A standard off the shelf two-quarter turn staircase requires and opening 180cm by 180cm. Fortunately in the corner of the room for the staircase the second beam was 185cm from the wall. It means there is no room to plasterboard the stonework so it got a good pressure washing and will be pointed.

To make the hole I just chopped 190cm back along the beam from the wall. The removed portion was approx 240cm long as it was embedded in the wall, so it was just a matter of turning it 90 degrees to fit across the cut end and into a new hole in the wall.

I simply made ‘half-lap’ joints (well third-lap joints) to fit the cross beam and pegged into the end grain with some 14mm steel bar.

For most of the joints and cutting I used a chainsaw. The central core of an oak beam is like concrete, incredibly strong.

In order to gain access between the two halves of the building upstairs I needed an opening.

The walls are approx 60cm thick of stone and mud construction. The basic procedure is fairly simple, but quite scary. Bash one or two holes above the proposed lintel and insert a couple of strong bit of wood. Using acro props, support the stone above the hole. Don’t forget to use acro props below on the ground floor to support the first floor.

Removing the stone is fairly easy, it’s all held together with mud. The biggest job is getting rid of all the waste. The photo only shows about one third of the stone removed.

Once the opening is large enough, shuttering and lots of concrete. I cast the sides and a couple of days later poured the lintel. Once set, remove the supports and fill in the holes above the lintel.

Both the large and small masonry clamps are essential for this job. Also at the builders merchants they actually sell cheap timber for shuttering.