Our Welsh Journey Bringing The Old Chapel Back to Life

Trip 2: Part 1

Amy and I documented the status of the Chapel, began cleaning, then filling our first skip. Amy worked on the outside while I worked on the inside. The builders will be putting up scaffolding so the exterior parameter needed clearing. There were also loads of scraps blocking the public right of way. The builder needed debris and flaky plaster removed from the inside.

Scraps of burnt wood, insulation, and soot were inside and outside.

Amy's cleared the backyard of all of the scraps and mud. We also filled the first 2 yard skip. We filled it so quickly we got a 4 yard skip for the next 2 days.

The debris I shoveled was a combination of leaves, slate dust, soot, and soil wash out. It was HEAVY! Apparently when slate breaks up it puts off dust, and that dust is very slippery and weighty. I used a snow shovel, push broom, and square-point garden shovel. Each was helpful at different points.

This area needed to be cleared of soot, burnt wood and slate shingles so that the builders have an easier time. They also instructed us to scrape the walls of flaking plaster. They even lent us some tools to do this. The first photo shows the flaking plaster.

I tried to clear some interior soot and scraps on Trip 1, and it was incredibly frustrating! You really need a mask, goggles, and protective gloves to do the job right. It was so humid my glasses would immediately not only fog up, but drip with water. I couldn't wear goggles with my glasses (believe me, I tried), and without the goggles, dust flies through the sides of eyeglasses. I'm grateful Greg was able to do it. Had me considering lasik for a hot minute, but no thanks!

A gap between the stone and the wall keeps moisture from getting into the wood.

The stone exterior is pinned together and incredibly structurally sound. To prevent moisture problems, a house frame is basically installed within the stone structure. It's comprised of a breathable moisture barrier, plywood, and framing. The side effect is lovely, deep windows. I can't wait to reinstall the finishings and decorate. I'm thinking books would be lovely sitting in a window.

We had a choice to make in regards to the roof. We could tear it all down and start over, or we could have an engineer come out and find another solution. It would be a shame to tear it all down, because there were still large portions of undamaged beams, and almost have of the slate tiling was still intact. Our builders have been so great. They coordinated with the engineer to come up with a plan to save as much of the old structure as possible. The damaged sections of the large beams will be cut off, and the steel plate you see will be slid into the existing beams. Our builder also plans to put in a support from the ground up, just to be certain it is safe. Keeping what we can of the beams preserves the history of the chapel, including the fire, and we are glad it is working out so nicely. The builder says it will be a bit tricky making the swap. I hope they are able to get some footage for us!

The key feature we were excited about keeping are the original trusses. Two custom brackets were made to replace the burnt ends.

I am a rule follower and frugal, so I was quite concerned to make sure we didn't exceed our height limit on the skip...the first time. I tetris-ed the debris into the skips to make sure we got the most out of our money. The nice guy who picked up the skip told us people pile them high all the time, so I guess I didn't need to be so meticulous. It is still kind of gratifying to see the space maximized, though.

Continue to Trip 2: Part 2