Imagine a wee one room guest cottage with a working open fireplace using one of those beautiful original grates - it would make for such a cozy evening. Any overnight guest would enjoy that on a cool night, I know I would! Amazing work, as always!
The stonework you revealed in that fireplace is so beautiful. It's a pity if that hideous fire surround was put back permanently. The bare stone is a thousand times better. Great work 👍🏻
Hi and thank you. It will be sanded back to bare wood initially, like the one downstairs but not sure of our plans for after that. Having a mantlepiece is always nice but we agree that the bare stone looks lovely. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
The flued fire is much safer. Carbon monoxide poisoning from open fires was a real thing back in the day, and with our rooms more airtight today, I guess it still can happen. Also you plan to decorate, and there is nothing worse than a smoky fire. I suggest you get a monitor even when you start using the stove.
Hi Ben, slow and steady always wins out (in my humble opinion, but I’m not a handy person at all😂). You and Dawn are doing a great job and I look forward to watching your weekly updates, thanks for your efforts to record your progress. I live in western NSW Australia, we have chilly nights in winter (anything under 20 degrees C is too cold for me), and our summers are in the high 30’s, and occasionally 40 and I’m okay with that. Just thought you might enjoy hearing where some of your viewers are located.😊
Hi John, as always we hope you are well over there and the weather isn't freezing yet. Yes, we are really pleased with it all. You are right, Dawn can do her stuff repointing all around the exposed area and also behind the wooden surround, just in case! Thanks for always joining us John, have a good week :-)
That looks so much better without those side bits. They were obviously put in to make the fireplace smaller so using less fuel i think. Looking good. 😊👍
Hi Jan Yes, we agree completely. Once we could see the sides were just an addition I was happy to break it all out. It also gives the confidence we will need when it comes to the wonky fireplace in our own bedroom. Who knows what we will uncover on that one. The grate is pretty much the same too, so we are expecting the same sort of story. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Ben! Masterful job sir!!! I am looking forward to seeing the job completed and a fire lit in the stove next week. Hope that the delay will not cause you to have too much chill in the air in the bedroom. It should be lovely and warm once it is up and running after it has been completely installed. Looks like the clock just needed a good clean and then will be fine. See you next week and best to Dawn and of course to you! 😊
Fingers crossed the cowl has been put on the top before next weekend, it isn't the cowl which is the actual issue, more the black tape wrapped around the top of the flue pipe where it was pulled up. We have an electric heater in the meantime Cristy so it won't get too chilly. Yes, the clock is sorted, removed the movement from the case, cleaned and then clock oil in the right places. After running it outside the case, it is now back on the wall ticking and chiming as it should. Have a lovely week and thank you as always. (I have passed on my best to Dawn for you) ❤️
Wow, I watched intently while you tackled that fireplace. The more you chipped away at the sides, the better it looked! I couldn't believe it. When you were done it looked like a righteous fireplace instead of hodge podge. Sometimes what was done in the past is not always worth keeping, and this was a good example of just that. With the new stove (which you did a remarkable job on) inside it looks glorious!!! I hope Sean gets there soon so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Hi Bobbie, we hope you are well :-) We are torn. Why? We want to preserve what we can but does that mean preserving or recreating what we saw when we first bought the place or do we restore back to the day the house was built. It is an odd situation. Take the fire grate. There is nothing saying that the house was built, including the nice open fireplace and the roof went on, then two weeks later someone bought home the cast iron grate and fitted it, extra stones and all.... what is original But we are happy we opened it all up to the day it was built :-) Once Dawn has done the repointing and the surround sanded it will look nice. A final plan for the surround, we don't know. I am sure we will hear from Sean soon, he did reply with "OK" to my last message, so that is progress hahahaha. Thank you as always Bobbie :-)
The quick and easy ones never end up being quick and easy! Great work on on the fireplace/stove! You'll be toasty in no time! Also love seeing the look backs on how it was v now!
Oh yes, how we love a quick and easy job Ash. We have all had our share of them have we :-) It is nice for us to see the last year and today videos as it is easy to forget how far you have come even without doing much. Your's is getting very exciting now and we are so happy for you :-) Hopefully the guys will get done ahead of schedule for you. Have a nice week Ash :-)
@thecornerhouseproject I don't know if you kept it off camera but I would have been losing my cool and getting so frustrated with all the little things going wrong with the screws and stuff so fair play for not having a complete meltdown like I would have 😅😂 it's always nice to look back and see the progress, youve bith done so much and put so much into the place im always so impressed! I'm getting very excited to press on now with mine, hopefully jan-feb get the big stuff done and then it'll be all on me to figure the rest out! Hope you both have a great week try stay warm it's going to get cold 🥶🥶🥶
I was really good to be honest and what you saw was how I reacted when the things went wrong. I did refrain from swearing my arse off though hahaha. In the past there are sections of missing footage where I have lost my rag and not recorded but I am getting much better. Maybe it is my age lol. We aren't a million miles away Ash so don't feel you are alone. We think you are brilliant and brave and having the vision means you are more than capable to learn everything you need to as you go. We are living proof of that (and there is always TH-cam) We are loving the new heat in the living room, as are the cats hahaha.
@thecornerhouseproject I would not have your decorum! Id be throwing tools and crying 😂 and I know we're not far off at all, we must do a cuppa once we're all less mental with everything going on!! ♥️
Oh I have punched a hole or two in a door after hitting my head a couple of times in the past, I fall to ground swearing when I stub my toe, I just don't record those parts hahahaha. Yes, 100%. I will get Dawn to message you :-)
WOW what an amazing job you have done on restoring the stove and taking the fireplace back to how it was originally. I hope the hallway isn't to cold without the fire burning. I was thinking that the old grate could be installed into the barn eventually but then it broke and that put paid to that idea. I know how passionate you and Dawn are at trying to restore as much as you can but there comes a point where it just isn't feasible but then finding the original fireplace makes the disappointment a little less that something could not be kept. I hope you are rightly proud of yourself for restoring the fireplaces and making them look so good and I am sure your son will appreciate it when he returns and sees what you have done. I hope you are both keeping well and I am really looking forward to see what you have in store over the next couple of months but whatever it is I will be eagerly awaiting every video. Thank you for sharing your wonderful journey and have a wonderful week Ben and Dawn. Sending much love to you both and the kitty cats xxxx x
Thank you so much Kim, what a lovely message this is. I was really annoyed at myself when the leg broke off as I was thinking more of a planter for it's use. I don't know if epoxy resin will work to put the leg back on but I will try. You are right, we can't save everything, especially when it comes to heating and also the cost of that heating. The open fire was so hungry for fuel and wasn't that giving in return haha. The surround definitely "fits" better with all of the built up stones removed, sadly we will never know how it looked before the grate was fitted. Unlikely it was like the downstairs fireplace as that was the posh room. There is quite a lot to be done over the winter months but I must say we are enjoying a slower pace at the moment :) Thank you as always Kim for watching, commenting and of course being a channel member :) ❤️
We are really pleased with it. It looked a lot smaller outside and we wondered if it would look lost in the fireplace, but no, it is just right. Hopefully the warmth will be just as appealing :-) Thank you for watching and commenting today :-)
We hope so Lizette. Last year wasn't too bad but the electric heaters in the bedrooms and gas heaters cost a lot. Hopefully this winter will be cheaper for us. Thanks for commenting :-)
Ben, my 66 year old husband NEVER has a drill bit over 3mm intact and he's bought dozens over the years 😂 You did a great job with the stove and the ruddy brass screws 👏👏
Well Saudilass I am clearly taking after him, I am running out quickly haha. I need to stock back up. The brass screws were a right pain, the glass cracking a pain but all worth it in the end. I also have a 3 part of a 4 part stud extractor set now too haha. Thank you so much for watching and commenting today :-)
Ben you have such patience, a joy to watch you put the stove together step by step. Feels good knowing that the both of you get to feel warm and cozy in your bedroom for the winter.
Hi Sharon, we hope you are well. I had patience this time haha. It was enjoyable, even with the broken bolts, a learning curve, yet again. Fingers crossed it will just glow away throughout the day and keep it above the 6 degrees it was this time last year in the mornings. Just the heat from the living room below is keeping the bedroom at a steady temperature. We are forecast snow later and -2°C tonight. We have the electric heaters until the stove is running, hopefully soon. Thank you Sharon for being our first and longest channel member and for always joining us on our journey :-)
Oh so is mine I think Joan. It is only a small stove but lugging it around soon makes the aches appear. The workmate was a Christmas present from me to Dawn a few Christmases ago, I think when she was making the benches for the shed lol. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)
It was all going so well..... until it wasn't lol. It was a Dawn and Ben job up the stairs, much easier than struggling on my own. Hope you managed to get the grass cut and had a good weekend. Thanks Mitch ❤️
@thecornerhouseproject got the decking joists down, then rained off since.. it's done nothing but lash ! so had a nice relaxing weekend . chasing the mouse round i caught it on top of the bookshelf earlier swear the little f*****r was waving at me . 4 traps laced with chocolate its not interested !
Peanut butter. He will eat it out the palm of your hand. Well a nice relaxing weekend is always welcome mate. We have done the same really. A bit on the stove Saturday, then since then, editing, a hair cut and now is now :-) See you soon
Great job on the fireplace, it's looking so good!! You remind me of my dad, he was a handy man and tried to everything himself and in turn taught my sister and myself how to do things ourselves. Grateful I had such a great dad like you did.
My dad and Dawn's Dad are and was manual skilled workers and I think passed on their knowledge without actually saying it. There isn't much we won't have a go at ourselves and I think we have to thank our Dad's for that. Have a lovely week and thank you :-)
Our fingers are crossed IrishGranny. Surely it has to be more efficient and give a better heat than the open fire. We will see though. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
I really enjoyed this week getting this done. We have had the stove for months now just sat in the shed waiting, even the head scratching and broken drill bits was worth it in the end. Now it just needs to be finished off and lit. Thanks you for watching and commenting :-)
It is a lovely heat. Nice and dry, odourless, and just gives a warm feel, let alone the actual heat you get. We find we watch the flames in the living room more than watch the TV. Thank you Kaye, we are really pleased with it :-)
Thanks Kathi. It does look cleaner doesn't it. Looks bigger too. Really pleased with how the stove ended up looking. Now it just needs lighting :-) Thanks for watching and commenting Kathi :-)
Well done sofar, Ben. I bet it will be an astonishing fireplace when finished. The firesurround would look much better simply painted black I think. Have a good week! See you next week!
Hi Sherryl Yes, it will all be repointed in time. At the moment it was about getting heat into the bedroom but I am sure in no time Dawn will have it all repointed and looking lovely. Thanks for commenting :-)
You could be right. We are forecast a drop in temperature so this fire and the living room being done should make a huge difference over last winter. Thank you for commenting :-)
It was horrible to "see" all the heat going up the chimney and still be stood in a chilly bedroom. Even with the register plate in place the room is already slightly waymer. Hopefully the stove will be great :-) Thanks Linda for watching and commenting :-)
It is a shame the glass cracked or it would have been bargain of the year I think. Better it broke when it did though and not a Friday night on the coldest weekend in Winter haha. Thank you Sharon for watching and commenting :-)
Ben what a beautiful job you have achieved with the stove.You talk about Dawn having patience do the stonework you have immense patience also with the stove.It appears to have turned out really well .Looking forward to seeing it lighting next weekend. Take care and God Bless you both xx
Aww Colette, he has lots of patience too, we each have patience for different types of things so I suppose that’s why it works out so well for us. It turned out so well and looks so good from it being rusty and a little sad looking. Xx
That's good Trina. We can hear that weir from where we are, it is only about 350m away from us. The lock and surround area is so beautifully kept and the canal, although it runs like a river, it lovely to see, just down the road. We feel very very lucky to be where we are. Pleased with the stove and the fireplace, just a shame it hasn't been lit in place yet. Hopefully soon :-) Thank you Trina for watching and commenting :-)
The reason you broke your drill bits is your equipment. A small drill needs to be in a pillar drill for stability and to get the right drilling speed for the material ... you've got virtually no chance of successfully drilling metal with a tiny drill bit and a hand held variable speed drill. It'll be the best £100 you ever spend when renovating, you can even pop a wire brush in the chuck for detail work on the rusty bits you currently do by hand. I love watching you both learn as you go, keep it up!
Hi and thank you for such a great comment. I have always fancied a drill press. Not sure if to buy a dedicated one or one you put the drill in each time you need to use it. I see your point with it making a big difference and not breaking the small drill bits. I just thought I was heavy handed lol. Maybe I will add it to a wish list very soon. Thank you again for watching and commenting :-)
Re opening the fire hole ( in upstairs fire place ) Likely at some point in the past, the size of the fireplace opening was deliberately restricted ( Likely the wall on the left side needs a little repointing in order to stabilise the brickwork ) 😊 However you now have a suitable space in order to fit a modern ( much more efficient ) enclosed stove / burner.😊 Looking forward to watching how this project goes. Regards John ( in Cheltenham)
Hi John. Thanks for watching and commenting :-) The repointing will all be done, I know a woman who is quite good at it haha and the fire surround will be sanded back to timber like the living room one is at present until we decide on our way forward. A new efficient stove would be lovely but for €145 euro, this one was a steal. It will be more efficient than the open fire and will give more heat into the room thanks to the register place. Maybe in the future an inset stove but it isn't something we have considered. Thanks as always for watching and commenting John :-)
@@thecornerhouseproject Be very careful " oiling " a mechanical clock .. Such device's require very gentle handling Ideally done by a clock restoration expert 😅 ( Whatever you do, if you don't process a suitable working environment, and the necessary knowledge. DONT DISMANTLE the clock mechanism ) With care, ( with the clock mechanism still assembled) it is possible to clean off the old lubricant ( by carefully & literally applying a solvent such as paraffin/ petrol) Then re-lubicate using " Clock Oil " applied with precision only to bearings as required.. If accurate time keeping is required, Recalibration will be necessary following cleaning, or any repair ..
Hi John, thanks for the input. The clock is back on the wall and ticking and striking away nice. A lot of people use WD40 to get the old oil off but leaves a film over everything causing issues in no time, but as you say, petrol works well as does an old tooth brush on a brass mechanism this large. When we moved here, there were two old mantle clocks, neither working and possibly not even all in tact, but I am looking forward to trying to get at least one up and running in the future. There is also an alarm clock from the 60's which only works when it is lay face down. I want to get this working properly too. The best clock I saved, besides my brother in laws West Minster Chime mate clock was a Fusee movement station clock which still had the original, organic, gut line. This was a really interesting clock to fix. Completely different to "normal" clock mechanisms. It sounded lovely. We both love watches and have many between us, we would rather a watch over an expensive holiday and Dawn has a few watch repair kits as well and a lot of ebay job lots of watches. I love clocks and maybe one day, I will own an old Grand Father clock, that will make me very happy. Thanks again for the input.
I can't take any credit for it to be honest Sonia, the idea was Dawn's. My idea was to cut a boring bit of flat steel to height & width, it would have looked terrible in comparison. The grate was just in the shed going rusty from when we realised the open fire in the living room couldn't be used due to leaking smoke upstairs. Thank you so much for watching and commenting :-)
This involved a lot of work!! But I'm glad you got what you needed!! Now the fireplace just needs a bit of finishing inside, and voilá!! My compliments 👏👍!!
I really enjoyed all the different parts for this job, the stone surround, restoring the stove and then fitting it. Now all we need is for it to be lit. Look out for the next video :-) Dawn will work her magic and the repointing will be done. Thanks for watching and commenting Magda :-)
Awww thank you Ellen. I can hear him now... "This Workmate is one of the very first made before they go bought out. It even has it's number in pencil on the bottom" Haha. He was an amazing carpenter and joiner. Mum found his apprenticeship paperwork when she was going through his things from after he left National Service. Love him.
Thanks Sue. It is all a learning curve for us and maybe things going wrong is actually a good thing as we learn how to fix things. Really pleased with the outcome though. Thanks for commenting :-)
The stove looks amazing restored and opening up the fireplace it it’s original size is fabulous, such a huge difference, will be lovely having a fire going in there over the winter 😊
Hi April. It was nice to see the fireplace without the built up sides. We wondered if the small stove would look too small, but it looks just right. Look out for the next video to see if we have it lit yet. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Bit by bit we are getting there. We are really pleased with the outcome of this little job. Lime repointing to be done etc but really pleased. Thanks for watching Alida :-)
I must admit Ben the difference was incredible when I saw the original fireplace opening I thought a stove will look amazing in there. But I was wrong, oh so wrong it looks phenomenal in there!! You've made a great job of the restoration and even overcame the setbacks without any onscreen profanities 😂 I can wait till you also remove that splatter paint that some tastless vandal ruined the surround with 😉 Stay safe folks, see you next week
We wondered if it would be too small for the fireplace, but now (you will see in the next video) the 45° bends are fitted, it fills the space nicely and throws out so much, maybe too much, heat :-) I will get around to removing the paint back to bare wood and we can go from there. Keep it? Expose the stone? We aren't sure yet. Thank you so much Scott for always joining us and having such lovely comments to share with us :-)
Great !!! A whole vlog dedicated to fireplaces!!! Brilliant job the stove looks fantastic. Always thought that was a Georgian fire inset and wasn't originally in your house when it was built. I think the one in the other room is the same.
Dawn said "Clive will like this video" hahahaha. She was right. Look out for the next one as we might even get it with some fire in it. Dawn found the living room surround in an old brochure from the company but I don't know if that grate was in there. You could be right though. We don't know how long after the house was built (or this half of it) it was fitted. Sadly we will never know. I was a bit miffed when I broke the leg off it though. Thank you as always Clive for joining us and commenting :-)
Finished wood stove looks great. The repurposed grate as a log retainer was awesome! Removing screws from old cast iron needs heat, heat and more heat. Heat it with a torch. Just have to be careful not to get brass too hot such that it’s weakened. Even after you’ve broken them off (or broken drills or extractors in them) the heat works wonders breaking the bond between the brass and iron. I’ve done all the things you did many times before I’m forced to go drag out the torch. Just part and parcel to fixing old things.
Thank you so much for all this info Robert. It sounds like, from you and other comments, that I need to buy a blow torch. Something I have never owned. I will put it on my wish list haha. Thank you again for such an in depth, from experience, comment :-)
The log retainer looks like it was always there and it looks like it will last longer than the original, great idea and execution. I think that the fireplace looks far better now with it opened up. 👌
I have to praise Dawn for the log retainer Neuton but it was a brilliant idea as it does, as you say, look like it belongs there. The fireplace is much nicer opened up isn't it, looks much bigger and less tatty than before. Thank you as always :-)
Not as planned is now what we plan for hahaha. It was worth it in the end and when finally lit it will be great. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)
We agree, it looks so much bigger and cleaner. Once it has been repointed and the stove is all finished and lit, it should all look lovely. Thanks for watching and commenting today :-)
I do love my clocks. Although this is a "modern" clock, I love it and a bit of a clean and oil it is ticking and chiming away. I have a cuckoo clock which needs some attention too but that is a lot more fiddly. A grandfather clock is my dream and I think would fit quite well in this house. Thank you very much for your comments :-)
Log retainer - brilliant! 145 Euro for a stove - amazing! Ben, you come up with so many ingenious solutions to the strange and wonderful problems you encounter. It's just (finally) getting chilly here after a horribly *hot* summer, and your stoves look so homely and warm. So much better than last winter when I feared you'd catch flu while in your draughty house and freeze for months. From the little I can see of Lucas's room and the way you decorate your home, it's obvious you are polymaths capable of exploring any problem and finding the right conclusion. You are a fun family. I've been noticing, as the summer progressed, that the two of you are getting muscles on your muscles. Next summer, have people pay to come out for a couple of weeks, give their gym a pass, and work moving stones, chopping wood, and digging in the garden. I'm sure there are plenty of people spending hours lifting weights who can't do what you do. You can sit on the roof and crack the whip.😈 P.S. WHERE'S DAWN? And, I saw no kitties. 😭
Good afternoon to you :-) A "horribly hot summer" we had about 2 weeks of summer and that wasn't too hot lol. Pleased it will be more comfortable for you now. Yes the stove(s) are great. The living room is currently 22°C as I type this, it is 2°C outside with snow due, but currently raining. The new front door fills the gap completely, unlike the previous door with the giant cat flap (AKA massive hole) and I did a draught seal around the frame the other week so draughts from there are gone. Hopefully the bedroom stove will be as successful as the one in the living room. I really enjoyed the work involved with this job. We have an eclectic mix of ornaments as you have noticed lol. We are certainly a lot stronger and fitter than we were 18 months ago, but 18 months ago we didn't have the odd ache here and there, but you are right, it has certainly been a good gym work out thrown in. Dawn is here, ordering quick lime, research, enjoying a bit of a break from the scaffold and helping me this time when I need it.... like carrying a 60kg stove up the stairs :-) Well Alan did grace me with his presence briefly in the bedroom, had a quick look around and walked out again, which was a bit rude but they are taking advantage of the new fire in the living room too, Steve especially. Thank you as always and thank you for being one of our channel members :-)
The fireplace looks great with just the stone. Have you thought of making the entire wall exposed stone? I know it would be a lot more work but it would be beautiful. 😊
Hi ML, how are you this week? It does look nice without the timber surround. We haven't made any plans at the moment of what comes next other than getting the stones repointed. Comments suggest a large chunky mantle, which is something we have already discussed but nothing is set "in stone" excuse the pun! It would all look nice exposed but not sure yet. Never say never though. Thanks as always for being a channel member :-)
They aren't the first and I am sure they won't be the last ones I break. Maybe one day I will learn that the tiny ones are delicate hahaha. Thanks for watching and commenting Zara :-)
Can't wait to see how it looks standing forward, I think that it's a better use of the heat anyway. Now I see you working on my second biggest weakness, old chiming clocks 😁, I battle to walk past any I find that I like. The biggest weakness being chandeliers or old lamps, I just can't help myself sometimes.🫣 Have a great week guys, hugs from Cape Town.❤️
I went down to get the two 45° stove pipes today for the shop to be closed on a Monday, so I will be back again tomorrow. I agree with the heat. Instant heat into the room instead of under the register plate first before coming into the room. I love clocks and we both love watches, we have so many. I have two chiming clocks which were here when we moved, hopefully I can repair at least one of them, there was also a old 1960s alarm clock I am wanting to restore. A grand father clock is my dream clock though. I think Dawn would find it difficult to walk past old lamps. Already we have two wall lamps I need to put up. They will look lovely though. Have a good week too and thank you as always Neuton :-)
Hey Ben and Dawn, could you do something with that fireplace like what Rob and Clare did in their house? I know Dawn would do beautiful work with some lime mortar and stones!! Love you guys! 😊💚
Hi, how are you? It will all get repointed and we may expose the stone without the wooden surround but with a chunky wooden mantle. Now sure yet, but yes. I am sure Dawn will have it looking lovely once repointed. Thank you as always for joining us and commenting :-)
Well done, Ben, on your perseverance. We have all had that type of job that tests our patience, and we wonder whether we are going to come out the other side of it, but you did, and very well done. xxx♥♥♥
Oh it did become a career Rob and I could hear you saying it. It was worth every minute and hopefully very soon we might even get to light it in the bedroom lol. Hope you are both well XXX ❤️
Thank you very much indeed. Yes, Dad was very proud of his early Workmate hahaha. I will bring it over from England at some point in the future :-) Thank You ❤️
Awww thank you Madeleine. Hopefully in a couple of days it will be lit and lovely and warm. That is the downside on us not being able, or currently willing to get on the roof....... the waiting for the guy who will. He will turn up, he is a good'un. Thank you Madeleine for watching and commenting :-)
When I finally saw what the wooden fire surround has a paint effect I was glad it can easily be re done. My Dad did all sorts of finishes on wood work as a carpenter. Some were better than others. I especially hated the dark wood effect that was fashionable in the late 1950s. Luckily white became the look and it took lots of layers of undercoat and gloss to get rid of the dark brown. I love the fireplace and you both have learnt the skills to repoint between the stones. It will be a marvellous fireplace xxxxx❤️🔥
Hi Beverly, thank you for watching and commenting :-) I don't really remember my Dad staining much timber after he had made something but I am sure he did in his time. I would bet money on there being an old old tin of stain in his shed which still has a price sticker on it from about 1980 haha. Yes, looking at this wooden fire surround, it is just the same as the one in the living room, just not as fancy. I am sure the belt sander and detailing sander will be able to get it back to bare wood ready for a new lease of life. I am sure Dawn will have the stones all pointed and looking lovely but the time it is all finished. Thank you again :-)
Love the fireplace guys. It will look stunning repointed...yes it's never over Dawn. Like me, you will be buried with a pointing trowl in hand! 😂 Love catching up and you are both so calming to watch. Ps that log burner is stunning. Love how rustic it is. ❤
We are really pleased with the Stove, lets hope it works as well as we hope it will. Yes, once Dawn has done her repointing bits and we decide on with or without the surround it will look lovely. I am not sure I have the patience for repointing or stone work repair. Hope all is well with you all over there :-)
Multi-fuel stoves are an excellent choice for efficiency and are just as pleasing to the eyes & ears as a completely open Harth.....but my biggest love of a closed stove is its safety aspect. You can always close the door and walk away knowing sparks or logs will not fall out and set the house on fire. You can never really go far from an open fire while it's burning. Love following you guys each week and seeing what you discover (good & bad) in your wonderful house.
You are 100% right and we couldn't agree more. Even with the fireguard in the bedroom, there have been one or two sparks land just on the side of the OSB and left a couple of burns. The stoves are a game changer for safety. It is nice that you join us each week and is really appreciated that you do. Have a good week ahead :-)
It’s so interesting watching you go step by step through the basics. It makes me think of the skills of local builders & for some reason of the earlier people who worked with stone and iron Millenia ago, accumulating the knowledge still in use today. Beneath the modern level. If you see what I mean. Anyway very interesting. Thank you both.
Hi Robyn and thanks for a lovely comment :-) I am sure there are people who watch us doing things slowly and step by step and we drive them mad with little things we deliberate over. BUT, like you, we often think of the time this was built in, the people who built it, the size of the stones, why this was done the way it was and many other things, so we take it slowly, a step at a time and share our findings. We find it really interesting as we go along our journey. We are pleased you find it interesting too and thank you again for watching and commenting :-)
It looks amazing Ben. You really opened up the fireplace. It looks so much better so although it was extra work, I’m kind of glad it didn’t fit. Sorry, that sounds kinda mean. Even though there’s no fire it really shows off your work. Really well done. Take care ✌️🧡♥️🤎
Thank you so much. It would have all been opened up in the end, we just didn't want what should have been a simple job taking so much more time just to get a stove in. I think the demolition was about 5 hours so worth it as it wasn't too much more work. The stove turned out to be the real headache lol. No, I know exactly what you mean, we are pleased too as it is done now. I could have showed the stove in full when I did the small burn but I was going for the big reveal at the end of the video.... sadly, the big reveal didn't happen do to no Sean to get on the roof. Never mind, he will arrive. Thank you so much Dish, as always, for being here and one of our channel members. ❤️
Hi Kate. It is amazing what a quick brush with a wire brush, or a flappy disc on a grinder can do before a nice bit of stove black. Once it is being lit, I will keep applying a thin coat of black so it doesn't look so patchy. Really pleased with how it turned out though. Thank you Kate for watching and commenting today :-)
Love that renovated stove in the original fire place - it was hard, sonetimes frustrating work, with the headless brass screws and the cracked glass, but so worth it! I reserve my opinion on the mantlepiece until I see it sanded - not sure I like it yet....😊🌴🇦🇮
Once it is repointed Shelagh it will look better still. The surround, we are not sure yet either and many have suggested a big chunky mantle with exposed stone. But, once it is sanded, which although I never said it would be (I don't think) you clearly know me well as it will be sanded right back to the timber. Then You, Dawn and myself can decide if we like it then hahahaha. The brass screws were the headache of it all, the glass cracking was a pain, but all in all I enjoyed doing it all. Thanks so much for watching and commenting this morning :-)
@thecornerhouseproject Bless for taking the time to reply so fully - I do appreciate. The careful and reasoned way that you and Dawn approach every task is impressive - you think always of the integrity and traditional aspects of bringing this lovely period house back to its original 1700s style.
You are most welcome, you took the time, so can we as our thank you. I explained to another comment that we sometimes feel stuck and torn with what we keep, what we restore or recreate or what wasn't here originally. Just because the fire grate and built up cheeks weren't how the fireplace was built, does it make the grate not original if no other fire was ever had in the fire place until the grate was fitted. But the fireplace opened up was a really good decision. It is 100% original to the day ot was built, so we don't feel bad about removing the grate. If you know what I mean. Thanks so much for your reply. Have a nice week :-)
Sehr schöne Arbeit---- I think the cast iron front of the stove is the reason for breaking the small drill bits. But left and right is enough space for further trials.... The old glass-seal maybe consists of asbestos - so is it with other really old gaskets - be careful
Great job on the stove. It would look good with the stone repointed and maybe a old railway sleeper or roof joist cut down to make a mantle. Another step forward. You are getting there one step at the time.
A few have suggested a sleeper or chunky lump of timber in place of the surround. The repointing will help out and with the timber surround sanded it will be ok for now. But a big old oak sleeper sounds lovely :-) Thanks Trevor :-)
It used so much fuel Ilse to keep it burning it cost a fortune to keep burning. (spoiler alert) The little stove gives more heat in 5 minutes than the open fire could in 1 hour. It is an amazing little stove. Thanks so much for watching and commenting :-)
Ahh as soon as you said this should be a quick job I said this means a cup of tea. I paused it and made a pot. Great job Ben. It looks fab. 🇦🇺🎸⚡️🤘🏼🤘🏾💋💙
Hi Reanne, what a great comment and made us laugh, thank you :-) Yes, you know exactly how our quick jobs go, I don't remember how many cups of tea were consumed, I doubt very many as it was just "a quick job" hahaha. Thank you again Reanne, have a lovely week :-) (Are you up really early?)
I have just looked at the video on the TV and can see why you thought it was news paper. Sadly it was a bit more expensive than that. It is a breathable membrane which allows moisture to pass through it one way but not the other. Moisture from inside the room passes through the membrane which in turn gets absorbed and released by the sheeps wool insulation above it. Air then circulates around the 50mm air gap between the wool and the tiles which dries out the moisture the wool is holding. But I see exactly why you thought it looked like newspaper due to the brand name and fitting instructions on show.
The fire place is lovely with the large wind. The fire surround looks out of place. Maybe you could find tiles that were made closer to the same age as your house. I look forward to seeing you every week.
We may go for a large timber mantle in the end, but for now I will just sand the wood surround back to bare wood until we decide. It still looks the same this week Mary, green and out of place haha. Well a new video will be up later as normal and hopefully you will enjoy this weeks as much as we did. Thanks so much for watching and commenting :-)
Ben the stove turned out beautifully! Nice work!! Also, I too hate that all the small drill bits always break, had no idea that meant I was heavy handed. 😩👀😂
We hope so. The older stove in the kitchen is great, the new one in the living room is amazing so our fingers are crossed this will be just as impressive. Even outside with the small burn I did you could feel the heat around it, so we will see. Thank you as always Carol :-)
The potbelly stoves are lovely and I am really surprised just how much heat the little stoves produce. Without spoiling the next video, the heat off the this stove, the Charnwood Country Mk1, is incredible. Really really pleased with it. Not sure what you learned as I was was learning as I went, like I do most of the time haha. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)
Missed the first part as fell asleep on my meds and brain not working to fathom what was going on and thinking it was the kitchen lol. Rewound video and see it was the Bedroom fireplace and what a job you had on your plate and your fixes. Very Very entertaining and now how it looks. You both use your brains and your scrap items and reuse old stuff. This will be a work of art when finished and ready for the snow and -4c temps. Hope water tanks and pipes are winter ready. Excellent video again and the amount of views in 1 hour is insane.
Thanks for going back to the start Simon :-) Hope you are well. It looks nice doesn't it, looks bigger now that the fireplace has been opened up. Oh we love a bargain when we can find one. A second hand bit of rust isn't a problem. I need to insulate the pipes and filters outside. Last year wasn't too bad but I do need to get some tracing wire on the pipes from the tanks much sooner than later I think. Yes, we are always amazed at the number of views we get in an hour. Not our highest, but certainly not our lowest. Thanks as always Simon :-)
Hi Patricia We are really pleased with how it all looks and like you, can't wait for it to be lit and glowing orange and warm. Just having the new stove in the living room has made a massive difference to how warm the downstairs, stairs and landing feels, so with one in the bedroom, we are hoping winter will be a warm one for us in the house :-) Thank you so much for watching and commenting :-)
the one thing people dont consider. all that hot air going up the chimney. that means it has to suck that much cold air back into the house to feed the fire. thats why the high effective ones has their own fresh air supply piped in.
Yes you are right. At least with a stove there is a stored heat in the cast iron as well as the surrounding stones and the register plate keeps the warmth of the room in and not going up the flue pipe unlike an open fire where it all goes up the chimney.
Thank you Joan, we are really pleased with how it all turned out. Fingers crossed it works as well as we hope it does. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Imagine a wee one room guest cottage with a working open fireplace using one of those beautiful original grates - it would make for such a cozy evening. Any overnight guest would enjoy that on a cool night, I know I would! Amazing work, as always!
The stonework you revealed in that fireplace is so beautiful. It's a pity if that hideous fire surround was put back permanently. The bare stone is a thousand times better. Great work 👍🏻
Hi and thank you.
It will be sanded back to bare wood initially, like the one downstairs but not sure of our plans for after that. Having a mantlepiece is always nice but we agree that the bare stone looks lovely.
Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
The flued fire is much safer. Carbon monoxide poisoning from open fires was a real thing back in the day, and with our rooms more airtight today, I guess it still can happen. Also you plan to decorate, and there is nothing worse than a smoky fire. I suggest you get a monitor even when you start using the stove.
Hi Ben, slow and steady always wins out (in my humble opinion, but I’m not a handy person at all😂). You and Dawn are doing a great job and I look forward to watching your weekly updates, thanks for your efforts to record your progress. I live in western NSW Australia, we have chilly nights in winter (anything under 20 degrees C is too cold for me), and our summers are in the high 30’s, and occasionally 40 and I’m okay with that. Just thought you might enjoy hearing where some of your viewers are located.😊
Stonework much better than fire surround.
That fireplace will look epic with the wood burner in it and repointing the stone.
Yes, once the stonework is repointed and it all cleaned up it will be lovely.
Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Stove looks really good, and Dawn now has another opportunity to demonstrate her pointing skills on the stone work.
Hi John, as always we hope you are well over there and the weather isn't freezing yet.
Yes, we are really pleased with it all. You are right, Dawn can do her stuff repointing all around the exposed area and also behind the wooden surround, just in case!
Thanks for always joining us John, have a good week :-)
That looks so much better without those side bits. They were obviously put in to make the fireplace smaller so using less fuel i think. Looking good. 😊👍
Hi Jan
Yes, we agree completely. Once we could see the sides were just an addition I was happy to break it all out. It also gives the confidence we will need when it comes to the wonky fireplace in our own bedroom. Who knows what we will uncover on that one. The grate is pretty much the same too, so we are expecting the same sort of story.
Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Ben! Masterful job sir!!! I am looking forward to seeing the job completed and a fire lit in the stove next week. Hope that the delay will not cause you to have too much chill in the air in the bedroom. It should be lovely and warm once it is up and running after it has been completely installed. Looks like the clock just needed a good clean and then will be fine. See you next week and best to Dawn and of course to you! 😊
Fingers crossed the cowl has been put on the top before next weekend, it isn't the cowl which is the actual issue, more the black tape wrapped around the top of the flue pipe where it was pulled up. We have an electric heater in the meantime Cristy so it won't get too chilly.
Yes, the clock is sorted, removed the movement from the case, cleaned and then clock oil in the right places. After running it outside the case, it is now back on the wall ticking and chiming as it should.
Have a lovely week and thank you as always. (I have passed on my best to Dawn for you) ❤️
Do you replace the seals?
Wow, I watched intently while you tackled that fireplace. The more you chipped away at the sides, the better it looked! I couldn't believe it. When you were done it looked like a righteous fireplace instead of hodge podge. Sometimes what was done in the past is not always worth keeping, and this was a good example of just that. With the new stove (which you did a remarkable job on) inside it looks glorious!!! I hope Sean gets there soon so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Hi Bobbie, we hope you are well :-)
We are torn. Why? We want to preserve what we can but does that mean preserving or recreating what we saw when we first bought the place or do we restore back to the day the house was built. It is an odd situation. Take the fire grate. There is nothing saying that the house was built, including the nice open fireplace and the roof went on, then two weeks later someone bought home the cast iron grate and fitted it, extra stones and all.... what is original But we are happy we opened it all up to the day it was built :-)
Once Dawn has done the repointing and the surround sanded it will look nice. A final plan for the surround, we don't know.
I am sure we will hear from Sean soon, he did reply with "OK" to my last message, so that is progress hahahaha.
Thank you as always Bobbie :-)
The quick and easy ones never end up being quick and easy! Great work on on the fireplace/stove! You'll be toasty in no time! Also love seeing the look backs on how it was v now!
Oh yes, how we love a quick and easy job Ash. We have all had our share of them have we :-) It is nice for us to see the last year and today videos as it is easy to forget how far you have come even without doing much.
Your's is getting very exciting now and we are so happy for you :-) Hopefully the guys will get done ahead of schedule for you.
Have a nice week Ash :-)
@thecornerhouseproject I don't know if you kept it off camera but I would have been losing my cool and getting so frustrated with all the little things going wrong with the screws and stuff so fair play for not having a complete meltdown like I would have 😅😂 it's always nice to look back and see the progress, youve bith done so much and put so much into the place im always so impressed!
I'm getting very excited to press on now with mine, hopefully jan-feb get the big stuff done and then it'll be all on me to figure the rest out! Hope you both have a great week try stay warm it's going to get cold 🥶🥶🥶
I was really good to be honest and what you saw was how I reacted when the things went wrong. I did refrain from swearing my arse off though hahaha. In the past there are sections of missing footage where I have lost my rag and not recorded but I am getting much better. Maybe it is my age lol.
We aren't a million miles away Ash so don't feel you are alone. We think you are brilliant and brave and having the vision means you are more than capable to learn everything you need to as you go. We are living proof of that (and there is always TH-cam)
We are loving the new heat in the living room, as are the cats hahaha.
@thecornerhouseproject I would not have your decorum! Id be throwing tools and crying 😂 and I know we're not far off at all, we must do a cuppa once we're all less mental with everything going on!! ♥️
Oh I have punched a hole or two in a door after hitting my head a couple of times in the past, I fall to ground swearing when I stub my toe, I just don't record those parts hahahaha.
Yes, 100%. I will get Dawn to message you :-)
WOW what an amazing job you have done on restoring the stove and taking the fireplace back to how it was originally. I hope the hallway isn't to cold without the fire burning.
I was thinking that the old grate could be installed into the barn eventually but then it broke and that put paid to that idea. I know how passionate you and Dawn are at trying to restore as much as you can but there comes a point where it just isn't feasible but then finding the original fireplace makes the disappointment a little less that something could not be kept.
I hope you are rightly proud of yourself for restoring the fireplaces and making them look so good and I am sure your son will appreciate it when he returns and sees what you have done.
I hope you are both keeping well and I am really looking forward to see what you have in store over the next couple of months but whatever it is I will be eagerly awaiting every video.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful journey and have a wonderful week Ben and Dawn. Sending much love to you both and the kitty cats xxxx x
Thank you so much Kim, what a lovely message this is.
I was really annoyed at myself when the leg broke off as I was thinking more of a planter for it's use. I don't know if epoxy resin will work to put the leg back on but I will try.
You are right, we can't save everything, especially when it comes to heating and also the cost of that heating. The open fire was so hungry for fuel and wasn't that giving in return haha.
The surround definitely "fits" better with all of the built up stones removed, sadly we will never know how it looked before the grate was fitted. Unlikely it was like the downstairs fireplace as that was the posh room.
There is quite a lot to be done over the winter months but I must say we are enjoying a slower pace at the moment :)
Thank you as always Kim for watching, commenting and of course being a channel member :) ❤️
I LOVE the little wood burner in the original fireplace!
We are really pleased with it. It looked a lot smaller outside and we wondered if it would look lost in the fireplace, but no, it is just right. Hopefully the warmth will be just as appealing :-)
Thank you for watching and commenting today :-)
The fireplace is an amazing step forward. Given the cold in years past, this winter will be toasty for all!
We hope so Lizette. Last year wasn't too bad but the electric heaters in the bedrooms and gas heaters cost a lot. Hopefully this winter will be cheaper for us.
Thanks for commenting :-)
Ben, my 66 year old husband NEVER has a drill bit over 3mm intact and he's bought dozens over the years 😂 You did a great job with the stove and the ruddy brass screws 👏👏
Well Saudilass I am clearly taking after him, I am running out quickly haha. I need to stock back up.
The brass screws were a right pain, the glass cracking a pain but all worth it in the end. I also have a 3 part of a 4 part stud extractor set now too haha.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting today :-)
Ben you have such patience, a joy to watch you put the stove together step by step. Feels good knowing that the both of you get to feel warm and cozy in your bedroom for the winter.
Hi Sharon, we hope you are well.
I had patience this time haha. It was enjoyable, even with the broken bolts, a learning curve, yet again.
Fingers crossed it will just glow away throughout the day and keep it above the 6 degrees it was this time last year in the mornings. Just the heat from the living room below is keeping the bedroom at a steady temperature. We are forecast snow later and -2°C tonight. We have the electric heaters until the stove is running, hopefully soon.
Thank you Sharon for being our first and longest channel member and for always joining us on our journey :-)
My back is thanking you for finding the Workmate table. Good job.
Oh so is mine I think Joan. It is only a small stove but lugging it around soon makes the aches appear.
The workmate was a Christmas present from me to Dawn a few Christmases ago, I think when she was making the benches for the shed lol.
Thank you for watching and commenting :-)
Perfect as ever . Loads of care taken and it shows. Well done to you both. Specially getting it up the stairs in the first place... .
It was all going so well..... until it wasn't lol. It was a Dawn and Ben job up the stairs, much easier than struggling on my own.
Hope you managed to get the grass cut and had a good weekend.
Thanks Mitch ❤️
@thecornerhouseproject got the decking joists down, then rained off since.. it's done nothing but lash ! so had a nice relaxing weekend . chasing the mouse round i caught it on top of the bookshelf earlier swear the little f*****r was waving at me . 4 traps laced with chocolate its not interested !
Peanut butter. He will eat it out the palm of your hand.
Well a nice relaxing weekend is always welcome mate. We have done the same really. A bit on the stove Saturday, then since then, editing, a hair cut and now is now :-)
See you soon
Great job on the fireplace, it's looking so good!! You remind me of my dad, he was a handy man and tried to everything himself and in turn taught my sister and myself how to do things ourselves. Grateful I had such a great dad like you did.
My dad and Dawn's Dad are and was manual skilled workers and I think passed on their knowledge without actually saying it. There isn't much we won't have a go at ourselves and I think we have to thank our Dad's for that.
Have a lovely week and thank you :-)
The fire looks great! Job well done. The room should be so cosy now. ❤
Our fingers are crossed IrishGranny. Surely it has to be more efficient and give a better heat than the open fire. We will see though.
Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Beautiful stove a lot of hard work, but it was well worth it❤❤❤
I really enjoyed this week getting this done. We have had the stove for months now just sat in the shed waiting, even the head scratching and broken drill bits was worth it in the end. Now it just needs to be finished off and lit.
Thanks you for watching and commenting :-)
There is nothing like wood heat it’s constant and to have the glass in the door just adds to the beauty. Well done on fitting it into the fireplace.
It is a lovely heat. Nice and dry, odourless, and just gives a warm feel, let alone the actual heat you get. We find we watch the flames in the living room more than watch the TV.
Thank you Kaye, we are really pleased with it :-)
Wow the new stove in the bedroom looks amazing!!!! The newly enlarged fire place looks fabulous well done guys great job and you didn’t give up!!!! 👌✨
Thank you Jane. We are really pleased with it all. The next video is even better as it may actually get finished fully and a fire lit. Maybe!
Fireplace looks so much nicer now after you cleaned up. Great job and the Fire box looks incredible
Thanks Kathi. It does look cleaner doesn't it. Looks bigger too. Really pleased with how the stove ended up looking. Now it just needs lighting :-)
Thanks for watching and commenting Kathi :-)
Well done sofar, Ben. I bet it will be an astonishing fireplace when finished. The firesurround would look much better simply painted black I think. Have a good week! See you next week!
Painted black or just not there haha. The stonework would look lovely exposed. We will see how it goes
Thank you for watching and commenting :-)
I think you should point the stones on the fireplace. It would be beautiful.
Hi Sherryl
Yes, it will all be repointed in time. At the moment it was about getting heat into the bedroom but I am sure in no time Dawn will have it all repointed and looking lovely.
Thanks for commenting :-)
You will need that this winter. Well done.
You could be right. We are forecast a drop in temperature so this fire and the living room being done should make a huge difference over last winter.
Thank you for commenting :-)
The stove looks great, better a stove than the open fire, too much heat loss! Well done
It was horrible to "see" all the heat going up the chimney and still be stood in a chilly bedroom. Even with the register plate in place the room is already slightly waymer. Hopefully the stove will be great :-)
Thanks Linda for watching and commenting :-)
Not a bad price really - and it will last for ages. Well done, Ben. Patience pays off. X
It is a shame the glass cracked or it would have been bargain of the year I think. Better it broke when it did though and not a Friday night on the coldest weekend in Winter haha.
Thank you Sharon for watching and commenting :-)
Ben, that fireplace is definitely top notch. Nice work, looks great.
Thank you very much indeed Ed :-) We are really pleased with how it all turned out. Now I just need to light it.
Thanks again :-)
Ben what a beautiful job you have achieved with the stove.You talk about Dawn having patience do the stonework you have immense patience also with the stove.It appears to have turned out really well .Looking forward to seeing it lighting next weekend. Take care and God Bless you both xx
Aww Colette, he has lots of patience too, we each have patience for different types of things so I suppose that’s why it works out so well for us. It turned out so well and looks so good from it being rusty and a little sad looking. Xx
I enjoyed seeing some of the surrounding countryside with the drone footage. The fireplace looks so much better! Bravo 👏🏻
That's good Trina. We can hear that weir from where we are, it is only about 350m away from us. The lock and surround area is so beautifully kept and the canal, although it runs like a river, it lovely to see, just down the road. We feel very very lucky to be where we are.
Pleased with the stove and the fireplace, just a shame it hasn't been lit in place yet. Hopefully soon :-)
Thank you Trina for watching and commenting :-)
The reason you broke your drill bits is your equipment. A small drill needs to be in a pillar drill for stability and to get the right drilling speed for the material ... you've got virtually no chance of successfully drilling metal with a tiny drill bit and a hand held variable speed drill. It'll be the best £100 you ever spend when renovating, you can even pop a wire brush in the chuck for detail work on the rusty bits you currently do by hand.
I love watching you both learn as you go, keep it up!
Hi and thank you for such a great comment. I have always fancied a drill press. Not sure if to buy a dedicated one or one you put the drill in each time you need to use it. I see your point with it making a big difference and not breaking the small drill bits. I just thought I was heavy handed lol.
Maybe I will add it to a wish list very soon.
Thank you again for watching and commenting :-)
Ben- I enjoyed seeing you working through this. Amazing Reno/reuse/restore
Bash, break, polish and hopefully soon, actually light the thing hahaha.
Thank you as always Rebecca for watching and commenting each video :-) ❤️
Re opening the fire hole ( in upstairs fire place )
Likely at some point in the past, the size of the fireplace opening was deliberately restricted
( Likely the wall on the left side needs a little repointing in order to stabilise the brickwork ) 😊
However you now have a suitable space in order to fit a modern ( much more efficient ) enclosed stove / burner.😊
Looking forward to watching how this project goes.
Regards John ( in Cheltenham)
Hi John. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
The repointing will all be done, I know a woman who is quite good at it haha and the fire surround will be sanded back to timber like the living room one is at present until we decide on our way forward.
A new efficient stove would be lovely but for €145 euro, this one was a steal. It will be more efficient than the open fire and will give more heat into the room thanks to the register place. Maybe in the future an inset stove but it isn't something we have considered.
Thanks as always for watching and commenting John :-)
@@thecornerhouseproject
Be very careful " oiling " a mechanical clock ..
Such device's require very gentle handling
Ideally done by a clock restoration expert 😅
( Whatever you do, if you don't process a suitable working environment,
and the necessary knowledge. DONT DISMANTLE the clock mechanism )
With care, ( with the clock mechanism still assembled)
it is possible to clean off the old lubricant ( by carefully & literally applying a solvent such as paraffin/ petrol)
Then re-lubicate using " Clock Oil " applied with precision only to bearings as required..
If accurate time keeping is required, Recalibration will be necessary following cleaning, or any repair ..
Hi John, thanks for the input. The clock is back on the wall and ticking and striking away nice.
A lot of people use WD40 to get the old oil off but leaves a film over everything causing issues in no time, but as you say, petrol works well as does an old tooth brush on a brass mechanism this large. When we moved here, there were two old mantle clocks, neither working and possibly not even all in tact, but I am looking forward to trying to get at least one up and running in the future. There is also an alarm clock from the 60's which only works when it is lay face down. I want to get this working properly too.
The best clock I saved, besides my brother in laws West Minster Chime mate clock was a Fusee movement station clock which still had the original, organic, gut line. This was a really interesting clock to fix. Completely different to "normal" clock mechanisms. It sounded lovely.
We both love watches and have many between us, we would rather a watch over an expensive holiday and Dawn has a few watch repair kits as well and a lot of ebay job lots of watches. I love clocks and maybe one day, I will own an old Grand Father clock, that will make me very happy.
Thanks again for the input.
Ben you are a marvel at what you do and Dawn, you too. Using something you all ready had in for the fire stove. Brill job.
I can't take any credit for it to be honest Sonia, the idea was Dawn's. My idea was to cut a boring bit of flat steel to height & width, it would have looked terrible in comparison. The grate was just in the shed going rusty from when we realised the open fire in the living room couldn't be used due to leaking smoke upstairs.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting :-)
My goodness that is such a job well done. It looks so much better!
Thank you very much indeed. We are really pleased with it :-)
This involved a lot of work!! But I'm glad you got what you needed!!
Now the fireplace just needs a bit of finishing inside, and voilá!! My compliments 👏👍!!
I really enjoyed all the different parts for this job, the stone surround, restoring the stove and then fitting it. Now all we need is for it to be lit. Look out for the next video :-)
Dawn will work her magic and the repointing will be done.
Thanks for watching and commenting Magda :-)
Loved the story about your dad and the work bench!
Awww thank you Ellen. I can hear him now... "This Workmate is one of the very first made before they go bought out. It even has it's number in pencil on the bottom" Haha. He was an amazing carpenter and joiner. Mum found his apprenticeship paperwork when she was going through his things from after he left National Service. Love him.
@ You obviously take after him. Lucky you, he sounds amazing.
Looks wonderful! Good job - even with the difficulties, you rose up to the challenge. 👏
Thanks Sue. It is all a learning curve for us and maybe things going wrong is actually a good thing as we learn how to fix things.
Really pleased with the outcome though.
Thanks for commenting :-)
The stove looks amazing restored and opening up the fireplace it it’s original size is fabulous, such a huge difference, will be lovely having a fire going in there over the winter 😊
Hi April.
It was nice to see the fireplace without the built up sides. We wondered if the small stove would look too small, but it looks just right.
Look out for the next video to see if we have it lit yet.
Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
The fireplace looks really, really nice, impressive transformation of the stove, good job Ben.❤
Thank you so much Pat. We are really pleased with it all :-)
The fireplace and stove look amazing ❤
Bit by bit we are getting there. We are really pleased with the outcome of this little job. Lime repointing to be done etc but really pleased.
Thanks for watching Alida :-)
I must admit Ben the difference was incredible when I saw the original fireplace opening I thought a stove will look amazing in there.
But I was wrong, oh so wrong it looks phenomenal in there!!
You've made a great job of the restoration and even overcame the setbacks without any onscreen profanities 😂
I can wait till you also remove that splatter paint that some tastless vandal ruined the surround with 😉
Stay safe folks, see you next week
We wondered if it would be too small for the fireplace, but now (you will see in the next video) the 45° bends are fitted, it fills the space nicely and throws out so much, maybe too much, heat :-)
I will get around to removing the paint back to bare wood and we can go from there. Keep it? Expose the stone? We aren't sure yet.
Thank you so much Scott for always joining us and having such lovely comments to share with us :-)
Miss Dawn. Thefireplace looks great! Have a good week🤗🇬🇧
Same to you and thank you :-)
Wow! Job well done.
Thank you very much indeed :-)
Well done Ben. Looks great. Thank you ❤
Thanks very much :-)
What a transformation
It really has changed the look of the room :-)
Fireplace hole looks incredible!
Thanks very much, we are really pleased with it so far.
Fantastic job on the fire place .the stone work is beautiful.
Thank you very much indeed.
Great !!! A whole vlog dedicated to fireplaces!!! Brilliant job the stove looks fantastic. Always thought that was a Georgian fire inset and wasn't originally in your house when it was built. I think the one in the other room is the same.
Dawn said "Clive will like this video" hahahaha. She was right. Look out for the next one as we might even get it with some fire in it.
Dawn found the living room surround in an old brochure from the company but I don't know if that grate was in there. You could be right though. We don't know how long after the house was built (or this half of it) it was fitted. Sadly we will never know. I was a bit miffed when I broke the leg off it though.
Thank you as always Clive for joining us and commenting :-)
Looks great. It is always the quick small jobs that end up the worst.
Oh it turned into a nightmare lol. Got there in the end though Tracy :)
Thank you for watching and commenting :)
Finished wood stove looks great. The repurposed grate as a log retainer was awesome! Removing screws from old cast iron needs heat, heat and more heat. Heat it with a torch. Just have to be careful not to get brass too hot such that it’s weakened. Even after you’ve broken them off (or broken drills or extractors in them) the heat works wonders breaking the bond between the brass and iron. I’ve done all the things you did many times before I’m forced to go drag out the torch. Just part and parcel to fixing old things.
Thank you so much for all this info Robert. It sounds like, from you and other comments, that I need to buy a blow torch. Something I have never owned. I will put it on my wish list haha.
Thank you again for such an in depth, from experience, comment :-)
The log retainer looks like it was always there and it looks like it will last longer than the original, great idea and execution. I think that the fireplace looks far better now with it opened up. 👌
I have to praise Dawn for the log retainer Neuton but it was a brilliant idea as it does, as you say, look like it belongs there.
The fireplace is much nicer opened up isn't it, looks much bigger and less tatty than before.
Thank you as always :-)
nice, cosy theme for a rainy, dark november day. thanks for sharing even if it was not going as smooth as planned!
Not as planned is now what we plan for hahaha. It was worth it in the end and when finally lit it will be great.
Thank you for watching and commenting :-)
The fireplace looks amazing great job 😍
Thank you!! 😊 We are really pleased with it.
145Euros- what a touch! 👍
Yeah, it would have been 65 less if the glass hadn't have cracked. Still a cheap stove in the end though :-)
Looks awesome. The fireplace looks much better opened up.
We agree, it looks so much bigger and cleaner. Once it has been repointed and the stove is all finished and lit, it should all look lovely.
Thanks for watching and commenting today :-)
That stove turned out great! And i just finished winding my wall clock. You are both doing a fantastic job. Thanks for sharing.
I do love my clocks. Although this is a "modern" clock, I love it and a bit of a clean and oil it is ticking and chiming away. I have a cuckoo clock which needs some attention too but that is a lot more fiddly. A grandfather clock is my dream and I think would fit quite well in this house.
Thank you very much for your comments :-)
The stove is sooo cute, love it. Well done ❤
Thanks so much! 😊
Repoint stones with lime mortar! Beautiful fireplace! And strip that paintwork off the mantle piece!
Amazing job - very impressive!
Ben you did a great job with the new stove. Looks so good
Thank you so much Annie and thank you for always joining us :-) ❤️
Log retainer - brilliant! 145 Euro for a stove - amazing! Ben, you come up with so many ingenious solutions to the strange and wonderful problems you encounter. It's just (finally) getting chilly here after a horribly *hot* summer, and your stoves look so homely and warm. So much better than last winter when I feared you'd catch flu while in your draughty house and freeze for months. From the little I can see of Lucas's room and the way you decorate your home, it's obvious you are polymaths capable of exploring any problem and finding the right conclusion. You are a fun family.
I've been noticing, as the summer progressed, that the two of you are getting muscles on your muscles. Next summer, have people pay to come out for a couple of weeks, give their gym a pass, and work moving stones, chopping wood, and digging in the garden. I'm sure there are plenty of people spending hours lifting weights who can't do what you do. You can sit on the roof and crack the whip.😈 P.S. WHERE'S DAWN? And, I saw no kitties. 😭
Good afternoon to you :-) A "horribly hot summer" we had about 2 weeks of summer and that wasn't too hot lol. Pleased it will be more comfortable for you now.
Yes the stove(s) are great. The living room is currently 22°C as I type this, it is 2°C outside with snow due, but currently raining. The new front door fills the gap completely, unlike the previous door with the giant cat flap (AKA massive hole) and I did a draught seal around the frame the other week so draughts from there are gone. Hopefully the bedroom stove will be as successful as the one in the living room. I really enjoyed the work involved with this job. We have an eclectic mix of ornaments as you have noticed lol.
We are certainly a lot stronger and fitter than we were 18 months ago, but 18 months ago we didn't have the odd ache here and there, but you are right, it has certainly been a good gym work out thrown in.
Dawn is here, ordering quick lime, research, enjoying a bit of a break from the scaffold and helping me this time when I need it.... like carrying a 60kg stove up the stairs :-)
Well Alan did grace me with his presence briefly in the bedroom, had a quick look around and walked out again, which was a bit rude but they are taking advantage of the new fire in the living room too, Steve especially.
Thank you as always and thank you for being one of our channel members :-)
The fireplace looks great with just the stone. Have you thought of making the entire wall exposed stone? I know it would be a lot more work but it would be beautiful. 😊
Hi ML, how are you this week?
It does look nice without the timber surround. We haven't made any plans at the moment of what comes next other than getting the stones repointed. Comments suggest a large chunky mantle, which is something we have already discussed but nothing is set "in stone" excuse the pun!
It would all look nice exposed but not sure yet. Never say never though.
Thanks as always for being a channel member :-)
I love your laid back attitude regarding the various broken drill bits Ben.
They aren't the first and I am sure they won't be the last ones I break. Maybe one day I will learn that the tiny ones are delicate hahaha.
Thanks for watching and commenting Zara :-)
Can't wait to see how it looks standing forward, I think that it's a better use of the heat anyway. Now I see you working on my second biggest weakness, old chiming clocks 😁, I battle to walk past any I find that I like. The biggest weakness being chandeliers or old lamps, I just can't help myself sometimes.🫣 Have a great week guys, hugs from Cape Town.❤️
I went down to get the two 45° stove pipes today for the shop to be closed on a Monday, so I will be back again tomorrow. I agree with the heat. Instant heat into the room instead of under the register plate first before coming into the room.
I love clocks and we both love watches, we have so many. I have two chiming clocks which were here when we moved, hopefully I can repair at least one of them, there was also a old 1960s alarm clock I am wanting to restore. A grand father clock is my dream clock though.
I think Dawn would find it difficult to walk past old lamps. Already we have two wall lamps I need to put up. They will look lovely though.
Have a good week too and thank you as always Neuton :-)
Hey Ben and Dawn, could you do something with that fireplace like what Rob and Clare did in their house? I know Dawn would do beautiful work with some lime mortar and stones!! Love you guys! 😊💚
Hi, how are you?
It will all get repointed and we may expose the stone without the wooden surround but with a chunky wooden mantle. Now sure yet, but yes. I am sure Dawn will have it looking lovely once repointed.
Thank you as always for joining us and commenting :-)
Beautiful stove! Great job restoring it!
Thank you very much :-)
Great job as usual. I love your innovation skills. Love the "thinking outside the box"
Thank you Heather. I think it is desperation sometimes more than thinking outside the box hahahaha
Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Well done, Ben, on your perseverance. We have all had that type of job that tests our patience, and we wonder whether we are going to come out the other side of it, but you did, and very well done. xxx♥♥♥
Oh it did become a career Rob and I could hear you saying it. It was worth every minute and hopefully very soon we might even get to light it in the bedroom lol.
Hope you are both well XXX ❤️
@@thecornerhouseproject Yep, both are good Ben, lovely little log burner, and well worth the effort x
Pleased you are both well :)
Yeah, just need Sean to get here and on the roof and we might get it lit :)
Ben, your fireplace looks so good, so far. Lovely wee story regarding your dad and work bench.
Thank you very much indeed. Yes, Dad was very proud of his early Workmate hahaha. I will bring it over from England at some point in the future :-)
Thank You ❤️
Thanks
Thank you very much indeed for your kind support.
It looks better than ‘nice’ and when the surrounding is done it’ll look - and work - amazing 😀
Awww thank you Madeleine. Hopefully in a couple of days it will be lit and lovely and warm. That is the downside on us not being able, or currently willing to get on the roof....... the waiting for the guy who will. He will turn up, he is a good'un.
Thank you Madeleine for watching and commenting :-)
When I finally saw what the wooden fire surround has a paint effect I was glad it can easily be re done. My Dad did all sorts of finishes on wood work as a carpenter. Some were better than others. I especially hated the dark wood effect that was fashionable in the late 1950s. Luckily white became the look and it took lots of layers of undercoat and gloss to get rid of the dark brown.
I love the fireplace and you both have learnt the skills to repoint between the stones. It will be a marvellous fireplace xxxxx❤️🔥
Hi Beverly, thank you for watching and commenting :-)
I don't really remember my Dad staining much timber after he had made something but I am sure he did in his time. I would bet money on there being an old old tin of stain in his shed which still has a price sticker on it from about 1980 haha.
Yes, looking at this wooden fire surround, it is just the same as the one in the living room, just not as fancy. I am sure the belt sander and detailing sander will be able to get it back to bare wood ready for a new lease of life.
I am sure Dawn will have the stones all pointed and looking lovely but the time it is all finished.
Thank you again :-)
Love the fireplace guys. It will look stunning repointed...yes it's never over Dawn. Like me, you will be buried with a pointing trowl in hand! 😂
Love catching up and you are both so calming to watch. Ps that log burner is stunning. Love how rustic it is. ❤
We are really pleased with the Stove, lets hope it works as well as we hope it will.
Yes, once Dawn has done her repointing bits and we decide on with or without the surround it will look lovely. I am not sure I have the patience for repointing or stone work repair.
Hope all is well with you all over there :-)
Multi-fuel stoves are an excellent choice for efficiency and are just as pleasing to the eyes & ears as a completely open Harth.....but my biggest love of a closed stove is its safety aspect. You can always close the door and walk away knowing sparks or logs will not fall out and set the house on fire. You can never really go far from an open fire while it's burning.
Love following you guys each week and seeing what you discover (good & bad) in your wonderful house.
You are 100% right and we couldn't agree more. Even with the fireguard in the bedroom, there have been one or two sparks land just on the side of the OSB and left a couple of burns. The stoves are a game changer for safety.
It is nice that you join us each week and is really appreciated that you do.
Have a good week ahead :-)
It’s so interesting watching you go step by step through the basics. It makes me think of the skills of local builders & for some reason of the earlier people who worked with stone and iron Millenia ago, accumulating the knowledge still in use today. Beneath the modern level. If you see what I mean. Anyway very interesting. Thank you both.
Hi Robyn and thanks for a lovely comment :-)
I am sure there are people who watch us doing things slowly and step by step and we drive them mad with little things we deliberate over. BUT, like you, we often think of the time this was built in, the people who built it, the size of the stones, why this was done the way it was and many other things, so we take it slowly, a step at a time and share our findings. We find it really interesting as we go along our journey.
We are pleased you find it interesting too and thank you again for watching and commenting :-)
It looks amazing Ben. You really opened up the fireplace. It looks so much better so although it was extra work, I’m kind of glad it didn’t fit. Sorry, that sounds kinda mean.
Even though there’s no fire it really shows off your work. Really well done. Take care ✌️🧡♥️🤎
Thank you so much. It would have all been opened up in the end, we just didn't want what should have been a simple job taking so much more time just to get a stove in. I think the demolition was about 5 hours so worth it as it wasn't too much more work. The stove turned out to be the real headache lol.
No, I know exactly what you mean, we are pleased too as it is done now.
I could have showed the stove in full when I did the small burn but I was going for the big reveal at the end of the video.... sadly, the big reveal didn't happen do to no Sean to get on the roof. Never mind, he will arrive.
Thank you so much Dish, as always, for being here and one of our channel members. ❤️
wow! the stove came out great! I was discouraged there for a while but you stuck with it and conquered! well done! I'm inspired! blessings.
Hi Kate.
It is amazing what a quick brush with a wire brush, or a flappy disc on a grinder can do before a nice bit of stove black. Once it is being lit, I will keep applying a thin coat of black so it doesn't look so patchy. Really pleased with how it turned out though.
Thank you Kate for watching and commenting today :-)
Love that renovated stove in the original fire place - it was hard, sonetimes frustrating work, with the headless brass screws and the cracked glass, but so worth it! I reserve my opinion on the mantlepiece until I see it sanded - not sure I like it yet....😊🌴🇦🇮
Once it is repointed Shelagh it will look better still. The surround, we are not sure yet either and many have suggested a big chunky mantle with exposed stone. But, once it is sanded, which although I never said it would be (I don't think) you clearly know me well as it will be sanded right back to the timber. Then You, Dawn and myself can decide if we like it then hahahaha.
The brass screws were the headache of it all, the glass cracking was a pain, but all in all I enjoyed doing it all.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting this morning :-)
@thecornerhouseproject Bless for taking the time to reply so fully - I do appreciate. The careful and reasoned way that you and Dawn approach every task is impressive - you think always of the integrity and traditional aspects of bringing this lovely period house back to its original 1700s style.
You are most welcome, you took the time, so can we as our thank you.
I explained to another comment that we sometimes feel stuck and torn with what we keep, what we restore or recreate or what wasn't here originally. Just because the fire grate and built up cheeks weren't how the fireplace was built, does it make the grate not original if no other fire was ever had in the fire place until the grate was fitted. But the fireplace opened up was a really good decision. It is 100% original to the day ot was built, so we don't feel bad about removing the grate. If you know what I mean.
Thanks so much for your reply. Have a nice week :-)
Sehr schöne Arbeit---- I think the cast iron front of the stove is the reason for breaking the small drill bits. But left and right is enough space for further trials.... The old glass-seal maybe consists of asbestos - so is it with other really old gaskets - be careful
Great job on the stove. It would look good with the stone repointed and maybe a old railway sleeper or roof joist cut down to make a mantle. Another step forward. You are getting there one step at the time.
A few have suggested a sleeper or chunky lump of timber in place of the surround. The repointing will help out and with the timber surround sanded it will be ok for now. But a big old oak sleeper sounds lovely :-)
Thanks Trevor :-)
The fireplace looks beautiful. A pity you can't use it. I'm sure it will look nice and be very warm. Enjoy ❤
It used so much fuel Ilse to keep it burning it cost a fortune to keep burning. (spoiler alert) The little stove gives more heat in 5 minutes than the open fire could in 1 hour. It is an amazing little stove.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting :-)
Ahh as soon as you said this should be a quick job I said this means a cup of tea. I paused it and made a pot. Great job Ben. It looks fab. 🇦🇺🎸⚡️🤘🏼🤘🏾💋💙
Hi Reanne, what a great comment and made us laugh, thank you :-)
Yes, you know exactly how our quick jobs go, I don't remember how many cups of tea were consumed, I doubt very many as it was just "a quick job" hahaha.
Thank you again Reanne, have a lovely week :-)
(Are you up really early?)
Wonderful idea en your ceiling bedroom 😊 the newspaper’s 🎉👏👏👏👏 fFantastic job 🧡🧡
I have just looked at the video on the TV and can see why you thought it was news paper. Sadly it was a bit more expensive than that. It is a breathable membrane which allows moisture to pass through it one way but not the other.
Moisture from inside the room passes through the membrane which in turn gets absorbed and released by the sheeps wool insulation above it. Air then circulates around the 50mm air gap between the wool and the tiles which dries out the moisture the wool is holding.
But I see exactly why you thought it looked like newspaper due to the brand name and fitting instructions on show.
@ so sorry if you are 😐 I’m wrong with that .
It looks stunning. Good job 👍 😊😊😊😊
Thanks so much Maria. We hope you are well :-)
The fire place is lovely with the large wind. The fire surround looks out of place. Maybe you could find tiles that were made closer to the same age as your house. I look forward to seeing you every week.
We may go for a large timber mantle in the end, but for now I will just sand the wood surround back to bare wood until we decide. It still looks the same this week Mary, green and out of place haha.
Well a new video will be up later as normal and hopefully you will enjoy this weeks as much as we did.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting :-)
Great progress keep it up
Thanks, will do Joe :-)
Ben the stove turned out beautifully! Nice work!! Also, I too hate that all the small drill bits always break, had no idea that meant I was heavy handed. 😩👀😂
So many broken drill bits. I was good on the next video though and didn't break one hahaha.
Thanks as always :-)
I also like the look of an open fire, but a stove is so much more efficient. You will be so happy you did it.
We hope so. The older stove in the kitchen is great, the new one in the living room is amazing so our fingers are crossed this will be just as impressive. Even outside with the small burn I did you could feel the heat around it, so we will see.
Thank you as always Carol :-)
I just redid a potbelly stove I got years ago, so this was great to watch, learned a few things. Your stove looks nice!
The potbelly stoves are lovely and I am really surprised just how much heat the little stoves produce. Without spoiling the next video, the heat off the this stove, the Charnwood Country Mk1, is incredible. Really really pleased with it.
Not sure what you learned as I was was learning as I went, like I do most of the time haha.
Thank you for watching and commenting :-)
Missed the first part as fell asleep on my meds and brain not working to fathom what was going on and thinking it was the kitchen lol.
Rewound video and see it was the Bedroom fireplace and what a job you had on your plate and your fixes. Very Very entertaining and now how it looks. You both use your brains and your scrap items and reuse old stuff. This will be a work of art when finished and ready for the snow and -4c temps.
Hope water tanks and pipes are winter ready.
Excellent video again and the amount of views in 1 hour is insane.
Thanks for going back to the start Simon :-) Hope you are well.
It looks nice doesn't it, looks bigger now that the fireplace has been opened up. Oh we love a bargain when we can find one. A second hand bit of rust isn't a problem.
I need to insulate the pipes and filters outside. Last year wasn't too bad but I do need to get some tracing wire on the pipes from the tanks much sooner than later I think.
Yes, we are always amazed at the number of views we get in an hour. Not our highest, but certainly not our lowest.
Thanks as always Simon :-)
@@thecornerhouseproject
Under the weather for last 5 days. Hopefully on the mend .Cheers
Our fingers are crossed mate, get better soon :-)
Great job on 5he stove.
Thanks very much Maeve and thanks for commenting :-)
Well done 😊
Thank you Terry and thank you for watching and commenting :-)
Great job on fire place
Thank you very much indeed :-)
Amazing job done cleaning that old stove!
Thanks Susan :-) I am pleased with how it turned out.
Hi you two , great job & fire & fireplace look lovely. Cant wait to see it lit, all ready for winter. Have a good week. ❤
Hi Patricia
We are really pleased with how it all looks and like you, can't wait for it to be lit and glowing orange and warm.
Just having the new stove in the living room has made a massive difference to how warm the downstairs, stairs and landing feels, so with one in the bedroom, we are hoping winter will be a warm one for us in the house :-)
Thank you so much for watching and commenting :-)
Looks great well done 👏
Thank you Caroline 😊❤️
It’s beautiful looks so good.how cosy is that going to be.🔥🔥🔥❤️
Ooh it really is lovely and cosy now! ♥️
the one thing people dont consider. all that hot air going up the chimney. that means it has to suck that much cold air back into the house to feed the fire. thats why the high effective ones has their own fresh air supply piped in.
Yes you are right. At least with a stove there is a stored heat in the cast iron as well as the surrounding stones and the register plate keeps the warmth of the room in and not going up the flue pipe unlike an open fire where it all goes up the chimney.
Great job on that wood stove, Ben. It looks great & you’ll both be warm & toasty in a few days.
Thank you Joan, we are really pleased with how it all turned out. Fingers crossed it works as well as we hope it does.
Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Looks lovely Ben, you have the patience of a saint 😊
Thanks. I do if it is something I enjoy doing. It may have been a very different video is I wasn't enjoying it haha.
Thanks you for commenting :-)