I did manage to strip all the paint from the doors. First I tried the heat gun, that didn't clean it properly, so I moved on to the sander. Being so shaky, I tended to round the sharp edges of the rails. Eventually I fell back on the old trusted Polystrippa. That took the better part of two days. Next step will be repairing cracks and portions where it has to be filled. I might eventually paint the doors inside and out, but will leave that decision for later.
I also got rid of some scrap steel and a load of rubbish. At my age, that takes time. Since I started clearing up, I spent most of one day cutting scrap timber for firewood. not done yet.
We had some lovely sunshine days in the beginning of the week, but from Thursday it was overcast with slight rain, just enough to justify lighting the open fire in the lounge.
The car I reported on last week got fixed. Jaco managed all his tasks on his list and more. We have been there today and discussed some more tasks for the coming week.
Fingers crossed for nice weather for the coming week.
Sunday
4 August 2013
Willie came back for a short visit. I had to keep him occupied, so we cut all of the glass for the patio doors.
I did also manage to clean the last door frames from putty, and had to repair one bar that was broken.
I feel it is a privilege to help other people. Well, this week was no exception. We have been to somebody who had car trouble, an over several visits helped remove the offending (broken) pulley. It was too late to find a replacement, so I might spend more time on that on Monday.
The Salon I am helping out on has got it's roof fitted on Saturday as well. I gave Jaco a very explicit "to do" list. Fingers crossed that will be done by the weekend.
Lots of talking and many cups of coffee. That is the advantage of being retired.......... no time schedule.
Next report next week.
I did also manage to clean the last door frames from putty, and had to repair one bar that was broken.
I feel it is a privilege to help other people. Well, this week was no exception. We have been to somebody who had car trouble, an over several visits helped remove the offending (broken) pulley. It was too late to find a replacement, so I might spend more time on that on Monday.
The Salon I am helping out on has got it's roof fitted on Saturday as well. I gave Jaco a very explicit "to do" list. Fingers crossed that will be done by the weekend.
Lots of talking and many cups of coffee. That is the advantage of being retired.......... no time schedule.
Next report next week.
28 July 2013
If the previous week was slow, I wonder what I should call this one!
I did manage a little bit of work on the doors, nothing much.
The oven we picked up for the Cambridge house needed a LOT of cleaning and I also had to replace the bottom element. That is good to be installed now.
Remember the dishwasher we bought and fixed? Well, it worked fine for two washes, now it doesn't pump the water out. Still looking for the fault.
We also helped Jaco & Bella with a Beauty Salon they want built in their front garden. The framework for the floor is done, the frames are up, and the iron for the wall is up, although not fully screwed down. I expect it will take another 3 months to finish.
Bette luck next time!!!!!!!!!
I did manage a little bit of work on the doors, nothing much.
The oven we picked up for the Cambridge house needed a LOT of cleaning and I also had to replace the bottom element. That is good to be installed now.
Remember the dishwasher we bought and fixed? Well, it worked fine for two washes, now it doesn't pump the water out. Still looking for the fault.
We also helped Jaco & Bella with a Beauty Salon they want built in their front garden. The framework for the floor is done, the frames are up, and the iron for the wall is up, although not fully screwed down. I expect it will take another 3 months to finish.
Bette luck next time!!!!!!!!!
21 July 2013
This was a slow and frustrating week.
All of my time was spent on the doors. At one stage I gave up and decided only to remove the cracked putty. Well, it didn't work. I put one door down where I had only part of the putty removed, and the glass broke and partially fell out. This means I will have to remove all the glass.
I also spent time on car maintenance, and on Saturday we drove around picking up ovens we have bought on Trademe for the Cambridge house. The tenant is not satisfied with the current oven.
One ray of light is that I have started oiling Wendy's chest of drawers. Still work to do. I also sanded and oiled another drawer from our yellow wood chest.
We had some sunshine this week, but it seems the coming week will not be so nice.
All of my time was spent on the doors. At one stage I gave up and decided only to remove the cracked putty. Well, it didn't work. I put one door down where I had only part of the putty removed, and the glass broke and partially fell out. This means I will have to remove all the glass.
I also spent time on car maintenance, and on Saturday we drove around picking up ovens we have bought on Trademe for the Cambridge house. The tenant is not satisfied with the current oven.
One ray of light is that I have started oiling Wendy's chest of drawers. Still work to do. I also sanded and oiled another drawer from our yellow wood chest.
We had some sunshine this week, but it seems the coming week will not be so nice.
14 July 2013
The doors!!. I started sanding the doors, and it has come out very nice. Keep in mind they are nearly 100 years old. There are several screw holes that has been filled with putty. The other story is that each door has 8 panes of glass. The putty is cracked and not waterproof nay more. I started removing the putty with my "renovator" tool, it vibrates rather than cut. It worked fine on other glass, but in our case, the glass is very brittle from age, and also only 2 mm thick. Most of it broke. So far I have done only one door, and it is not finished yet.We are playing with the idea to paint the outsides, but leave the insides natural.
Our car gave problems, and we spent more than a day fixing it. Then Elna complained of dizzyness, and we have been to the doctor's twice, to monitor her blood pressure, a computerised cuff that takes readings over 24 hours. Thankfully, all is well.
On Saturday we did the "garden route". When Willie was here, we bought some Pittosorum plants for hedging in two trays.When we started transplanting it into individual pots, we found we had nearly 100 plants.We transplanted only one tray. They will need to get a little bigger before they can be planted. We have also bought Camellia plants and that got planted as well. The last task was to plant Snow bells and Daffodils which were transferred in pots from Cambridge with the move. It is very late in the season, but we went ahead anyway. They were planted in the lawn, and will be mowed when the grass starts growing again. I read of an estate in the UK where they plant 2000 additional daffodils per year in their paddocks.
Our car gave problems, and we spent more than a day fixing it. Then Elna complained of dizzyness, and we have been to the doctor's twice, to monitor her blood pressure, a computerised cuff that takes readings over 24 hours. Thankfully, all is well.
On Saturday we did the "garden route". When Willie was here, we bought some Pittosorum plants for hedging in two trays.When we started transplanting it into individual pots, we found we had nearly 100 plants.We transplanted only one tray. They will need to get a little bigger before they can be planted. We have also bought Camellia plants and that got planted as well. The last task was to plant Snow bells and Daffodils which were transferred in pots from Cambridge with the move. It is very late in the season, but we went ahead anyway. They were planted in the lawn, and will be mowed when the grass starts growing again. I read of an estate in the UK where they plant 2000 additional daffodils per year in their paddocks.
7 July 2013
7 July 2013
The frame and doors are done now, but the doors still have to be paint stripped. I have bought a heat gun, but with the amount of wood shavings and sawdust under the carport, I will have a major cleanout before I can start using it. Then there is the cutouts made for splash guards on the doors that need filling. Because we are using bifold doors, the guards had to come away.
Willie has taken his leave, so I will need to do the work now. It is difficult to decide on priorities. Will see how the weather is and how I feel on Monday. Sorry, we have no new pictures.
No news from the Heritage Fund yet.
The frame and doors are done now, but the doors still have to be paint stripped. I have bought a heat gun, but with the amount of wood shavings and sawdust under the carport, I will have a major cleanout before I can start using it. Then there is the cutouts made for splash guards on the doors that need filling. Because we are using bifold doors, the guards had to come away.
Willie has taken his leave, so I will need to do the work now. It is difficult to decide on priorities. Will see how the weather is and how I feel on Monday. Sorry, we have no new pictures.
No news from the Heritage Fund yet.
30 June 2013
I read a piece in the local paper about a "Heritage Fund Grant" to assist in restoring heritage buildings. We got the necessary quotations for the veranda and deck, and submitted our application. We have no indication of how long it will take. Fingers crossed that we get all or at least something.
Willie van Zijl is an old friend from our Stellenbosch days and we have kept in contact through the years. He is in New Zealand now, and we enticed him to visit and advise on the patio doors we want to install in the dining room. We had a lot of catching up to do. The work is secondary.
When brother Ben was here 18 months ago, I already had the patio door in mind, but put it on the back burner.
What we have achieved so far was to retrieve Rimu beams from storage under the floor, cut it to the desired size and plane it. The frame is pre assembled now. It would be impossible to move if we do not take it apart again. The next step will be to fit the hinges to the doors and get everything together. Because it is our rainy season, I will need to build a temporary roof over the work area. Then only can we remove the existing door and window and prepare the opening for the frame.
The Rimu frame looks so nice, we are planning to keep it natural wood. The doors we have bought two years ago on Trademe. They are made of Kauri. If sanded down it will look lovely. The frame is 2 m wide and 2.4 m high or tall. The height corresponds with all our window frames.
Sorry, at the rate we are working now, it should take another four to six weeks. We will keep you posted. No pictures yet.
I read a piece in the local paper about a "Heritage Fund Grant" to assist in restoring heritage buildings. We got the necessary quotations for the veranda and deck, and submitted our application. We have no indication of how long it will take. Fingers crossed that we get all or at least something.
Willie van Zijl is an old friend from our Stellenbosch days and we have kept in contact through the years. He is in New Zealand now, and we enticed him to visit and advise on the patio doors we want to install in the dining room. We had a lot of catching up to do. The work is secondary.
When brother Ben was here 18 months ago, I already had the patio door in mind, but put it on the back burner.
What we have achieved so far was to retrieve Rimu beams from storage under the floor, cut it to the desired size and plane it. The frame is pre assembled now. It would be impossible to move if we do not take it apart again. The next step will be to fit the hinges to the doors and get everything together. Because it is our rainy season, I will need to build a temporary roof over the work area. Then only can we remove the existing door and window and prepare the opening for the frame.
The Rimu frame looks so nice, we are planning to keep it natural wood. The doors we have bought two years ago on Trademe. They are made of Kauri. If sanded down it will look lovely. The frame is 2 m wide and 2.4 m high or tall. The height corresponds with all our window frames.
Sorry, at the rate we are working now, it should take another four to six weeks. We will keep you posted. No pictures yet.
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