Stone Fireplace, Stone Staircase, Limestone Fireplaces

Tremendous rain here today, so we’re all huddled in the stone shed as even the hardiest are not up to working out in this weather!  We had to load a van and a lorry first thing, so there were some people hiding when it came time to decide who was going to be on the forklift. We all qualified to drive it, but no one wanted to this morning!  In the end our tough local mason put us all to shame and jumped on it and had the job done in about 10 mins, so we didn’t complain when he awarded himself 15 minutes ‘off’ against the fire with a big mug of coffee!

We’ve got a big limestone fireplace to work out today, and it would have been a lot easier if we could have done it outside but the forecast is rain all day, and it looks like it. I saw on the news this morning that the Northern lights could be visible a long way south this week as there has been some major magnetic activity from the sun (that’s what causes them apparently) but if this dense cloud persists then I don’t think we’ll be seeing them sadly!

The farmer’s sheep look very miserable this morning: All huddled up against the fence, and looking very damp! The chickens are staying in the barn, scratting around in the straw and the cattle bedding, but the ducks are clearly in heaven, and wondering what all the fuss is about!

How I want one of those machines! They’re the multi-purpose forklift type things that all farmers seem to have these days. They are just so versatile, as they can have so many implements fitted to the telescopic arm. I was on a site this morning, and the neighbouring farmer came to move some stuff for the builder. First he lifted some massive stone copings of a very high wall with his fork lift forks, then placed neatly on pallets. then he took the forks off and replaced them with a great big 2 ton bucket, and in about 10 minutes, moved a whole pile of building rubble that was blocking the site, and piled it up out of the way. He then tidied and piled up a l whole load of burnable building waste from all over the site, and all these jobs were done in about 40 mins and the site transformed. The saving over manual labour was massive, and the machine was so quiet and efficient, that you barely knew anything was happening had you not been watching.

I wish we could have a mini version here at the stone yard for moving round our heavy stone blocks and stone fireplaces, as the machines are so manoeverable that it would make life a lot easier, and make us even more efficient. Trouble is that they’re very expensive, and our farmer next door is on too small a scale to be able to afford one. Oh well, maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.

Still nice weather here. Very sunny and clear, though a little cold.  I hope if continues.

I had to go to Yorkshire on Saturday to look at a job. It was on an estate very near to the Ampleforth Catholic school, and it looked quite bleak when I was there as there was a howling wind and driving rain. The site itself was wonderful, and sat high up on a big escarpment that could be seen for miles. A real Heathcliffe sort of feel, though I’m not sure we were anywhere near Heathcliffe country!  I had to measure up for a lot of stone: mullions; door surrounds; some lovely copings for the gables, and two stone fireplaces. The house was a ruin, and had been in that state for many years as it sat on the site of a proposed new road that has finally been cancelled forever, and thus the house has become available for renovation, after about 40 years of neglect. It is a large farmhouse, but with some noble features. It has impressive stone work round the doors and windows, and lovely riven stone roof ’tiles’ although many of these are gone and the new owner has to obtain some more although apparently that is not too difficult in that area.  Anyway, I got everything measured up by about lunch time, and then trundled on back down the motorway to leicestershire. The point being that the motorway makes trips like that so easy, and it was little more than 2 hours each way, where as by normal (non motorway roads, it would probably have taken half a day each way and been incredibly tiring.

We’re all out in the stone yard today, and there was a lovely sunrise over the fields at the front of the stone shed. One mason has flown off to jersey to do some work on a client’s house that had been delayed because of planning issues, so we’re a bit short handed this week, but I’m sure we’ll manage somehow

Lead work in building is a real art. It’s an amazing skill, and the intricate operations and methods involved take a long time to learn. I visited a site yesterday that was having extensive lead work done: Extensive lead valleys (behind stone parapets that we’d made) and a large section of flat roof; and some amazing work on some dormer windows.  Plumbers traditionally do lead work, (hence their name plumber derived from the latin for lead) and many of course still do, but in the case of the job I looked at yesterday the lead worker only did leadwork and no plumbing. He’d trained specifically to do it as he found the craft fascinating, and travelled all round the country to do specialist jobs. One of the few firms that still make traditional ’sand-cast’ lead are actually in Leicester, which is not far from us: Norman & Underwood. They have done it for over 1 hundred years, and still use all the traditional methods.

Back here in the stone yard it’s a bit miserable today: light rain, and cold and overcast. Half the masons are in the workshop and half are in the yard, but the ones in the yard I think wish they weren’t!  I’ve got to go to a job in Melton Mowbray in a moment. Another returning customer who has moved to a new modernish house, and who wants to give it a very modern feel. He’s building a predominantly glass extension, and wants us the make him a very large, but simply moulded stone lintol/beam to go over his fireplace opening in which he’s going to have an ultra modern wood stove. He’s done a few sketches, and he’s a talented artist, and it will look amazing.

We’re looking at some new stone samples at the moment. We want to find another limestone, to offer to our customers who love our limestone fireplaces. We been in contact with many quarries, and are beginning to get some good options.

We visit lots of old farmhouses and often they’re attached to farms with ramshakle barns and other old buildings, and of course they’re often full of rubbish but sometimes other, more interesting stuff! One such example of the latter was at a farm we did a stone fireplace for in the middle of last summer. The client had taken over the farm from his uncle (who had died) and clearly nothing had been done to anything for a long time, but equally, nothing had been spoiled; the buildings were in original, if dilapidated, state, and their contents had been undisturbed since the war.

Well, in one barn, there was a dusty old tarpaulin, and under it was a stunning open sports car. It looked like an early Alfa Romeo, or something similar, but in fact turned out to be a 1947 Lea Francis 14 sports. It’s a really beautiful car, and very rare. (few people have heard of it)  It’s complete, and has all it’s parts and components. It looks like the Uncle had started to restore it, as things like the seats were recovered in lovely leather, and the instruments are all restored too. Anyway, he initially intended to complete the restoration, but now realises he hasn’t got the time, and has decided instead to sell it, to provide some funds to go towards to restoration of his house.

It’s all cold in the stone yard, but we’re all outside busy carving a big limestone fireplace for a regular customer. He’s doing up a house for client, and always recommends our stone work which is very kind.

The farmer is stressed today, as the sheep were out when he got up this morning. They were wandering slowly down the village, and into people gardens, but he got all the masons to be shepherds, and we had them all back in, in about 10 minutes, but I can see that he is still rattled.

Minus 4 when we arrived here this morning, and all the water pipes were frozen, and so was much of the stone!  Beautiful clear blue sky though, and bright sunshine, so we’re very happy working out in the stone yard. I’ve just been drawing up the stone fireplaces for the lovely job that we visited on Friday, and now I’ve got to help load a truck for a delivery to Surrey tomorrow, and the forklift is like a block of ice because it’s round the back in the shade!

We’ve got some lovely stone stairs to repair at the moment. They’re from a kitchen garden of a house not far from us here. They’ve worn away due to many years of use, and although  beautiful, they have become a bit dangerous when wet or frozen, so we’re replacing the tops of the worst worn ones, and then they can go on for another couple of hundred years! They lead up to the potting shed and greenhouse, and the greenhouse was restored a couple of years ago, and is an amazing sight, with chain and sprocket controlled ventilation system, and beautiful cast iron bracketry. I think it’s listed because it is such a fine example.

I see the masons are having their coffee break ten mins early… I think the idea of a nice hot coffee mug to warm their fingers is just too much to resist! and the stone is particularly chilling this morning!

I’ve visited a stunning house in Leicestershire. It was an old hunting lodge that belonged to the Duke of Rutland. It retains much of its original detail, but several parts of it have been poorly ‘modernised’ over the years.  We’re going to make a couple of stone fireplaces for two rooms where later inappropriate ones have been fitted, and there is talk of possibly installing a stone staircase, but it’s too early to decide that for sure. The house stands in a lovely location overlooking lakes and open fields. There are extensive plans for big-scale landscaping including extra woodland; more lakes; tree lined walks and perhaps a folly or two: It is an amazing project, and the owner has great foresight as to how it will look.

Back in the stone yard now though, and it’s cold and clear, and we’re all very busy.

We’ve got quite a hard one here this morning.  All the fields and the shed roofs are white, and it looks very beautiful twinkling in the sunlight. We’re working out in the stone yard, but are well wrapped up. I’ve got to go and visit a site in the van and deliver a couple of things but the van screen is frozen at the moment.  The chickens are right out side the office door; a little gaggle of chattering bantams seeking out crumbs, or seeking out some warmth. I can see they’ve roosted on, and left some ‘deposits’ on our stone blocks again, the little darlings!

Cars can be great, but cars can be very annoying!  As I came to work in mine, it developed a loud clunk from the front wheel area, to the extent that I did the last 2 miles about about 10 miles per hour, and now I’ve got to take it back to the garage. I’ll have to get one of the masons to fetch me back. I hope it’s nothing too serious/expensive!

We’re all out in the stone yard, but it’s quite drizzly, so not very pleasant. We’ve loaded up a truck this morning with a stone fireplace and a couple of mullions, and it’s just departed for its trip back to Newcastle. I’ve got some boring office work to do, and then I’ve got to go to site and check on some sizes for some stone steps and some stone door surrounds. Tomorrow, I’ve got another farmhouse restoration to look at, and it sounds a lovely place: Really old but largely intact, and in need of a small extension, and some ‘modernisation’ (as in it hasn’t even got one bathroom!)

Stone dust has killed my printer again! They last about 3 years on average, and it’s just the nature of our work that stone dust gets everywhere despite our very best efforts to stop it. Oh well, they’re quite cheap these days (printers) It’s just the ink that’s still a rip-off: Must be the most expensive substance on the planet?

We’re all out in the stone yard, and have 3 big limestone fireplaces on the go, and one small set of stone stairs.  It’s very mild here, and everyone seems very jolly. I think that most people enjoy Christmas; seeing family and friends; a few parties perhaps; some good eating, and a few days off: But generally, it’s a relief to get back to normality, and that’s finally what this week feels like.

I’m off to look at some reclaimed stone today: I’m not sure it’ll be any good to us, but the person that rang us says there are some lovely pieces, and we think they may be useful for making ‘aged’ door surrounds and window cills, as it sounds like the stone is very weathered.  I’ve also got the visit a site we’re working on, and see if all the little bits of snagging are now completed. The client had a tendency to change his mind a lot, but we didn’t really mind, as he always made it clear that he would pay for the time involved in those changes, and also that it would add time to the job. What a reasonable and sensible man. He’s very happy with the whole job, but I just want to go and have a look at everything with him, so that I know he’s completely satisfied.