9WRa5JyQfIjUyM1IHsIRZEOnJuKJ3wCEw/s1600/pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rtV-Dd66f-c/WEfmjPmB66I/AAAAAAAADUE/MKz9WRa5JyQfIjUyM1IHsIRZEOnJuKJ3wCEw/s1600/pieces.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-X68PjvWz0/WEfmigk2RMI/AAAAAAAADUA/MYlyeZDk9aYofgVX3CvYjwx63buGeu80ACEw/s1600/loft.jpg" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-268795745791368382016-10-09T19:02:00.002+01:002016-10-09T19:06:07.995+01:00111. Twelve steps forward<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5XIk7bneis8/V_qE4CFeR_I/AAAAAAAADHw/ame0dbszKk0jHv5e87FJ7b125ShXd_4IgCLcB/s1600/view%2Bdown.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">I've made a ladder to our gallery</span><br /><br />9th October 2016<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Orchard is a two-and-a-bit storey house. The bit is our minstrels' gallery (for bookish minstrels only) and our loft. Over the past two years, we've been using a rickety old builder's ladder to get up there, which I have fallen off twice. It's about time we had something better.<br /><br />Cue a tidy piece of joinery in solid oak, purpose built to fit the space and screwed in tight. The steps still need a handrail but it's a great improvement. It wasn't a complex task but it was a lot of work, especially the routing and chiseling. Here's how I made it:<br /><br />1. Make two angled jigs to ensure that the marking out of the steps is spot on and consistent. Measure and mark out with great care.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-flH--OSEaKk/V_qE28VnY9I/AAAAAAAADHg/XDPgPsGHIV8Y_zwUJSA1SQFUwUN2YYG7gCEw/s1600/jig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-flH--OSEaKk/V_qE28VnY9I/AAAAAAAADHg/XDPgPsGHIV8Y_zwUJSA1SQFUwUN2YYG7gCEw/s320/jig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />2. Using the jigs as a fence, rout out the mortice holes into which the steps will slot (about 20mm deep into the 45mm deep stringers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rfOkUpnqP1E/V_qE3bqL4kI/AAAAAAAADHk/A-Iv49XKr3UriOqokmsFcGdiOM29VTMFwCEw/s1600/router.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rfOkUpnqP1E/V_qE3bqL4kI/AAAAAAAADHk/A-Iv49XKr3UriOqokmsFcGdiOM29VTMFwCEw/s320/router.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />3. Chisel out the corners and edges of the holes to make them square.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jjT1Me6cU7E/V_qE014GymI/AAAAAAAADHQ/yylt7Nn8GsMQ8O7KRtzrBUYnIjANAM0RACEw/s1600/chiseling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jjT1Me6cU7E/V_qE014GymI/AAAAAAAADHQ/yylt7Nn8GsMQ8O7KRtzrBUYnIjANAM0RACEw/s320/chiseling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mWHXd3DOj-I/V_qE01jViJI/AAAAAAAADHM/ZSGXQ6R6PdotPFnYpWg3CwsQIqIb9d_7wCEw/s1600/chisel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mWHXd3DOj-I/V_qE01jViJI/AAAAAAAADHM/ZSGXQ6R6PdotPFnYpWg3CwsQIqIb9d_7wCEw/s320/chisel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NSL62f2LYOQ/V_qE3pyjYBI/AAAAAAAADHo/c3MD-IJCMBg4eIcotTnmUei5j1a2OO6nQCEw/s1600/square%2Bhole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NSL62f2LYOQ/V_qE3pyjYBI/AAAAAAAADHo/c3MD-IJCMBg4eIcotTnmUei5j1a2OO6nQCEw/s320/square%2Bhole.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />4. Cut the steps to just the right size and make sure they all fit their holes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTJZns9i62c/V_qE16se5II/AAAAAAAADHY/Dk8ycEz8RWcWojgHhQqlTqgq5LO0IFQ5wCEw/s1600/dry%2Brun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTJZns9i62c/V_qE16se5II/AAAAAAAADHY/Dk8ycEz8RWcWojgHhQqlTqgq5LO0IFQ5wCEw/s320/dry%2Brun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />5. Glue up and cramp tight. Leave over night.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkP1fBS4xTE/V_qE1Pu-KQI/AAAAAAAADHU/WeXfU3MyA_YwyKo97lN_mg8evRTt-ecdACEw/s1600/cramped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkP1fBS4xTE/V_qE1Pu-KQI/AAAAAAAADHU/WeXfU3MyA_YwyKo97lN_mg8evRTt-ecdACEw/s320/cramped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />6. Sand and oil. Then get into position and screw into place using some seriously long and chunky screws.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhyT340LaoA/V_qE4BYBn0I/AAAAAAAADHs/P5FEuR8gTbIilHE1b5LZYSBJRXXJ1mmBACEw/s1600/step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhyT340LaoA/V_qE4BYBn0I/AAAAAAAADHs/P5FEuR8gTbIilHE1b5LZYSBJRXXJ1mmBACEw/s320/step.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6iGEnzRmBA/V_qE2sfWrmI/AAAAAAAADHc/boaeER9h_zwpq8-bnIqNRMrcg5O4dplBgCEw/s1600/full%2Bview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6iGEnzRmBA/V_qE2sfWrmI/AAAAAAAADHc/boaeER9h_zwpq8-bnIqNRMrcg5O4dplBgCEw/s1600/full%2Bview.jpg" /></a></div><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-85429949345658947312016-09-02T09:39:00.004+01:002016-09-02T11:13:07.549+01:00110. More colour<div><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nnCnZtU2YXU/V8k5gK3UcCI/AAAAAAAACxI/1MZCI_wTvGUFuiHD_EYDPXzZOl5xS3fJgCLcB/s1600/pattern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nnCnZtU2YXU/V8k5gK3UcCI/AAAAAAAACxI/1MZCI_wTvGUFuiHD_EYDPXzZOl5xS3fJgCLcB/s1600/pattern.jpg" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The porch floor is down.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>2nd September 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a name='more'></a><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrbuhAk37KM/V8k5fS_yf8I/AAAAAAAACxA/cHDZiiCdPDAKNG0hGCE0G4ZJOnwNA-2YACEw/s1600/laying%2Btiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrbuhAk37KM/V8k5fS_yf8I/AAAAAAAACxA/cHDZiiCdPDAKNG0hGCE0G4ZJOnwNA-2YACEw/s320/laying%2Btiles.jpg" width="320" /></a>Exactly a year ago I started laying the parquet blocks on our living room floor. This week I finally got round to the adjoining room: our larder-porch. The nearer we get to the end, the slower the pace of progress and the faster the end recedes...</div><div><br /></div><div>The floor tiles we chose are reproduced from a Spanish original complete with worn and scuffed edges. We choose the tiles partly because we love the design and want to introduce lots of colour into this little room, and partly because they fit the dimensions of the room very neatly indeed. Ceramic tiles will also help to keep our unheated, naturally-ventilated larder cool. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H5X9M9yyAs/V8k5em86E_I/AAAAAAAACw8/izf7JGeUzdg3j4c8vldRm_oDKWiPo2dSQCEw/s1600/hyssop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H5X9M9yyAs/V8k5em86E_I/AAAAAAAACw8/izf7JGeUzdg3j4c8vldRm_oDKWiPo2dSQCEw/s320/hyssop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Although the pattern appears to repeat precisely, the tiles are not all the same. If you look carefully you can see that the way the basket weaves at the intersections changes all the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm also planning to paint the ceiling in this room to add to the all-round colour. But that can wait a while. The fanlight already produces plenty of interesting effects across the day: here you can see the multi-coloured light falling on sprigs of drying hyssop, which we grow either side of our front door to attract bees in their hundreds. Ford has also introduced a fermentation crock or burp-pot and a cheerful rumtopf to the larder shelves (the latter is a traditional German approach to storing fruit across the year). The Orchard laboratory is taking shape.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtGp7W9nJtw/V8k5fl8eaOI/AAAAAAAACxE/qf38lC8kqtQeeEIxu1qqw7skCw1dGFVqgCEw/s1600/finished%2Bfloor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtGp7W9nJtw/V8k5fl8eaOI/AAAAAAAACxE/qf38lC8kqtQeeEIxu1qqw7skCw1dGFVqgCEw/s1600/finished%2Bfloor.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xK_YUd-0as/V8k5gaX9h_I/AAAAAAAACxM/cCXGzS9efQA37SK8x7JinJgZqAUErHlswCEw/s1600/rumtoft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xK_YUd-0as/V8k5gaX9h_I/AAAAAAAACxM/cCXGzS9efQA37SK8x7JinJgZqAUErHlswCEw/s1600/rumtoft.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t16jQ0CXT5w/V8k7pUoXnAI/AAAAAAAACxY/6QB20WK_7CMFhMaTlM3ScwQBfsqmvncZgCLcB/s1600/door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t16jQ0CXT5w/V8k7pUoXnAI/AAAAAAAACxY/6QB20WK_7CMFhMaTlM3ScwQBfsqmvncZgCLcB/s1600/door.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-18955280336028464852016-08-09T11:56:00.001+01:002016-08-09T12:07:10.756+01:00109. Assorted woodwork<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-acYba7CjVYE/V6m1EVmK4lI/AAAAAAAACtU/24zUHptpkyoBHg7gj3iAmcmxaNicopO2gCLcB/s1600/cramps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-acYba7CjVYE/V6m1EVmK4lI/AAAAAAAACtU/24zUHptpkyoBHg7gj3iAmcmxaNicopO2gCLcB/s1600/cramps.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I've been completing some details</span><br /><br />9th August 2016<br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I’ve recently been pursuing a variety of woodwork jobs at diverse levels of tolerance: everything from carefully chiseled joints to quick work with a jig-saw and power drill.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4QChqzb9Pc/V6m1DcOkJPI/AAAAAAAACtM/JxSWC1sjpCs6cAxZTb3XcJy-0b6lwjOtACEw/s1600/bridle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4QChqzb9Pc/V6m1DcOkJPI/AAAAAAAACtM/JxSWC1sjpCs6cAxZTb3XcJy-0b6lwjOtACEw/s200/bridle.jpg" width="200" /></a>The most complex job was making a casement window for our upstairs greenhouse, filling a gap left a year ago when we made and installed all the fixed leaded windows. I used 2x1 oak to make the window frame, into which I routed a rebate for the window. I jointed the wood using bridle joints then glued and cramped it all together. I then made the window using lead cames and a combination of P1 glass (reproduction Georgian glass), ordinary float glass, and a single piece of original crown glass from a very old house in Wiltshire (thanks John!). You can see the crown glass in the photo – it is slightly darker than the others and the defects and ripples are more pronounced.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OgLIRgPOcHk/V6m1HaSPgwI/AAAAAAAACto/5HHQ62RnBjIGwhwuWDB8e7pjefIolaFNQCEw/s1600/window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OgLIRgPOcHk/V6m1HaSPgwI/AAAAAAAACto/5HHQ62RnBjIGwhwuWDB8e7pjefIolaFNQCEw/s1600/window.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Another fine job was the corners of our window seat, going round the curve from the zombie drawers to the wall. Here I repeated the detail I used to finish the kitchen: vertical ribbed walnut pieces fitted with tiny brass modelling screws. I had just enough walnut left over from the kitchen to complete the job.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzy6OMRkcCU/V6m1GHVHjcI/AAAAAAAACts/GReKuXq8v3E27WJItg25xtWHSBq7h4pswCEw/s1600/seat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzy6OMRkcCU/V6m1GHVHjcI/AAAAAAAACts/GReKuXq8v3E27WJItg25xtWHSBq7h4pswCEw/s1600/seat.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our porch/larder is also now fully functional, if not complete (I want to tile the floor and paint the ceiling) thanks to new shelves, a foot rack made from off-cuts from the staircase treads, and a coat rack made from the pew I used to make the architrave for the front door. The shelves are already heaving with homemade plum jam.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9hOjYZvSkg/V6m1GBnQ34I/AAAAAAAACts/Urf5QPBRWc0OgGC5G4xjrdAUXLXoGV2owCEw/s1600/jam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9hOjYZvSkg/V6m1GBnQ34I/AAAAAAAACts/Urf5QPBRWc0OgGC5G4xjrdAUXLXoGV2owCEw/s1600/jam.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QfroCVKT1k/V6m1GbgzHGI/AAAAAAAACts/3HNAvknuHE43iAEndM0T2c4vNqcfb94MgCEw/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QfroCVKT1k/V6m1GbgzHGI/AAAAAAAACts/3HNAvknuHE43iAEndM0T2c4vNqcfb94MgCEw/s1600/shoes.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g43dLZGXDNA/V6m1ESk36QI/AAAAAAAACts/JW-qN4iAuy4l3_jzVnMuQkOVEuzIx9X9ACEw/s1600/coats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g43dLZGXDNA/V6m1ESk36QI/AAAAAAAACts/JW-qN4iAuy4l3_jzVnMuQkOVEuzIx9X9ACEw/s1600/coats.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We had planned to get rid of the workbench once the build is complete but we’ve decided to keep it instead. Partly because I made it myself but also because it actually looks quite cool as a decorative table underneath the staircase. In years to come we can bring it back into use whenever we're feeling a little crafty<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Txsr8YrVEgA/V6m5Tg1LQXI/AAAAAAAACt0/9ury4r9W_HQUQRRxc4G89fao_gsqYOFbwCLcB/s1600/bench%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Txsr8YrVEgA/V6m5Tg1LQXI/AAAAAAAACt0/9ury4r9W_HQUQRRxc4G89fao_gsqYOFbwCLcB/s1600/bench%2B2.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-2856642131503074792016-06-30T19:57:00.000+01:002016-06-30T22:14:36.510+01:00108. Tudor space invaders<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r3LDWrHpKB4/V3VprTJazgI/AAAAAAAAClk/NRM6H7W0bbQln-bUrOoAYVLazGvs8OBWgCLcB/s1600/top%2Bright.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve tiled the greenhouse wall</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">30th June 2016</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_lp9sIDRr78/V3Vshj5nLjI/AAAAAAAAClw/r4heHIEvmw0RFE1CxHbF7tYq-UuOyfYaQCLcB/s1600/tiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_lp9sIDRr78/V3Vshj5nLjI/AAAAAAAAClw/r4heHIEvmw0RFE1CxHbF7tYq-UuOyfYaQCLcB/s200/tiling.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ohfOnNHjXhM/V3VpcH51cVI/AAAAAAAAClI/LHcjwaUxae0ysTRxTENQQpLeiM6E2163wCKgB/s1600/Hampton%2BCourt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ohfOnNHjXhM/V3VpcH51cVI/AAAAAAAAClI/LHcjwaUxae0ysTRxTENQQpLeiM6E2163wCKgB/s200/Hampton%2BCourt.jpg" width="200" /></a>There’s a ten-foot-high south-facing wall in our first-floor greenhouse, perfect for growing a peach up. To help plump up our future peaches, I have just finished tiling this wall with Moroccan tiles. These will absorb the heat of the morning sun and so help to keep the peaches warm as the day cools.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The 100mm x 100mm tiles are hand-made, wood-fired and hand-cut, which means that every tile is different. The variations in colour and texture are what make them special but it’s the variations in size and thickness that make installation a bit tricky. However there’s only so much you can do to smooth out such differences. I decided to go with the flow and celebrate the wonkiness of the tiles.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgPpufpWeWg/V3VpdRpKN6I/AAAAAAAAClY/C4SzjXBTGJYUBoh2yjAE0H1G1vukDcTpACKgB/s1600/set%2Bout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgPpufpWeWg/V3VpdRpKN6I/AAAAAAAAClY/C4SzjXBTGJYUBoh2yjAE0H1G1vukDcTpACKgB/s200/set%2Bout.jpg" width="200" /></a>The pattern I picked out was inspired by a wall in Hampton Court Palace that I have long admired: a playful celebration of brick diapers that looks like an early version of space invaders. I have adapted the original two-tone brick pattern for three colours in square tiles. Although the patterns are quite simple, I still had to take care, working from the bottom up, that everything met in the right place. I marked out the colours with arrows on the wall, row by row as I went up, to be 100% sure.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>The tiles came from Fez, so we will be instituting a house rule that anyone entering the greenhouse must wear the eponymous headwear of this city. Akbar and Jeff, we salute you!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtWSPLmo3GE/V3Vpc4wvENI/AAAAAAAACls/lE48EdMOjyUVzN5YFoHAREMGiddMlhblgCKgB/s1600/fullwall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtWSPLmo3GE/V3Vpc4wvENI/AAAAAAAACls/lE48EdMOjyUVzN5YFoHAREMGiddMlhblgCKgB/s400/fullwall.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iwzsksb8S6M/V3VpcjUs01I/AAAAAAAAClM/SHPfnaw22Jk8UKtK2jU8r-UEjfYUuDAWgCKgB/s1600/greenhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iwzsksb8S6M/V3VpcjUs01I/AAAAAAAAClM/SHPfnaw22Jk8UKtK2jU8r-UEjfYUuDAWgCKgB/s400/greenhouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><o:p></o:p>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-52445668770255374542016-06-14T12:52:00.001+01:002016-06-14T12:57:49.117+01:00107. Welcome to the grotto<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AWK0SB5JzNk/V1_scq4QeMI/AAAAAAAACi4/sqSBOXO951sqrN7vV-bysMdVXtnzHqFnQCLcB/s1600/bathroom.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Our bathroom is nearly complete</span><br /><br />14th June 2016<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1FMvAOj0sP8/V1_wjiiEnzI/AAAAAAAACjw/hl9aBnaCAqEMUeA_pq48xBbqMTf9ljHXACLcB/s1600/grotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1FMvAOj0sP8/V1_wjiiEnzI/AAAAAAAACjw/hl9aBnaCAqEMUeA_pq48xBbqMTf9ljHXACLcB/s200/grotto.jpg" width="200" /></a>On Saturday we paid a visit to Alexander Pope’s famous grotto in Twickenham, the subterranean passageway that he constructed under the road between his house and garden (neither of which survive). Following Homer’s example, he lined the grotto with stones and shells and retreated there in search of solitude. Not entirely successfully: poets were the celebrities of the day and Pope struggled to escape from the attention of admirers and manipulators of all kinds:<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>What Walls can guard me, or what Shades can hide?<br />They pierce my Thickets, thro’ my Grot they glide… </i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69bh_6VsZxc/V1_seaq7j8I/AAAAAAAACjE/G2FGKvRyp4IiO22ptQ6gY01udzbmriqZgCKgB/s1600/grotto%2Bbathroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69bh_6VsZxc/V1_seaq7j8I/AAAAAAAACjE/G2FGKvRyp4IiO22ptQ6gY01udzbmriqZgCKgB/s400/grotto%2Bbathroom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UqI6LGy42VM/V1_sfQbPMiI/AAAAAAAACjQ/6GROVYaVOQMc2jsNaUdNSpYZkEtFJmgCQCKgB/s1600/stone%2Band%2Bshell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UqI6LGy42VM/V1_sfQbPMiI/AAAAAAAACjQ/6GROVYaVOQMc2jsNaUdNSpYZkEtFJmgCQCKgB/s320/stone%2Band%2Bshell.jpg" width="320" /></a>We were there to celebrate the completion of our own grotto, aka our bathroom. Our guiding idea for this room has always been a cave or grotto, a place where water is entirely at home. Although the room is small, we have used rich, textured finishes to bring it to life. The principal walls are tiled with big ceramic tiles that have a rippling, textured surface that could easily be a multitude of carefully placed stones; and the wall above the bath, together with the window reveals and bath panel, are lined with our most expensive finish: mother-of-pearl mosaic. Real sea shells!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>It’s taken a long time to complete the bathroom. There are so many things to get right in a small space: plumbing and electrics, tiling and grouting, cabinet-making and joinery. Plus the parquet floor. Here are a few details which we hope will make this room more than just a practical stopping off point in the daily routine. Dr Johnson scornfully said of Pope’s grotto that he had ‘extracted an ornament from an inconvenience, and vanity provided a grotto where necessity enforced a passage.’ Well, we’re with Pope on this one, happy to have extracted an ornament from our daily inconveniences.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The window (installed in 2014) is distressed to look like running water:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYRjFSSdlNc/V1_sf1t6uaI/AAAAAAAACjY/_Pg4zD-fXLMYxtzBJntmIw_biLB2lzyoACKgB/s1600/window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYRjFSSdlNc/V1_sf1t6uaI/AAAAAAAACjY/_Pg4zD-fXLMYxtzBJntmIw_biLB2lzyoACKgB/s320/window.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Bathing in mother of pearl:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rOAu-gqKCuE/V1_vKKBkE3I/AAAAAAAACjk/r7CxJqpkCmoD4LaTKKzq14WPvsMwDtDLgCLcB/s1600/mop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rOAu-gqKCuE/V1_vKKBkE3I/AAAAAAAACjk/r7CxJqpkCmoD4LaTKKzq14WPvsMwDtDLgCLcB/s320/mop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The walnut details are all leftovers from the kitchen work top:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wjs1okyeNuQ/V1_se8QlZ8I/AAAAAAAACjg/bruSYQItayMRNIVFgOugFLPORTBCADkCgCKgB/s1600/walnut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wjs1okyeNuQ/V1_se8QlZ8I/AAAAAAAACjg/bruSYQItayMRNIVFgOugFLPORTBCADkCgCKgB/s320/walnut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />And the all important book-of-the-bog shelf:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NhBzLUE5z8/V1_sc6OateI/AAAAAAAACjg/38wU3QS_NxA--0gBiirpOdcCzmxoIFZGACKgB/s1600/book%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbog%2Bshelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NhBzLUE5z8/V1_sc6OateI/AAAAAAAACjg/38wU3QS_NxA--0gBiirpOdcCzmxoIFZGACKgB/s320/book%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbog%2Bshelf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-59320963876144620862016-05-23T10:25:00.005+01:002016-05-23T10:33:23.778+01:00106. Bee happy<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1LMs2_Ndz4/V0LLPqDtyPI/AAAAAAAACeA/17RMfwROplsuasPbktZv3MMXczn34qftQCLcB/s1600/inner%2Bview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1LMs2_Ndz4/V0LLPqDtyPI/AAAAAAAACeA/17RMfwROplsuasPbktZv3MMXczn34qftQCLcB/s1600/inner%2Bview.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Our fanlight is in</span><br /><br />23rd May 2016<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--iJU_UrTuKc/V0LLOd7yubI/AAAAAAAACds/1d9GyLIHGd4j0WlDXZMqyJDpFa589-bgwCKgB/s1600/cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--iJU_UrTuKc/V0LLOd7yubI/AAAAAAAACds/1d9GyLIHGd4j0WlDXZMqyJDpFa589-bgwCKgB/s200/cartoon.jpg" width="200" /></a>Since we completed the epic stained glass window that rises all the way up our staircase, Ford has been itching to make some more stained glass. The gap above our front door defined by the arching brickwork offered the ideal opportunity to have another go. As the Georgians knew well, a fanlight is a great way of extending a gracious welcome to your guests before they have entered the building. We are keen to do the same.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s9LRJwz_Q6k/V0LLPmAYZ5I/AAAAAAAACd8/VndBO-1Ax2UzGhSYvzL8Ps63tRyavcWpwCKgB/s1600/cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s9LRJwz_Q6k/V0LLPmAYZ5I/AAAAAAAACd8/VndBO-1Ax2UzGhSYvzL8Ps63tRyavcWpwCKgB/s200/cutting.jpg" width="200" /></a>The design warps the perpendicular pattern of the brickwork into the suggestion of a sphere, with our favourite insect hovering in the middle. The house is called the Orchard and the address is number 1B, so the bee is both a symbol of pollination and fruitfulness and a simple expression of our street number, though I suspect we may need to give couriers additional guidance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUq4sK34DGU/V0LLPNXx46I/AAAAAAAACd4/Uk5pUs4atD8hqygxI3YIQ2Z4Rs0yHd0LgCKgB/s1600/copperfoil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUq4sK34DGU/V0LLPNXx46I/AAAAAAAACd4/Uk5pUs4atD8hqygxI3YIQ2Z4Rs0yHd0LgCKgB/s200/copperfoil.jpg" width="200" /></a>The photos here show the basics steps of making the fanlight: drawing the cartoon, cutting the glass, lining the edges of the glass pieces with copper foil before soldering them into sections, then putting the completed sections together using lead cames. Ford used glass leftover from the staircase window to make the fanlight and I used oak leftover from the staircase treads to make the oak frame it sits behind.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>The porch-cum-larder at the front of the building, which has no other windows, is now illuminated by the colourful soft light of the fanlight. And the front of the building looks finished for the first time, as well as even more wacky. It’s now two years since the ground workers started digging the foundations, so this is a moment to cherish.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XilvEGuv3B0/V0LLOauQ26I/AAAAAAAACd0/hTmVLpwFtu89Q1IaR9R5xirRovmuf4BoACKgB/s1600/bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XilvEGuv3B0/V0LLOauQ26I/AAAAAAAACd0/hTmVLpwFtu89Q1IaR9R5xirRovmuf4BoACKgB/s320/bee.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rL51bvTeRJ4/V0LLOQcKLOI/AAAAAAAACeI/Ih2ge04Ngq88m_ei58xWweDpV7FQYVcbACKgB/s1600/cames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rL51bvTeRJ4/V0LLOQcKLOI/AAAAAAAACeI/Ih2ge04Ngq88m_ei58xWweDpV7FQYVcbACKgB/s320/cames.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c3tBfZaqWs4/V0LLQPNPVSI/AAAAAAAACeI/6tFFATIfnk8_ROWMeq6ANl6NpHhdm9vhQCKgB/s1600/together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c3tBfZaqWs4/V0LLQPNPVSI/AAAAAAAACeI/6tFFATIfnk8_ROWMeq6ANl6NpHhdm9vhQCKgB/s400/together.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><o:p></o:p>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-67702397387220730192016-05-03T20:16:00.000+01:002016-05-04T09:23:26.581+01:00105. Transparent boundaries<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-awt474gAyMs/Vyj3Un9v3hI/AAAAAAAACUw/uM6wV8xYtk0I0G_TRuudKGpSQ5YAxJm1ACLcB/s1600/balustrade.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Balustrades and fences appear</span><br /><br />3rd May 2016<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CPC9ZF4NMlQ/Vyj3XDXnM3I/AAAAAAAACVE/zQU_Ounr7v4oesbSTPp9A0gSv8S7RjMtQCKgB/s1600/odel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CPC9ZF4NMlQ/Vyj3XDXnM3I/AAAAAAAACVE/zQU_Ounr7v4oesbSTPp9A0gSv8S7RjMtQCKgB/s200/odel.jpg" width="133" /></a>Four years ago, when I was filled with enthusiasm for the Arts and Crafts movement but had no skills to show for it, I booked my first practical making course. I didn’t start with anything sensible like plastering or joinery but instead spent a couple of days at West Dean College in Sussex eating heartily, wandering around the walled gardens, and learning the basics of woodcarving.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WyNUeTka1X0/Vyj3XqM_0mI/AAAAAAAACVM/r_NHuQHEaJ0bKAbzRiZKjfIJeKDhOZXPACKgB/s1600/saw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WyNUeTka1X0/Vyj3XqM_0mI/AAAAAAAACVM/r_NHuQHEaJ0bKAbzRiZKjfIJeKDhOZXPACKgB/s200/saw.jpg" width="200" /></a>Over the course of two days I made a maquette for the top of a staircase newel post: an abstract shape that expresses the movement of turning round and up a staircase. The process began, as always, with a drawing, which I then turned into a clay model to guide my every move in shaping the wood. The front and side outlines of the model were copied onto a block of wood, which was then put through a bandsaw, creating the basic shape and volume of the piece. Then it was just a matter of chiseling away, with the model sat alongside the wood. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>The course was fun and enlightening but I have never repeated the experience, for soon enough I was distracted by the business of actually building the house. The maquette languished in the back of a cupboard.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WPo2kNOjMAY/Vyj3U-cHRII/AAAAAAAACU4/Cb7bN6E11goTJGmKGWlRfKXzhOlJmXa2gCKgB/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WPo2kNOjMAY/Vyj3U-cHRII/AAAAAAAACU4/Cb7bN6E11goTJGmKGWlRfKXzhOlJmXa2gCKgB/s200/before.jpg" width="200" /></a>Then, last week, I built the balustrade for the gallery of our two-storey library using lots of pieces of 2”x1” oak. It’s a simple, perpendicular balustrade designed not to compete with the organic forms of our staircase balustrade. However the sheer squareness of the result was too much for me and I realised that the maquette’s moment had come, not as a model but as the real thing: a tangible turning point at the end of the balustrade and the top of the library ladder. So the very first component made for the house has happily found its place.</div><br /><o:p></o:p> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iwFkthMZsw/Vyj3U-MVmGI/AAAAAAAACU0/g0tt5dkYoRYFnhOTMGthTBqWrGlbSF71gCKgB/s1600/after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iwFkthMZsw/Vyj3U-MVmGI/AAAAAAAACU0/g0tt5dkYoRYFnhOTMGthTBqWrGlbSF71gCKgB/s200/after.jpg" width="200" /></a>Elsewhere, in the front garden, we’ve taken the hoardings down that have separated us from our neighbours in Tree House for the past three years, revealing a fence that went up behind them. Made by Jonnie Rowlandson, designer-maker of our fabulous staircase, it is naturally a thing of beauty, though the timber and metal uprights are unfortunately just too close together to allow super-friendly but slightly tubby Stanley through.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qrh8w5-25g/Vyj3V1T12DI/AAAAAAAACVA/waDm0N2D6QInJfRW9K0WJOOzMiK_maIcQCKgB/s1600/knob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qrh8w5-25g/Vyj3V1T12DI/AAAAAAAACVA/waDm0N2D6QInJfRW9K0WJOOzMiK_maIcQCKgB/s320/knob.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1VaaIgwangs/Vyj3VsI79kI/AAAAAAAACU8/IzEYMI2ie3gnEOQDOyYK_ciwMkmyt0ARwCKgB/s1600/fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1VaaIgwangs/Vyj3VsI79kI/AAAAAAAACU8/IzEYMI2ie3gnEOQDOyYK_ciwMkmyt0ARwCKgB/s320/fence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yea31sQpyEE/Vyj3YIHIqhI/AAAAAAAACVQ/fvfKGYCpTfsaxHTZljGPJKcMAti60R5KACKgB/s1600/stan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yea31sQpyEE/Vyj3YIHIqhI/AAAAAAAACVQ/fvfKGYCpTfsaxHTZljGPJKcMAti60R5KACKgB/s320/stan.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-36953475954084845092016-04-10T19:14:00.001+01:002016-04-10T19:18:33.969+01:00104. Spring is here<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PdUU0Hv0W18/VwqWGhHUTXI/AAAAAAAACOM/ulcwf7jPzgYhV6FD-B93dhd5I3hkBuljQ/s1600/budding.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">And the orchard is planted</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>10th April 2016<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>As you may have gathered, we're not great fans of deadlines on this project. We just plod on, content in the knowledge that we will eventually get there. Nonetheless, deadlines are occasionally thrust upon us, and spring is one of them. For this is the very last moment in the year when dormant bare-rooted trees can be lifted and planted. So I have been working hard over the last two weeks to prepare and plant the miniature orchard in our front garden before the opportunity is lost for another year.<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUXA8SjFYWU/VwqWGrDl29I/AAAAAAAACOU/oBSrrljFfVMiiYB8xCvjI0eL9e6CWh0ow/s1600/muck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUXA8SjFYWU/VwqWGrDl29I/AAAAAAAACOU/oBSrrljFfVMiiYB8xCvjI0eL9e6CWh0ow/s200/muck.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jefDj_3vjNQ/VwqWICM3DjI/AAAAAAAACOc/o6xyBmlHyfIKGq5Vg8Vpj-DL9lYjTsgJw/s1600/topsoil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jefDj_3vjNQ/VwqWICM3DjI/AAAAAAAACOc/o6xyBmlHyfIKGq5Vg8Vpj-DL9lYjTsgJw/s200/topsoil.jpg" width="200" /></a>There was never much soil to speak of at the front of our site, which was previously used as a hard standing and garage, and over the past two years we have thoroughly abused what little there was. So the first task was to dig out and remove a foot of compacted clay, rock, concrete and rubbish. I replaced this with two tons of gravel, two bulk bags of horse manure and three tons of quality Norfolk topsoil. By the time I had shifted the topsoil from the pavement where the pallets were dropped and barrowed it all into the waiting holes, my back was properly sore.<br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t7xRDcUVwt4/VwqWHWfjClI/AAAAAAAACOY/q7lrjCuJiIUzViUiu7B4IJRQ1J6T9Gheg/s1600/stake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t7xRDcUVwt4/VwqWHWfjClI/AAAAAAAACOY/q7lrjCuJiIUzViUiu7B4IJRQ1J6T9Gheg/s200/stake.jpg" width="200" /></a>I was, however, cheered up by the arrival of the trees: one crabapple, five pears and 14 apples. They are all on dwarfing rootstocks, the aim being to produce relatively small crops of many fruit across the longest possible harvest. The design is two concentric circles. The inner circle is comprised of six apples which I hope to train as dwarf pyramids. The trees in the outer circle, planted much closer together, will all be trained as vertical cordons (minarettes) with the fruit clustered close to the central trunk and minimal outward growth. Down the side of the porch, where we have our only south-facing wall, I have planted a fig, suitably hemmed in by a fig pit to keep it fruitful. The edge of the path has been planted with bee-friendly flowers such as hyssop, cone flowers and salvias.<br /><br />It is of course a great moment to finally have an orchard at the front of The Orchard. Hopefully my pain will deliver many years of gain as the trees mature and their roots enjoy the riches I have bestowed upon them. Here, for the record, is what I planted. Each circle ripens in clockwise order as follows:<br /><br />Inner circle: apples Vistabella, Laxton's Epicure, Red Windsor, Fiesta, Duke of Devonshire and Winter Banana<br /><br />Outer circle: apple Rosette, pear Beth, apple Bardsey, apple Cobra, pear Sensation, apple Little Pax, apple Egremont Russet, pear Beurre Hardy, apple Elstar, crabapple Pink Glow, pear Humbug, apple Christmas Pippin, apple Winter Gem and pear Doyenne du Comice.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fi9CcXz5-vI/VwqWGmq7VYI/AAAAAAAACOQ/B01s5JpLPeMHfZFOR-DDc3CRS_tJFR4Yg/s1600/all%2Btrees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fi9CcXz5-vI/VwqWGmq7VYI/AAAAAAAACOQ/B01s5JpLPeMHfZFOR-DDc3CRS_tJFR4Yg/s1600/all%2Btrees.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-12190558583662259012016-04-08T21:26:00.000+01:002016-04-08T21:31:55.814+01:00103. Knock knock<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDlg0VF1s5g/VwgRhg7rBjI/AAAAAAAACNA/3A-eYfvW_CkrdaA3d-7ZihUboYDcfHFqA/s1600/centre.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Our front door is in.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">8th April 2016</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MZcm3c0fLoI/VwgRhmsnsNI/AAAAAAAACNE/BO9yU1W6d5E7JLe3W7DULLNsDz4nTqokQ/s1600/drawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MZcm3c0fLoI/VwgRhmsnsNI/AAAAAAAACNE/BO9yU1W6d5E7JLe3W7DULLNsDz4nTqokQ/s200/drawing.jpg" width="200" /></a>Three years ago, after being told by a planning officer that we could design whatever we wanted for our site as long as it was high quality, I sat down and drew the Arts and Crafts fantasy that was to become The Orchard. Right in the centre of the house I drew a commanding front door, a great work of joinery made from wide quarter-sawn oak boards and finished with chunky metal straps, the kind of door that would happily grace a traditional Cotswold manor house.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sometime later, while web-browsing the stock of <a href="http://www.coxsarchitectural.co.uk/">Cox’s Restoration</a>, based in Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, I spotted the door that I had drawn. Needless to say, I bought it without a moment’s hesitation. Apparently it came from a local manor house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j41AVNOd5Q4/VwgRkOcwFSI/AAAAAAAACNQ/RsruShnpMmw4Fnvk9GcHDffFqMT6Uxnww/s1600/pew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j41AVNOd5Q4/VwgRkOcwFSI/AAAAAAAACNQ/RsruShnpMmw4Fnvk9GcHDffFqMT6Uxnww/s200/pew.jpg" width="88" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p> <div class="MsoNormal">Nearly two years later, the door has finally been installed. We have been able to live without it because the door opens to an internal porch that is outside the insulated envelope of the building. There is another door beyond this room – an airtight modern door – that takes us into the heated part of the house. The inclusion of this traditional ‘buffer space’ between the outside and the heated inside contributes to the energy efficiency of the building because it acts as a barbican: when people come and go the doors can be opened and shut in turn, preventing the cold air outside rushing into the warm house.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EKj6x_WJ1Ww/VwgRhvbnJaI/AAAAAAAACNY/TIMVx3SgUwAemo1MEqzhf9VpyU0gt48bg/s1600/architrave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EKj6x_WJ1Ww/VwgRhvbnJaI/AAAAAAAACNY/TIMVx3SgUwAemo1MEqzhf9VpyU0gt48bg/s200/architrave.jpg" width="200" /></a>The door came with its own frame but this didn’t quite fit the hole we had built for it, so I packed the gaps on either side with some softwood and then went in search of some similarly-coloured antique oak for an architrave to disguise all the joins between the frame, packing and brickwork. I went to <a href="http://www.lassco.co.uk/">Lassco’s</a> at London Bridge and, after a good rummage, came away with an old pew seat. I took this home on the bus, measured up extremely carefully, got the plunge saw out, and the job was done.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6GnY0GUQcv4/VwgSqZL0YNI/AAAAAAAACNg/YnqoD4juBi8sR-hhaOW8X4JvruVf2n6gg/s1600/strap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6GnY0GUQcv4/VwgSqZL0YNI/AAAAAAAACNg/YnqoD4juBi8sR-hhaOW8X4JvruVf2n6gg/s1600/strap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>The door hangs on simple cast iron hinges and is a joy to open, close and behold. The straps are beautifully detailed, seemingly growing out of heart-shaped seeds, and the patterns in the oak boards in the middle of the door remind me of the depiction of time travel at the beginning of Dr Who. Which is appropriate, I think, for a portal to a newly-built Arts and Crafts ecohouse.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZWdyZXBNXk/VwgRjJ-HFyI/AAAAAAAACNY/Mnk7KidVETABYngLA9Jm29BuediUWXCSQ/s1600/full%2Bdoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZWdyZXBNXk/VwgRjJ-HFyI/AAAAAAAACNY/Mnk7KidVETABYngLA9Jm29BuediUWXCSQ/s1600/full%2Bdoor.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-13842733581296608902016-03-28T22:23:00.001+01:002016-04-07T12:34:10.659+01:00102. Some tidy junctions<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HpHaoecY_k4/Vvme6mhThbI/AAAAAAAACLk/Qfakvu2u99E5-JGAuJu1vYCZuxerTmnCA/s1600/coving.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Our skirting boards, architraves and cornices are in</span>.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">28th March 2016</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3hg5sc138Gc/Vvme6AqE6MI/AAAAAAAACLg/NLRv4jlY1K4lsnpLK5TnNw9wL2Hvg2UdQ/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3hg5sc138Gc/Vvme6AqE6MI/AAAAAAAACLg/NLRv4jlY1K4lsnpLK5TnNw9wL2Hvg2UdQ/s200/before.jpg" width="200" /></a>Nobody ever notices a skirting board. Architraves are commonly ignored. And cornices are lucky to get anything more than a fleeting glance. Yet the installation of these building components has made a big difference to our everyday experience of The Orchard. Suddenly the house feels finished, even though, by some distance, it is not.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bv5RxY9N9-U/Vvme6BddI6I/AAAAAAAACLY/ytTG0eXd0sAnXlxsgbYqZv6ZvBTyq29cw/s1600/after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bv5RxY9N9-U/Vvme6BddI6I/AAAAAAAACLY/ytTG0eXd0sAnXlxsgbYqZv6ZvBTyq29cw/s200/after.jpg" width="200" /></a>That’s because these edge details perform the crucial function of covering up all the untidy junctions where one interior plane meets another. In these before and after pictures you can see the difference the skirting board has made on the ground floor. As the timber frame sits on a concrete plinth, slightly above finished floor level, there is an insulation detail between the floor edge and the bottom of the plasterboard. As insulation is essential but never, ever pretty, this all necessarily disappears behind the skirting board. The junction between the plaster and the oak door lining is not quite as messy but it is still much improved by the architrave, not least because a frame around a door subtly increases the pleasure of going through it.<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l8Yw1o8ohPM/Vvme7lt0LlI/AAAAAAAACLw/w3gtdZHxJdo8R1d00CHFCijfuYhNAH_kQ/s1600/skirting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l8Yw1o8ohPM/Vvme7lt0LlI/AAAAAAAACLw/w3gtdZHxJdo8R1d00CHFCijfuYhNAH_kQ/s200/skirting.jpg" width="200" /></a>In the bedroom we also installed a cornice as this room has rather more extravagant finishes than elsewhere. As well as the reclaimed parquet floor (an Australian wood), there’s a William Morris wallpaper (willow) and a bamboo ceiling with a rather ragged edge, now hidden by the cornice which Ford painted over Easter in the wonderfully named <i>Salon Drab</i> green. The bedroom is not, however, a drab salon. It’s just a dark and slightly mysterious corner of an overgrown wood. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oCQgBV245U0/Vvme6J3VqUI/AAAAAAAACLw/rXI3odoCFX4d8UEyOoljz8q7-Z7yw5Y8w/s1600/architrave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oCQgBV245U0/Vvme6J3VqUI/AAAAAAAACLw/rXI3odoCFX4d8UEyOoljz8q7-Z7yw5Y8w/s1600/architrave.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQMkORx4w-Q/Vvme7nbgLAI/AAAAAAAACLw/s81FiHkxipgv5WHxT69BWQf51ZmN_sUew/s1600/curtains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQMkORx4w-Q/Vvme7nbgLAI/AAAAAAAACLw/s81FiHkxipgv5WHxT69BWQf51ZmN_sUew/s1600/curtains.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-15057601305428122172016-03-22T18:16:00.000+00:002016-03-22T18:44:26.578+00:00101. Fifteen fabulous steps<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct50CRN_ALc/VvGKsvBExCI/AAAAAAAACKY/Frzqde3-F_A8-xi51ZmGw5SHTtaIvVbcA/s1600/stair-1.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Our staircase is in</span>.<br /><br />22nd March 2016<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AdWEnJL5Md0/VvGKsgdzCzI/AAAAAAAACKU/BG1twU4NrGQ34FkErMGXLP04d2Tn9_MRg/s1600/stair-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AdWEnJL5Md0/VvGKsgdzCzI/AAAAAAAACKU/BG1twU4NrGQ34FkErMGXLP04d2Tn9_MRg/s200/stair-2.jpg" width="200" /></a>If you build a house of more than two storeys, you have to put the staircase behind fire doors in order to protect the escape route from the upper floors should a fire start on the ground floor. This is, no doubt, quite sensible, as most building regulations are, but the result has been the marginalisation, quite literally, of this once-proud architectural feature. Scarlett O’Hara could not sweep down the staircase of Twelve Oaks if it was built in London today.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBrVL5Jv_6c/VvGKs33qtPI/AAAAAAAACKc/U4wpMj4tbEk23YquX0SNUEVAD9clurkjA/s1600/stair-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBrVL5Jv_6c/VvGKs33qtPI/AAAAAAAACKc/U4wpMj4tbEk23YquX0SNUEVAD9clurkjA/s200/stair-3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Which is the main reason why we built a two storey house, despite all our neighbours being three storeys high. Yes: we wanted a fabulous staircase worthy of Scarlett O’Hara, and we’ve now got one thanks to the artistry and craftsmanship of metal designer-maker J<a href="http://jonathanrowlandson.com/">onathan Rowlandson</a>. His remarkable organic, curving staircase is complete and the house is transformed.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bj7psYallRA/VvGKtr2o_KI/AAAAAAAACKg/fQkITkijDkU68u6D9n845xUPOMesC98Tg/s1600/stair-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bj7psYallRA/VvGKtr2o_KI/AAAAAAAACKg/fQkITkijDkU68u6D9n845xUPOMesC98Tg/s200/stair-4.jpg" width="200" /></a>We’ve worked with Jonnie before – if you know Tree House, he made the gates at the front and the fence at the back – so he had a line in the very first budget for The Orchard. The design of the staircase took some time, beginning with quite complex Arts and Crafts motifs and ending up, true to the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, with something quite simple but exceptionally graceful and delicate. Everything is made from steel, burnished to a deep bronze, except for the treads which I sourced separately. As you can’t get single oak boards wide enough today without being jointed, I bought wide 200-year-old reclaimed boards from a French barn. ‘Character grade’ oak would be an understatement.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TQ_v6yBNFp4/VvGKuRUpbSI/AAAAAAAACKk/x-Y4tv0BvzozNgJgiR6iUVn-bYXx4tO2w/s1600/stair-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TQ_v6yBNFp4/VvGKuRUpbSI/AAAAAAAACKk/x-Y4tv0BvzozNgJgiR6iUVn-bYXx4tO2w/s200/stair-5.jpg" width="200" /></a>The staircase was made in Jonnie’s workshop, then dismantled and brought to site to be put back together again. Jonnie and Dan began with the two critical stringers, the rising bases of the balustrades that also provide the support for the treads. In a curving staircase, the inner stringer is necessarily much more tightly curved than the outer stringer. But they must both end up in just the right place if the treads are to fit and sit flat. Once the stringers were in place, the metal supports for the treads could go in, followed by the gorgeous balustrades and handrails.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFePowFBiWg/VvGKubMCeSI/AAAAAAAACLE/NBbjdqgFzTQORfDcjLBCdAf0KhQmruleA/s1600/stair-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFePowFBiWg/VvGKubMCeSI/AAAAAAAACLE/NBbjdqgFzTQORfDcjLBCdAf0KhQmruleA/s200/stair-6.jpg" width="200" /></a>The geometry of a curving staircase is tricky, to say the least, especially if the curve is not a precise semicircle. If you look carefully in the pictures below, you will see that our treads start perpendicular to the stringer but slowly move away from this line, becoming more oblique as the staircase rises. Although this is highly unusual – our architect recalls encountering such stairs in old French hotels – it ensures that the steps are all consistent, albeit constantly changing, You mustn’t surprise anyone on a staircase or they are liable to fall over. As every tread was different, I had to template every one and cut the oak with great care.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xV_OphUw9os/VvGKv1GQEBI/AAAAAAAACLE/YFuo9idfNcgKlY_zLGDPNRiK6bqgBg5Zg/s1600/stair-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xV_OphUw9os/VvGKv1GQEBI/AAAAAAAACLE/YFuo9idfNcgKlY_zLGDPNRiK6bqgBg5Zg/s200/stair-8.jpg" width="200" /></a>So now we have a four metre high work of art slap bang in the middle of our home, visible from the open plan living space downstairs and our double-height library upstairs, and also the bedroom as I haven’t got round to making the internal doors yet. I’m happy that we finished the wall behind it with square birch ply panels as these provide a foil to the shifting pattern of the balustrades. And the staircase provides the perfect multi-level platform to enjoy our stained glass window, especially when the sun lights everything up first thing in the morning. Thanks Jonnie! <o:p></o:p><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ICFr7hs_Iq8/VvGKv4qGuhI/AAAAAAAACLE/MYuQtqkscrUnaIM6iHSd-q73xURDRrShw/s1600/stair-fin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ICFr7hs_Iq8/VvGKv4qGuhI/AAAAAAAACLE/MYuQtqkscrUnaIM6iHSd-q73xURDRrShw/s1600/stair-fin1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HJoGGr2_eR8/VvGKwQpi4HI/AAAAAAAACLE/60u1fHxhHFMHXptzL8A-WlNCZ6olEw-KA/s1600/stair-fin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HJoGGr2_eR8/VvGKwQpi4HI/AAAAAAAACLE/60u1fHxhHFMHXptzL8A-WlNCZ6olEw-KA/s1600/stair-fin2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rjq9d8iFyw0/VvGKxZFGmsI/AAAAAAAACLI/7G2qANoltwAiMdavbUNr_lOXGyfxd8VgA/s1600/stair-fin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rjq9d8iFyw0/VvGKxZFGmsI/AAAAAAAACLI/7G2qANoltwAiMdavbUNr_lOXGyfxd8VgA/s1600/stair-fin3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LN05BOcYNfY/VvGKxehv7-I/AAAAAAAACK8/L9_e5CuU4m8_iqo8KqTGlGDlkfOnoMYUg/s1600/stairfin-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LN05BOcYNfY/VvGKxehv7-I/AAAAAAAACK8/L9_e5CuU4m8_iqo8KqTGlGDlkfOnoMYUg/s1600/stairfin-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-91831733905907241882016-03-11T17:54:00.000+00:002016-03-11T17:57:46.572+00:00100. Bake, griddle and boil<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqNdTFN-wUQ/VuMEAZzvuHI/AAAAAAAACF0/4K76Gn0Ej14_5mj3Z5Cc6iMXbWfA648tQ/s1600/ford.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">The kitchen is finished</span><br /><br />11th March 2016<br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The kitchen deserves to be blog 100. I started making it before we even had planning permission, nearly three years ago. I began with the shelves that are now filled up with a colourful variety of opaque, air-tight and beautiful jars (that was the spec - thank you to everyone who contributed, especially Sophie!). I then moved on to the cabinets, which I made from plywood and finished with walnut and sycamore veneers. We started installing at the end of last year when the floors were down but it's taken some time to get everything in place and properly finished. The finned walnut detail on the outside face of the curving galley jetty was a real labour of love: every vertical fin was screwed on by hand using minute brass screws (it was inspired by detail in the Royal Festival Hall). There was also all the electrics and the lighting and the plumbing and the tiling and - well, it's been like making the entire house in miniature.<br /><br />So now we have the perfect environment in which to transform all the fruit that we hope to grow in our garden and greenhouse, and all the vegetables from our allotment, into a lifetime's dinners. Ford has already started working his way through Ottolenghi's <i>Plenty</i>. So, after three years of training, designing, making, building and finishing, I'm officially a happy bunny this Easter.<br /><br />Here are some pics,<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrtRL9c7zK0/VuMEAaAIbGI/AAAAAAAACF4/yeWCSJy67SMrbgPvgbEdnJ3DMSN-IcWRw/s1600/curve1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrtRL9c7zK0/VuMEAaAIbGI/AAAAAAAACF4/yeWCSJy67SMrbgPvgbEdnJ3DMSN-IcWRw/s1600/curve1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EetTYmbE6Dw/VuMECn2NRUI/AAAAAAAACGU/C2q8P0XNV3EJlyfIi02svKVUKPc1OcShA/s1600/shelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EetTYmbE6Dw/VuMECn2NRUI/AAAAAAAACGU/C2q8P0XNV3EJlyfIi02svKVUKPc1OcShA/s1600/shelves.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Am_a0mz3ZqI/VuMEkX8r5PI/AAAAAAAACGY/vy6XqlELJe02mQTAYn-I9AUui2HIaDISA/s1600/surface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Am_a0mz3ZqI/VuMEkX8r5PI/AAAAAAAACGY/vy6XqlELJe02mQTAYn-I9AUui2HIaDISA/s1600/surface.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HfMQ2L2B8kI/VuMEFAK4S_I/AAAAAAAACGc/TxrOKPKF8qsWdzTdV8_Pma00qMdduU2Fg/s1600/veneer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HfMQ2L2B8kI/VuMEFAK4S_I/AAAAAAAACGc/TxrOKPKF8qsWdzTdV8_Pma00qMdduU2Fg/s1600/veneer.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbuHbgf85wQ/VuMECF-WogI/AAAAAAAACGU/ygkSLJPqi3UNC9clOUDYBxyl_8fe66Veg/s1600/indicator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbuHbgf85wQ/VuMECF-WogI/AAAAAAAACGU/ygkSLJPqi3UNC9clOUDYBxyl_8fe66Veg/s1600/indicator.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H3g5w7Fmukw/VuMECGrmZyI/AAAAAAAACGc/brS0y_gXYwMjKQyhHbGoG-hpqxJwV_Y8Q/s1600/screws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H3g5w7Fmukw/VuMECGrmZyI/AAAAAAAACGc/brS0y_gXYwMjKQyhHbGoG-hpqxJwV_Y8Q/s1600/screws.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gKYX6dbsyU8/VuMEBH7oZ4I/AAAAAAAACGA/cCT269f1dIENuUi7VSxXJZw9DJ8_miKvA/s1600/hob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gKYX6dbsyU8/VuMEBH7oZ4I/AAAAAAAACGA/cCT269f1dIENuUi7VSxXJZw9DJ8_miKvA/s1600/hob.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-68913782001712189572016-01-28T22:55:00.002+00:002016-01-28T22:57:45.421+00:0099. Velvet zombies<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BCQsGniVO_s/VqqYxXHM0OI/AAAAAAAAB9s/pvxHjGvHcZc/s1600/view1.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Our window seat is complete</span><br /><br />28th January 2016<br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Robert Louis Stevenson had surprisingly strong views about domestic architecture. Consider the following remarks:<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">If the rooms are large, the house may be small: a single room, lofty, spacious, and lightsome, is more palatial than a castleful of cabinets and cupboards. The reception room should be, if possible, a place of many recesses, but it must have one long wall with a divan: for a day spent upon a divan, among a world of cushions, is as full of diversion as travel.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">How true, Robert, how true! We have followed his excellent advice and foregone a castleful of cabinets in favour of a single, lofty, lightsome space, distributed over two floors. And with the completion of our wide window seat at the rear of this space, we now have a recess in which we can retire to a world of cushions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Window seats are a common feature of Arts and Crafts houses. More often than not such houses were built in the country rather than the city, so the window seat was typically designed as a place of perfect repose between the comfort of the interior and the beauty of the landscape. This is certainly true of the window seat in the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g190820-d2056321-i123516585-Blackwell_Arts_and_Crafts_House-Bowness_on_Windermere_Lake_District_Cumb.html">white drawing room</a> at Blackwell in Cumbria: a small recess in a delightful room which opens to a broad view of Windermere. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e6vJNOCJ8zk/VqqYzKrmJaI/AAAAAAAAB-E/bnf4gRMr0Bc/s1600/walnut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e6vJNOCJ8zk/VqqYzKrmJaI/AAAAAAAAB-E/bnf4gRMr0Bc/s320/walnut.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">The Orchard is some way from sublime English lakes of any kind but the windows above our window seat will eventually open on to a raised pond, so we will be able to feed the fish from the comfort of our cut velvet. Although the pond has yet to be built, the seat is now complete thanks to the sterling work of upholsterers Karen Wood and partner Kathy of the Chair Sanctuary in southeast London. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adYd97I7odM/VqqYxwgKAaI/AAAAAAAAB98/EOBAJzd1J7A/s1600/zombies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adYd97I7odM/VqqYxwgKAaI/AAAAAAAAB98/EOBAJzd1J7A/s320/zombies.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">I built the base of the window seat almost two years ago: six drawers, finished in walnut veneer with solid walnut handles, designed to accommodate Ford’s extensive zombie movie DVD collection. When the timber frame went up, a recess in the back wall was designed-in so that the seat would sit within the wall rather than just stick out into the room. Then, many months later, when the floors were finished, I was able to install the cabinets and Karen and Kathy could finally drop by to measure up for the cushions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Upholstery is serious craft. I toyed with the idea of doing yet another course but decided to leave it to the experts. You can see Karen’s progress in the photos below: setting out the pattern, marking out, cutting the fabric, sewing, cutting the foam and finally putting it all together. The key outcome, which she precisely achieved, was to ensure that the large format pattern repeated across the three sets of cushions. The pattern is Cymbeline by Zoffany: a broad intersecting fan, adapted from an archive document in the Mulhouse textile museum in France. The colours complement both the walnut drawers and panga-panga floor below and the golden-yellow of the bamboo blinds above.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A window seat is special not only because of its inside-outside quality but also because it offers a different kind of sitting experience to the sofa and armchair. It’s really rather nice to have a comfortable place to perch for a while. It’s not a place to spend a day – we've failed you, Robert – but it’s a great place to feed the fish, read a paper or have a cup of tea.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lPZmYAxQgyU/VqqZjuR6oxI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/zvgMeCUwdZU/s1600/0%2B-%2Bmasking%2Bpattern%2Barea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lPZmYAxQgyU/VqqZjuR6oxI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/zvgMeCUwdZU/s1600/0%2B-%2Bmasking%2Bpattern%2Barea.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5_ZuV6eNJ8/VqqZjvQ8HfI/AAAAAAAAB-w/Ms9qYx1Wi_Y/s1600/1%2B-%2Bmarking%2Bout%2Bfor%2Bcutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5_ZuV6eNJ8/VqqZjvQ8HfI/AAAAAAAAB-w/Ms9qYx1Wi_Y/s1600/1%2B-%2Bmarking%2Bout%2Bfor%2Bcutting.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-41UGuZNv3GY/VqqZjgzF16I/AAAAAAAAB-0/ihgKz4GTeEs/s1600/2%2B-%2Bcutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-41UGuZNv3GY/VqqZjgzF16I/AAAAAAAAB-0/ihgKz4GTeEs/s1600/2%2B-%2Bcutting.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiwMSToTJE0/VqqZko_bWTI/AAAAAAAAB-g/txgwhXIhmzc/s1600/3%2B-%2Bsewing%2Bcushion%2Bcovers%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiwMSToTJE0/VqqZko_bWTI/AAAAAAAAB-g/txgwhXIhmzc/s320/3%2B-%2Bsewing%2Bcushion%2Bcovers%2B1.jpg" width="192" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkg1b_Z7IU/VqqZk08O9_I/AAAAAAAAB-o/CYwIOJAY120/s1600/4%2B-%2Bcutting%2Bfoam%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkg1b_Z7IU/VqqZk08O9_I/AAAAAAAAB-o/CYwIOJAY120/s320/4%2B-%2Bcutting%2Bfoam%2B1.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oOPNe8H_sD4/VqqZk2QH9aI/AAAAAAAAB-k/rbvN0IBAGzo/s1600/5-%2Bloading%2Binners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oOPNe8H_sD4/VqqZk2QH9aI/AAAAAAAAB-k/rbvN0IBAGzo/s1600/5-%2Bloading%2Binners.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bB5Uz872OeA/VqqYxehlo5I/AAAAAAAAB9w/D2yAhaN1WSs/s1600/view2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bB5Uz872OeA/VqqYxehlo5I/AAAAAAAAB9w/D2yAhaN1WSs/s1600/view2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-33667633020488765432016-01-11T16:35:00.002+00:002016-01-11T16:43:06.515+00:0098. Maximising utility<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q4PU8Xy3R-4/VpPYu4Cp9HI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/RAKMxsYsv5Y/s1600/room.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Our utility room is almost complete</span><br /><br />11th January 2016<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-npKuZyQF5vw/VpPYueZ_e-I/AAAAAAAAB7g/ZmxV4JkGZ-I/s1600/inverter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-npKuZyQF5vw/VpPYueZ_e-I/AAAAAAAAB7g/ZmxV4JkGZ-I/s200/inverter.jpg" width="200" /></a>Our ground floor utility room, at the front of the building, measures only 2.5 metres by 1.5 metres. As it’s so small, we used plywood rather than plasterboard to line the walls in order that we could easily fix lots of shelves and cabinets to the walls once the room was finished. After all, every home needs somewhere to stash tools, balls of string and all those unruly half-finished cans of goo.</div><o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSYb1LDnV2o/VpPYuiJCuPI/AAAAAAAAB7k/jv1zRhDsARE/s1600/janet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSYb1LDnV2o/VpPYuiJCuPI/AAAAAAAAB7k/jv1zRhDsARE/s200/janet.jpg" width="200" /></a>Well, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. In one corner there is a big floor-to-ceiling cupboard, currently without a door, occupied by our modest (70 litre) hot water tank, the inverter for our solar panels and a bank of isolator switches for our appliances. But instead of hanging shelves and cabinets from the plywood walls, now painted with lime paint, we have hung pictures instead. This might be a small room but we will be in it quite often – it contains a washing machine, clothes airer, freezer, wash basin and our ground floor toilet – so we have decided to make it delightful as well as practical. All those cans of goo can find another home.</div><br /><o:p></o:p> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pto-yNJsrYA/VpPYuVOGs8I/AAAAAAAAB7w/4c2LCeY8t04/s1600/akbar%2Band%2Bjeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pto-yNJsrYA/VpPYuVOGs8I/AAAAAAAAB7w/4c2LCeY8t04/s200/akbar%2Band%2Bjeff.jpg" width="200" /></a>The pictures are mostly abstracts, including three by our neighbour, Janet Williamson, once known as the Bridget Riley of Goldsmiths. There’s also a piece of cross-stich by my mum, advice from Akbar and Jeff that dates back 21 years to our wedding, and a rather gorgeous piece of glass in front of the window, backlit by the morning light.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>So you see this is a utility room in the Benthamite sense: it<br /><div class="MsoNormal">is designed not only to facilitate getting household chores done but also to promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. We will therefore encourage all our guests to spend as much time in there as they possibly can.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7GFgXnKbqKM/VpPYuD1FL8I/AAAAAAAAB7c/N1C1LvLW8Zg/s1600/glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7GFgXnKbqKM/VpPYuD1FL8I/AAAAAAAAB7c/N1C1LvLW8Zg/s1600/glass.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><o:p></o:p>buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-2882254286403250092016-01-05T13:39:00.000+00:002016-01-05T15:55:35.973+00:0097. The light fantastic<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EE8PPqkyJNs/VovGotgHVvI/AAAAAAAAB50/b1bwC96Qr4g/s1600/detail.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Our stained glass window is in</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>5th January 2016<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br />Ford and I started out on our stained glass oddysey two years ago when we joined a beginners class at the Working Men's College in Camden (see blog 16). Having gained the necessary skills, we set ourselves a stupidly ambitious task: making nine panels to to rise the full four metres of the staircase window at the front of the house, on the warm side of the existing triple-glazing. The panels were completed a couple of weeks ago, so we have been busy over the new year installing them in a chunky frame that I routed out of long lengths of 2x2 oak. The result has cheered us up no end.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I59nx3L98dg/VovGovbOUcI/AAAAAAAAB6I/swNUFqFfg0I/s1600/top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I59nx3L98dg/VovGovbOUcI/AAAAAAAAB6I/swNUFqFfg0I/s320/top.jpg" width="213" /></a>The design is abstract but inspired by a simple colour narrative: an arc from a very large circle falling though sky blues towards earth green with a burst of heavenly red-gold appearing in the top corner. The window faces east so lights up in the morning. The changing light across the day, including the effect of the street lamp at the front of the house at night, has kept us enthralled. We even get reflections from the glass of the first-floor greenhouse throwing colours onto the north-facing wall of the stair well.<br /><br />Although the staircase is not yet in it should add, rather than detract, from the experience of the window as it will curve away from the window rather than being built into the wall. As you walk the 180 degrees down the staircase, every colour and texture of the window will be revealed. Getting out of bed to make the tea in the morning will never be the same again.<br /><br />I think we can now call the Orchard an Arts and Crafts house with some confidence. This has been an epic work of craft and the outcome will hopefully lift our spirits for the rest of our lives.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2hkeVuugwk/VovGohC8ZOI/AAAAAAAAB6E/CMuF2jogbvg/s1600/below.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2hkeVuugwk/VovGohC8ZOI/AAAAAAAAB6E/CMuF2jogbvg/s1600/below.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-2855615977801671062015-12-29T18:32:00.003+00:002015-12-29T18:45:03.270+00:0096. Rare and raw<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uZEw3zy9Mqs/VoLPvQDoGjI/AAAAAAAAB40/bFXoKHBdQgk/s1600/detail.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">The staircase wall has been adorned with mulberry</span><br /><br />29th December 2015<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bdzldokZ4Mk/VoLPv2BAKUI/AAAAAAAAB5I/h_T3gvfSDJ0/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bdzldokZ4Mk/VoLPv2BAKUI/AAAAAAAAB5I/h_T3gvfSDJ0/s200/tree.jpg" width="200" /></a>Just before Christmas we made the final move. The Orchard is now our home. Both 'the site' and 'going to site' are things of the past. We have a flushing toilet, a bath, and an operational kitchen, which is quite enough to get by on. There are a few things missing, not least the staircase, so we are currently living on the ground floor and nipping up the trusty ladder for a bath every now and then.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDPNk2z5hzE/VoLPvSuYdpI/AAAAAAAAB5M/VQ3xx5ymd8o/s1600/ford%2Bon%2Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDPNk2z5hzE/VoLPvSuYdpI/AAAAAAAAB5M/VQ3xx5ymd8o/s200/ford%2Bon%2Blog.jpg" width="200" /></a>There's a couple of remaining jobs which are best done from the scaffold tower in the stairwell, so we are pressing on with these while we await the staircase. One of them was completed today: decorating the paneled stairwell wall with two 2.5 metre long wany-edged boards of mulberry. Although I like the soft and subtle details in the square-cut birch ply panels, the raw mulberry transforms the wall into something altogether less refined and more eye-popping. Not that the mulberry itself is anything other than refined: it was prized by Georgian cabinet-makers for its rich colour and the striking contrast between its warm heart-wood and bright sapwood.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRLrY_cJaCg/VoLPvoABpAI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/_lkRRbXprkM/s1600/milling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRLrY_cJaCg/VoLPvoABpAI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/_lkRRbXprkM/s200/milling.jpg" width="200" /></a>Today, you have no chance of getting hold of boards of mulberry unless you happen to have a personal relationship with a mulberry tree. Our relationship is with a very old tree on our allotment site in Stockwell. The multi-stemmed tree still produces abundant red berries every august but three years ago a couple of stems were removed in order to encourage new growth and reduce the shade on the neighbouring allotment. For a suitable fee, Ford and I got our hands on one of these stems and took it away to become a special component of the as-yet unbuilt Orchard (a difficult task as the log was extraordinarily heavy). The log was milled into boards on a huge machine in east London (see blog no.4) and then dried out for a year and a half. Then, after a couple of coats of Osmo Polyx oil, the journey was almost over.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m61UuzfBSLE/VoLPvTZZkHI/AAAAAAAAB5c/qes_gNpRbfA/s1600/laughing%2Bplanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m61UuzfBSLE/VoLPvTZZkHI/AAAAAAAAB5c/qes_gNpRbfA/s200/laughing%2Bplanks.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />Today the two longest boards were carefully doweled to the panels on our staircase wall. They are positioned so that they can be touched by anyone going up or down the staircase, which will curve in front of this wall. But how quickly our brains anthropomorphise! Even planks of wood can have faces: there is something about the top of these boards that suggests a couple of rather camp laughing pharaohs. Or am I projecting a little too much?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fGYoluUeHeo/VoLPv020kOI/AAAAAAAAB5U/Q_O1SrlQZQ8/s1600/tops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fGYoluUeHeo/VoLPv020kOI/AAAAAAAAB5U/Q_O1SrlQZQ8/s1600/tops.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626491451210835481.post-26672970297866601442015-12-08T22:20:00.002+00:002015-12-08T22:21:32.395+00:0095. The books are home<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edavm-3EItc/VmdWrMN3IfI/AAAAAAAABxE/8lRlOAj4pU0/s1600/detail.jpg" /></div><span style="font-size: large;">We've started moving in</span><br /><div style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">8th December 2015</span></div><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QGZy-axcwus/VmdWtmyF3aI/AAAAAAAABxU/5pAasyvK1Tc/s1600/lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QGZy-axcwus/VmdWtmyF3aI/AAAAAAAABxU/5pAasyvK1Tc/s200/lights.jpg" width="200" /></a>This blog has been quiet for a while but, correspondingly, we haven't. As well as pressing on with second fix and final finishes and a very long list of jobs, we've started moving in, bit by bit.<br /><br />We started with the books, which we have quite a lot of. They are now in place, if not fully and finally arranged, on our double-height sycamore bookshelves. Happily, the shape of the logs of the old tree that supplied us with the shelves can still be seen now all the books are on them. All in all, it's quite a striking library.<br /><br />During the day the books are lit from above through our gold-tiled roof windows..At night they are lit by LED downlighters and our built-in Belgian modernist spun glass and metal lights. All a bit much? We certainly hope so.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mlDPWsI6-gE/VmdWt7AJo3I/AAAAAAAABxY/pbHjldEa7cM/s1600/bookshelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mlDPWsI6-gE/VmdWt7AJo3I/AAAAAAAABxY/pbHjldEa7cM/s1600/bookshelves.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />buildingtheorchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09457209897742335138noreply@blogger.com5