This is a 120 year old miner's cottage and I am not joking when I tell you that I actually removed 2 wheel-barrow loads of straw from old birds' nests (Not in my time). I probably shouldn't mention the odd fossilized rats. The dust was almost like soot. When the kitchen ceiling came down the entire room was more than 6" (12 cm) deep in it and it billowed into every single nook and cranny in the whole house, whether doors were shut or not!!!!!!!!!!!!
We bought a similar house first time round. The first night we moved in I cried because I looked up at the bright "milo tin" green ceiling and could see the stars outside through the gap in the roof. The tiny lounge had a door on every wall, so no furniture would fit in it. the ceiling in the lounge was constructed of lining boards which the previous owners had painted flatblack. It took five coats of one coat ceiling paint to cover it and because of the lining boards it had to be studiously paited with a paint brush, not rolled. The house was constructed of red gum which becomes so hard after 100 years that you can't nail it. You have to predrill every nail, wasn't that fun for a fixer uper. Good luck with the renovations David, they are infectious! Cheers, Yvonne. To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]