Stone walls can be beautiful especially if built with skill and traditional methods.
Take this very attractive Portuguese stone cottage for instance. It has very nice stone work but we want more light in the room. So let’s knock an opening for a window through the 60 centimeters thick walls or an even bigger opening for a pair of patio doors.
Make no mistake this is VERY dangerous work not just for the people carrying out he work but also for the fabric of the building.
It is no surprise to me but may be to you that the UK Guardian reported “The construction industry is the most dangerous sector in Britain. There is no trade like it. To put it in context, 448 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Over the same period, more than 760 construction workers have been killed on British sites.”
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/12/death-richard-laco-britain-builders-safety-
Ok so you know it’s dangerous work but you’re on a tight budget and responsible not some cowboy builder you’re going to take it easy and you have a mate who has seen it done before. You have borrowed the tools and want to get cracking.
If you missed my previous blog on the subject here is a link. Also here is a massive tip which will help with your personal safety and the structural integrity of your home.
The OSHA have said that the citations most often were issued for “failure to conduct an engineering survey to determine the condition of the structure prior to demolition.”
Such a survey would be able to determine the likelihood of building collapse and injury.
I can almost guarantee that no DIY builder or home re-modeller has ever even asked about one of these engineering surveys in Portugal.
Which in turn means that (a) it was a very dangerous building site, (b) corners have been cut during construction and (c) you have no idea if the work was carried out correctly.
