Restoration Adventure: Exploring 200-Year-Old Irish Building

In this episode called "Ancient Stone Building Exploration: Chimney Revelation", Dawn uncovers a solid floor with Huge flagstones as a surprise discovery after moving lose building stones to the second of the 200 year old stone farm outbuildings. Upon probing through the soil, she hit solid stone, these are at least 200 years old. This of course was enough to have her digging and getting it fully unearthed. Exploring these ancient stone buildings is amazing.
Ben repairs the corrugated roof to make this ancient farm building a dry space again.
Being complete beginners at farmhouse renovation and really needing a "homesteading for beginners" guide, we are taking it slowly, enjoying everything we do no matter how hard it is, to one day realise our dream of running a fully functioning homestead from our once derelict Irish Farmhouse.
👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 Become a Channel Member: www.youtube.com/@thecornerhouseproject/join
☕ Buy Us A Coffee:
www.buymeacoffee.com/thecornerhouseproject
🥇 Thank you to those for supporting us with a Super Thanks
There is something for everyone on The Corner House Project channel, if you subscribed for the derelict house renovations or just for the homestead in Ireland, we will bring the smiles, you sit back and relax and let us do the work.... well, Dawn will do the work.
Stay tuned for more updates on our farmhouse renovation journey and the transformation of this historic farmhouse into a modern homestead. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more content on DIY home renovations and homesteading adventures!
#farmhouserenovation #farmhouserestoration #bathroomrenovation #homemakeover #diy #homedecor #countryliving #homesteading #irishfarmhouse #ireland
Stay connected with us:
Instagram: @thecornerhouseproject23
Facebook: @thecornerhouseproject

[@neutonrenda2303]

So great that he got the chimneys done, the heat will go a long way in helping to get the house dried out. 👍

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh yes, we are so happy that he managed to get them open! It’s lovely to be able heat and start drying the other side of the house now.

[@simonworthington3330]

Very impressed on what you got done and seeing a solid floor in the shed was awesome. Getting the capping off the chimney was good and to see and hear the roaring fire was excellent. Super excited to see how things are coming along and hot water to wash . Well done guys as its getting better.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you, yes it feels like we are finally seeing results now. The fire is lovely! The sound of it is a joy to hear! The floor of the outbuilding…wow! We finally have a proper workshop. As soon as we get a chance we are putting the old joists that we saved to good use and making some doors for the doorways. Exciting things ahead!

[@neutonrenda2303]

Love the tiles in your fireplace, so bright. Good to see the hood angle pulled out, most people don't know about that and smoke out the room. The fire changes the character of the room, going to be so beautiful at night.❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

They’re lovely and cheery those tiles, I love them! We had the fire going the other night whilst (spoiler alert) finishing the joists and the glow in the room was amazing! Looking forward to getting a sofa and some furniture again for the living room and sitting staring into the fire! Yep Ben’s pretty on it with the fires, so he knew what the hood was for 😂

[@neutonrenda2303]

Hehehe, love the crack remark, builders crack.😂❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

😂 it appears quite frequently as it happens! 🤣

[@rachelpiscitell9993]

Great job. Don't forget to make a trench outside of the workshop door to stop the rain from coming in. ❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I think we will end up with quite a network of trenches across that piece of land lol. It rained heavily yesterday and the rain made a beeline straight for the outbuilding…so, sooner rather than later for that one! 😂

[@the.artist.donaldb]

French drain network and sump pit would solve the poor drainage on the property

[@kathryncooper7452]

It's good to see your fire going. I'm glad it wasn't just my eagle eye that spotted the upside down tile. It's a lovely fireplace too.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

@@kathryncooper7452 haha...I have to admit it took me a little while to notice it been here 4 months or so and only noticed it a couple of weeks ago! 😆 🙈

[@thecornerhouseproject]

@the.artist.donaldb I will read up on a sump pit part but will definitely be putting in French drains as far as the rock below us will allow us to lol

[@neutonrenda2303]

It must feel great to be able to sweep in there. Great job.👍❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh it really is! It’s actually quite a pleasure to be in there now. 🥰

[@janinebell4336]

The fire! I can only imagine how exciting that was

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh it really was! We were so worried the builder wouldn’t be able to get to the stones…so it was so exciting when he said he’d managed it and did we want him to do the bedroom one too? Erm…yes please! 😂

[@10928rob]

Worked hard on digging that floor out Dawn, you will sleep well tonight, great to see the fire light up in the living room, another milestone, I think that Ronnie Barker (the dog) will start to feature more and more in your videos as time goes on, well done you two. xx❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you Pa. It was quite hard going! Some of those stones are so heavy….load more in the other side to go yet 😂🫣 oh the fire! It sounds glorious roaring away! The bloody grate rusted through after the one use of it, so now it has 2 stones sat in what’s left until we get a new grate. Lol Hahaha yes I think you’re right with the dog…he’s a right little nosey Parker! He always has to come and check out what’s going on and when he knows he gets on his way! ❤️❤️❤️xx

[@dcimedic]

One of those “dirty job but somebody has to do it” situations for sure, seems like a lot of soil had been added around the house over the years if that stone floor is a historic level contemporary to the house. Good luck

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! Yes, you’re right with the soil around the house, one of the ladies that lived here as a child said that it used to be a hard standing all round the house and I think we will scrape it back to the original level, as it’s so bad for drainage around here.

[@rebeccazody1278]

Amazing! You two are working machines

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha thank you! 🤩 we do try. The sooner we finish the sooner we get to do nice things…or at least different things lol.😂

[@jaymurtagh]

Wow you two have been working hard. The shed looks great, a lot of hard work digging it out . Great that you have some of the chimneys back in operation. Especially now with evenings drawing in. It's lovely to have an open fire . Will help so much with drying out the space too. Great video

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! Yes it’s helped with the humidity in there already, to get some heat through that side of the house is great! Really pleased with the shed, it looks lovely in there now….looking forward to digging the other side out to give us some more storage space. It’s starting to take shape now 🙂

[@pennyneal2456]

Thank you for pausing while moving from place to place. It helps a lot.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

No problem at all, I had a look at the video to make sure we did pause because in the beginning we weren’t great at pausing before we whizzed it around all over the place!

[@LewisC1944]

I would have loved to see you both pull up a chair by the fire and sit with a mug of tea after all your hard work. The soil is probably leaf mould etc that has built up after the top of the dividing wall collapsed and the area was not used anymore. Lovely job!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We would have loved to have pulled up a chair each, but we need a couple of chairs first hahahaha. There was certainly a lot of soil on the roof from all of the ivy etc on the roof so it wouldn't surprise us at all. It will all go on the land in the end :-) Thanks for always commenting :-)

[@gwencroud6678]

That fire looks so inviting,there's nothing to beat a lovely open fire 🤗😘😗

[@thecornerhouseproject]

You’re absolutely right! There’s just something about it isn’t there?! Xx

[@dianerayburn1728]

Another job well done. Loved seeing you'd graded the stones. Not a lot of people do that when they're renovating which causes a lot of extra work sorting through a huge heap when they need to re-use them.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you, yes I thought it was worth doing now to make our lives easier when we come to repairing the buildings where they need it. Much easier to see what you need when they are separated like that too. 🙂

[@legrandeileen4863]

Well done 😮😮 ❤❤ how about a nice big mug of tea now. Bravo.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hahaha saw your latest comment on this 🤣 Thank you, it was certainly a bit of hardwork that! 🥵

[@legrandeileen4863]

Tea time 😂❤❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Always need the tea time...it's what keeps you going 😆

[@bobbiebrandel3152]

Oh, where to start. It froze here last night (Idaho) and so I was so happy you got your chimneys in order so you could have heat. We've kept our fireplace and insert and we always have wood stored....just in case of power outage. I hate being cold. Amazing job of digging out the dirt and exposing some flagstone and concrete in your shop. Can you just throw a tarp over the tin for the winter to prevent leaks? I wondered if that was the original residence before the large house was built? You've both done an amazing job, although there are probably days you think you are working a lot and getting nowhere! You have picked and daunting task and are doing excellent. Keep it up and you'll make a fine home of it. So enjoy and look forward to seeing your videos.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww thank you, we’re glad you enjoy them 😊 ooh yes, Ben hates the cold too, hence why he is very good at making a good roaring fire! 😂 There’s something to be said for keeping the old school forms of heat around isn’t there? We’re really pleased with the chimneys being uncapped. Really looking forward to the winter evenings with the fire blazing in the living room! It was worth every ache and pain, getting the floor uncovered in the outbuilding! 😂 so pleased with it. I’ve ordered some waterproof butyl tape for the shed roof… hoping that will plug the holes until winter has passed. Oh yes, you’re spot on, there are definitely days where we feel like we are busy getting nowhere, although we did watch one of our early videos the other day and then it makes us realise that we have done quite a lot so far lol it’s good to remind yourself once in a while. Spurs you on to do more and more! 😊

[@sharonheron7559]

I really admire your positive attitudes and work ethic ❤ what a great discovery - a floor! That soil looks fab for future flower beds 🎉 How welcoming that fire looked - a sign of lovely things to come ❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

❤️ Thank you 😊 We’re just so happy to be here and doing this, it’s great…we’ve learnt soo much and looking forward to all the new things we can do and learn! Oh…over the moon with the floor, game changer! The soil is amazing…once we get sorted on the land and level behind the outbuildings…we should have better places to store all that sort of thing. Looking at building a log store and a compost bin once we’re more organised with the land…so many things to do …I sometimes wish I had more hours in the day to get more done lol. The fire is gorgeous! I can hear it crackling away as I type this to you 🔥

[@SweetOne.]

Yeah Ben!! Inside hot water, That will be such a huge blessing temporary or not. And fireplaces that work. Dawn look at you go! Well Done! The two of you went from living in a tent to now having 4 rooms. Kitchen, above kitchen, bathroom (in progress) and a workshop. Love those smiling faces of yours!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I know! What an improvement eh?! We’re over the moon with how things are getting there and starting to finally settle into place!

[@SweetOne.]

@@thecornerhouseproject

[@jmck6320]

We lit a nice little fire in one of the oldest chimney in our house....smoke everywhere and hot plaster....an exciting evening! Get some chimney liners to keep you sane and not going around the house sniffing and scrutinising the carbon monoxide detectors 😮 and the chimney was clear

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha exciting evening indeed! Haha with you on the carbon monoxide detectors we have 2 just in the kitchen! 😂 I think we most likely will go down the liner route…seems the best route to take. 🙂

[@christinerowlands539]

Bloody good job there Dawnie,it's all looking great 👌😘

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Dawnie is a worker Auntie Chris, she takes after her dad I think. She makes me look lazy. Hope you are all OK :-) xxx

[@christinerowlands539]

Hi Ben, Dawnie and Lucas. We are all good Thank you xxx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

xxx

[@kflan3342]

The fireplace is lovely.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It gives very Christmas feeling. Have a very merry and happy Christmas. Thank you for watching and commenting 😁

[@martinjames3950]

You could put some water proof tape over the holes to stop any water coming in

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Great minds think alike as water proof roofing tape is already ordered and winging it's way to us as I type. Once Ben is up there to sweep the remaining leaves and debris it will et stuck on then. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[@PJC1310]

Wow, I bet your very pleased with the outbuilding floor, well worth the hard work👍

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh very much so! It was hard going but sooo wow when I saw those flags appear! Still have the other side to dig out but that for another day! 🤣

[@the.artist.donaldb]

Would love a photo of one of those fireplace tiles

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I will take a photo for you and stick it on our community page if you like…I’m guessing you’ll be able to save it from there, although I’ve never tried lol but we can but try!

[@maeveskelly4686]

Trust you are going to screw down that temporary roof. Otherwise the first wind storms will take it off again. You’re both doing a great job on the place. Enjoy your first fire.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you and the fire is glorious! For the temporary roof, yes most definitely, We’ve noticed that lots of outbuildings like this, around the area we live, also have a concrete block suspended on wire to anchor them down so we will probably do that too. 😊

[@pitsnipe5559]

I can picture your Christmas celebration around that fire.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww yes us too! I’ve tried not to look into the future too much and just focus on what we’re doing, just so it doesn’t frazzle my brain….but 🤫 I have already decided where the tree will go! 😂

[@the.artist.donaldb]

That “out building” looks to be part of the original house and possibly connected barn on your property. That would be a great restore challenge to make as a future bnb.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It may well have been back a long time ago, we do know that in the middle of the last century the larger outbuilding (missing roof) was a cow barn and the smaller one that I was digging out was a piggery I think 🤔 we did contemplate air bnb but we enjoy the peace and quiet too much 😂

[@neutonrenda2303]

That top soil you're digging out is probably years of debris and plant matter that has composted over time. 👍

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I think you could be right with some of it as the bit of the roof above where you walk in was falling in and there was a lot of Ivy on the roof and that seems to create so much soil. I barrowed it all outside on the land so that should be sinking through to the ground a treat! 😂

[@bwitched3810]

Dawn so glad all went well with the chimneys. Absolutely love your sense of humor Stay warm have a great weekend. XX from California

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! Yes us too with the chimneys…so pleased with the builder for doing it for us! You have a good weekend too. Xx

[@vickiellibby7051]

Great job mucking out the out building. Would they be nice with see 22:12 thru roofing and gutters for additional water. And possibly garage/ workshop /green house.❤😊

[@Cuernavacachica02]

Those out spaces are going to be so helpful as the work continues!! That was a beautiful fire! I know it felt good!!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh they really are! I love me a bit of organisation and those create that for us! Love it!❤️ yes that fire felt lovely and ahh the sound of the crackling wood! 😍

[@marcusd2380]

Go girl you are some worker digger that wee shed out. Just keep going and keep chipping the we jobs of the list

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha thank you! I thrive on a bit of hard graft! Little by little we’ll get there.

[@marcusd2380]

@@thecornerhouseproject what’s the plan for the roof of the house. Are u stripping of the tiles to put membrane on under them. Just if u have major roof work to do, it would need done before u too much more inside the house. Try not to waste money on skips. U have wood etc to burn and all the unnburnable stuff put in a pile for a digger to bury latter at bottom of the garden.

[@peterdowden7694]

Put the holeyest bits of iron at the top of the slope; then they collect kess water before it drops through any holes.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Very good idea, already screwed down but we will definitely keep that in mind for any future projects that we do. Thank you! 😊

[@rebekahvenn201]

Ooooo a lovely warm log warmer. That will be lovely for you both and help everything dry out. I would love to have a couple of those.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It’s a massive thing to have them uncapped and working…it’s been a long long time since that side of the house has had some heat going through it! Chuffed to bits!

[@colinchick2692]

It maybe that animals lived in the outbuildings - if so no wonder there is a lot of dirt to clear and if it is it will be great for the garden. I love your work ethic great to see the progress.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We know it had pigs in once upon a time but that was long ago.... sounds like a fairy tale and a Star Wars intro in once sentence. We are wondering if top soil was brought in, for whatever reason as the soil seems just like soil rather then animal waste that we found in between the cobbles in the large cow shed. Either way, it will good for the garden, you are right there. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[@user-vy3vk2sb8p]

Coming right along with your progress. Thrilled for you, that you will be able to use the fireplaces now. Eventual wood burners is a great idea in the future. Ya'll are doing great!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww thanks! Yes, it really is coming along…we are so chuffed with it right now. Oh yes! You and us too with the fireplaces! What a moment when the builder told us he had managed to do it! I think he thought us strange when we got so excited about them being opened! 🤣

[@clivecarser7356]

Great !!! You saved the best to last ,lightning the fire. Afew fire bricks and and a of fire cement and Ben can warm his bum crack all day 😂😂😂

[@thecornerhouseproject]

🤣🤣🤣 He loves the fire soooo much! I can tell you a little spoiler alert….there’s another 2 videos coming up with fire footage and ones especially for you! 😂

[@clivecarser7356]

@@thecornerhouseproject ohhhh thank you ,I feel very privileged.

[@beverleeshaw853]

3/23/24 Panama City, Florida. That looks really good. Hope it doesn't fall in

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Beverlee, thanks for watching and commenting. The roof is still up and the space is being used. We still have the other side of the wall to dig out as the house was more important, but that is on the soon to do list. Thank you for watching and commenting all the way from Panama City :-)

[@neutonrenda2303]

Love those Victorian fireplaces, I have one I found for sale waiting for me to build a chimney one day.👍

[@thecornerhouseproject]

They’re beautiful aren’t they? Looking forward to cleaning up and repainting that one as it’s all flaking off, it’ll look beautiful 🤩

[@kaye-q1k]

Wow that was a lot of work but it was nessary

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It will make the world of difference for us. The two large work benches are in as well as the old dresser from out of the kitchen and still room for the bags of lime and various other bits. We are looking forward to making some doors for it from the old kitchen joists so we can secure it and make it look loved from the outside. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@bfox5767]

What a beautiful fireplace. I realize you'll probably have to add a woodburning stove on front of or in it one day, but at least for now you can see it well. You two are going to be so fit after all the work you've been doing the last few months! I saw in the comments you were digging trenches. That's good because when you were digging out the dirt I wondered if it was raised to prevent flooding. Maybe they didn't know about French drains. Do the bees look like really big bumblebees? If so, they may be carpenter bees. They like old wood to build their homes in. Maybe they're having a hard time finding rotten holes in your house since you've been taking out the soft wood. They probably used to live in some old wood that was taken out & theyre looking for new homes.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

To be honest, it would be lovely to keep it as an open fire. I adore the look of it, so we may keep that one as it is and put wood burning stoves upstairs in the bedrooms instead. We shall see. Yes at the moment the water does run into the outbuilding so we will dig some small drains to keep it running away from the outbuilding. No the bees are bigger than a solitary bee but smaller than a bumble bee. We’re not seeing them now but everyday for about 2 weeks at around 2pm everyday they appeared! It was strange because we knew the time from the bees starting to appear. They seemed to be interested in the knots and knot holes in the wood, so did look like they were looking for a home.

[@bfox5767]

@@thecornerhouseproject That's funny that 2 pm is house hunting time for them. :-)

[@thecornerhouseproject]

@@bfox5767 I know how odd! Me and Ben would see them and go "oop the 2pm shift has started!" 🤣

[@glenysgibbs8089]

Busy busy!! What huge progress. The shed floor and the temporary roof on for winter will be so useful as your workshop. Great work. So wonderful to see the fire on and to get that warmth in that part of the house. Another milestone. You are both incredible.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww thank you very much! Yes, it’s brilliant to be able to get some heat into the other side of the house and start getting it drying out. The workshop will make our lives so much easier with having somewhere to store things rather than in the house 😂

[@peterdowden7694]

The cleared floor could end up ankle deep with water if you have heavy rain so put anything precious up on blocks

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Well funny you should say that Peter...yesterday we spent the morning attaching little blocks to our tool crates and digging a slight trench through the outbuilding to let the accumulated rain drain away! Lol

[@neutonrenda2303]

It goes to show just how long it's been in a state, that pot is cast iron and would take ages to rust through.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Yeah it’s such a shame with the pot, but it will make a really good planter!

[@micheledenise2305]

U have to put a treatment on ur new wood against wood worm in America we call it terminates.. love ur channel it would look good to take some stones and use them to put a stone path to ur out building or do a big stone patio 😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We’ve gone through 4 containers of wood treatment so far in our quest to get rid of the termites 😂 I love the idea of the stone paths…maybe once we’ve repaired the buildings where they need it we could something like that with some of the flatter stones.

[@gillianrobinson5428]

That make big difference. Mind wood burning you get 80% heat in your room we’re open fire 80% going up your jimney

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! Yes, open fires look beautiful but definitely lose a lot of the heat up the chimney….but it does also have the benefit of warming the stones in the wall of the house. In time we will most likely go for wood burning stoves in each room and also radiators I would think. 😊

[@dorygeancunningham8027]

You two have the best keep fit regime. But seriously, that floor wow! Fingers crossed that there is no exposed pipe under the dirt and that you find another nice floor under the dirt on the other side. Bet the satisfaction you two are getting with each accomplishment is better than anything. Just a bit of envy with that fireplace. We don’t have one because our house is only 30 years old. Can’t wait till the next vid…thanks!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh it’s great for the fitness levels! Apart from the aches a pains in the joints here and there, we are so much fitter than we were 4 months ago. Oh yes the floor is great and a pleasure now to go in there. Really pleased with it. Really looking forward to getting the other side done…had to postpone it for a while, but fingers crossed we will get that sorted soon. Oh my goodness, yes we are so so pleased with what we have achieved so far. The 🔥 is lovely 🥰 we are so pleased the builder was able to get them uncapped.

[@julieorr9975]

Those bees might be wood bees that dig holes in the wood to make their homes

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Yeah we did wonder because they flew around indoors always gravitating towards the knots in the timber of the joists. We shall see this year if they start to emerge! 😬🫣

[@johnoneill5812]

So glad that you will have working fireplaces. Would be more efficient if you can get small wood burning stoves that could fit in the fireplace openings. Still would be wise to have some electric baseboard heaters installed so that you have multiple options for heat and can maintain a bit of heat in the house if you go away for a weekend. Wonderful to see continuous progress. Never would have expected that I would give a thumbs up on a video where a nice lady was showing piles of rock she had gathered up and organized according to size :) but it will be helpful to have this degree of organization when you repair the outbuildings.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh yes we’re very glad that they are now open again so that we can get some heat the other side of the house. I think in time we will probably go for wood burning stoves and they’re a lot safer in a bedroom too lol. Funnily enough we were talking about getting some electric wall heaters because the hall, bathroom and landing are fairly chilly. Haha, well thank you for the thumbs up, much appreciated! It made sense to sort them into their piles by size, I love a bit of organisation me….definitely make it easier for any repairs we need to do in the future.

[@albin2232]

It's 200 years old and still in use.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I know, it’s amazing isn’t it? I love that I hang our tools on something embedded in the wall that may have been put there 200 years ago! It blows my mind!

[@mocarra100]

Isn't that wonderful, that you found that stone, underneath all that muck. Much love from Oklahoma USA Jackie 🇺🇸 💖 PS great video, that's really hard work, my hat's off to you. I'm 69 yrs, and I was riding my old timey bike, that didn't have gears, and I thought I was going to die before I got back to the house😅

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha my hats off to you riding a bike…I haven’t ridden a bike in about 35 years! Lol oh definitely! We were so pleased to find that floor beneath all that soil! Finally get our workshop! Haha 😂

[@olivefarmer3491]

Reckon that dug out soil is probably composted manure?? Our outhouse had been used for cows/horses, leaving lovely composted poo behind.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Sadly, we think, it was just top soil. The cow shed had old evidence of cows, but there was nothing like it in all that Dawn cleared. It is a good quality soil though and won't go to waste.

[@grahamyoudell4105]

Looking at Ben sitting on the back step I see cobble under his feet…. Is the yard cobbled? So exciting if it is and you reveal a fabulous yard… yur both doing an amazing job….rock on and keep the videos rolling…😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you, we will 🙂 According to the one of the ladies who lived here as a child, it was a hard standing all the way around, but I think it’s just small stones. The bit where Ben is sitting is a patch of concrete with lines through it…maybe to look like cobbles possibly. We are going to scrape back all around the house, so we will find out what is below the soil! 🫣

[@evelyngorfram9306]

What a beautiful fire! 🔥 & congrats on getting the outbuilding cleared & roofed (okay, not all the way & perfect, but ENOUGH!) It looks like that shed was the manure pile & midden for (quite) a while after it went out of whatever its previous service had been. You're going to have some kick-ass garden soil for next spring.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh yes you’re right, definitely enough! It’s absolutely great to have it sorted for the winter 🥶 The soil is outside the outbuilding waiting to be used when we can get to do the land, but I would think with the rain we get it will working it’s way down to the ground over time before we get to spread it anywhere else lol The fire is very very welcome in time for autumn and winter coming round!

[@Lea-bw9wj]

Love your fireplace. Even with the upside down tile.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! Yes it’s lovely isn’t it? It makes it unique doesn’t it with it being upside down? 😂

[@Lea-bw9wj]

@@thecornerhouseproject it’s a fun little game. Spot the odd thing. Took me a moment to find it even though you mentioned it.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

@Lea-bw9wj haha there's plenty of odd little things in the house. In the kitchen there are 2 upside down horse shoes embedded into the concrete....they were for when the calves needed extra feeding back in the day...they would be bought into the kitchen and tethered to the horseshoes and they'd sleep on a bed of hay in there! How cool is that?!

[@Lea-bw9wj]

@@thecornerhouseproject love it

[@lesleybonarius2085]

The fireplace needs a firebrick at the back, to keep the flames & heat away from the back wall of the chimney.. but at least you know the chimney draws well now :)

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi, thanks for commenting. I did add some text saying it needed some love and a couple of fire bricks. Since the initial lighting, Dawn has limed some stone at the back of the chimney back in place and we have two shoulders and the back fire bricks. These just need holding in place. Just with them laid in place though makes a huge difference to stopping the flames going up the back.

[@tracybush8115]

Wow you did a super job on that outbuilding floor, really makes a difference and with the makeshift roof, you're all set for the winter. Fireplace looks great. Tile upside down made me chuckle - wonder what the story is on that. Love seeing your little furry neighbour.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha we love that furry little neighbour…he’s really funny how he comes to see what goes on at our house. Yes that tile is a weird one lol..it’s cracked on the corner, so I can only guess it fell off and maybe to hide the the chipped bit…it went back in upside down lol. Thank you, yes the outbuilding we are really chuffed with and just in time for the weather going colder!

[@coby6417]

👍👏🌟🍀💐

[@thecornerhouseproject]

🤛🍀😘🙂

[@marionmounsey4737]

New to your channel😀you both work so hard, you truly deserve a beautiful home, wish you all the very best 🤗

[@thecornerhouseproject]

You are most welcome and thank you for taking the time to comment as well as watching. It is a lot of watching but please feel free to go back to day one when we got "the keys" and entered for the first time. We have filmed nearly every step of our four month journey so far. I have just started making a binge watch playlist to help people watch from the start. Again, thank you for watching and commenting :-) Regards Ben

[@mariecampos-ts2bm]

Maybe slabs are the septic tank?Out on the barn floor

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi, no the septic tank is our on the land through the outbuilding. Just the waste/soil pipe from the bathroom runs through the building. 😊

[@mariecampos-ts2bm]

@@thecornerhouseproject 👍

[@barbarakloise6790]

I just don't understand why they would put soil in that shed over those beautiful flagstones and make the ground muddy instead of a hard bottom. Makes no sense to me. Then they bury the pot and the soil too how weird was that? Looks good now!!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Well...... we have two theories, or guesses as we will never know the answer. 1. Stones from the possible now not there gable end were pushed into the building at the time a flat roof was put on. Or stones were just thrown in there from wherever they came, as there are so many on the land. Then, to save breaking your ankle, soil was put all over it to make a new flat surface. And they buried the pot at the same time lol. 2. Rain water used to flood the concrete floor after top soil was added around the house, covering what we have been told was stone (guessing chippings or large gravel) all around the house. Again, was this to stop breaking an ankle? With the outside land now being higher than the floor, as it is now, it could have water flow in in heavy rain, which we have found it does. So did they fill the outbuilding to the same level as outside and the pot at the same time? So they are our two guesses / theories. They could be completely wrong though. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@peterdowden7694]

That soil is animal manure, it will be great for growing.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I think it's just soil that was put down to stop the outbuilding filling with water in hindsight! Referring to your last comment and my reply 🤣🤣 it doesn't rain but it pours! Literally!

[@user-qj3yh2ys5c]

Probably a cow shed. You’re shoveling out antique manure.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We are in contact with the previous owners and yep, that’s what they said they used it for. The other one housed hens and pigs. So we have a lot of good manure from both sides for mixing with the soil behind. 😊