The wall was lowered and levelled, shuttered for concrete and some reinforcement laid. Today I mixed and poured the concrete which took 5 hours as it had to be lifted bucket by bucket. Then against the forecast the heavens opened! Fortunately I got everything covered over just in time.

The sandwich panels for the roof have arrived!

 

Progress

After demolishing the blockwork at the rear of the first floor, I had to create an oak frame to eventually support the roof trusses and hold a pair of glazed double doors and two windows. The green oak is beefy and f***ing heavy. Each of the 3 beams weighs about 150 kgs. Ropes, pulleys and the tractor were required to move the 4.5m long beams to the rear of the barn, then crowbars and brute force to drag them into position once the mortice and tenons had been cut.

 

 

After all the demolition some construction begins

 

More progress and a sorry time for Bam-bam

It's been a tough few days getting the huge roof  beams down in the barn. I must have dismantled and re-erected the scaffolding fifty times and a combination of saws, crowbars, ropes and chainsaws have been called into action to cut them into pieces and then carefully lower them to the ground.  At 9m long some of them are ridiculously heavy even when cut into four or five pieces.

Next I have the balcony roof to get down whilst the dry(ish) weather holds.

Poor Bam-bam who somehow survived weeks of blue-tongue virus is lame and has been recovering from a huge abcess on his foot. It seemed to be getting better after treatment, but has returned again. Whilst treating him today I found abcesses on both his knees...the poor boy has been on anti-biotics and anti-inflammatories for months, his wool is falling out and he is thin as a rake. He may have to be euthanised as his immune system is completely shot. It's so sad seeing him suffering so terribly.

 

Anna and Dan have been staying with us for the week and Dan helped me getting some of the heavier rafters down. I should be onto the beams soon.