Eaves

One of my last major tasks during this phase of work on the barn is to box in the gap under the eaves. The eaves had been left open and were a haven to birds, who had nested in the roof, being able to easily hop in an out through the ‘porch’ formed by the open eaves.

From Barn Conversion 2011

I’ve used plywood to seal across the eaves, each length of ply being screwed up onto the existing weather board and small blocks of wood that I placed at the end of each length of plywood, these having been first secured in place with long screws driven in from the front of the weather board.

With the plywood painted and the gap back-filled with expanding foam (the stains of which have lived on my hands for weeks) I’ve then pointed the gap between the wall and the plywood with my usual mix of lime mortar.

The final job, (not yet done) will be the fill the odd gaps that I’ve had to leave – where the plywood changes levels for example, with a black sealant and the ends of the eaves with a metal mesh to allow some air flow.

I expect the mortar to shrink in places as it dries out over the summer, I’ll then either repoint or fill with a sealant, whichever seems most appropriate.