INCHMARLO COMMUNITY WORKSHOP (THE BOTHY)

BOTHY EXTENSION

Even if you haven't visited the Bothy lately, you will have noticed that there has been quite a lot of activity during the second half of last year. Here is a quick summary of progress with the building of our new Extension.

Work started in earnest on the new Extension in July, when the ground at the rear of the site was cleared and landscaped, and the first concrete was poured for the building foundations.

By the end of August, the new floor was in place and a doorway had been cut into the original stone building.

Scaffolding was sprouting up all round the area, ready for the placement of the structural frames and roof.

In the north east corner, a row of steel wire cages, known as gabions, had been placed and filled (very artistically) with stone to stabilise the earth bank behind. Sadly, they're no longer easily visible behind the building, but they are doing a good job.

Thursday 1st October was a great day; the wooden frames and roof trusses arrived - suddenly we had a building kit.

Gordon Mitchell's boys got busy and within a couple of days, despite some unfriendly weather, the kit of parts had been transformed into a building shell, ready for the roof and external cladding.

Unfortunately, at this point, progress slowed down a bit. Due to the difficult conditions in industry, the roof panels were not all ready for delivery, and there was a delay in the availability of the larch cladding. Since the wet weather seemed unlikely to improve, a decision was taken to purchase two large tarpaulins as temporary roof covering, to protect the interior.

The tarpaulins arrived almost overnight and proved a great success, allowing work to continue inside the structure in dry conditions while waiting for the remaining materials to be delivered. During this enforced break, a splendid double door was designed, build and fitted under the guidance of our most experienced woodworker, and an extra window was fitted in the south wall.

At the beginning of December, the roof panels and lights were delivered to site and installed by a couple of roofers from Keith. This required some complex fitting work to ensure a water-tight join between the end gable of the old Bothy and the sloping roof of the new extension, but it was completed within a few days, greatly to the credit of the very competent tradesmen who carried it out. Internal insulation was also delivered early in the month, and installation has begun.

Bothy History