Of all the months spanned by this project, December was the one where the most dramatic changes were seen.
First of all, Ian and Phil fitted the windows and doors which had been assembled, glazed and painted in the workshop. This gave an instant, "finished" look to the outside of the barn and once again drew very favourable comments from neighbours, visitors and passers-by!
On the inside, a race against time was under way as Pete and the lads boarded out the walls ready for plastering. Pete had organised for the plasterer, John Burrows (01538 300521), to start in the first week of January and, being one of the most sought after plasterers in the area, there was no way this deadline could be missed. The guys worked furiously to get the job done, their work made much harder by the fact that none of the barn walls were true and therefore required battening and that the plasterboard was foam backed to meet the building regulations' thermal targets.
By Christmas Eve the boarding out was complete and the interior transformed into something like a habitable space. What a treat for everyone that it was now weatherproof given the plunging temperatures and copious snow!
