It was on our 2020 Charter List – to upgrade some more of the double glazing in the eco lodges. So we’ve started with Beech Lodge.
Luckily we already had the double glazing, made locally by Okehampton glass before the covid19 lockdown began. And the sunny days have helped too – making it easier to do the outside aspects like leaving a hole in the side of the building (because we’re re-using the old windows – we always try to repair rather than replace), and of course the painting.
The new glass will hold back much more heat than the old lodge windows, which were a fiddly version of secondary glazing, rather than double.
And they won’t have the internal panes either, so that should bring more of Wheatland Farm’s wonderful outside right into the lodges.
We thought we’d start with Beech Lodge as the double glazing will complement the sliding doors in the main bedroom, and the big sliding veranda doors (though actually all three wooden eco lodges have those now). The first to be changed are the panels in the living area looking out onto the young tree plantation (and Beech Lodge’s hot tub).
In the picture, Ian is routing the old frames, so they’ll take the deeper double glazing panel (it’s four times thicker). The hinges have to be adjusted too, so we can put the lodge back together!
We’ll slowly work our way around the other lodges – eventually. We don’t have enough glass for all the small windows yet, and anyway, there are plenty of other tasks to do, with land management here at Wheatland Farm still needing to be done whether or not we have guests. If you’re interested in those aspects, take a look at Wheatland Farm’s management diary.
Hope you’re all keeping safe and well in these strange times, and we look forward to welcoming you back as soon as the covid19 challenge diminishes sufficiently.
