We decided to start by stripping back the third bedroom. The wallpaper came off just fine using a wallpaper steamer. Then it got interesting…
- The radiator was removed and it appeared to have been supported by a wooden post that had somehow been added to the wall and there was a fair hole behind it
- There was a fake wall covering what was the original cupboard but had long since been turned into an upstairs loo which we broke through quickly with a hammer
- The top of the window frame was missing so anything scraped off above it disappeared into a hole that when heaven knows where
- The old paint did NOT want to come off
- The chimney (not yet confirmed) looks like it has been removed and supported correctly (see post on bedroom 2) as there are triangular metal extrusions from the wall where it should be. Still not quite sure what is above the wall and below the roof though.
Here’s how it started…
Here’s several DAYS later…
Here’s the wall that adjoins next door, the chimney (unlike bedroom 2) has been blocked up and concrete used to smooth over the gap in the wall. This is the grey section, the parts to either side eventually revealed the original lime plaster. There are 2 small protrusions in the ceiling under the coving which will at some point show whether the chimney has been adequately supported.
The paint does NOT come off. If you have this, invest in a large flat bladed scraped. We didn’t. We regretted it.