Construction

I had now acquired the necessary land, had secured planning consent and needed to find a builder. I required someone who, on dodgy ground, could build a three-story structure and attach it to a house, which was already much extended. There would be all manner of difficult abutments, with much leadwork and the interleaving of many tiles. Where the dome cut through the roof, lead soakers would have to be individually measured and cut, and the flat roof balcony presented a particular difficulty. The whole thing gave numerous points of concern for water penetration. If I went to Yellow Pages seeking a builder, I had no doubt that “Get lost!” would have been a pretty universal reply.