Hackspace Move/Cremer Restoration
Weekend volunteer list: Sat/Sun 27/28 April
If you can help out please add yourselves below. It's easy, it's gratifying work, and it ensures we get back our £7,000 deposit. We'll try to make sure that there's always someone around to provide guidance.
Masonry is done (just some dressing needed, and filling holes), now there's lots of painting to do, a little bit of plumbing, a seemingly infinite number of other little details, and a big cleanup when it's all done. (Note that the "what's left" list on this page may not be up to date any more. Simon sent an update on Thursday night.)
What's left
This is a list of things that need to be fixed or restored once we leave Cremer st. Please add anything you can think of, they will be struck off once we have confirmation that the work doesn't need to be done, or is completed.
NOTE: YOU WILL NEED THE KEY TO UNIT 23 TO GET IN. THIS IS HUNG UP INSIDE THE CABINET ON THE LEFT COMING INTO UNIT 24.
| task | 23-L | 23-R | 24-L | 24-R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All surfaces clean, including sinks | ||||
| Wall plugs removed & holes filled (check carefully) | ||||
| Doors scraped free of stickers | ||||
| Walls all white, doors & frames all black (paint if not) |
| 23-L | status |
|---|---|
| done | |
| 23-R | status |
| done (still needs painting) | |
| done | |
| done-needs skimming once motar set | |
| done | |
| install strike plate for inner door (spade drills and chisel are there) | |
| replace inner door (after painting) | |
| done | |
| done | |
| done | |
| done | |
| 24-L | status |
| inner door - replace spindle & handles | |
| 24-R | status |
| Repair flush mechanism on toilets |
| Task | Status |
|---|---|
| Done | |
| done | |
| done | |
| done | |
| done-needs sanding | |
| hoover/clean loo floors -- this will give good impression to landlord for very little work. | |
| outside -- make sure our balconies are clear when we're done | |
| tidy everything up inside, remove rubbish -- junk left behind will probably be removed by landlord at our expense | |
| unit 24 -- remove doorbot card reader and patch hole with wood, then fill edges with wood filler (brown stuff). This should be done as late as possible, but you can make the wood patch by taking reader out temporarily, and only put it in as the last step. | |
| Remove CISA release lock from door to unit 24, remove doorbot and bell from wall above the meter | |
| Paint remaining parts of the wall around meter and behind old payphone and where the wall has been filled at the back of the quiet room |
Supplies we still need
| door spindle (square rod) and 2 handles - i've got 1 handle and sq. rod from the old space | hardware store |
| panel pins for door stop | hardware store |
HOW TOs
how to repair the window
Use the wired glass (the shape should be obvious). Sand the edges with fine sandpaper first so you don't cut yourself. I did a test fit in the window, and it's quite close, but should fit one way or the other (I think the window frame is slightly out of square).
The frame may have some gunk in it, so scrape that off first.
There is a tube of glass sealant somewhere in unit 23, so just put that in a caulk gun and run it around the edges of the frame, put the glass in, and put another layer on the inside of the glass. You can make a nice smooth line with a wet finger.
how to split breeze blocks
For irregular / thin shapes, use the big saw with the red handle, as it's already dull. Most splitting, however, can be done with the cold chisel and hammer. First,carefully go around the entire block along the line where you want it to split, only chiseling 1-2mm deep. Then keep going deeper each time and eventually it will break, leaving a nice rough surface for the mortar to stick to.
how to prepare for laying breeze blocks
- Plan out the sizes, including mortar space, and split the blocks ahead of time. You don't want to be stuck with rapidly drying mortar and no blocks to lay.
- Put down drop cloths/plastic sheet on either side, so the mortar doesn't go everywhere.
- It may be worth trying to make a frame out of a sheet of wood and some planks to ensure levelness on one side, so you can place the blocks against it. Don't forget to go back and fill in the gaps in the mortar joints before it all dries. This would really help with the divider wall.
how to mix mortar for laying breeze blocks
- WAIT! Get everything else ready first, so you have the maximum amount of time to work with it.
- Wear gloves and a dust mask. Cement is really irritating to skin and lungs.
- Use the white dish to measure out 1 part cement, 4 parts sand onto the large plywood sheet. Mix a little bit while dry.
- Clean the grey bucket, and fill it part way with water. Mix in about 1/4 - 1/5 of a sachet of plasticizer.
- Make a hole in the center of the cement/sand mix (volcano!) and pour in the water a bit at a time, folding it over, and using the saw flipped over to pull/chop it. You'll probably need to refill the grey bucket again before it's smooth enough.
- When you can make an indentation that will hold its shape, but it is wet enough to slip off the trowel easily, then it is ready.
- You can keep mortar covered in plastic so it will take longer to set.
- Once the mortar starts to become difficult to work with, don't add more water, it should be thrown away.
- Clean the shovel, and scrape off the board!
how to lay breeze blocks
- BE CAREFUL! Take your time, and use the level to make sure everything is straight. You can't go back and fix it if it's crooked. It's harder than you'd think.
- Lay a line of flat mortar, making sure that it is thick at the edges of the blocks, not just in the center.
- Put lots of mortar on one side of the brick to be laid, just like the last step.
- Carefully place the brick, keeping it in line with the rest of the wall. It must be vertically and horizontally level, as well as not twisted or offset. The most important thing is that it is not sticking out of the wall on either side or tilting side to side. To adjust, you can tap the top of the block with the butt of a hammer or the trowel.
- Fill in any gaps. It's easier if you put the mortar on liberally and evenly in the first place.
- For bricks at the top of the wall, or that have mortar on both sides, just do one side, then fill in the rest with the trowel or your fingers (WEAR GLOVES).
- Scrape off excess mortar with the trowel or wood.
- Scrape with the end of a bit of plastic drain pipe to make the nice rounded indentation in the mortar joints. Vertical joints first, then horizontal ones.
- Clean everything off! mortar comes off with water, until it dries.
Water Stopcock locations
In unit 23, in the corner where the member boxes were. In unit 24, in cupboard next to the toilet.
Measurements
- Size of breeze blocks: 440 x 215 x 100mm
- inter-unit doorway approx size: 1170 x 2240mm
- new door to be installed in loo: 686 x 1981mm
- height of ceiling in loo -- to be measured (may be uneven)
- approx area to brick up in loo: 1000 x 2700mm
- door frame timber: 50x100mm
- external 23-L loo window to fix: 852 x 228mm
- internal 23-R loo window to install: 685 x 620mm
Suppliers
Breeze blocks, sand, cement, wood can come from: MP Building Supplies 282 Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green (google maps is wrong! actually at intersection with Old Bethnal Green Road) London, E2 9HA 020 7729 1699 Open: Mon: 07:00 - 17:00 Tue: 07:00 - 17:00 Wed: 07:00 - 17:00 Thu: 07:00 - 17:00 Fri: 07:00 - 17:00 Sat: 08:00 - 14:00
