He would gradually work down and start the whole house.

[tufguy]

"He would gradually work down and start the whole house." This sentence is from the novel "Three Men In A Boat" by Jerome K Jerome (1889).

Could you please tell me the meaning of this sentence?

 

[emsr2d2]

Can you give us more context? We don't know where he was "working down" from. What was he starting?

 

[tufguy]

Can you give us more context? We don't know where he was "working down" from. What was he starting?

Oh, you leave that to ME. Don’t you, any of you, worry yourselves about that. I’LL do all that.”
And then he would take off his coat, and begin. He would send the girl out for sixpen’orth of nails, and then one of the boys after her to tell her what size to get; and, from that, he would gradually work down, and start the whole house.

Writer is mentioning about his uncle Podger here. What does this sentence mean "he would gradually work down, and start the whole house"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Unfortunately, the preceding sentences don't help. Haven't you read any further on? I can only assume that he is doing some repairs to a house but none of the sentences you have given us explain "work down" or what he is starting. After the part you have quoted, does he start repairing the house? Where does he start? In the attic?