This week had a tense start – Tuesday was our deadline for getting all three air source heat pumps installed and commissioned. The two for the shippon properties had been finished last week but the third one – for our three-bed barn – is a bit more complicated as it’s being hung on the wall of the garage building and attaching via underground pipes. The rest of the heating system was in place, and the wall had been marked up on Friday but that was it. So Monday saw our builders, plumbers and electricians all working hard to get the brackets and then the heat pump on the wall, connect it up and then commission it, taking turns in the small outbuilding where all the equipment is installed to get their respective responsibilities finished. There’s nothing like a deadline to get things done!!
This was followed by our monthly site meeting on Tuesday, going through latest progress and what’s left to do. The particular focus this week was the new programme timeline, taking us from now until the end of the build. It’s not been the easiest of builds – trying to manage work across 4 buildings, listed building permissions and lengthy council approval timelines, seemingly the wettest year since we moved in, and a number of major jobs taking a lot longer than expected (namely the stonework to our new garage/communal building, which blocked access to the back of the site). So an understandable delay (now 6 months after our original finish date) but not easy given that means incurring extra cost and losing booking income. We’re expecting to need another month or so once the build has finished to move and get the farmhouse ready for renting – if everything lines up then we should be open in enough time for summer bookings….
The main job this week for our builders was continuing with more external works. They filled in soil around the spaceship (our sewage treatment plant) and have tried to level the ground for our new back garden. Previously there used to be a dip down to a stream that took rainwater through the site and out into the external drainage, so it’ll be much better when it’s flatter. Now it looks more level but is a complete mud bath – it’s not been a great week for external work because of the amount of rain we’ve had.
It hasn’t helped matters that our builders have also been digging up some of the old concrete to bury our attenuation crates, creating even more mud. The crates are designed to help drainage in times of excessive rain – the drains around the site take rainwater down into the attenuation crates, which then hold it and let it slowly seep away into the soil over time, instead of allowing it to collect on the ground and cause flooding. The number of crates we have is crazy – there’s a huge stack of them in the courtyard. We’ve already had several lorries take away the concrete on Thursday – soon it looks like there’ll be a pile of soil to take away too!
Work inside is progressing – the plumbers started installing the bathroom which looks nearly complete now, and the worktop company came and measured up for both the kitchen and our ensuite. The kitchen is going to be particularly difficult as it’s going up against the irregular stone wall, so the company measured each stone with a fancy laser device to ensure it fits.
We managed to get half a day outside at the weekend before the rain came, and made a start pruning our orchard trees. When we moved in, they were almost all diseased with canker – over the last 3 years we’ve cut back the worst affected areas and it looks like they’re starting to improve. We managed to prune 6 before the rain – a couple were barely diseased at all and so we managed to prune them into shape instead of just removing the diseased areas (you’re not supposed to cut off more than a fifth of the tree’s canopy in one year or the tree goes into shock and starts growing excessively, which defeats the purpose of pruning). You can really tell when the trees are healthy because the harvest is much better quality. For example, last year half of our quinces rotted on the tree – we think because of excess rain and lack of space – so this year we took a huge central branch out to open the tree up and get more air in.
It’s very timely as this week we finished our final batch of produce from the orchard – apple chutney (we have one tree that produces apples late in the season and they keep really well). That makes this year’s total 272 jars – with 129 chutney, 89 jam and 54 jelly. Hopefully we’ll be able to sell most of them to raise a bit of extra cash and spread a little taste of Devon!
We then spent Sunday working in the spare bedroom in our new house – priming it and sanding and cleaning the beams. We definitely left the worst beams till last – there are two in this room, both with lots of green algae on and one with white and black mould as well. It took a few hours but they both look so much better now. We didn’t finish the priming around the beams as we need to cover them to catch any drips, but we also need to let them dry out before covering them. It’s the last bit of priming to do in this house (other than the architraves and skirting boards once they’re installed) so we’re keen to get it finished!
Ley Farm Cottages 
Where do you find the energy? Well done for getting the heat pumps installed by the deadline. You will have a fun challenge with the garden.
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