Utility Room Revamp

Nice Utility room revamp finished last week (except for some key hooks and stain).
This involved replacing a old fire door with an oak ledged door and antique style hinges and latches, removing all the old units and replacing with some solid pine ones, I didn't make these but fitted them and I made the corner unit to match, as well as another cupboard door on a different unit. I persuaded the customer to go for a granite worktop as its in a high traffic area and it wasn't much more than a long lenght of chipboard worktop, but it looks a hundred times better! For this I made the template for the granite company to save the customer money and speed the process along.

door made on site to match the others

Corner unit made on site to fit the space available

New Utility units with granite worktop

Key holder, letter tray and coat hooks, all lovely oak, yet to have finish applied

New Oak Door fitted with antique style hinges (not sure why it keeps loading this way round!)

Antique brass bell sourced and mounted on a oak plinth as the finishing touch

I also made a few accessories, like the brass bell plinth outside and the key holder (hooks to be fitted), letter tray and coat hooks. I should have taken more before photos but i think it all looks quite posh now!

The Woodworker and Art Craftsman

My wife's 30th birthday today so as a treat I took the day off and we went to the other side of the county to look at books in Hay-On-Wye.

We both love books so this is a perfect day out for us, topped off with a pub lunch and cakes by the river in the sunshine.

I did manage to buy a few nice books, two carpentry and joinery books that were from the old city and guilds carpentry course (I know this as the man I did my apprenticeship with lent them to me many years ago). As well as this a rather nice "The Woodworker" annual from 1915 for £6.

Lots of interesting projects and write ups to read. In fact its just interesting see the kind of projects they were doing then and the techniques they were using - A lot less screws and nails and a lot more joints.

A selection of projects include:

• A Handsome Window Jardiniere
• Garden Seats Of Roman Design
• Smoker's Cabinet
• Parlour Cabinet Bookcase
• A Household Cycle Stand

And many more gems. Also some good how-to articles on woodcarving.

I'll enjoy reading this!

Wet Room Part 2

I thought I'd add a few photos of the completed wet room as I've been meaning to put them on for a while.

Completed room



Shower



Floor to the wet room with the floor falling four ways to give proper drainage



New window fitted



Antique lock sourced and fitted to blend with current features

 The tiles were travertine, not the nicest to use as they have to be sealed so many times, but they do give the room a really warm feeling and they feel good under foot.
Although this wasn't a massive room there was a lot of work in it and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The customer seems chuffed to bits with it and it's fits in nicely with the rest of their home.

Working In A Rural Area

I'm a bumpkin and I love working in rural areas, and this weeks been no exception.

It did make me smile when I went in to a local builders merchants to buy some scalpings (a type of stone) today and I asked if they sold it in little bags

"Nope only by the ton" said the old chap behind the counter

"Nothing smaller?" 

"We could sell you a tractor bucket full"

The old builders yard, smack in the middle of this little town

I knew then this was my kind of place!

In the end they sold it to me by the bag so long as I filled them myself. I had five bags full, but just like the old fashioned place it is they lent me the shovel and no one checked on me when I was finished, just help yourself and they trust you to do the right thing.

Filling bags myself

Places like this make can make you feel like you're in a time long forgot - and I love it. Much nicer than going to a multinational chain store.

A Woodturning Workshop

The last couple of days have been a nice change from the wet room and other projects to help a fellow pupil from wood turning classes build his workshop.

Removing the bricks from an old pond was easily the hardest part of the job, over two hours with a kango - some of the hardest mortar I've ever encountered!

As this was a log cabin style workshop kit, once we'd got the base in the frame went up quite fast - it just slots together, although the instructions weren't that clear!

By the end of the second day (most of the first was spent sorting out the base and getting the frame half up) We'd managed to get it water proof (minus the doors) and I'd made a start on fixing the singles to the roof.

The shed kit seems good quality, built out of thick timber with lots of insulation it will be a great place for Paul to spend evenings wood turning and with my workshop-less situation I'm quite jealous of all that space he's got to fill.