Out on the islands we have started on our winter work programme. I am delighted that at long last the roof on our house has been re-newed. The old roof was in an appalling state and it was not uncommon to hear drip, drip, drip on the kitchen ceiling. The tin was purchased cut to the required length so it has not been a big job. It took 2 days to take off and replace the entire roof. This would have been even quicker but for one morning of too much wind to work with the tin. The only work left to do is the end barge boards and put up new guttering. I'm sure anywhere else this house would probably have been condemned. Slowly we are getting it up to standard. It has now been completely re-wired, re-plumbed, had a new bathroom fitted complete with double glazing and insulation and now a new roof. On the way we have 2 very large double glazed windows for the living area and a new fitted kitchen. The new windows will be fitted this winter but the kitchen will not be fitted until next winter. There is so much to do and I look forward to the day when I get up in the morning at this time of year and my bedroom doesn't smell damp. It's a few years away yet I think. This house had been vacant for many, many years as there was only one family living on the islands previous to us. The poor wool prices throughout the 90's resulted in very little maintenance being carried out on the majority of farms because the money was just not available to do
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any more then the bare necessities. The fact that the house was not in use would have made it a low priority. Fortunately the house that Shaun and Tanya live in, which was the family home of the previous owners was well maintained.
Shaun is now working on contract putting up fencing. He is erecting a 2 kilometre fence to split the Sand Grass camp. This is a massive camp but the ewes all feed at one end on the greens and in one large green valley leaving a huge amount of land under utilized.
Tanya and I have been busy crab processing. In the last week and a bit we have processed approx. 1000 crab.
At last I have finished my accounts for 2012 and they are now ready to go to the accountants.
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| Shaun removing the old tin |
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| Surprisingly despite the leaks the paper and the rough boarding underneath were in good condition. |
any more then the bare necessities. The fact that the house was not in use would have made it a low priority. Fortunately the house that Shaun and Tanya live in, which was the family home of the previous owners was well maintained. 
You are welcome to the Winter. We are still having some snowfalling here but the most of the Winter accumulation is gone. In fact, some areas are having flooding. This years we had a more normal Winter after several years of milder Winter weather. The snow load tore the roof off my front veranda. It is all lying on the ground. It also collapsed a large part of my shed.
ReplyDeleteA good tin roof should last you many years. You always see so busy.
IS there not a better material for the roofs than sink?
ReplyDeleteJAcques Shepperson
The new roof is not zinc. The old roof was corrugated iron and the new one is plastisol coated tin. Unlike the old roof the plastisol is already coloured and will it will not require painting.
ReplyDeleteDo y'all do all the work yourself, or is there help from neighbors?
ReplyDeleteWe do the majority of work ourselves. We have no neighbours on the islands but we do sometimes employ casual labour from Stanley when we need extra help. To fly someone from Stanley to Speedwell and back to Stanley costs us £134.00 return so we only bring extra labour on if we really need it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply. I do have a few other questions. Is there an income tax there? And, what currency do you use there?
ReplyDeleteHi, I know it's a long time since you posted this but in case you are still reading my blog here are the answers to your questions.
DeleteYes we do pay income tax. We have our own currency but it's value is the same as sterling and we accept payment in the islands of sterling, dollars and euros
Listing all the problems that needed repairs sounds tiring. But starting with the most important ones then moving with the rest one step at a time will lessen your stress. I'm pleased to hear that you've listed how things would go in your house renovation. I wish you the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteSoo @ Willi Roofing Services
I'm glad to hear that things have been working out for the house. Though a slow progress, at least problems are being addressed. Especially the roof. What good are other renovations when they would be damaged by the water coming from the roof come wet season? It's been months now, so I am hoping that you've accomplished more renovations by now and that the house is getting back to its former glory.
ReplyDeleteBrook @ Central Roofing
Hello Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your blog while doing some research. Reading about your way of life has been fascinating.
I run a popular travel blog in Toronto, Canada and this fall I am doing a series on Remote Island living. I wondered if you might be interested in being interviewed about your life there. It's a series of 10 questions that I am posing to all the participants. And of course I can provide links to your blog at the end of the post.
Let me know if this sounds interesting and I will get in touch with more info.
All the best,
Una
Lets-Get-Lost.com
Hi Una,
DeleteI e-mailed you but have had no reply. Yes I/we would be interested.
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