#44 Cleaning the backside of the house in 2 hours & taking out a rotten ceiling

This week we clean the north facades of the property, clear out the old garage, harvest fresh loquat fruit and rip out a rotten ceiling on the first floor.
We're Isis & Bertus. In the summer of 2023 we moved into a neglected farmhouse in a tiny village in the northwest of Italy. The last inhabitants left some 10 years ago, but large parts of the property have been empty for over 20 years.
Thank you for joining us on our adventure!
Your support is deeply valued | www.buymeacoff...
Instagram | / storiesfromthecascina
#homerenovation #diyrenovation #farmlife

[@Nello353]

Don,t get discouraged,there,s so much to do,your patient approach will serve you nicely. Prioritize those tasks that protect the integrity of the building windows and doors and save the interiors for later. Most of all be comfortable with what you are doing and accomplishing. May our good Lord continue to give you the health and strength that you need to complete your goal.

[@ronaldlucas5360]

Enjoyed hearing the birds 🐦 singing the song that God gave them to sing.

[@lindabrooks8242]

It appears that this land is revealing it's history to you, as you clear and clean. I find all of it so interesting. And, yes, it is a dirty job, but you two just take it on with your perseverance. You've got what it takes!❤

[@shirleythurston4213]

You both never cease to amaze me with your dedication, on a daily basis, in clearing the many spaces in your property. It’s coming along great, and I just want to say (as others here have said) that I too really appreciate it when you tell us the names of all the flowers and plants (and even the insects) that you discover. Loved that you made loquat jam .. it looked so good! Finally, seeing sweet little Velluto being more adventurous and choosing to be a little closer, just made my evening 😊 Have a wonderful week, guys ..

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Thank you Shirley! Hope you're having a wonderful week too :-)

[@HomesteadInFrance]

It is always nice to see people, like you two, that takes care of an old house and try to revive it. Like the history about it and also to see the different style of building an Italian house and a French house.

[@ceciliadelgado6899]

I have much admiration for you both for taking on the renovation of this beautiful farm! Stay healthy and strong so you can complete your dream. One day you will look back and admire your work and your beautiful home! Thank you for taking us along on your journey!

[@Reet64]

Love how they used things at their disposal to construct.

[@sandyschipper5008]

I am amazed by how much just the two of you get done and that you always are so good at cleaning up and organizing! Your drone footage is stunning! So glad I found this channel and give you and Bertus a huge thumbs up for all you do!

[@Anne-yw6ed]

I appreciate you providing a text with the names of plants and insects, so very helpful!

[@storiesfromthecascina]

You are so welcome! The wealth of flora and fauna here is something that still amazes us and sharing the wonder is a pleasure :-)

[@susanwes]

me too!

[@Pilot333]

Love your journey, love your work, love your attitude, love the cinematography. Splendid jobs . Thank you for taking us along. All blessings to you.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Our pleasure! Thank you for watching

[@giogio9932]

Buongiorno, quelle bottiglie piccole che avete trovato nel muro della casa, contenevano l'Acqua Santa ( benedetta in chiesa ) , " servivano come protezione Divina per la casa. 🙏👐. Ciao

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Buongiorno a te! Grazie mille per aver condiviso questo pezzo di tradizione! Questo ha molto senso e spiega perché troviamo così tante piccole bottiglie nei muri di casa.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

sai forse perché sembrano essere solo sul lato nord della casa?

[@giogio9932]

@@storiesfromthecascina Questo non lo so , mi spiace . Non c'era un luogo specifico dove metterle . Io le tengo in casa !😊

[@storiesfromthecascina]

grazie mille per la risposta ❤️

[@elizabethmalone6379]

Maybe put them back?? I love your videos, your perserverence in the beginning , in getting things done in such miserable weather 😊

[@wendydee3007]

Lovely to see the history of your ancient building, we are so lucky to have these old places still, and to live and work in them! The Catalans call the loquat fruit, la nespre. We had one in the back garden and I made a thick fruit paste to eat with cold meat and cheese. The Spanish call this membrillo, and the English, call it quince cheese. It takes a few hours to reduce down the fruit pulp, and you can add a few spices such as cinnamon and allspice. It is a good way to use up so many fruit, as they do not stay fresh for long.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

love that nespre and nespole (the italian name) are so similar :) the jam turned out really well and i'm baking a cake tomorrow. we also ate a lot of them fresh! so tasty ❤️

[@kristinb.rnholt7040]

Thanks for yet another amazing episode ❤❤

[@cbrashsorensen]

Your work is my Sunday meditation time. I am so appreciative of the video you share of the countryside you call home--and the bit of cooking as well. Seeing what lies above a ceiling can be intimidating but needful for moving forward with your plans.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Thanks for sharing and glad to bring you peace and quiet every Sunday!! Actually, it was quite a relief being able to see beyond the ceiling

[@g.f.-w.9130]

Thank you for being so authentic. Your work is so exciting that you don't have to invent fake dramas. It#s a pleasure to watch you.

[@donataj2213]

I agree, each episode brings so much peace and is a pleasure to watch.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Thank you! Inventing drama sounds exhausting :-P

[@g.f.-w.9130]

@@storiesfromthecascina True, but when there isn't much to show, quite a few do just that.

[@kellystoner277]

Seems like you have to cleanup before you can cleanup!😂

[@seaview9948]

Hard work today guys , but many steps forward! Great job .

[@phoebepaxford7184]

A pleasure to watch and interesting too

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Glad you're enjoying the channel Phoebe

[@alaskanrockvodka9622]

Velluto sleeping in a perfect circle. How lovely. Great job on demolishing that ceiling and cleaning. Every activity is an advancement, so pleasing to see. Happy for you.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Thank you so much!

[@hawkins7000]

I've been binge watching you guys from uganda 🇺🇬 since yesterday. Love you both.

[@mariesalway91]

i appreciate the naming of the flora and fauna

[@maryannmorgan5566]

Hello again. It's really lot's of work. But again make you feel good knowing you and your husband work together 😊.

[@ruthlee2752]

I just love to watch your progress and all the information about the local plants and insects was interesting. Hopefully to win the kitty over and he will allow you to touch him soon. It all takes patience and great energy to do all the things you have taken on. Love the clean, organized spaces you are making. Your gardens are coming along and your podcast is so enjoyable. I don’t comment often but I look forward to each episode. 🇨🇦

[@gozoalex7913]

so nice to see the plants you planted in your court yard are taking off! Looks beautiful. Well done. And I love to see Velluto inside your house enjoying his biscuits!! 😍

[@stefanoumani4038]

hi, the pine cone are waights for an old clock

[@storiesfromthecascina]

you are probably right! they might have been originally but they have definitely been used as plummets/plumb line weights. they were in a box full of other masonry tools and more plummets in different shapes. there's also cement stuck onto them 😊 they're not exactly the same so if they belonged to a clock then they come from two different clocks 😄

[@rosemaryjasper1121]

What a fascinating place you 2 have bought. So much history to discover along the renovations road. It must be like turning the page of a book as you remove layers of plaster and dirt. Can’t wait to see what surprises you find next week. ❤

[@equaljustice2054]

You two are such a great team💪💪

[@Neroli-Daydreaming-of-France]

Great clean-up, lovely seeing Velluto and how beautiful is the lavender and other plants around the courtyard

[@storiesfromthecascina]

The courtyard is flourishing!

[@lindachenoweth9002]

Thank you for taking as much time that you must do to make for your viewers such wonderful videos. You have accomplished so much in the short time you have been at your new home, BRAVO!!

[@storiesfromthecascina]

You are so welcome!

[@annettecinquemanifalbo17]

Good job! I bet you're glad the worst is over for now. Interesting building materials for sure!

[@lizstokes9091]

That room is so deceiving! It looks small until we see how much ceiling had to come down. I'm exhausted just watching you two!! It must feel so good to have that off your to do list ❤

[@storiesfromthecascina]

it's about 16-17 sqm that room, so not huge but definitely not tiny either. it used to be a nursing room 😊

[@claudeross126]

Looking forward to seeing more of the progress

[@_PJW_]

28:30 : you should buy yourself on of those plastic extendable chutes. BOL also sells them for some 30 Euros. Makes work much easier. And a lot of the same will come up.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Definitely! We have thought the same thing while we were doing this job. ;-)

[@robertbrewer2190]

If you are going to used rope to raise and lower buckets and such please use a much larger diameter cord to prevent the strong grip needed around a small diameter cord. You may forget it, but your hands will remember every overstrained closure and remind you of them later in life!

[@storiesfromthecascina]

thank you for caring! for thos particular situation: the diameter of the rope in relation to the weight of the filled buckets (quite light) was just fine :)

[@jeojeo9393]

What a gorgeous ceiling and tree beam

[@user-xb9di7jn6z]

I asked the question and then at the end you shared the materials can be returned to nature. Beautiful work.

[@donataj2213]

Hello. It's good that you have so many rooms and this wonderful workshop, because with so many tools and other things needed, it would have been difficult to move it constantly during the renovation. The roof must have been damaged for a really long time for everything to have rotted so much, I live in a 130 year old building, I also have reed ceilings ( but it is thinner, yours looks like bamboo), the building has never had any renovation done (it is a multi-family house), of course every flat is renovated and the house only had the roof changed, there is the original wooden staircase and everything is in solid condition despite such an old house, they don't build like that anymore today and I would never want to live in a new house, I love old buildings, they have atmosphere and soul. How wonderful to see Velluto sleeping so peacefully and eating out of bowls at home, I am very happy. I wish you both a great week, although it will certainly be a busy one, may it pass you by peacefully and pleasantly. See you next week. Thank you for the video.🐾🍀🍀

[@storiesfromthecascina]

thank you for watching ❤️ and yes so happy that we don't have to move the workshop around anymore!!

[@GoogleAccount-hz2co]

I think both of you are very energetic and you do accomplish many things on your property. As always Each video shows your progress, which I admire. That was a delicious jam you made with the.Loquats. I see you got a haircut. It looks good. The weather must be warmer because I see you’re wearing shorts.. hopefully it won’t rain as much. Hopefully you will be able to take a day of rest and maybe go into Turin And do a little sightseeing its A beautiful city. Take care until your next video.

[@HubertusSchaper]

Hi Isis & Bertus,Wow it starts really reconstructing the wall o the backside of the house ,nice usig a cleaning metode who isnt harming the walls aswell the naturural habitat, Execlent working tearing apart the rotten ceiling, a stucators work at the plasterwork & watch the riet for holding the paster work in Dutch gipswerk.Remembers me on the reconstruction from the ceiling in the house of my birth in de Amsterdamse Jordaan de Egelantierstraat 170 the ceiling partly came doun so the Italien Stucators did excelent work with repair the ceiling, slowly but surely you creating your living space.Well-done .Greetings.Hubertus.

[@biswajithota2524]

It was a real daunting task, but you and your wife took up the challenge & made the impossible a possible thing. Hats off to you for your perseverance.

[@celinaderose]

Thank you, you both work so hard and in harmony, your vlogs are interesting and the countryside stunning. ❤

[@vivalaleta]

I was glad when you left the succulent in place on the steps.

[@lieuwina]

Bertus and Isis what a fascinating story about the farm and it's buildings. You are both doing such Stirling work on the buildings and land. Have a lovely day.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Glad you enjoyed the backstory and building history Lieuwina!

[@SilverGoth]

I'm very much enjoying getting to know you and your beautiful house. It's very relaxing to watch and I hope you aren't too sore! Greetings from Seattle, Washington.

[@Crystal-ux3ki]

Beautiful! What a labor of love! Thank you for sharing. you are both truly talented and patient. Best of luck!

[@carolbulmer8253]

Hi, Isis and Bertus. I had never heard of the loquat fruit so I asked Mr. Google. What does it taste like? I particularly like your commentary as Bertus works. I’m glad that he takes personal safety precautions when he was taking down the ceiling. The panoramic views that you include are breathtaking.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

It tastes like a mix between plum and apricot :-)

[@bogdanpaduraru9870]

Zie er geweldig uit. Ik ben heel blij dat jullie deze geweldig plek gevonden hebben en dat jullie deze stap genomen hebben. Veel sterkte en succes.🎉❤

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Dankjewel!!!

[@janetskitchengarden2038]

Enjoying the progress with Velluto, eating in the house! Also great looking haircut Brutus! Question; I noticed an orchard below the field where the farmer was cutting the hay. What are they growing? I also noticed a number of cultivated fields in your area. What is the primary crop for that area? The drone footage is just lovely, we really enjoy that aspect of your episodes. Thanks you again for sharing your progress.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

The orchard is a hazelnut grove - hazelnuts are one of the main crops here. Cultivated fields are largely food crops for cattle (alfalfa, corn) but also wheat and potatoes. There are a few small vinyards too - we're at the edge of a famous wine production zone in Italy.

[@tonywatson987]

That old lime mortar makes a good fertilizer for your land, but probably best to check the existing pH of the soil, so you know how much to add. Amazing to see how much integrity that ceiling structure had! Replacing that roof lintel s going to be a major undertaking, but I know you guys will not be fazed by it. Thank you both for the very enjoyable video of your journey through this restoration.

[@ruthlee2752]

And I wanted to say I love the paint you made and the color is perfect

[@storiesfromthecascina]

thank you ruth for taking the tine to comment! glad to hear you like the colour ❤️

[@vecchiofalegname6149]

In the US, a house with an open pass-through space is called a "dogtrot" house. Mostly in the southern states.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Thank you for sharing! We had been wondering what it's called - not even sure what the word for it is in dutch either!

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Here in Spain we call it caña americana those ceilings last more than hundred years btw that old cane is hard to burn but makes a nice charCoal

[@debracole6587]

Beautiful views and fantastic home. Your hard work shows

[@Leed216]

Wow you two have worked very hard.

[@jeojeo9393]

I would strongly advise that the guests parking and entrance is on the opposite to your entrance and parking area as guests to really treasure and value their privacy 😊

[@deirdregahansuttle5698]

Love your videos. Lots of work and you are so calm. Fried egg sounds delicious IRELAND

[@jonimarchese7655]

Ciao Isis and Bertus, while spraying the walls is time consuming and more work, I agree for preservation it is the best way. What an amazing but exhausting job you did on the ceiling. Bit by bit it's getting there, thanks for sharing with us. Love from N.Y.

[@TAG993]

Great video! Both of you have so much work ahead of you. Brave souls

[@marksheppard2829]

Similar to lathe and plaster in the UK. The lathes are stripes of wood and three layers of lime plaster.

[@sarahofer4368]

Let's show Isis and Bertus some love and get the channel to 100K subs ASAP!

[@belindahopkins7875]

I have seen some nice herbs growning there. Later you could make your own medicine. ❤😂

[@daynight4902]

BEST TO YOU

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Best to you too :-)

[@malcolmharvey397]

All that hard physical is slimming Brutus down slowly. Cheaper than gym fees!!!

[@paulobrien1508]

Hi Just subscribed absolutely fascinating. Watched your 1 hour update got me hooked. Pleasure watching. looking forward to more.

[@leelaaiyappa6277]

Intelligent restoring work done step by step,great work👍💐

[@user-ii5oo1im3c]

Great vlog ... love restorations! Best wishes, Colorado Cherri

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it Cherri!

[@damdekmyhomeដំដែកផ្ទះខ្ញុំ]

Great work, I enjoyed to see this lovely building thank you

[@MajaZuzia]

clock cones served as verticals, good idea!!!

[@storiesfromthecascina]

previous owners were really good at recycling too 😄

[@shirleygraham6229]

Another good job. The lavender is looking lovely and "Smokey" is eating inside! Wow. I know he had inspected inside, but I think this is a first. You are doing great with him/her. We had a loquat tree. Very sweet fruit, but nearly all pip. Best wishes.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

I have read that you can grow loquat trees from seed, but they are not true to seed meaning that the properties of the new plant can be different from the old one. Maybe yours was a "wild" self seeded loquat?

[@shirleygraham6229]

@@storiesfromthecascina I wouldn't know, it was a fully matured tree when I purchased the property. That's interesting though. Regards

[@csilviageo]

As histórias dessas construções antigas , me emocionam. Obrigada por compartilhar um pouco.❤❤

[@user-in8vy2xe8p]

Que lindo sitio estamos esperando para ver sus remodelaciones ❤

[@heatherjameson5090]

So so lovely. thank you.

[@wendymaybury6329]

Peace and quiet, yummy 😊

[@edwincave4782]

The plaster is pushed through the cane to hold it onto the ceiling and walls.

[@thyslop1737]

Many accidents, bad accidents occur on ladders. I suggest you get a safety harness and attach it to the roof. With that much work on the wall it might even be better to get scaffoding, again secured to the wall. To me that ladder looks very rickety. Lastly, how gorious it must be to have that much space to work in and store stuff.

[@cathryngoodman4155]

Bertus got a haircut!

[@trebbneify]

Progress!

[@frangraziano2699]

You have nespole!!! I adore

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Yessss! It's only a small tree but it has given us quite some fruit this year. Some for the jam, some for eating fresh!

[@GeraldMiller-mp8fc]

You need a small trailer and garden tractor to move construction debris. Bigger USA wheelbarrows and five gallon buckets would be helpful unless you want to do things the hard way.

[@heatherlaird-mcleod3271]

Great video!!!!

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@peterdowden7694]

You might like the KZbin channel Les Jeromes, two Belgians fixing a Frebxh chateau. They do a lot of stone masonry work with lime and in particular they sift and reuse much of their rubble from demolition. I have begun copying this and it is surprisingly easy and convenient and it saves money and trips to the Quarry.

[@peterdowden7694]

French

[@stuarttanner4252]

You have bad roofs! Here in America, we don't do anything until we've got dry roofing! At the very least, put a tarpaulin over the leaks.

[@hullabaloo-hcd]

❤❤❤

[@christianbaastrup2939]

The pine cone plumb you found is a weight from a traditional German Swartzwald cuckoos clock. I have one at home 😊

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Two things can be true at the same time 😊 they have definitely been used as plummets/plumb line weights. they were in a box full of other masonry tools and more plummets in different shapes. there's also cement stuck onto them 😊 before that yes, they very likely came from a cuckoo clock.

[@giovannagallottini]

I must have missed the explanation as to why not pressure clean the exterior? And a couple of suggestions (been there, done that): ditch the wheelbarrow and get four wheeled carts which can be pulled by hand or by a tow vehicle; and get a small quad/lawn tractor with a hitch. Your back will thank you!

[@storiesfromthecascina]

our walls are built with mud (instead of mortar) and stone. pressure washing would wash away the mud + is more likely to damage the stone. in conservation non-abrasive cleaning methods are preferred. 😊

[@giovannagallottini]

@@storiesfromthecascina Thanks for the explanation!

[@philipvanderwaal6817]

The pine cone plummets are from a German koekoeks clock

[@storiesfromthecascina]

yes they are ❤️ the previous owners were excellent recyclers too 😊

[@jeojeo9393]

Having the apex roof inside makes it look and feel far spacier ! It would look nice if you kept the apex pitched roof inside

[@storiesfromthecascina]

that is definitely the plan!

[@sharlettedavidson81]

Oh the thought of having to re-point that just sounds so overwhelming I am sure you’ll chip it off a little bit at a time but still wow that’s a lot of repointing.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

It doesn't have to happen all in one go luckily and we'll definitely tackle it in phases. We're kind of looking forward to it though as it will also make such a huge visual difference!

[@giovannicarlotonelli942]

Grande lavoro il vostro. Se vi può interessare l' aceto di vino (se ne trova di molto economico dei discount) è un ottimo diserbante, non inquina e non è dannoso. Si spruzza sulle foglie ed in poco tempo le erbe indesiderate si seccano. Buona vita.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Grazie! solo per i sassi l'aceto non va bene. ma per altre situazioni, sì.

[@robinwalters634]

Should wear a mask when spraying the building's

[@storiesfromthecascina]

yes, you're right. there's a whole convo on that in the comments from a few days ago. the instructions on the product packaging did not make that clear, nor did the ca. 20 videos we watched on youtube. some extra digging in the safety data sheets however have absolutely convinced us to wear a mask next time 😊

[@poodlegirl55]

Thank you for sharing your journey. It is very hot here in the States. It has been 9o plus degrees F for over a week. I said can we just have a bowl of cereal tonight? I laughed when you were moaning just like me.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

it was around 9pm at that point 😅 really didn't feel like cooking anymore 🙈

[@poodlegirl55]

@@storiesfromthecascina I hear ya sista

[@lfuentes4098]

Pretty cool version of lathe n plaster. Cane n plaster.😊 Will you be using lathe n plaster or plasterboard when you renovate?

[@storiesfromthecascina]

We might use the cane and plaster technique in some places - it makes a lot of sense to as the cane grows on our own land and is readily available. Probably not in this particular spot though as we quite like the open ceiling and will likely be keeping the roof exposed.

[@charmingSaint]

Place the Holy Water back ❤

[@storiesfromthecascina]

do you perhaps know why they seem to be only on the north/back side of the house?

[@wendydee3007]

@@storiesfromthecascina Perhaps the demons come from the darker north side? In Catalunya, some of my neighbours painted the stonework around their windows blue, to protect from 'evil'. :o) I preferred to dowse for negative energies in my old house, and clear them away with Loving intent.

[@garethkreike3263]

​@@wendydee3007Your neighbours may have Jewish origins as this is a common theme from the Kabbalistic rabbis who lived in and around the city of Tsfat in northern Israel several hundred years ago. There, many of the houses are painted blue for the same reason.

[@wendydee3007]

@@garethkreike3263 I think it's common throughout the world, using paint mixed with lapis lazuli to protect buildings from being haunted. Such as in Greece.

[@FrinkyBaby]

Beautiful episode. Thank you, Bertus, for your discussion on “reading” a building. This is one of my favorite things to do when watching your (and others) videos. I really enjoy looking for the “ghost” features in old buildings.

[@bernardsicard1991]

Mister Velours a réussi son pari. Il a adopté deux humains ...

[@unternehme]

I understand you want to redo the roof with tiles rather than traditional slates, as it is cheaper and easier to make. But perhaps you could at least retain the slate rim all around the lower part of the roof of the buildings that still have them, as to leave a testimony of the original roof? I guess that would not be much more expensive.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

We totally understand your wish to preserve the original slate roofing - we share it fully. But there are quite a few factors that make this complicated than just money (although yes, that is a part of it). 1) The slate tiles are quite tricky to lay in such a way that you have no leaks. I don't know if you watched Martijn Doolaard's roof project but his slate "tiles" are much bigger and even there avoiding leaks was a tricky job. To do it well you need to put down a waterproof membrane just in case. It's already tricky when relaying a roof, but nearly impossible when fixing a roof. With terracotta tiles you can slide in new tiles without having to remove the tiles above and replace single tiles. With the slate you have to start laying them from the bottom up. There is no other way. There are many old repairs on this part of the roof indicating that this has been causing trouble for a long time 2) We do not want to relay the whole roof right now because that means we have to comply with a whole different set of building regulations and requires a big investment as you're not allowed to do this type of work yourself - we are going to fix the roof for now so that things don't get worse, and replace the roof later. We don't see the point in going through the trouble of point 1) when it's just a "temporary" fix that will allow us to save up for a new roof. 3) We are not going to throw away the slate - we'll either put it aside for when we redo the roof and put them back on, or group all of them together on 1 of the buildings. Or use them somewhere else. It's not only a question of what would look nice - the reality is that we'll have to ask ourselves the question if we want to worry for the rest of our lives about potential leaks in the bottom section of our roof and forever rely on specialist tradesmen (that are scarce) if fixes are needed, or be more self-reliant with a type of roof tile that we can fix ourselves if need be. We haven't made up our minds about it yet, it will require some more research and seeking first-hand experience of people who have kept the slate.

[@giovannagallottini]

@@storiesfromthecascina Very good, realistic thinking abut tile vs slate. I am an insurance adjuster with 20+ years of experience and I have seen it (almost) all.

[@thedetroiters]

Guys, please consider wearing some personal protection equipment - eye protection and ideally a 3m 8577 respirator. That D/2 may be 'non-toxic' but does contain Didecylamine, which can irritate your lungs and eyes.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Thank you for being concerned with our health. We carefully read the safety instructions on the papckage and the website of the company before use and it wasn't indicated that personal protection was needed.

[@thedetroiters]

@@storiesfromthecascina Here is the safety data sheet link - if youtube allows me to post the link: www.gravestonecleaner.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/D2_Safety_Data_Sheet.pdf

[@thedetroiters]

@@storiesfromthecascina I work for a company that reviews proprietary chemicals harm to humans and Didecylamine is one you want to wear some protection while using if you are on the cautious side :) We so love your videos and voice-overs - please keep them coming!!

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Thanks for the additional info and link! A good reminder to always read the small print - a little crazy how the SDS says to wear eye and respiratory protection while the user instructions explicitly tell you no ppe is needed. We'll be wearing protection next time!

[@susanwes]

Where do you dispose of all the buckets of waste you shovel up?

[@mariaborrego858]

por lo menos en cinco anos esa casa paresera una casa

[@davidstoddard9160]

Those weights from the shelfs appear to be from a clock.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

you are probably right! they could have been originally but they have definitely been used as plummets/plumb line weights. they were in a box full of other masonry tools and more plummets in different shapes. there's also cement stuck onto them 😊 they're not exactly the same so if they belonged to a clock then they come from two different clocks 😄

[@wendydee3007]

@@storiesfromthecascina I read that cuckoo clocks sometimes have different sized pinecone weights. One is to keep the time, one is for the cuckoo movement, and sometimes a third for the music.

[@storiesfromthecascina]

They have the same size, but were cast in a different mould. Of course they could have come from the same clock still, or perhaps the clock had been repaired for a missing weight. Who will tell!

[@user-bd7mm1pc8o]

That was interesting to see; how they constructed the ceiling using cane and lime plaster before plasterboard was invented. What a lot of work! Then removing lichen from the stone walls...I keep thinking you both must be due for a break from all of this work. Any plans for a holiday? ❤

[@storiesfromthecascina]

Glad you enjoyed the history! We're not yet feeling like we need a holiday from the house - but we might be taking a little bit of time off in the heat of summer. We'll see :-)

[@user-ef5zl9fl3b]

❤ 😺 ❤

[@ColinLennard]

It looks like you have an orchard (or is that someone else's?). What trees are they?

[@storiesfromthecascina]

That's our neighbours hazelnut grove. Hazelnut is one of the main crops in the area.