31.01.2010 - This waist-high pile of rub­ble and rubbish was cleared to form the entrance hall.  The wall at the end was knocked down to allow access to the living room beyond.

The green line marks the position of an old stair lead­ing to the roof.  Removing the stair has left a lot of holes which weaken the structure.

You can fill the spaces with almost anything.  Robert is using newspaper here.

Next, Robert applies sand and cement rendering prior to finishing off with plaster.  It will be ready for decorating once the plas­ter is dry.

Another solution is to fix plasterboard over the holes, using the dot-and-dab method.  This is a quick and effective way to prepare larger areas for decorating.

This is a view of the hall from the living room.  It has a roof now, but the rest of the exterior wall is unfinished.

This is almost the same view a few weeks later.  The living room floor has been tiled and the walls are now finished and ready for deco­rating.

This project is still ongoing.  The hall still needs tiles on the floor, but it looks very different from the original dumping ground!

If you have any questions about DIY you can call Robert on 922 814 073, mobile 605 469 352 or email rjmcalees@yahoo.com

Useful vocabulary

Plasterboard / placa de yeso
Wall (internal) / pared
Sand / arena
Cement / cemento
Hole (in wall) / boquete



This article appears in the print edition 608 of Island Connections

Gallery: Turning a dumping ground into an entrance hall

6 pictures found: Go to gallery