Month: December 2009
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Windows shuttered
For as long as we’ve been planning and designing the conversion of the barn the issue of how to screen the large window on the yard side of the building has been nagging at us. The challenge being to allow as much light in as possible whilst retaining a degree of privacy (although it’s hardly…
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Oak floor adrift on the high seas…
I ordered solid European oak flooring and associated underlay, fixings and tools from a flooring company (who will remain nameless for now) back October [Corrected]. The passing of time has made the details somewhat hazy, but I planned to get the floor in, at least on the landing, by Christmas and that included an allowance…
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Building Progress ~ November 2009
Finishing treating the untreated oak stairs and banisters is proving a real pain – the banisters along the landing have all been whitened & waxed, but the stairs themselves along with the banisters running down the stairs still need finishing, they’ve been whitened but not waxed. The problem is getting the timing right (never my…
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Insulation ~ Extruded Polystyrene
Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) is made by mixing polystyrene and a blowing agent under pressure and then forcing the resultant fluid through a die. As it emerges from the die the fluid expands into a foam, which is shaped before it cools. Extruded is stronger than expanded polystyrene and as such is better suited applications where…