The Day We Discovered a Staircase Manufacturer in Ballyferriter

Sheila writes...
We thought we knew most, if not every, building in the village. After all there are only just over 70
buildings, so how hard can it be to work out what’s what.
Then last week over a casual conversation in the village shop we discovered that there was a person
in the village who makes staircases.
How did we miss that we wondered?
What happened?
Last week himself potters out, as is his want, to buy the morning paper and then on up to "the site" to
find out what’s going on.
In the shop there’s the regular chat as Nikki asks how the build is going? It makes for a good
conversation because most people in the village are up to date with the works. It should really be
the other way round as we get updates from them as to what is happening on site.
Anyway back to the conversation last week. Yer Man says "oh fine".
The conversation moves on to the renovation of the upstairs of the shop, which Colm, Nikki’s husband, is carrying out. She says that theirs is going okish… "Sure why not come up and see what Colm is doing with our build."
Being a friendly chap, and a man who wants to feel part of the village, he says yes. I know readers, he is an amicable guy, and so up the stairs he goes.

Nikki and Colm have done an amazing job on the renovation of upstairs, according to the "Ballyferriter Dermot Bannon", the renovation is on course to be a super home for them. A conversation then takes place in which we discover the staircase manufacturer...
Himself “Oh who did your stairs”?
Nikki “Sean in the village”
Himself “eh Sean? Where is he? Because we need a stair building”?
Nikki says “oh he is over the other side. Head down the road towards the golf club and before you
get there take right. (surprisingly we know which road she means) Then go along a little bit past a
clump of trees and behind those there’ll be a workshop. Sure, isn’t he home before you know and saying to me, guess what there’s a place in the village that could make our stairs!

Off we head in search of the Ballyferriter Staircase Manufacturer. Down the road to the golf club,
turn right and find the clump of trees. We turn into the yard and we know it is sort of occupied
because there is a guy sitting in a white van by the front. He sees us and nods, as he eats his
sandwich – lunch we think.
We pull up and I walk over and say “we’ve heard that you make staircases, is that true”? Oh yes say
he, hang on a minute and I’ll call Sean. He calls Sean and tells us the main man will be here in five
minutes. We hop back into the car, no cushy waiting room here and within 5 minutes a larger white
van comes screeching into the yard as if the gardaí are chasing him.
"Sure come in" says he and into a very large workshop with all the manufacturing equipment you would need to build a staircase. And to confirm this view there is a beautiful wooden staircase in the middle of the floor.

"Oh that’s mine" says he, "I’ve been working on that for seven years so I might get around to finishing it soon."

We have a very fruitful discussion with Sean. Turns out Sean will make anything as long as it is in
wood and he specialises in stairs. We mention to him that we are considering a iron or steel balustrade depicting a local or Celtic symbol but are unsure where’d we go for that.
"Oh" says knows and tells us about the steel works at the other side of Dingle.  Another possible gem of local knowledge more on this later.
We find out, again, through a chance conversation with locals that we don’t need to travel afar for
what we need.

And this is the entrance hall in development, at the end of which the staircase will rise.

And now we have eco-joists

Should be in by the end of this week

Let there be concrete and light.

Despite a wet and windy day the concrete for the ground floor was poured on Friday. The left-hand picture is where the main bedroom en-suite will be located. The middle picture is where the main bedroom will be. There are no joists in yet so the view is of the two storeys. The lower window is to bee converted into the entrance into the en-suite. The right-hand picture is looking across the guest bedroom. The pipes that are sticking up from the cpnrte are where a space will be enclosed to create an en-suite.

The picture below records the creation of a new window in the original structure. This is in the corner of what was the lounge that will become the 3rd bedroom. This is the first time that the original structure had an opening, giving a view towards Mount Brandon. Unfortunately the day that is in it, means the view is a tad obscured by the clouds

News just in - end date moved from end of August to end of October

Before the work started

House minus old extension on November 8th

The new extension emerges above the boundary, January 27th

A return to work - the builders, not me

We had a stop for Christmas and then work was very slow as we had to work on an affordable solution to structural weaknesses identified in the original structure. And to the best (affordable) solution for dry rot in the roof timbers. In all we lost at least three weeks.
The first photo is from the "side" of the house, but this will be the front when completed. The aperture on the left is where the new front door will be and the one on the right will be a window in the guest bedroom. The guest bedroom will be somewhat smaller than originally conceived as we decided to put and ensuite shower room in it. It will still be a comfortable double / twin.

The second photo is taken through the front door.This part of the extension provides for the entrance hall with the staircase rise beginning just by the end of the landscape window aperture on the left. The partially formed window aperture, by the scaffolding is where the staircase with have a landing as the rise takes a right turn. Beyond that will be the ensuite for the main bedroom.

WE have yet to get a new programme of work and so don't yet know if the delay will pish out the completion date from the end of August. We are hoping for the mild winter (mild in Dingle Peninsula sense) continues and we get the thing finished as originally planned.

Block work moves forward at a steady rate.

The walls of the extension continue to rise, if somewhat slowly. The first snap below is from the front of the house, from the road. The two apertures will form windows for the guest bedroom. The run of the wall that joins the original structure on the right is where the guest bedroom en-suite will be,

The snap beneath that is from the side of the house. The right hand aperture will also be part of the guest bedroom and be formed as french windows. The aperture on the left is where the new front door will be. SO, this "side" of the house, will become the "front" of the house with both pedestrian and vehicle access being from / to here.

From here on they are going to need scaffolding.

Sheila writes

And this week we become experts in Staircases

We’re up and down them every week, staircases I am referring to, but how much thought have you ever given to them. Well turns out we gave ours very little thought expect to pick out fab sweeping structures saying oh that looks fantastic, perfect for our house.

And so now having made decisions about the inside and outside colour, our windows and tiles we turn our attention to the stairs. We met with a manufacturer/designer/one man show last week who was very nice. As he is trying to work out our budget, he shows us our dream staircase only to respond to our “oh wow, yes please” with a comment “that’s the Ferrari of the staircases”. So, I says to him what we are looking for is a Ferrari style on a golf budget. He thought I was being funny.

We now know everything that’s needed for a cantilever staircase – and we’re not having one. We know all about nosing’s and risings and if you pour enough wine into me, I can share all that knowledge with you.

Another meeting today with a staircase manufacturer in Killarney and we are making progress on the decision. Mostly likely going for an open thread staircase in White American Oak with a glass banister and wooden handrail.

All we need to decide is the height of the goings, the rising and the number of steps. Simple really.

The Audi switches nationality

So of you find this outside your home it is only us visiting.

Work resumes

We believe the solution to the structural problems is with us and affordable so a couple of workman are back on site.
We are not expecting too much to get done before the Xmas closedown but still encouraging to see a restart.

Nothing much to report

I posted on November 13th about the dry rot in the original building. Since then there has been next to no work done on the site.  A conservation expert believes that the roof timbers can be treated and there is no need for a new roof. The builder disagrees.
The structural engineer has come up with a plan to replace the first floor joists and to strengthen the weak corner wall. The builder's QS has priced this for the builder, but the builder has not shared that with us as yet. We thought we'd hear last Friday and then it was today, not.
It is a tad frustrating.
Meanwhile her is a photograph of our favourite pub in the village.