ID – The structure of the roof sounds similar to our building with the exception that we have a pyramid shaped roof (and a second attic floor).
If I understood you correctly, the roof rests on the walls of the structure and therefore doesn’t need the typical cross beams that a house will use to support the weight of the roof. You do have beams that support the conical shape, but it seems that the principle is similar (or not? )
We have the same thing you described in the attic- the clay tiles rest on small wooden pieces (2 x 4’s perhaps, but I am no engineer)… which are nailed to the main outer frame. There is no insulation, so when the downstairs (second floor or anywhere else for that matter) has poor insulation, the warmth rises quickly up and out of the house. Our house would probably look like it was emitting a huge red cloud on an infra-red scanner to test for tightness of insulation.
We also have the ‘thick’ walls here. Wonderful in the summer to keep things cool without air conditioning or a fan- but the cold stays in, so on cooler days, warmer clothing is necessary.
We also have limitations on what we can do to the house because of State-Historic preservation. Still, things have been done (including removing the barn that was attached to the north side of the house and turning it 90 ° to be parallel to rather than perpendicular with the house. This brought much needed light into (and windows on) the north side. But this is also the side that has the fewest insulated (and therefore useable) rooms.
We have a lot of work ahead of us…
Vison - that sounds like a LOT of waxing, especially if the pieces are big and numerous (But… it would be great for flabby arm muscles
)
The freezing of pieces to rid them of woodworm would be good if they were easier to move, but unfortunately this is not the case. For smaller pieces this would be idea, and most likely is the reason some of the wood items were not more decimated than they were.
My favorite program was ‘This Old House’ but that was quite a long while ago. I love looking through magazines and books that have ideas for renovation and restoration, or redecoration (when time allows).
Okay, so as to the pictures (sorry, house pictures come first- must load the ‘old finds’ pictures still)
Second floor landing, looking downstairs to back door. Down the hallway is the entry to the split level ‘newer addition’ of the house.
Doorway to split level (the white stuff is Styrofoam for insulation.. ) The open door looks out onto a balcony that is unusable at the moment, as one cannot stand up straight except next to the outer wall. We will be lifting the roof to make it usable, as well as installing some safety features (railings of some sort). The cats, mice, wasps and weasels like it well enough!
Doorway to our most recent ‘cleaning out effort’. The frame reaches the top of my head. No electricity or insulation in this room. It has not been used for 30 + years. The anteroom is not insulated as well.
Repaired (albeit, temporarily) damage from the previous house owner. Water was allowed to run into the room from the roof, damaging one of the support beams that carries the weight of the roof. This was totally rotted and had to be cut and replaced in part. Just above this piece one can see the cracks open to the roof outside. The ceiling in this room is covered with corrugated cardboard to keep (most of ) the dust and dirt from falling through.
A look into the room- left and right sides: The size is a bit distorted, but you get the idea.
The chink in the far left corner gives one a view of the outside. My husband used to play in this room (his hobby train set), and at that time it just had a lightbulb attached to wires hanging from the ceiling. That has been removed (for fire reasons). Under the picture on the far side wall, one can see where a window once was in the fachwerk.
A question-
What exactly are ‘mineral spirits’? (I know in a way what it is, and could easily find it in the US- but to describe what it is to my husband, I am at a loss… the closest I could come to is Turpentine but this is a paint thinner and oil base remover rather….I think…)
A second question-
What do you prefer using: Wax- liquid or solid? Bees wax? (most of the waxes here have bees wax foundation)