Bonnevaux

Yesterday I managed to complete the sarking all the way to the top and above the dormer. This is a mixed blessing. Whilst half the building is water tight, the dormer is almost impossible to tarp if there’s a wind.

The wind picked up, and down came the rain. Spent 2 hours trying to make the best of the sheets with little effect. Used the large poly sheet on the floor as a last resort. It rained all night.

Ballons

This morning is still wet. A HUGE ball of water formed in the tarp, but it’s not a disaster. Just a bit wet in the kitchen.

Here’s a quick tour of a wet Bonnevaux

The Enemy With Wind

We just need a little sun. 8 more rafters and I can seal the dormer.

Yesterday was our tin (10th) wedding anniversary (tin roof). So in the evening, under blue skies, we went to Abondance for a meal. Seated outside the Abbey Hotel we enjoyed a great meal.

As the evening drew in I could see a darkness in the distance. In fact I could smell the rain. Back to the house and up on the roof I sheeted down as best as I could and we went to bed. The night air was too warm. A storm was inevitable.

Back on the roof at around 1:30am the wind was ripping the tarps up and they were blowing back over the ridge. I hadn’t battened down as I couldn’t make so much noise in the late evening. Now we were in trouble. We could see lightening and the wind was whipping up more. Spots of rain followed.

Fortunately the wind dropped for a bit. In the lull, using the small battens and the cordless screwdriver I worked my way across the roof, battening down. Within an hour we were secure(ish). 3:30am and back to bed.

This morning the rain came down. The late night work had paid off. The wind played havoc and water dripped in. However within an hour the wind dropped leaving just the pouring rain. Bits of wood and buckets arranged and we’re dry. Breakfast.

Peter and I spent the morning rechecking everything and fixing the other big post. After lots of careful measuring the final cut is made. Again it forms an exact pitch on the dormer as per the main roof. All looks to be within 20mm or so.

I took Peter to Thonon to catch a bus to GVA and then the plane home. Just me now. Finished the first valley rafter. Went out for supper (10th wedding anniversary). The boys ran around the out door dinning area. Great food. Came home and felt the need to sheet up in the dark as the clouds drew in.

Yesterday (25th) was spent resetting and rechecking the dormer beam positions and planning the valley rafters and jacks. We soon realise that the earlier plan was incorrect and the layout needs to be worked out from the apex of the dormer valleys. We need to get the valley rafters at 45 degs and at the same pitch as the roof. We need to ensure the dormer pitch is the same as the main roof.

Like all advanced engineering projects string and cardboard is the way forward.

24th August

With the storm over we hope to make some progress again. The weather looks uncertain and we now have a new enemy: the wind.

Our sheeting which, held most of the water out, is being pulled off the roof. Even battened down sections come away. We secure what we can and gamble on the rain staying away. But soon confidence fails and we start sheeting down again. This wastes hours.

Setting Sail

The next concern is the sarking board. What if the wind got under it. We add the roofing felt to the T&G at the bottom and brake out the nail gun to add the counter battens to secure the sark once and for all.

The evening brings calm and clear skies. We make real progress with the sarking stopping only when the moon light is not sufficient to see by.

A Full Moon

Monday night was a bit of a disaster. Early evening the clouds were alive with lightening. Peter said it was only sheet lightening and might not come to much. His words were a cue for the fork lightening.

We had spent a good part of the day battening down the sheets so we thought we were in good shape. When the first flood hit we patched the tarps with bits of wood to direct the water. Where the sarking (homatherm) line was, balloons of water formed with 5 to 10 liters each. The thunder and lightening cracked over head and the water poured in through a gap near one of the new dormer posts where is was impossible to tarp properly.

The first storm subsided. We needed to rearrange the battens holding up the dormer ridge so we could get the tarp further over. Monika was downstairs mopping up the brown water.

The second storm hit. I had to get Peter out of bed to help. Again the water formed balloons and we attended each leak and gap. We arranged the polythene sheet over the floor to catch as much as possible. Monika had every bucket under the drips downstairs. The boys slept.

Through the night I had to attend to the leaks as each storm hit. The last deluge was around 3:30 am. Eventually it calmed down. We all had a lie in.

Roofing in August. What ever next?

The team has departed and Peter and I are left working on the sarking. First job to the sheet down and the weather looks bad.

After making placing the cross bar and upright pin for the dormer, we need to cut the big old beam from the porch to make two large posts.

The sarking begins with T&G.

The 21st was a big day. With a big hole to fill and the dormer to build we needed to push on from dawn till dusk …. none shall sleep.

We have a big hole and the huge beam down ready to be cut to form new posts at the from of the dormer.

The amount of food being consumed is equal to the work.