One of the common problems with buildings as old as the Chateau is dampness in the stone work. They are usually built directly onto the ground with stone foundations (if any) and no damp course like modern buildings. In our case this problem has been heightened by two factors; 1 - the lower level is partially beneath ground level, so the earth is actually up against a large portion of the western wall and all of the northern wall. 2 -at the north-western corner was an old water tank that caught the rain from the gutter around the front bullnose verandah.
This tank has obviously been slowly leaking for years, as is evidenced by the little stalactites and stalagmites beneath it!
Even in dry weather this slow leak has never allowed the soil at that corner of the house to dry out completely and the damp can be seen through the render on the internal wall.
So that tank had to go! Lee and his mum took on the job and started by punching a hole in the bottom of the tank. Easier said than done. Not knowing the actual construction of a corrugated iron water tank, Lee began by trying to knock a hole in the bottom of it with one of his dad's old screwdrivers. The plastic handle of the screwdriver was smashed to pieces before any sign of breaking through the tank - it turns out these tanks are lined with concrete and it's rather thick on the bottom. Well, we are city folk really, and we're learning! Eventually the remains of the screwdriver broke through and we got a disgusting stream of black sludge which soon transformed into surprisingly clear water. We had set up some old water pipes to take the water away from the house to where some fruit trees are growing. Lee & mum then went off home satisfied that the tank would empty itself overnight ready for removal the following morning.
The following morning the tank was not empty. Not even a little bit. The sludge had blocked up the hole very nicely and the tank was probably losing less water than it had in years! Time to hit Bunnings. A bit of a battering on the old credit card and Lee's team discount card got the right tools for the job; a small sledge hammer and a large pin punch. With these new aids Lee quickly improved upon yesterdays efforts and soon the mucky water was flowing well. Of course the point came where there really was only the sludge left and the hole would continually block up again. That would just have to do.
Now all the (nearly) empty tank needed was a shove off it's base and it would plonk onto it's side and roll down the hill a bit into the perfect position to be broken up and taken away. NOT!
After much pushing & shoving and more than a little kicking and cursing it became obvious that the water was only part of this thing's weight and it was going nowhere. Well. if you can't push the tank off the stand, pull the stand out from under the tank. Even if the stand is made of reinforced concrete. Lee found a handy steel rod and with it and the small sledge hammer began attacking the stand.
During the banging and clanging Lee & mum somehow noticed nearby bird noises firing up repeatedly. When they looked in a nearby scraggy bush they noticed a small nest containing 3 small baby birds and after a few minutes along came mummy bird with some regurgitation goodness for them. As soon as she got near they turned into 3 tiny trumpets, blasting out their little chorus of chirps which undoubtedly translates to "Me, me, me!".
Even though the clatter of steel on concrete started up again within a couple of metres of the nest, mummy bird carried on as if she didn't even noticed, returning every couple of minutes to shove goodies down the hungry throats.
Eventually Lee had removed enough material from the concrete stand to be able to kid himself that it might actually make a difference. With a concerted effort of more pushing, shoving, kicking etc. the damn thing did actually start to nudge slowly from it's original position. Eventually... SUCCESS!! Sort of. The tank didn't plonk onto it's side and roll nicely away, it thudded heavily onto it's corner, bogged it self in the ground a bit and refused to move anymore at all. It may not have been quite what was planned but after spending most of the day on this 'little job' it was enough for some celebration.
At a later date we will try again to actually remove the water tank completely and you can expect to see another post (hopefully only one) about that. And it will probably involve a much bigger sledge hammer!
A bientot!
K'n'L
