February 5th 2020

[M] An exciting week this as Rob and his mates turned up to remove the asbestos and, once that is done, we can then get down to some serious demolition. Asbestos is not to be treated lightly as it has been responsible for more deaths in the building industry over the years than anything else. The type we have got is not the most dangerous and was widely used in houses up until the 1980s. It was used in Cragside for the soffits (underside of the eaves) and fortunately is still in good condition, but it still has to be removed by a licensed contractor with all work being notified to the Health and Safety Executive. They even send someone along to check the air around the work to make sure that no fibres are being released. The area has to be surrounded by polythene sheeting and the workmen have to wear full bodysuit and respirator and then be decontaminated after each session (when they break for a cigarette for example!). It might seem like overkill but these guys do this every day for a living and if they breathed in even minuscule amounts of the stuff on a daily basis it would accumulate over their working life and cause serious problems.

Cragside in quarantine - complete with decontamination unit and 3-stage airlock.

Seb & Rob - posing for the camera in full protective gear.

It should be finished tomorrow just before Storm Ciara arrives at the weekend.

January 31st 2020

[M] After the euphoria of finishing the roof, it has been back to plasterboard stripping. Until now, as an inside job, it hasn't been necessary to dress for the elements however today was a little different. I think this is the first time I've had to put on wellies and waterproofs just to go into a house. It rained hard last night and on the floor inside the front door there was an inch of water so I've had to cut away part of the threshold to drain it. I also had to have my hood up whilst working because even when the rain stopped outside it continued raining in the house for some time as the water soaked slowly through the ceiling tiles. Just as well we don't have to have an airtightness test on the existing house.

And if you're wondering why I'm pointing a stick at the ceiling watch this:

January 25th 2020

[M] Well what a way to celebrate Burns' Night! Today, after nearly two weeks of crawling around on the roof getting covered in slate dust, dirt and moss we have finally finished getting the slates off the roof. We estimate there were about 3000 in total which meant pulling out and collecting 6000 nails. Getting them off the roof was one thing but the harder job was getting the slates down from the scaffolding to the ground by lowering them in a bucket and an old Safeway box eight at a time and then stacking them in the garden. We can safely say we are glad to see the back of that job!