A 'new' roof

Scaffolding going up at the
rear of my house.

The opportunity arose a few weeks ago to join in with my neighbours and have the roof 'replaced'. Well not replaced exactly but rather the tiles taken off, cleaned and replaced; at the same time, replacing the laths which are seemingly about half the depth they should be in this day and age.  At the same time new insulation will be placed under the tiles and 300mm of insulation will be placed on the ceiling.  That should make the top bedroom warmer in winter; I don't mind it being a little chilly but also will welcome it being a little warmer.  Additionally James (who lives next door at No1) and I are having a 'conservation' velux window installed at the top of our stairways.  As that side of the roof faces east it will not be affected by any listing imposed upon the house, will provide additional light in the mornings and ventilation during the warmer months.  I have been taking a number of photos which can be found here. I shall update with new images as the work progresses during the week. Things started today (Friday 6-March-15) with the scaffolding being erected.

The late Jack James 'trindling' his mop
outside the Canalside cottages - clearly
showing the use of the garden at No2

One of the interesting things that has come up is that I don't, apparently, own my front garden.  It is owned by Canal & River Trust but the very thoughtful local Senior Waterway Manager, Neil Owen has kindly said that should I wish to ask for 'Adverse Possession' they will not oppose it; in fact they will support a transfer of ownership. The photo on the right is the property of David Blagrove (to whom I am indebted for allowing me to have a copy) and is dated Spring 1967.