In the meantime

Please don't think that is all they have been doing. Other less glamorous however equally important work has been going on for example the drains from the downstairs bog, floor levelling, apertures and demolition. So sit back and guess which picture refers to which activity. Check the caption if you are confused I am sure you will really enjoy this part of the....

Aperture for an arch

The Chimney,  and a cunning lash up to channel water to the deposit, whao!!

That's is where in time it will go,  gobbled by the grey carpet snake

Another ring beam this time in the floor to prepare the level

Other side of the beam

Moonlighting

Night Finish

The usual tiles, gutter tiles and more tiles.....

 

Section 2 finished and just in time for tea

Section 2 finished. 

Pointing on new and existing stone work also its 18th November. 

Jordi an integral part of the team suffered from a swimming accident on the 17th of September and had to have an engine transplant and I believe is soon to be  back on the road ready to do battle in Catalunya's hinterland.

Yes more curved tiles

The tiles have been sealed from above with a concentrated cement wash and a steel chassis has been put in place to prepare the section to be concreted. 

Crosby, Steel ....

Two 16mm steel bars run the length of each beam and on top of that a mesh of steel of lighter gauge will distribute the load across and down to the ring beam sections for this whole of this roof section.

2 types of concrete are used to fabricate the slab.  One type is firstly placed on top of the beams essentially covering the wood and  uses ·arlita·, sintered stone light weight pellets to reduce the weight and load on the beams. 

The roof is then covered with conventional gravel based concrete which is used to cover the roof and prepare the base to receive the roof tiles.

How it all gets up there in true Egyptian fashion

 

Under the covers

 

Roof kit

Outside looking in

This shows pretty well how the roof is formed from the "kit" of curved tiles and machined beams. The roof kit people

I hope you are able to noticed that they have not been machine finished but have been finished with by axe. There is a slightly wavy look to them which gives them a more "distressed" look and they should not look too out of place compared to their original or salvaged peers. 

 

The curved tiles are slotted into the beams and sit on what is called la galza, an indent machined away from the beam on both sides to support the tile.

Inside looking out

 

Beams and Ring beams

 

That is part of a ring beam or armadura, it is a custom built concrete beam. There will be one on each wall of this section and they will be tied into the gable wall and the last secttion. 

The ring beams purpose is to support the beams and distribute the load also as a window is planned to be placed directly below one of the beams it will add support to the wall where the window aperture will be. Also a very good idea when state of the walls is not all that it should. Something often found in very old buildings.

End of part 1

Main section completed

That seems to be it apart from the top of the chimney. The roof of the main house is now completely finished and the next section is being prepared for it's face lift, more like transplant. 

This section is about 30mts square and will be constructed using new beams which have been finished with grooves on each side to receive curved ceramic ceiling tiles called revoltons. The material is more expensive than using reclaimed beams and flat ceiling tiles like those used in the roof of the house but the advantage is the interior is finished once in place and will not require plastering. 

Swings and roundabouts or tiles or revoltons.

Roof details

 

More roof getting boring

The roof is progressing nicely, those upside down channels are a "tartugas" which are guttering tiles. 

 

A series of these are joined together to make the guttering. This is very laborious as every row of tiles has to start with one of these things and the rest then follow so they can't exactly whiz along which would be the ...case where more conventional guttering employed as it would be added after the roof is finished. Anyway it looks great and is in keeping with what was traditionally used. This bit is more important than you can imagine as all the rain water will be channelled to the deposit, el aljibe, which is where the rain water is stored for future use.

Guttering, tartugas sounds better

The tartugas are new, made in a local terra cotta factory using traditional methods. Original pieces were salvaged of the roof when they took it apart and will be used in other roof sections as there are quite a few.

Gable end

 These are the original ones salvaged from the existing roof.

Original guttering tiles and a shadow shot of the photographer