Ale Farm

 We really hoped to save and reuse the slates that were already on the roof.  Unfortunately, they were too damaged and had been used several times before.  So they have all been replaced.  We'll keep the old ones to possibly use on sheds or crushed for pathways.  As you can see, the rafters had to be replaced as well.

 Ale Farm is so much more than the building work.  The 4 acres of land are more important.  One day we plan to open it up for community use, perhaps a community garden . . . suggestions welcome. Even though we haven't had much time for gardening this year, we have managed to plant a native birch tree, tiny conifer (former potted Christmas tree), asparagus, strawberries, parsley, garlic, a grape vine, gooseberry bushes, rhubarb, echium, foxgloves, bulbs and bedding plants.  We do already have an abundance of stinging nettles and brambles, both of which have provided us with food!

 As everyone knows, insulation is key when it comes to saving energy and having a warm, dry house.  The floors downstairs have foamed glass insulation covered with limecrete and including underfloor heating.  The foamed glass is like very light-weight pumice.  It insulates without acting as a wick for dampness. The house has been insulated externally all the way around.  The insulation has then had several coats of render.  The undulations in the externals walls meant we had to have a flexible insulation, so it's rockwool.

These photos show how much had to be dug out to underpin our flint room.  Look for the radiator next to the French doors (the two photos are taken from opposite ends of the room) to see the 'before and after' views. We have installed an anearobic digester to replace the sewage cesspit.  The digester tank has been installed outside and pipes installed inside. As Wikipedia explains, "anearobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen."  It's much kinder to the environment than an old cesspit.

 February 20th this year work began to renovate the farm house in as environmentally friendly way as possible.  Little did we know how much that would involve.  The house had to be stripped, underpinned, insulated, an anearobic sewage system installed and fixed in all sorts of ways.  The work continues, however it's finally looking better and better.  In further blogs I'll narrow down areas of the house.