Renovating an old farmhouse and living on the Pennines
Discussion
talksthetorque said:
Strawberries look lush, plus al the other (potential) food pics your mate took are great 
Are the fields drying up enough now to do more land work, or is it easier in the mud so you can see where the issues are?
I was half hoping it was a Pheasant that took the bean plants, it would have given me a good excuse to go get one for the table Are the fields drying up enough now to do more land work, or is it easier in the mud so you can see where the issues are?
It's a shame neither of us like rabbit much, but if numbers carry on and Mixy doesn't come back we'll be able to host a Falconry day again in Autumn.Overall it's been dry, just interspersed with squalid showers here and there. Constantly windy though and not a warm wind either, as you can see on the forecast gusts of up to 50 and wind chill in good effect. To cut a long story short this has dried the fields out completely, any shower gets soaked up straight away rather than making a mess like it does in Winter. I can even drive my van down there.
I stopped posting about field drainage for a bit as I was worried it was getting a bit dull. I took enough pics and saw enough over Winter to be able to act, but have done enough opening out for now. Next i've got to do some laying of pipes, covering over and building back up the old style drains where i've exposed them.
The main sough which we call the M1 is now fully unblocked and flowing, but as per above, it needs putting back together and then covering over.
I don't think I mentioned it previously, but I happened on a good idea for caps to put back on top of the soughs - used concrete paving slabs. They come up for free now and again so have been out and about picking them up, that's how I know I can drive the van down there
The fields are now a healthy tone of green and providing plenty to eat for the sheep, this means they're less likely to stray.
Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 27th May 23:43
Evoluzione said:
I'm just glad someone's still reading 
That's a drystone wall to be proud of.
We look across SW to here:
and can see a house on the highest hill to the right there on the horizon. So we knew what that looked like from here:
But didn't know what our place looked like from there, for a bit of fun we decided to find out.
The first time out we forgot the binoculars so it was a failed mission. It took a while to find that point and when we did looking back over here was so very different, we couldn't even find our house!
A few weeks later we tried again and took the binoculars with us.
This is us here:
The Polytunnel makes it a bit easier to spot. We thought we were quite high up, but that ridge behind us shows how low we are in comparison, it's miles behind us though.
We have a lot of dry stone (DS) walls here, most of them fallen or falling down. So it was no surprise when my birthday present was a two day walling course. We pay the Walling Association, but the old guys teach for free.
There are a few variations up and down the country, but they all usually take this form:
As you can see it starts wide at the bottom and tapers in at a certain ratio, this is the batter.
Solid brick walls have 'headers' these have similar, but are called through stones.
A DS wall acts like a body lying down, it adapts it's shape to the ground it's laying on. As it's not glued together solidly when the ground moves the wall can move within itself a certain amount to compensate.
In many areas they were built from the stone found in the fields when clearing them for farming, others were from locally sourced quarried stone or even boulders from rivers.
We started off by taking apart a wall and setting out all the components in the right places on the ground. Then built it back up bit by bit. As you can imagine there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
Halfway here:
And finally finished:
All perpendicular joints are crossed like any other wall, none in a line.
A normal modern brick cavity wall has the bricks laid in length (stretcher bond), but in a DS wall they go the other way so the length of the stone points inwards for strength.
The top course of copes is also very tightly packed. If you shove the wall sideways and it moves it's no good, if it's solid then it's a good job well done. Every piece of stone on the floor will have a place in a wall somewhere, it doesn't matter what size or shape it is.
I think it's like a lot of things, you can learn to do it, but you'll never be as quick as someone who does it for a job.
It's physical back breaking work, but ultimately very rewarding too. Done properly it should stand for 100 - 150 years.
Nice to know, thanks. We had a wall moved + new gate and fencing a while back, the guy who did it loved DS but hated the other bits. That's a drystone wall to be proud of.
We look across SW to here:
and can see a house on the highest hill to the right there on the horizon. So we knew what that looked like from here:
But didn't know what our place looked like from there, for a bit of fun we decided to find out.
The first time out we forgot the binoculars so it was a failed mission. It took a while to find that point and when we did looking back over here was so very different, we couldn't even find our house!
A few weeks later we tried again and took the binoculars with us.
This is us here:
The Polytunnel makes it a bit easier to spot. We thought we were quite high up, but that ridge behind us shows how low we are in comparison, it's miles behind us though.
We have a lot of dry stone (DS) walls here, most of them fallen or falling down. So it was no surprise when my birthday present was a two day walling course. We pay the Walling Association, but the old guys teach for free.
There are a few variations up and down the country, but they all usually take this form:
As you can see it starts wide at the bottom and tapers in at a certain ratio, this is the batter.
Solid brick walls have 'headers' these have similar, but are called through stones.
A DS wall acts like a body lying down, it adapts it's shape to the ground it's laying on. As it's not glued together solidly when the ground moves the wall can move within itself a certain amount to compensate.
In many areas they were built from the stone found in the fields when clearing them for farming, others were from locally sourced quarried stone or even boulders from rivers.
We started off by taking apart a wall and setting out all the components in the right places on the ground. Then built it back up bit by bit. As you can imagine there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
Halfway here:
And finally finished:
All perpendicular joints are crossed like any other wall, none in a line.
A normal modern brick cavity wall has the bricks laid in length (stretcher bond), but in a DS wall they go the other way so the length of the stone points inwards for strength.
The top course of copes is also very tightly packed. If you shove the wall sideways and it moves it's no good, if it's solid then it's a good job well done. Every piece of stone on the floor will have a place in a wall somewhere, it doesn't matter what size or shape it is.
I think it's like a lot of things, you can learn to do it, but you'll never be as quick as someone who does it for a job.
It's physical back breaking work, but ultimately very rewarding too. Done properly it should stand for 100 - 150 years.
Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 27th May 13:19
We have quite a long stretch of wall we need to rebuild in another area, thanks for the helpful guide.
Bannock said:
How TF do you manage to do all this AND earn a living? Mystified, and deeply impressed.
Several things all combined, i'm not your average PH Director You can live on four fifths of FA if you put your mind to it and still enjoy it, it just depends what you derive your enjoyment from.We don't have any kids.
Doing most of it myself and working at it 7 days a week, but as it's often quite pleasurable that's not so bad.
My o/h has a well paid job.
Being thrifty, we don't have a frivolous lifestyle. Finding pleasure in simple things. Over Winter we did a couple of pottery courses which used up a few otherwise miserable evenings for very little money.
Many evenings are spent scouring the internet for cheap or free stuff. In the gardening thread a chaps wife recently spunked £400 on bagged compost, It never occurred to them you can make your own at home. Apart from time, mine is free and I enjoy the learning process.
We brought about 3yrs worth of 'free' firewood with us. I'm so glad we did that, especially now as the wood burner is still lit on an evening.
Assets. I built up a collection of saleable items before we came here so can let them go now and again to bring some money in.
A chap came over from Finland the other week to pick up a car I'd rebuilt for him pre-covid, that owed me money. I've got a race engine nearly ready to send to Malta, that's been nearly done for ages so owes me a few quid. A few bits to finish off on a track car I built before moving then that'll be up for sale. Covid put the brakes on many things, which can now be released to get the money back on.
That aside I am more or less taking a year or two off to do the work you see and build a workshop so I can carry on trading again in the future.
Muppet007 said:
Nice to know, thanks. We had a wall moved + new gate and fencing a while back, the guy who did it loved DS but hated the other bits.
We have quite a long stretch of wall we need to rebuild in another area, thanks for the helpful guide.
There are some books you can buy on it cheap enough, depending on where you live you could go on a short course too. I think you'll pick most of it up in two days, the rest is just practice.We have quite a long stretch of wall we need to rebuild in another area, thanks for the helpful guide.
Lots of useful stuff here: https://www.dswa.org.uk/
Evoluzione said:
In the gardening thread a chaps wife recently spunked 400 on bagged compost
Guilty as charged :-)What makes it worse is that she then asked the gardener to spread it on the flower beds. Furthermore she also forgot how much our 12 month old Border Terrier likes to nose dive into manure…
Edited by Alex L on Friday 27th May 23:23
Alex L said:
Evoluzione said:
In the gardening thread a chaps wife recently spunked 400 on bagged compost
Guilty as charged :-)What makes it worse is that she then asked the gardener to spread it on the flower beds. Furthermore she also forgot how much our 12 month old Border Terrier likes to nose dive into manure…
Yeah well, cats can be as bad. Ours found some highly specialised Grouse poo to create another black splodge on her:
Which got her here:
alfabeat said:
Although not commented before, I also love this thread. I'm sure there are several like me. So keep it up please.
I find it a very relaxing read. But like "Last of the Summer Wine" on a Sunday evening.
Yup, another follower!I find it a very relaxing read. But like "Last of the Summer Wine" on a Sunday evening.
OP, we swapped some stuff on lime mortaring a while back: well, the missus and I went on a course a couple of weeks back....a day well spent!
Looking forward to trying our hand at improving a wall later in the year....albeit I know we will be soooo slooooow!!
Keep the updates coming!
mikeiow said:
alfabeat said:
Although not commented before, I also love this thread. I'm sure there are several like me. So keep it up please.
I find it a very relaxing read. But like "Last of the Summer Wine" on a Sunday evening.
Yup, another follower!I find it a very relaxing read. But like "Last of the Summer Wine" on a Sunday evening.
OP, we swapped some stuff on lime mortaring a while back: well, the missus and I went on a course a couple of weeks back....a day well spent!
Looking forward to trying our hand at improving a wall later in the year....albeit I know we will be soooo slooooow!!
Keep the updates coming!
You will be slow to begin with, but it doesn't matter. If it's done properly it outlast you, it'll look right and it'll act right for the wall or building. You'll get quicker the more you do and hopefully get some enjoyment and/or sense of achievement from it.
I hope to read about it too, a lot of people will be interested to see it. I wonder what your tutor said about NHL V Quicklime and what you'll choose.
I'm hacking out the cement pointing here at the moment:
Some is easy, but on the walls which get the worst weather it's like granite, they must have mixed it 50/50.
I'm about 2/3rds of the way up this gable now:
And at various other points around the house. I tend to have a go at whatever wall doesn't have wind or rain hitting it when i'm working.
The woodburner has been a touch sluggish since I hacked out that wall, i'm wondering if i've dislodged something which has partially blocked the flue...
Evoluzione said:
My o/h has a well paid job.
I've got one of those, but if I suggested what you're undertaking I wouldn't be her OH for very long....Thanks for the lengthy answer, very interesting. You are evidently a far more resourceful and handily skilled man than I. I daydream about living in a place like yours, but under my stewardship it would probably fall down in a matter of months. Enjoying your thread immensely, keep up the good work.
Evoluzione said:
Some is easy, but on the walls which get the worst weather it's like granite, they must have mixed it 50/50.
I'm about 2/3rds of the way up this gable now:
And at various other points around the house. I tend to have a go at whatever wall doesn't have wind or rain hitting it when i'm working.
The woodburner has been a touch sluggish since I hacked out that wall, i'm wondering if i've dislodged something which has partially blocked the flue...
any idea how long it is to hack out the mortar from a square meter of wall?I'm about 2/3rds of the way up this gable now:
And at various other points around the house. I tend to have a go at whatever wall doesn't have wind or rain hitting it when i'm working.
The woodburner has been a touch sluggish since I hacked out that wall, i'm wondering if i've dislodged something which has partially blocked the flue...
spikeyhead said:
Evoluzione said:
Some is easy, but on the walls which get the worst weather it's like granite, they must have mixed it 50/50.
I'm about 2/3rds of the way up this gable now:
And at various other points around the house. I tend to have a go at whatever wall doesn't have wind or rain hitting it when i'm working.
The woodburner has been a touch sluggish since I hacked out that wall, i'm wondering if i've dislodged something which has partially blocked the flue...
Any idea how long it is to hack out the mortar from a square meter of wall?I'm about 2/3rds of the way up this gable now:
And at various other points around the house. I tend to have a go at whatever wall doesn't have wind or rain hitting it when i'm working.
The woodburner has been a touch sluggish since I hacked out that wall, i'm wondering if i've dislodged something which has partially blocked the flue...
Previous posts got me thinking of this:
Not in a cruel way, quite the opposite. Just different people, different lives, yet having mutual respect and enjoyment somehow.
A Fieldmouse pauses for a quick pic whilst foraging for food on the steep bank behind the house.
Thoughts have turned recently on how to water the plants for free. Well ok, not quite true, thoughts started last Autumn, but as Winter hit they got put on the back burner a bit
But yes Summer is with us at last, plants are thirsty and as the spring close to the house dries to a trickle it was time to do something.
It hasn't been very wet at all recently and the sun, but mainly the wind have dried the soil out.
The old water supply spring and tanks are halfway up the slope, collapsing and don't give enough head to power anything much. I think this old supply will create about 1 bar as it's roughly 10m high. 10m = 1 bar pressure.
Handily I had a 30m length of rope which was just about the length of the bank, my angle finder told me the angle of the slope was (again, very conveniently) 45 degrees. Therefore using Pythagoras therum we'll have a head of 20m = 2bar water pressure.
I had (nearer the start of the thread) hoped to use a ram pump, but after some research and time passed by I realised it would be no good here. It needs a constant flow of quite a lot of water and (in terms of water lost during the process) is very inefficient.
So I needed to work out a way of getting at least one 1000ltr IBC up to the top of the slope where there was a space for a maximum of 3.
I took a pulley, 5ft steel pole and sledgehammer up there to create this:
Bought a long rope and threaded it through and back down.
Then handily we had visitors The women sat in the house yacking and drinking, whilst the blokes went out and did something practical. After giving their son a bit of a driving lesson around the fields we got stuck in.
Phil is a van driver and eats lots of pizza so I figured he'd be the person to drive Terry across the yard. His son and I steadied the IBC on it's way up the hill which was tied to and pulled by Terry via the pulley at the top.
I think some of the time we were hanging off the IBC and being pulled up by Terry too. Sadly we didn't get a pic of this bizarre sight, but it went up easy enough.
To get the water from the source up to the storage tank I got one of these:
And some cheap hosepipe, I wanted the guys to see what we'd done working before they left so coupled it all up quickly and got it flowing.
A black cover disguises it and prevents algae forming inside:
So the basics are there and it's up and running, It needs a bit of improving though.
The pressure is now twice it was, but the flow is way down, this is due to the small bore of the hosepipe so it'll need a bigger diameter down pipe.
Then I need to source/fit and wire up some kind of float valves to turn the pump on and off dependent on upper and lower tank levels.
Then install an irrigation system
Part of my um, Professional digger training involved knocking a pretty poor drystone wall down. If you've neve done this you can't consider yourself to be a Pro.
So when Summer arrived mid June we set to with our new found skills and made it even better than before.
It was a tricky one for some beginners.
Far left is a good piece of wall, then a gateway has been filled in 'bricklayer style' with mortared joints, a bit too high as well. Then our bit joined onto the that and linked it to what can only be described on the right as a pile of loose stone thrown there. The wall is on some strange raised soil bank too and we think one day the whole lot will come down to improve the view. I battled with how to bring it all together successfully and think maybe it could only be improved by stepping the copes up on the left in a swan neck to meet the other abortion of a wall.
It'll do for now though and keeps the sheep at bay. After 3 days of that we sat down aching, but pleased enough to crack open a bottle of home made cider and admire our work as the sun went down.
Not in a cruel way, quite the opposite. Just different people, different lives, yet having mutual respect and enjoyment somehow.
A Fieldmouse pauses for a quick pic whilst foraging for food on the steep bank behind the house.
Thoughts have turned recently on how to water the plants for free. Well ok, not quite true, thoughts started last Autumn, but as Winter hit they got put on the back burner a bit
But yes Summer is with us at last, plants are thirsty and as the spring close to the house dries to a trickle it was time to do something.
It hasn't been very wet at all recently and the sun, but mainly the wind have dried the soil out.
The old water supply spring and tanks are halfway up the slope, collapsing and don't give enough head to power anything much. I think this old supply will create about 1 bar as it's roughly 10m high. 10m = 1 bar pressure.
Handily I had a 30m length of rope which was just about the length of the bank, my angle finder told me the angle of the slope was (again, very conveniently) 45 degrees. Therefore using Pythagoras therum we'll have a head of 20m = 2bar water pressure.
I had (nearer the start of the thread) hoped to use a ram pump, but after some research and time passed by I realised it would be no good here. It needs a constant flow of quite a lot of water and (in terms of water lost during the process) is very inefficient.
So I needed to work out a way of getting at least one 1000ltr IBC up to the top of the slope where there was a space for a maximum of 3.
I took a pulley, 5ft steel pole and sledgehammer up there to create this:
Bought a long rope and threaded it through and back down.
Then handily we had visitors
The women sat in the house yacking and drinking, whilst the blokes went out and did something practical. After giving their son a bit of a driving lesson around the fields we got stuck in.Phil is a van driver and eats lots of pizza so I figured he'd be the person to drive Terry across the yard. His son and I steadied the IBC on it's way up the hill which was tied to and pulled by Terry via the pulley at the top.
I think some of the time we were hanging off the IBC and being pulled up by Terry too. Sadly we didn't get a pic of this bizarre sight, but it went up easy enough.
To get the water from the source up to the storage tank I got one of these:
And some cheap hosepipe, I wanted the guys to see what we'd done working before they left so coupled it all up quickly and got it flowing.
A black cover disguises it and prevents algae forming inside:
So the basics are there and it's up and running, It needs a bit of improving though.
The pressure is now twice it was, but the flow is way down, this is due to the small bore of the hosepipe so it'll need a bigger diameter down pipe.
Then I need to source/fit and wire up some kind of float valves to turn the pump on and off dependent on upper and lower tank levels.
Then install an irrigation system
Part of my um, Professional digger training involved knocking a pretty poor drystone wall down. If you've neve done this you can't consider yourself to be a Pro.
So when Summer arrived mid June we set to with our new found skills and made it even better than before.
It was a tricky one for some beginners.
Far left is a good piece of wall, then a gateway has been filled in 'bricklayer style' with mortared joints, a bit too high as well. Then our bit joined onto the that and linked it to what can only be described on the right as a pile of loose stone thrown there. The wall is on some strange raised soil bank too and we think one day the whole lot will come down to improve the view. I battled with how to bring it all together successfully and think maybe it could only be improved by stepping the copes up on the left in a swan neck to meet the other abortion of a wall.
It'll do for now though and keeps the sheep at bay. After 3 days of that we sat down aching, but pleased enough to crack open a bottle of home made cider and admire our work as the sun went down.
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