Kitchen Refurbishment Project Week Four

This week has seen a hive of activity that has contributed to significant progress with the project.
The Roof
The ridge tiles have been laid and the lead flashing finished which has enabled the scaffolding to be removed. The new guttering has been ordered and we await delivery.
Inside Ceiling and Walls
The insulation has been fitted to the ceiling and walls and covered with plasterboard. The plasterboard has been skimmed with finishing plaster.
 Serving Hatch
The serving hatch has been altered to the same height as the new units and this will enable new bi-fold doors to be fitted.
Plumbing
Martin Greenslade, the plumber, has been of site and completed first fix of plumbing pipework. The main challenge was to drill through a stone wall between the kitchen and the storeroom to enable the pipes to be connected to the boiler.
Floor
Insulation has been laid on the floor. The pipework is laid above the insulation. The insulation is covered with a mortar bed reinforced with metal mesh which has enabled the flooring flags to be fitted. This provides the finish floor surface which is hard wearing and complements the heritage value of the building. The flags will be sealed with a stone quality sealer.
White Goods
The new cooker and new dishwasher have been ordered this week and will be delivered next week ready to install. The new wall mounted water boiler has arrived and is ready to install.
Kitchen Units
Howdens have delivered the kitchen units and they are now ready to install.

 

Kitchen Refurbishment Project Week Three

While the weather this week has been unfriendly for outside work, with driving rain, high winds and extremely cold conditions, the building contractors, Steven and Mark, have been brilliant and continued to drive the project forward, installing Velux roof windows, covering the roof in reclaimed natural slate, sealing the roof and wall joint with lead flashing and adding fascia boards.

On Monday, DART Electrics, the electrical contractors were on site completing the first fix electrics. They installed cabling for a power circuit, a lighting circuit, and supply for cooker, dishwasher and wall mounted boiler.

By the end of the week work had started on adding insulation to the north-facing wall. This is a single skinned block wall and an internal timber framed wall will be constructed supporting the insulation and providing an air gap between the two skins. Damp-proof membrane is also fitted for added protection against any rising damp or damp penetration.

                                                           

Kitchen Refurbishment Project Week Two

The main focus this week has being to prepare the roof in readiness for the new slates. 

Firstly, the old concrete tiles, old lathes, and old felt, had to be removed.

The rafters were generally in good condition and if any were showing signs of rot, especially where they rested on the outside wall, they were repaired. All the roof timbers were treated for added protection against future rot and any infestation.

The rafters were covered with breathable waterproof membrane and new tiling lathes fixed.

Natural slate tiles are being used. This week they arrived on site and are now ready to fix. Firstly, the new Velux roof windows needed to be installed.

On Thursday the representative from Howdens who are supplying the kitchen units visited the project and made final measurements and calculations as part of the procurement process. The final plan was agreed and confirmed with delivery within two to three weeks.

 

Trustees Meeting 11th January 2018

East Worlington Parish Hall Trustees / Management Committee met on Thursday 11th January and received a report on the progress of the kitchen refurbishment project and the Heritage project more generally. The Committee were very pleased with the progress. The Committee discussed a celebration event following the completion of the kitchen conservation and improvements. It was decided that as this is a kitchen project the celebration should be a community Big Breakfast.

Trustee Meeting

Trustee scheduled meeting. Progress report on HLF project.

Interesting Fact 8

  In the Beginning

The earliest records known as Glebe Terriers provide evidence of the date range that the barn was constructed. The document of 1679 indicates a barn built with mud walls and therefore indicates the barn was built before that date.

‘The earliest record that we have of what is now known as East Worlington House is a series of „Glebe Terriers‟ in the Devon Record Office dating from 1605(?), 1613, 1679 and 1727. A „glebe terrier‟ is an account of church land and holdings. The two earlier documents refer only to the land, but the documents of 1679 and 1727 include descriptions of the house and curtilage. The implication of the earliest document is that the parsonage house and its curtilage were established by the early 17th century and probably had a history going back into the 16th century if not earlier still, while the later documents indicate a process of development and change at around the turn of the 18th century.

The document of 1679, having listed the rooms of the house, concludes with a reference to outbuildings, viz:

Dairy with a chamber over it, malt house with a chamber over it, a drift (?) for drying of malt, a barn built with mud walls, a shiping (shippon) and stable.

The reference to a „barn built with mud walls (presumably cob) is picked up again in the description of 1727 which states:

The outhouses are a barn consisting of five bays, a sheeping (shippon) of three bays and a stable of two bays all having mud walls and thatch covering…

Archaeologist Report, South West Archaeology.

Kitchen Refurbishment Project Week One

The Kitchen refurbishment project started as planned on Wednesday 3rd January 2018. The main building contractor is Steven Leach Building Services; the electrical contractor is Dart Electrics; and the plumbing contractor is Martin Greenslade. The day started at 8.00 a.m. with a meeting between Steven Leach, and Steve Baber, who is acting as project lead for the Parish Hall Committee. The meeting covered health and safety issues, the project plan, and the ways of working between the contractor and the client, especially in respect of in-project decisions that could be needed. An In-Project Decision Log will be maintained. 

This week the priority has been to dig out the old kitchen floor to the correct depth and lay the new concrete slab. Steve has been working with Mark Couzens and digging out the floor by hand. The thickness of the old concrete floor determined the extent of the task digging out the floor. A metal bar was used to strike at the concrete and judge the depth and this revealed a thin layer of concrete laid directly on top of the old original ground level.The ground had been undisturbed and provided a firm base for the concrete floor pad.

The Building Surveyor from Building Control visited on Thursday and agreed the project plan with Steve Leach. His main instruction that was different to the original project plan was that the insulation to the north elevation (a single skinned concrete block wall) had to be insulated in a stud frame with an air gap. Also the damp proof membrane to be used on the floor had to used to line the wall as an added damp prevention measure.

On Wednesday scaffolding was erected in readiness for work on the roof. The scaffolding is supplied by South Molton Scaffolding Ltd.

Heritage Project January Question

Every month for a year we are asking a question linked to the history of the hall to provide an opportunity for community engagement by researching and sending us the answer.

January Question

Records show that the Home Guard hired the Hall during the Second World War. Does anyone have any information about the Home Guard in the area?