Wales - The Mill

 For those who have been reading this blog for a while, you may recall my previous visit to Chris and Chris and the mill (dilapidated ruin) that they had purchased to renovate. That was in April 2018. More pictures can be found on the blog (the last of the Wales posts for that year).

This is what it looked like then

Since then there have been inspections for bats (none were found), sale of the previous house, living in a quickly built "shed" in the field behind, son Ben helping re-slate the roof and re-point the stone, changing decisions (underfloor insulation materials, locations of rooms), plumbing, electrical, energy generating systems (solar and water turbine), sandblasting, whitewashing, construction of custom windows and so much moving of stone and dirt.

Chris and Chris actually moved in to the ground floor in August and last week set up a bedroom for me in the unfinished second floor (it did have windows, curtains and a quickly installed staircase to replace the previous ladder).

It looks fabulous now. The postman stopped to commend them on their work, while I was there.

The back was buried in rubble and now has a nearly completed south facing patio

and terraces up the bank with the creek beside. The second level will hold the clothes line and Christine has plans for flowers cascading over and climbing the walls. The waterfall at the back of this picture ran the first turbine installed to generate electricity but it proved insufficient for the underfloor heating.

The weir has been resurrected and now feeds a turbine to power the house. It will be edged with rocks and probably fenced (to stop the grandchildren from playing in it)

This machine has been indispensable.

Most of the back had to be resurrected from rubble and they were able to put new, double glazed windows in, but some of the windows were still intact and had to be left. Some had the metal frame remaining and Chris built custom windows to fit the opening (single panes of glass). This results in lots of condensation. Light also comes in from skylights in the roof (funny some of the things they were allowed to do, while other practical solutions were not permitted) and old trapdoors are covered with glass to help light the lower levels.

There is need for a constantly running dehumidifier. Moisture has impacted the renovation in many ways. The mill was open to the elements (caved in roof) for decades and is still in the process of drying out. Christine whitewashed the walls (10 coats), so the walls can "breathe". The underfloor heating and wood burning stove prevent it from feeling damp and continue the drying out of the stone and mortar.

All the inner workings of the mill had to remain. Christine took a wire brush to all the metal

and then oiled it all to protect it. This lot was at one end of my bedroom. In some places you really have to watch your head. There are various mill stones on each level and they have found parts of more in the rubble outside. The mill was used for barley, for beer, with the section on the second floor at the back being used to dry it before grinding. That area will be a second bedroom with an on suite, eventually.

The main floor is complete with a kitchen at one end, dining table and then a living room before you get to the mill workings at the other end. Behind is the bedroom and bathroom. When the lounge is finished on the second floor some of the furniture will be moved upstairs and the kitchen will be enlarged. They were allowed to use some new wood for missing roof trusses and rotten floorboards but as much as possible must use rustic materials. When reinstalling the old ladder to the second story, Chris used a couple of trees from their woods, bark still on, and an old ladder for a hand rail.

Originally Chris intended to get the old mill wheel working and use that to help power the house but has since installed a new turbine in the weir and is not going with the original plan.

On one side is an old stone shed (that the neighbours have submitted for planning permission)

On the other the renovated mill cottage.

The little stream splits above the mill, part going down the weir and part on the opposite side, sometimes there is a waterfall from Chris' initial turbine structure.

Although he thought he would like it, Chris says the constant water noise is sometimes annoying.