Then we started digging out the floor . . .There was a 6 inch layer of concrete throughout . . so we bought an electric hammer chisel and smashed through it in no time.  Gave ourselves a pat on the back a steeled ourselves for a day of bagging it all up, hoyking it all to the boot of our car and disposing of it a the local recycling centre . . .

We started chipping away the bottom 100cm of plaster from all bottom floor rooms in preparation for the tanking and were chuffed to bits to find a couple of open fireplaces with large yorkshire stone lintels emerge.  

The old plaster was in a pretty poor condition so came off quite easily (lots of horse hair in there) and the brick's underneath seemed to be holding some damp which began drying out in front of our eyes as soon as it was rid of the plaster.  We began to toy with the idea of getting rid of all the old plaster from the inside of the house so that the whole carcass could breathe and completely dry out; it would also give us the opportunity to repair any hidden damaged brickwork and re-plaster a blank canvas.

The silicone injected damp proofing had caused more problems than it had solved for sure . . .

One of the clauses in our mortgage agreement was that we had to have a modern day damp course installed.    Easy enough right?     Lets reduce the cost by digging out the old floor ourselves and then get a firm in to give us a quote.  I mean how hard can it be? 

So, like every self builder out there, we spent hours googling it and came up with a plan.  We'll remove the bottom 100 cm of plaster from all of the down stairs walls, dig out all floors until we hit the footings/foundations, get new damp course fitted and tank the bottom 100cm of each wall. 

Easy!   So first tools bought were a hammer and chisel.  We were good to go . . 

 

First up were the carpets and the tiled floor. . . . 

   

We knew there had been a history of damp and that the previous owner had had silicone injected into the bottom of the walls to treat it.  The carpets were dry, along with the tiles underneath, so it was a surprise to find quite a bit of damp under the tiles.  An evening with google determined that the silicone had prevented the house from breathing causing condensation to collect.  We breathed a sigh of relief and carried on . . .

My husbands job took us around the world.  We spent a short period of this time living in Yorkshire, England and decided we liked it and wanted to stay.   So 5 years ago we stumbled across this beautiful little cottage during it's pre-auction open day.   As soon as we stepped in through the front door it felt like we were home;  like she had been waiting for us.    

And so the journey began . . . We were now ownners of a beautiful cottage, 200 ft riverbank and have riperian rights to 200 ft of the river she's sat on.  

We think she was built around 1880.  She used to be attatched to a mill which was used to make soap.   Boats used to dock there and ferry supplies.  

What about the flood risk? (we get asked this question A LOT!)  

We are hoping that the fact she hasn't flooded, like ever, is a good omen.  But aren't ruling out that it could happen so will be getting flood defences in place once we have researched cost eeeeekkkkkk!