Hobbits Be Gone

Mr Kelly said he could send the boys round for a week. Of the many jobs at LFH, please would I prioritize which I'd like done first. This was a bit of a no-brainer. There were two doors I had to bend in half to walk through. If they weren't enlarged, I'd have no brains left if I forgot to duck at the appropriate moment. Since I'm still camping in the living room, these were the only portals to the rest of the house, and more importantly, the bathroom in the middle of the night. After I'd parted my hair a couple of times without sustaining lasting damage, enlarging the Hobbit doors moved right to the top of the list.

The quaint front door. Looks like it should be in the bottom of a large tree in a fairy tale. The top was at the height of my shoulder.



I was jubilant to witness the beginning of its demise.



Et voila!

One down, one to go. Both these doors are located in the base of the old pigeonnier, so the walls are structural, very thick and made of stone. The door leading from the bedroom to the hallway proved a little more challenging. I not only wanted this doorway raised, but the whole thing moved slightly to one side. When heavy-duty drilling wasn't doing the trick, it was discovered that here the tower was made of re-inforced concrete in iron cage supports. A meaner, nastier tool duly arrived, powered by a compressor that shook the neighbourhood.

A larger hole had to be made to accomodate the new lintels. The door you see on the other side is the former Hobbit door, now already full-size.

And here is the new bedroom door in place. Note the thickness of the wall, here over 70 cm.




When I was contemplating the purchase of this house, Teddy said, don't let the doors put you off, you can make a house worthy of your height. It made an impression on me, and now it's true. I no longer have to stoop. But it's funny I should write this today. I've just this minute had the estimate for phase 2 of the building works. I might not be crouching, but I am on my knees. Ouch!