First pass at securing the attic items

As secure as it’s gonna get

Before the holding in place operation I couldn’t resist trying to give a little more differentiation in colour and shape in the modern version of the old style electric fire
Has more of a look of a raised tartan plaid don’t you think 🙂

The biggest challenge is securing the little wardrobe with all its top-heavy items.
Using fixing wax the stack is piled with a little added support from a length of card running up the back of most of it and finished off with a green tinged, grubby drop-cloth which is also waxed here and there to all the objects.

General look as though that rag is not green enough but will wait till the ceiling is on. Don’t want it too dark as yet as not sure how much the battery overhead light going in here is going to need the aid of the sheet’s surface to reflect some of its very feeble light.

Waiting on some bits for the bench and now working on the doorway and landing – well tomorrow or the next day perhaps.

 

 

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Ah, attics and workrooms

I love ’em

1950s UK

At least until I have to sort them out, but building the odd one is proving to be great fun.  I recommend it as gentle entertainment for a rainy day.

Trying out items being stored and mostly keeping them away from those very damp walls. Need to do something about the electric heater on the wardrobe as it looks from here as though it is on.

Bowls and pans to collect any drips

How do you get up here? A dangerous loft trapdoor in the attic situated right in front of a doorway too.
Accessible from the master bedroom, assuming you have a tall ladder handy.

Have coloured up some bits of the readily available wireless in an attempt to give it life: lightened the speaker area, black felt tipped the knobs and added a small strip of luminous paper and a little yellow chalk hoping to make it look as though it is on.

Calling up memories

This is a period when many folk got in to making their own wireless sets as relaxing and interesting entertainment.  In the first house we lived in one of the attic spaces was given over to this including the cutting off fret panels to adorn speaker openings.  Dad did take a magazine which I think was called Practical Wireless full of diagrams, schematics and instructions.  I can remember, when I was about three or four, being helped up the steep attic steps to see what he was doing, and to keep me from under Mum’s feet.  I could barely see anything on the workbench at all from down at two foot something level but do remember having bakelite earphones put near my head so I could hear what was being received.  I spent so many hours in that house sitting cross-legged in the middle of the kitchen/living room floor looking up at the wireless in the same way we’d look at a screen now.  The cabinet was large and also sitting on the floor between the back door and the window.  Probably listening to Listen with Mother or Workers’ Playtime.

A spot of dodgy wiring and trailing cable but the under-bench electric fire should drive off a little of the damp and you have a some ‘in attic’ entertainment too.
Forgotten to add the light switch but should remember when it comes to hanging a light 😉

The slice of what is now a layer cake as it stands at the moment

Next job is working out how to secure all the piled items in the hope that they’ll stay put when the slice of house is manoeuvred around.  Lots of wax and possibly a little extra cheating here and there across the hidden backs of the individual piles of goodies, perhaps.

 

 

A spot of decorating for a change

Using the throw it at the wall and see if sticks method

In the attics there are two spaces that have a wall to the outside – in fact it’s where next door ought to be.
Definitely a cause of penetrating and adventitious damp (possibly cold running water?)

I wonder how far this water is going to descend.

Hesitantly trying out the ‘lid’ on the room. There are beams to be added yet supporting that lining board beneath the tiles.
Some of that end wall is probably an odds and ends storage with a bit of furniture thrown in for good measure, I would imagine.

Taking a running stab at it wins out over the maths

On your marks …

When it comes to sharing recent ‘learning experiences’ in the land of the mini, I know I tend to go off the deep end and splash about a good deal about the problems.  So imagine me at this very moment as I desperately hold myself back from diving in once more.

The front roof slope over the bay
(Sounds as though there must be a song in that)

Since reaching the bedroom level of the build, I’ve been worriting away at how to go about the roof, its slope, and particularly the fancy triangle over the bay window area.  Got out protractor, rulers, gauges, you name it I tried it and found each attempt based on the results was a disaster.  I couldn’t get the triangle to fit adequately in any shape or form into the general roof slope.

The triangle, its base sitting square to the front edge, has to have its angled sides fitted down and square to the side edges which protrude outwards to match the bay, while their long edge still needs to be set against the edges of the triangle.  The side pieces meet in a horizontal peak parallel with the ground.

I couldn’t get any two elements to work at the same time.
Enough said.

Started again

With the front roof section now cut to allow the slice of house freedom to move, here we have what passes as a done deal alongside an image I’m trying to work from. Now if I can get the glues etc to hold as well as the masking tape does, we should be OK 😉

Horrid and huge white slope so far

Trying out a bit of colour to see if it makes for a more optimistic sight. Certainly looks a little better from down at almost street level

Ended up making the triangle stand by itself on a wooden skeleton underneath it, sloped more or less at the correct angle and with the base of the side sections firmly held out to reach the edge of the bay shaping, making their angle to the triangle way over 90°.  Then I bullied the slope to take it and taped it down.
Three different slopes have been cut to achieve something as near as possible as it’s going to get, would you believe?  I think the rest of the mess can be disguised under tiling and leading thank goodness.