Starting work on the opposite wardrobe. As before, I need to build a frame from which to hang the doors. This one is much more complicated as it has a step in it where the door to the en-suite opens, and I also have a sloping ceiling to contend with which, as expected, does not slope evenly and is not level in any direction.
More joinery is required too, this bit is where the whole thing steps in to allow the en-suite door to open. Right now, I am clueless as to the best way to go about this. 
I made a bottom for the right half out of bits of T&G I had left over. Originally, I made it out of a piece of ply I had left over, but managed to cut it too small, and then there wasn't enough left to make it again. I must have forgotten to remember my brother Niels's wise words: "Measure twice, cut once."
The major internal parts have been measured (twice) and cut (all fitted just right) and installed.
On the left, a tall hanging area for ball gowns, wedding dresses etc. On the right, hanging for big girls' blouses (like Lewis Hamilton) with shelf space underneath. The large shelf at the top has no central divider so we can keep a small canoe on it (if we want to).
Once the frame was in place, it was time for the first trial fit of the doors. I got open louvre doors to allow air to circulate so our clothes don't go musty. I bought bi-fold track kits with totally incomprehensible instructions, but in spite of this, the first pair is up (although not fitting very well at this stage)
Both pairs of doors are now fitted, and it is gratifying to see that my measuring for the gap was spot on. Wise words from my brother Niels: "Measure twice, cut once."
This is how they will open, in two pairs folding flat against each other, taking up as little space as possible in what is a very small room.
First job is to bung in a bit of skirting and build the frame for the wardrobe doors to fix on to.
Seen within the frame is one of the doors, and some other materials whose destiny will become clear later.
Being as neither my joinery skills nor my toolbox was up to making really strong and tidy corner joints (which would inevitably get broken anyway during the fitting) some crude but effective engineering was employed.
The main difficulty with all this was the fact that none of the walls was exactly flat or vertical, and the ceiling and floor were neither flat nor horizontal thus requiring much incremental shaving of all parts. In a length of a mere 1.6m, the floor drops over 40mm, and it curves like a banana too. The wood is level, the floor is not. Very not.
After putting in all the poles and planks along the bottom to prevent the chickens from chucking mud all over the paths, I wrapped the electric fence around, with some netting from an old trampoline around the top. I cleared the path all the way round, laid weed barriers and covered with gravel.
A chicken's eye view: Looks like a palace to me.
These blighters lay lovely eggs, but will also trash the greenhouse given half a chance, and make dust baths in the flower beds, as above.
We need somewhere to lock them away when it suits our purposes, and it has been the plan for some considerable time to turn about a third of the top end of the garden where the vegetable beds are into a chicken run, fit for free-range pampered birds like ours.
Its really starting to take shape now, with the surrounding paths dug out giving access all the way around, and covered with old carpet and cut-up dumpy bags as weed barriers. We have a ton of gravel coming on Monday to make the path. Planks have been screwed onto the posts to lessen the amount of soil the chickens chuck out onto our nice gravel paths.
J9 was happy planting all her brassicas. Sorry about the rubbish picture, but the sun was so bright I couldn't see the screen on the camera.
This bee was happy gathering pollen.
And this Moth was particularly exuberant, performing aerobatics right over the garden!
Despite my late night, I was up and at it early this morning, after my porridge and a quick fix of Thunderbirds on the plasma.
Got the last dividing path finished, laid the last few slabs along the back, and made the final raised bed. Now for the chicken run.....
Today was just about as sweaty and dusty as days come. I've got dust in my teeth and everywhere else.
Got the fourth veg bed done though, and lots more bricks cleaned. I am now heading for the shower, and then off to be led astray by that naughty Richard.
It is made partly from bits salvaged from the old one, and partly from mesh that I've been meaning to take down for ages, as it was both in the way and an eyesore. I was busy with my angle grinder lots. It just needs a lid now.
In order to build the chicken run, I first needed to widen the path. For this, I had to clean up loads more bricks. I hate cleaning bricks.
Here's the first fence post for the chicken run. Also, you can see I'm edging the path with some nice stones properly set into mortar. One day I'll think of a less labour-intensive way to do something.
Mixing enough mortar to do this bit made me just about the dustiest, hottest, sweatiest dude this side of the Orion Nebula.
All the dog could do was bask in the sunshine. J9 and AJ are away for a few days so I thought I'd better post my progress each day so they can see I'm not slacking and being led astray by that naughty Richard.
This is he.
Obviously, it would have been in the way while all the work was going on, such as plastering, carpeting and the like, so with much huffing and puffing (after Janine and I had an argument which I lost), we managed somehow to cram it into the bathroom where it stayed for several weeks while we worked on the bedroom.
Despite me specifically telling it not to grow while it was in there, it gained two leaves and about a foot in height. Consequently, the huffing and puffing on the outward journey was as nothing compared to that which took place when we dragged it back to the bedroom this morning.
I spent a lot of time thinking about exactly how the hell I was going to make this tidy and finish it off.
Our pal Tubs (real name Bartholomew, nicknamed Bathtubs, shortened to Tubs) made us a set of beautiful bespoke handrails to stop any drunkards falling down the steps late at night coming home from the pub. I had to work around them as we had them made long before the steps were finished. Here I made some pieces with curved ends for mounting the rails on, glued and clamped them to the steps and screwed to the floor. The skirting is fitted with a bevel cut at the end to fit a piece which will finish it off neatly.
Another piece of wood is cut and moulded with Richard's router which will stick on top. The skirting this side is finished now.
More bits of wood are moulded with the router and cut to trim the sides against the reveal, and some more trim is glued and clamped on to finish the bottom ends.
We decided to paint it to match the skirting, as the wood had joins and bits of filler and grain going in funny directions because of the way the steps are made so it wouldn't have looked so great if we'd left the wood exposed.
The carpet is down and the handrails are finally on. I fixed the wall where it broke up with some very strong render, and it seems to be holding.
Here they are in all their glory. He's brilliant, is Tubs. He bent the twirly bits with his teeth.
All the fuss with the oak was to do with the hearth surround I eventually managed to make. I simply Araldited the corners together and stuck it to the floor with Gripfill. The tiles are oiled and grouted but still without their final beeswax polish.
The stripped and sealed chimney breast and fireplace won't function, but makes a great looking feature. As you can see I've got all the skirting boards back on and painted. The walls are also painted in a shade called "Barley."
The floor is clear and clean ready for the carpet fitters who should be here within an hour or two.
