tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626348862178247142024-03-13T15:41:23.912+00:00Kai and Iona build a houseA selfbuild in Bristol by a pair of young novices...ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-62499343697657264372012-07-08T00:09:00.000+01:002012-07-08T00:09:29.379+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello all, it's taken me a while to get round to doing this blog post but here it is!</div>
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With the caravan out of the way, we were able to construct the soakaway where all the rainwater will drain to: </div>
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Dismantling the shed from its old location: <br />
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And putting it back together again in its final spot: <br />
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The fence separating the driveway from the garden: <br />
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Step to the front door, with steel shoe cast in ready to receive the canopy post: <br />
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Grading the levels back using the mini digger to create the driveway:<br />
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A layer of Type 1: <br />
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Followed by a layer of gravel and compacted. </div>
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Framing out for the decking: <br />
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And the finished article. Timber posts have since been added around the edges to stop you falling off the side! <br />
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Structure for the canopy: <br />
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Tiling and rainwater goods to the canopy: <br />
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Turfing the garden! <br />
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The juliet balcony has been fixed on: <br />
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Air tightness test - this is a requirement to meet building regulations standards. We booked a company to come and do the test, they fix a large fan into the doorway which sucks air out of the house to measure how draughty it is. We had a target rate of 6.5 (the higher the number the more draughty the house...) but the test revealed we had achieved a rate of 2.8! Chuffed with that as it means we have done a good job at the interfaces where floors and roof meet the walls.<br />
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Ramp for disability access as required by building regs: <br />
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Dropped kerb installed (we paid a company to come and do this) and the stonework finished either side of the entrance. <br />
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We have now received the building regulations completion certificate and the certificate of the 10 year warranty. Mission accomplished!<br />
Hope you enjoyed reading the blog!ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-44808889943437360912011-12-18T14:27:00.000+00:002011-12-18T14:27:04.493+00:00Goodbye static caravan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An early start on December 10th to get the caravan taken away. Having sold it on ebay the week before to a guy wanting to do his own selfbuild, it was time for the caravan to get collected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had to do a bit of work to replace a buckled wheel with a new one, but other than that the caravan was in pretty good nick and we pulled it as far out of the plot as possible using the Landrover with no trouble.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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The truck arrived about 9, as we were hoping to get the caravan loaded up and gone before the traffic got too heavy. <br />
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And we're left with space for a garden - we'll work on this in the spring. Right now the priority is to enjoy Christmas at The Laurels. Nadolig Llawen! Merry Christmas!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKxf6cfq5NSouG_p8WSKZmjka41-M80mWaFiMCIX3tf6oqwCOWLYrXG05z4_h5adGBwJ33zzOwmDRm4vFtMz8jmNRuuPfFLBUrcXQQUENeUJ0GkXSnvDk_XuSzv0PatU3328-wHZKwKHQ/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKxf6cfq5NSouG_p8WSKZmjka41-M80mWaFiMCIX3tf6oqwCOWLYrXG05z4_h5adGBwJ33zzOwmDRm4vFtMz8jmNRuuPfFLBUrcXQQUENeUJ0GkXSnvDk_XuSzv0PatU3328-wHZKwKHQ/s400/IMG_0132.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-9466312233870365032011-11-09T22:56:00.000+00:002011-11-09T22:56:29.442+00:00Week 36 - We're in!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last week we've had a flooring fitter in to carpet upstairs and lay the engineered oak floor downstairs. We would never consider laying carpet ourselves as you just can't achieve the same finish as a professional. We've never had much luck with carpet fitters before and always been slightly dissapointed, we certainly wanted someone who was going to look after our freshly glossed skirting! We found a guy called Spike by recommendation, he's good at carpet fitting and laying wood flooring so we just let him get on with both which has saved me having to do the wood ourselves and freed us up to keep going with the long list of little jobs that need finishing off.</div><br />
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The bathroom is functional now but we still have to find time to scrub the grout residue off the tiles and only half the room has sealant around the edges, definitly not enough hours in the evenings for all of these little jobs.<br />
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We spent quite a while looking at different wood flooring and in the end settled for just an ordinary Tongue and Groove board that was suitable for glueing down to the concrete. It's suprisingly difficult to find anything other than the 'click' system flooring now which needs to be floated on a felt underlay/membrane. You end up with a slight bounce if you use that stuff and it doesn't work so well with the underfloor heating, our glued down floor is really firm and seems to transmit the heat well. <br />
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Iona has been taking a well earned rest on our newly aquired sofas and we've been generally basking in the warmth and comfort of our amazing new house - it's beyond our expectations and living in the static caravan for 6 months has definitely made us more appreciative of the creature comforts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz5ssBJa9x9d2DxLMMKgMWdGUmM3QUC9b9QCGBCj9r0bp2xEUYgzlA-h7yywW6cLzf3qbZdpIictbaORLHYAn_IrpbPAR_O-Fu44gM4tzzzIvVEXICExvPymg4uwj0WjP0qorcFNU-6Oe/s1600/IMG_1344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz5ssBJa9x9d2DxLMMKgMWdGUmM3QUC9b9QCGBCj9r0bp2xEUYgzlA-h7yywW6cLzf3qbZdpIictbaORLHYAn_IrpbPAR_O-Fu44gM4tzzzIvVEXICExvPymg4uwj0WjP0qorcFNU-6Oe/s400/IMG_1344.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
We're by no means finished, there's a long list of things to snag inside and a few quite large tasks to complete outside, but the pressure feels like it's off and we can afford to take a little more time to relax now rather than work flat out all the time. As such blog entries may be a little more sparodic from now on.<br />
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Major tasks left are:<br />
<ul><li> Sell caravan and remove from site</li>
<li>Dig soak aways and lay the rainwater drainage</li>
<li>Move shed into rear garden </li>
<li>Grade the driveway back from the road, lay 16tons of hardcore and 10tons of gravel</li>
<li>Build the canopy porch over the front door </li>
<li>Build the decking to the rear of the house</li>
<li>Stone walling, fencing, turfing, pathways and flower beds</li>
</ul>If anyone fancies popping in for a visit please get in touch, we're more than happy to show off the fruits of our labours!ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-46598870970213012082011-10-30T21:50:00.001+00:002011-10-30T22:02:00.375+00:00Weeks 34 and 35 - A deadline looms<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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About 8 weeks ago we set ourselves the vague dealine of being in by end of October..... The carpets and Oak flooring are going to be laid this week so we've pretty much done it, no more decorating or messy work allowed inside after that, although there will be a snagging list to work our way through of course. We aim to move in on Friday the 4th, all being well.<br />
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We've been working extremely hard for the last two weeks getting lots of jobs done. Kai finished the kitchen, only the door handles need to be put on the cupboards now. We're over the moon with how the kitchen has turned out, it's a dream kitchen we thought we would only see in glossy magazines, and everything is laid out just as we want it so it should be a joy to cook in!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gy8bLPCz3mC9IDGoH0eWQdEhpfoXFZUujdBu4fmIIrERKC49HNndb3KEUxBwQzH8RzZOVstahDanxKY6_8MrmhL-rdu7ylTLFDsy3ozZYNz6-0RUzp9Ikd0JpgmYBZPZgPRB5vV-orr5/s400/IMG_1298.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The boiler has been boxed into its own wall cupboard so that it blends in nicely with the rest of the kitchen units. It needed a bit of jiggery pokery with a filler strip as it stands a little pround from the other wall units but looks s good now. Kai covered and plastered in the pipes in the wall to get our seemless splashback with no horrible boxing, just needs a lick of paint now.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The patch on the ceiling is a repair to a section we had to cut out in a hurry to locate a water leak that the gas man left us as a gift! Sloppy soldering had left the joint dry which withstood pressure testing when cold but when the pipe heated up it sprung a leak! The water damage was minimal but still annoying, if you want something doing properly, do it yourself...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr0zrkQtFH0OEykTOCWcloWZb_DOSw21NT1MEADiaQC1K6YlSpWt_e3lmYmKaQ_t7kikDQz3GLd-9WV6TW3Ze0KK4OvswxOWwihsjbYvlrwsUzxNgvRnkt2WnGeoiWmKpUpfJ6cK39Xjj/s400/IMG_1307.JPG" width="298" /> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Having grouted the travertine tiles, the floor looks fantastic. Skirting is on in the kitchen and just waiting for glossing and final colour on the walls (when we can decide what colour!)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQegg6zv_CK2RkQGoIvY6tyto8f4qUB1HW4AECPYPDHvGb1DaKFRqU5EjWsbIR5BeR0cKnbCM49LcIbq1wCiOmIcOTmbdKSFGND0h0c07wDRg7sKqKwVgoNxMls6PdCJg8Sq_dbgilqMZZ/s1600/IMG_1317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQegg6zv_CK2RkQGoIvY6tyto8f4qUB1HW4AECPYPDHvGb1DaKFRqU5EjWsbIR5BeR0cKnbCM49LcIbq1wCiOmIcOTmbdKSFGND0h0c07wDRg7sKqKwVgoNxMls6PdCJg8Sq_dbgilqMZZ/s400/IMG_1317.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kai hung the glazed door to the kitchen, while I faffed about with preparing the stair ballustrading for the mind-numbing task of glossing... </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yet more glossing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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The sink for the wc in position. This will have a cupboard built underneath to hide the underfloor heating manifold and controls.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kai's pleased with his efforts at plastering the side of the stair, a bit wobbly at first after nearly 2 years without touching a float but he's achieved a good finish that you can't tell apart from the professionally done wall opposite. It definitely reaffirmed that he doesn't like plastering, and it was money well spent to get someone in to do the majority of the work. Just one more coat of gloss to go on the stair ballustrade... </div><br />
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Seeing as the weather's turned cold, we thought it's probably worth getting round to insulating the loft. Better to keep all that heat in than pump it all out the roof. 300mm of glass fibre insulation should do the trick. We're still getting to grips with the heating system, the undefloor heating seems to work really well and just gives off a gentle, constant heat throught the day, hopefully all this insulatuion will pay off and keep the bills down.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuavngMoGNCpjGwamkRSYfLz6uBZqlJbiL7sdehAoRZulTZBM4P_q4jBfG14UX5TjqX6bQm10ignWV0gToLqymQrfoM-ctXFAqoldXoMZNfEApEd1KJBw7p8xVWgNSuKdR_Di8kk1ObZS/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuavngMoGNCpjGwamkRSYfLz6uBZqlJbiL7sdehAoRZulTZBM4P_q4jBfG14UX5TjqX6bQm10ignWV0gToLqymQrfoM-ctXFAqoldXoMZNfEApEd1KJBw7p8xVWgNSuKdR_Di8kk1ObZS/s400/IMG_1319.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-15329955192707290732011-10-16T22:35:00.000+01:002011-10-16T22:35:47.495+01:00Weeks 32 and 33 - Kitchen, painting, joinery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well another busy two weeks! We have cranked up the pace a bit and are generally putting in several hours an evening as well as working long hours on the weekends. All in aid of trying to get the house ready to move in by the end of October. We're still not yet sure if we'll manage it, but it's no big deal if we're in a couple of weeks after that. We may have to start wearing more jumpers while we're in the caravan though since the temperature has dropped a bit!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks to Nans and Rob for coming and helping for a day, we managed to get a lot more painting done. Feels like the painting is never ending, but I'm getting there gradually. All the rooms have had a base coat, and the bedrooms have all now had a finish coat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpPUJWcmVqcW4DI04bDvfjsjfjN5J7AOATPezJc_3Evu9xBAopIvepj0wKBpdowhktUVV3GM5JP4RrJdWjYxNWen5jB9YkJsmWdNPi6Kok_FKY3ioVP4tC7hO92dW9RxqvALhhGyFYFaJ/s400/IMG_1266.JPG" width="298" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kai managed to get all the radiators fixed onto the walls today, and he also did the skirting boards and architrave for the three bedrooms. I suppose I'd better start glossing soon, lots of calking and filling to do first though!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluJgvE8gdmsD4bcjiverC7-J7z0uxtMITACSOaRV61-o3gur6KFtXMGGdQtikDu_QxZDHyXgO-2dE8nvbVAAR1T3pVx3A3ko8RfaszYS-PiRgdW1YTMQgVf0soVEz9lDXoG7eFqki-hKC/s400/IMG_1283.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kai spent most of last weekend tiling the kitchen floor, and did a fanstastic job of it. We're really glad we chose the Travertine tiles which are quite expensive but they look superb. And Colin's tile saw cut through them like butter, couldn't have done the job without it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKC8VNOQPt-LJES39TktdyEdzPARVA6_VwsZVkMmDMFuSNavT_67zXO3R8W6MqSCf32-_Yu2MH_SF6yu0qtvdmM8xw744GoQz1DUSnmxYTuGuViQu0wHneaHByG3jvulArsEz6NDn_JJ_/s400/IMG_1259.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The range cooker, fridge freezer and cooker hood were delivered last week so the kitchen is starting to look more complete. The range cooker won't be put in place until the gas man has sorted out the gas pipe for it, and the floor tiles have been grouted and sealed. We're really looking forward to our first dinner using the range cooker!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIAKfEZSwVHGysZZOZFoQr2ejV8AFLTQFvQu7NcjYYd1x2D0lI7Dur2L5JCxpTXkcpZR1FNM_Utjd9P_uc3_f2dBUTmPNz2F8Xcz4b27-kL7S8iTFfwfjtm5-wfSckHWZT553rmIuw9NK/s1600/IMG_1275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIAKfEZSwVHGysZZOZFoQr2ejV8AFLTQFvQu7NcjYYd1x2D0lI7Dur2L5JCxpTXkcpZR1FNM_Utjd9P_uc3_f2dBUTmPNz2F8Xcz4b27-kL7S8iTFfwfjtm5-wfSckHWZT553rmIuw9NK/s400/IMG_1275.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We've gone for integrated appliances because the overall look of the kitchen will be more stunning.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVCjasz5GF9nS21R28_Ohg1PTUUDTKLydhdPDX2A5gK6g_BpYnqV0KXqBk30S7iNXs88S7urIhKdsuCarKuD0u7DQPyzw_Bg3DA5g-OTr6lCj3FOMbsLS3I1drrpdm9VbUcL51bSAtlCC/s400/IMG_1277.JPG" width="298" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kai got the first section of worktop fitted in place. We've gone for a square edged laminate work top. We did consider using higher spec acrylic composite worktops which look like granite, but they cost about five times as much as laminate worktop and in the end they look quite similar!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmcHDHFadjXAalHWLoUEtRB-6UwzMHUC-fxxWDeubUtdqP9Ns1CVVcJbJExPl3FhB1A0Y3E4UVF9IZlG0MbDtEHDT2KSmGqA2OpOZqHsd7tvMN45Ca_qSSYuCQGiOODJFmn8e3_2pUw9E/s1600/CIMG5473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmcHDHFadjXAalHWLoUEtRB-6UwzMHUC-fxxWDeubUtdqP9Ns1CVVcJbJExPl3FhB1A0Y3E4UVF9IZlG0MbDtEHDT2KSmGqA2OpOZqHsd7tvMN45Ca_qSSYuCQGiOODJFmn8e3_2pUw9E/s400/CIMG5473.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <br />
For the splashback we sourced a sheet of stainless steel 2.5m x 1.25m x 0.9mm thick directly from Aalco wholesalers. Cost around £120, which is great considering you normally pay about £80 for a tiny 600mm x 600mm sheet. It's really tough stuff to cut, eats through cutting disks on the grinder and if you try and drill it with normal drills it just makes loads of heat, so we had to crack out the special Cobalt tipped drills normally kept sharp for really tough stuff!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtbrHLpD4O_oX2mOvhc1ItU_550FUqvb60CNbVEivMAXNyQIetEyi3Y2VTemhRk1vbK3dSs_Wy-xMc_Z34nJvxR320KWRW_MLbP4SNK2udXVvYgVJE4klc9-UX0d2cBAVmkyPZIW-UH7i/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtbrHLpD4O_oX2mOvhc1ItU_550FUqvb60CNbVEivMAXNyQIetEyi3Y2VTemhRk1vbK3dSs_Wy-xMc_Z34nJvxR320KWRW_MLbP4SNK2udXVvYgVJE4klc9-UX0d2cBAVmkyPZIW-UH7i/s400/IMG_1281.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Oh, and Kai managed to find time to install the shower enclosure! Can't wait till the boiler is commissioned and we can try out the new shower! The grouting is coming along bit by bit and once done we can get sealant on all the edges and corners.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3O0qQK8tW_xeCXU6uUaBVLLkptrW585_ZSDXWR5QRRIYX_vk3_hi5juM0mLAidyL0-0g3ateKhYCjGgdqh0Q2haKJ2us0qNx_sFaqdl6OPBBlnboM95hofzeoYjSCLneHjA7wlNyk9dU/s400/IMG_1273.JPG" width="298" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wales and West utilities finally got the gas line connected to the main, only took about 8 weeks in the end. To our dismay they turned up at 8am on a Sunday and started sawing up the road with big petrol saws and using a jack hammer on the digger; I'm very grateful we have such tolerant neighbours and I promise this is the last time we're going to have the road dug up......</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWwTbOdJOkvdM8Chhveixp57TaRdqfIr6CoLDh8dk5MAMAZ3czIW1yQPksD7kBMLx_gK1v8Y0jL3f_1fBsDxQbExOAAKagawnT88WXVUjANzPzRipaT8pzceKK2HDtt8fZM03dZVk0gjl/s1600/IMG_1263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWwTbOdJOkvdM8Chhveixp57TaRdqfIr6CoLDh8dk5MAMAZ3czIW1yQPksD7kBMLx_gK1v8Y0jL3f_1fBsDxQbExOAAKagawnT88WXVUjANzPzRipaT8pzceKK2HDtt8fZM03dZVk0gjl/s400/IMG_1263.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-32410502542074064502011-10-04T21:31:00.000+01:002011-10-04T21:31:19.900+01:00Week 31 - More painting, bathroom and kitchen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yet another busy week has flown by. I gave the remaining bedroom a base coat which just leaves the hall and landing to be painted - a mammoth task I'm not looking forward to!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The kitchen units were delivered on Friday so I spent some time putting together the large corner units. Most of the other units come ready-assembled and are much higher quality than you'd get from B&Q.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8ROrM2oJbk8cynh_0m6ZRJevmqUEqd7UwgJBGnEJWZzSh4ffn9vDEX_xBsHHiC7jUtlkqt61-OANpS6NwKlI2TcqPzYKCx8bdb1mfSryypHwnh5_aXXQzn1yAdzFf4HfTF6o-akZXzeM/s400/IMG_1246.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kai did a great job of tiling the bathroom and getting the suite and shower plumbed in, the shower controls are all embedded in the stud wall which makes it look really neat and stylish. We're really pleased with the way everything looks, we find it hard to imagine what the finished product might look like so it's always a bonus when it turns out good! We will grout the tiles this week and get the shower screen installed and with a dob of paint we will have the first room pretty much finished.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqy7oMpMoCpZYf6yhGmse1h50Bd2uQ9Cq711NGMKdaLcrj3zbTcATCH844S1UAdfc7TedVzjujBFWrNEQk5no3rP3cgFtTXvhFf6hheil1au7tPdjbs2a-SwVFTakaWGpOvOklRf4508o/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqy7oMpMoCpZYf6yhGmse1h50Bd2uQ9Cq711NGMKdaLcrj3zbTcATCH844S1UAdfc7TedVzjujBFWrNEQk5no3rP3cgFtTXvhFf6hheil1au7tPdjbs2a-SwVFTakaWGpOvOklRf4508o/s400/IMG_1250.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-68623995499460186842011-09-25T22:28:00.000+01:002011-09-25T22:28:30.699+01:00Week 30 - Boiler, electrics and tiling underway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week we had lots of goodies to play with, and had a number of different jobs to be getting on with. Kai got the underfloor heating manifold assembled and connected it up to the pipes in the floor. We pressure tested the system for a 24 hour period and it looks like we are leak-free.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiay_RjbkMW_PuEURSXw9K2PJPjABwG6Wkaj5Y2yi9lutBzkyvTUh_rTLDNBYA9bHFtnwIOjkWJwA1dxUR2ulRaWBn9UyytEpjanTGW-Q0R1dPU6v34JLg_ESA2rOJFsWKigAaJunJxoYWW/s400/IMG_1222.JPG" width="400" /></div><br />
A huge thanks to Colin and June for coming to help this weekend - Colin for his pipe-bending expertise and June for her interior design advice.<br />
The pipes to the boiler are now all in their place, with a hole cored ready for the flue.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XzEVl62JJOG3k3G9B2vdSOJZARQ_fLmm7LNv6-U-riPUwGAJFAWbqIQWUy3uk4cn_ii3DqUEIb6ND5P7re34r7xn_Z-lcAN0rv2ZBPC6cjFXf1iAFa7McbDDSrIAgcfB_2WYZsepXzgM/s1600/IMG_1225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XzEVl62JJOG3k3G9B2vdSOJZARQ_fLmm7LNv6-U-riPUwGAJFAWbqIQWUy3uk4cn_ii3DqUEIb6ND5P7re34r7xn_Z-lcAN0rv2ZBPC6cjFXf1iAFa7McbDDSrIAgcfB_2WYZsepXzgM/s400/IMG_1225.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
The boiler is now in position. Just a few minor details need sorting before we can commission it - a gas supply would help but Wales and West Utilities are being a bit slow, having forgotten to bring the traffic lights last time they tried to dig up the road... <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9ytaSuhuz8MCIi1nFDaWbzHBbzltvLeqLtzDvB_oR47ViWegWPS52aR3dAAWMuzcJlBz3kaKw_5yVKLn5jPZ58EX-H9rhLZzsM3qKjXk6liUujonEBw1XXv9fr2hPrhe37v1x6kog_zf/s1600/CIMG5440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9ytaSuhuz8MCIi1nFDaWbzHBbzltvLeqLtzDvB_oR47ViWegWPS52aR3dAAWMuzcJlBz3kaKw_5yVKLn5jPZ58EX-H9rhLZzsM3qKjXk6liUujonEBw1XXv9fr2hPrhe37v1x6kog_zf/s400/CIMG5440.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Using Colin's tile cutting machine (thanks very much for letting us borrow this amazing piece of kit!) Kai has got off to a great start with tiling the bathroom. Once it is completely tiled then we can install the rest of the bathroom suite.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOnKJ2RlaHzKwGMhsoUMQg2uyZholRQvGdTGqklzorckoc43ZhmdfEeA0TX7o1TT3vEY2cRnVb8kuc6NoCmfNJhdIAnmQFX7ksIGTn_RHGaDBxA38H6iyCokYC344KIQ8Dj0la0uGf-Dx/s1600/CIMG5456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOnKJ2RlaHzKwGMhsoUMQg2uyZholRQvGdTGqklzorckoc43ZhmdfEeA0TX7o1TT3vEY2cRnVb8kuc6NoCmfNJhdIAnmQFX7ksIGTn_RHGaDBxA38H6iyCokYC344KIQ8Dj0la0uGf-Dx/s400/CIMG5456.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We are using a shower waterproofing kit, which basically involves painting a sort of barrier liquid over the shower area. This means we'll have two waterproof layers (tiles and the barrier) to stop leaks happening.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsB5T8yqq3sMAcwh6P7lRO_gnyz6KMzz0ETwBTwiOJfe4AJAprbWkBmRuX5IHMky2KYgXL6leLHosXAP9i5ZsOUIe0RLf60OhM2unSvX_38S0xdqztFxIrNUH-xgTeOK317TSv-opKPPV/s1600/CIMG5457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsB5T8yqq3sMAcwh6P7lRO_gnyz6KMzz0ETwBTwiOJfe4AJAprbWkBmRuX5IHMky2KYgXL6leLHosXAP9i5ZsOUIe0RLf60OhM2unSvX_38S0xdqztFxIrNUH-xgTeOK317TSv-opKPPV/s400/CIMG5457.JPG" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our electrician has also been beavering away getting sockets wired up. A few more days' work from him and we should be lit up like a Christmas tree</div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-82462103462433788132011-09-18T21:26:00.000+01:002011-09-18T21:26:13.982+01:00Week 29 - Plastering complete, starting second fixThe plasterer finished off the rest of the house by Wednesday, a total of 5 days for him to do the whole house on his own - pretty impressive and we're very happy with the standard of his work. We can't stop running our hands over the walls they are that smooth! Overall plastering has worked out a lot cheaper than we expected, definitely worth getting someone in to do it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QOkHrekr5tTxg0LrAY426if6bPnpPg57VoAWcUZ3jC0nzOlue1g5DKzEfMN7FZOMy_Jm2Bg7i_KM-JxySUa9feTXVZdlOxKwPejCEElGzhZfxA_oQEqmNAotzNsM6qW4Krx7vaRJ316B/s400/CIMG5410.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>With plastering completed we are officially onto second fix, which meant we could go and buy lots of goodies! Outgoings have been pretty tame recently so our bank manager must have had a shock when we went and ordered the heating system, kitchen, bathrooms, electrics and tiles all in the space of a few days. Should give me plenty to be getting on with.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This weekend I made a start on the bathroom. I'm quite paranoid about leaking bathrooms now after seeing (and usually having to fix) plenty of failures, so I'm making sure there is a double waterproof barrier as you would find in a wet room. The first barrier is achieved with a waterproof membrane, a wet room would use a much more sophisticated membrane but just ordinary DPM left over from the floor slab will do for us just fine. Over this is laid WBP (Weather and Boil Proof) ply wich doesn't fall apart when it get's wet, unlike normal plywood. We will tile directly onto this which forms our second waterproof barrier.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZBD9tIH5R85oiFyVqWiC5Snf6XEfx0ciVl3de-8c9gb2gnWtG3dONwDe-OJtGX3QuThtgThRjP_76Q_FXOSBTpaLMnjMvmHpW3w1z1QozhCo-qeAVIighSEjdNHI48jrCQoPEnhD2XLX/s1600/CIMG5417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZBD9tIH5R85oiFyVqWiC5Snf6XEfx0ciVl3de-8c9gb2gnWtG3dONwDe-OJtGX3QuThtgThRjP_76Q_FXOSBTpaLMnjMvmHpW3w1z1QozhCo-qeAVIighSEjdNHI48jrCQoPEnhD2XLX/s400/CIMG5417.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
The shower tray has been bonded into place, I'm pretty sure you would have to lift the floor if you wanted to take the shower out now. The waste has been connected up and sealed with silicone to be doubly sure.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The bath has been framed out with sturdy 3" x 2". I hate the flimsy feet supplied with baths and would rather build something more suitable for the weight of a grown man plus 50kg of water! The more rigid everything is the less likely you will get movement causing leaks. We're quite pleased with the small boxing around the waste to the toilet, generally the bathroom has very simple clean lines thanks to the plumbing under the floor. The toilet and bath are all plumbed in now and ready to go but we won't switch everything on until we have tiled.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7Iyuvh6Fn5A5zdn5K9CaL5vc_Dw_2W-pxHQFOfjKZfu2GIAJhZOLDe_xKOz0i2O9-IylfbhlGuTFAuUIIMYQ1GpQnEc8xbTp1V8c7393VTlzW4_HsA26tQwKWw-WhjgH67e1H-HBvjSB/s1600/IMG_1207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7Iyuvh6Fn5A5zdn5K9CaL5vc_Dw_2W-pxHQFOfjKZfu2GIAJhZOLDe_xKOz0i2O9-IylfbhlGuTFAuUIIMYQ1GpQnEc8xbTp1V8c7393VTlzW4_HsA26tQwKWw-WhjgH67e1H-HBvjSB/s400/IMG_1207.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Iona has started spraying the whole house with her new spray system. It seems quite a bit quicker than using rollers and brushes but it certainly isn't a miracle worker, there is a lot of prep needed and it still makes a fair mess. Were thinking it's OK while the house is empty but it might not be as useful for applying the final colour.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUX5SLPkm5Y8Zi9NPOkNc_hPs3yL8U26TLjkuv4bj7ymN6h6GtYvnHYFDyikpsvpgknd_6nkkSSWTq5Y2kw0JJAtLsajbpM6kjD1drkQ3zMTiYj0Vq3FYzBe_jj6wBaUsAIIkHN7nyIFtJ/s1600/CIMG5426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUX5SLPkm5Y8Zi9NPOkNc_hPs3yL8U26TLjkuv4bj7ymN6h6GtYvnHYFDyikpsvpgknd_6nkkSSWTq5Y2kw0JJAtLsajbpM6kjD1drkQ3zMTiYj0Vq3FYzBe_jj6wBaUsAIIkHN7nyIFtJ/s400/CIMG5426.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
This is just a couple of coats to white everything out so we have a good base to start from. It looks really striking and will be a shame to have to add colour on top of it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0bLoUOc5tvNFXoYyi7wKJNQYtVpVmtouZ_Vb-UqY_ckzbFHRY6LrPpnrCC-UnoefMriVvwh27nWrEaOc4AdPCoJAT4IUw-bnK6LFDLwE8pxtBp9za79sRNKwns8of6Wd4_D_XxKSJmdf/s1600/CIMG5433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0bLoUOc5tvNFXoYyi7wKJNQYtVpVmtouZ_Vb-UqY_ckzbFHRY6LrPpnrCC-UnoefMriVvwh27nWrEaOc4AdPCoJAT4IUw-bnK6LFDLwE8pxtBp9za79sRNKwns8of6Wd4_D_XxKSJmdf/s400/CIMG5433.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We took the opportunity to cut the holes for the downlights before painting while you could still see the joint lines between the plasterboards and could use them to help show you where the joists are within the ceiling void. As it happened, our recorded positions of the wires above were perfect and we didn't have any problems pulling them through.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I couldn't resist adding ballustrades and the handrail to the stairs at the end of the day, still a little work to finesse it but it looks great so far. Just need to decide what we want on the tops of the newel posts, something simple I think.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVleWutdasy4WD_osNzQVPR3dQ8GrSGgkrLD3NIA64zqMA7gBG41xCJnJauYaW3X_-mBWzLq5EpWNSGrqkWwG0es9IGu0SjfBf7xL3keFCsYqilEWAqr1-seXdLsa2v-j-nvkBgJhcG1m/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVleWutdasy4WD_osNzQVPR3dQ8GrSGgkrLD3NIA64zqMA7gBG41xCJnJauYaW3X_-mBWzLq5EpWNSGrqkWwG0es9IGu0SjfBf7xL3keFCsYqilEWAqr1-seXdLsa2v-j-nvkBgJhcG1m/s400/IMG_1214.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-70583114246637417112011-09-11T22:00:00.000+01:002011-09-11T22:00:45.034+01:00Week 28 - Plastering and drainage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kai and I both took time off work this week to get all the digging done for the new permanent service connection. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJQQfQfvLks2E5b3QJXouHhCPyZiCEfAGFs9TCHxk_sHtEl1VjkGHoCdUgMirtjtM0CBJ96tweacn9qcPHeq66zuhD58qvSWn570CvFp4soPPrra5RCd_KT2TOUy28gmNCG5YDTfIu5qi/s400/CIMG5306.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First off was a trench dug perpendicular to the road for the gas connection. The gas pipe is normally laid straight in the trench but where you are in close proximity to other services like ours it's advisable to lay a conduit, which is what we've done. This also allows us to backfill now rather than leave the trench open for 2 weeks which is when the gas company has booked us in for. The conduit is 63mm perforated conduit and they said it must be yellow. The electricity cable laid in April crosses the new trench, so this required some careful digging to uncover. We've taken the opportunity to lay some black conduit alongside the gas and left an access pit as we backfilled so we can pull through the new cable when the connection gets swapped over to the permanent meter box on the side of the house in a week.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiU5axED5krAXpdculQAi30oMLHsjLBHXRBpgRv5C118gjDY6grALseyLRg-I0YvGtycipwCiSr4RylDMRW-ynXzdzBF0Divwkx0WYygZESyHFIibXhfDtJEdOb1icPRFE8qRDdiUN_AW4/s1600/CIMG5312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiU5axED5krAXpdculQAi30oMLHsjLBHXRBpgRv5C118gjDY6grALseyLRg-I0YvGtycipwCiSr4RylDMRW-ynXzdzBF0Divwkx0WYygZESyHFIibXhfDtJEdOb1icPRFE8qRDdiUN_AW4/s400/CIMG5312.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Next up was some careful trenching around the back of the house. There was virutally no room to manoeuver with the tail of the digger swinging uncomfortably close to the house. We dug the trench 750mm deep all the way to the front of the drive for the MDPE water supply pipe to be laid within a bed of sand. We then backfilled the trench to different levels sloping upwards from the drain connection point and compacted it to ensure no settlement will occur. Some careful levelling with the dumpy level got our falls bang on the 1:80 and 1:40 required.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuh4oO2nQvtrRpO9VFtVTAIVpOfAilev6JaJ9AnDn1dvncIvp2QFDxZxP2TTpsehx2Lu1sVrNU5MIzxl97yEaQ0CbOsThX3ftpmT5HYXVwwBssCiXM-t0jksJl0jyvqfReLb5E_pnrt0S/s1600/CIMG5329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuh4oO2nQvtrRpO9VFtVTAIVpOfAilev6JaJ9AnDn1dvncIvp2QFDxZxP2TTpsehx2Lu1sVrNU5MIzxl97yEaQ0CbOsThX3ftpmT5HYXVwwBssCiXM-t0jksJl0jyvqfReLb5E_pnrt0S/s400/CIMG5329.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
The deeper drains along the side of the house have 420mm diameter manholes where the waste pipes exit the building. At the rear we have smaller 320mm diameter inspection chambers. You require manholes at every intersection and change of direction of the pipe - seems excessive at first but if anyone has ever tried to clear drains of blockages then you will appreciate the access.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpZoCEzkVTKRgWU_2SeIiGINQetzCPE-C9elJYrssk9EruUGxOmyaLp_Xd0iCI5ot1e-FZzT0HPwd-E63jJSKKn6VtLBrziSbt0sXtdU6sUSBonyGzaqBEZxNd2x4-14AL5uWeTOdZ8PG/s1600/CIMG5360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpZoCEzkVTKRgWU_2SeIiGINQetzCPE-C9elJYrssk9EruUGxOmyaLp_Xd0iCI5ot1e-FZzT0HPwd-E63jJSKKn6VtLBrziSbt0sXtdU6sUSBonyGzaqBEZxNd2x4-14AL5uWeTOdZ8PG/s400/CIMG5360.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
We air pressure tested the drains - not a single leak, and passed the building inspection without a hitch. 2.5tons of pea gravel ensured everything was bedded in nicely. It's unbelievable how much you need, it just seems to go nowhere!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOoj14YwbZ5W1ZOcSW6M6UZzB2qvg_CYd6CEevBOTWyPmI-hT9YRfrMZ4E4mRx5m6TYgzmHdRZQlc_bs1VD1lDb4H-tIMR_cdCZ3q8LSrty20H80jhaLEE0YiNCCHaxnkSsQXVFjMAW6D/s1600/CIMG5378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOoj14YwbZ5W1ZOcSW6M6UZzB2qvg_CYd6CEevBOTWyPmI-hT9YRfrMZ4E4mRx5m6TYgzmHdRZQlc_bs1VD1lDb4H-tIMR_cdCZ3q8LSrty20H80jhaLEE0YiNCCHaxnkSsQXVFjMAW6D/s400/CIMG5378.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
The digger made light work of closing all the trenches where it could get access, and at the end of four days and many rain showers all we have to show are 4 new manhole covers, a site which looks like it's been ploughed and a grand less in our pockets! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJ2hd7qsgym3JiBgVwwKx9WiOIn7wlgAsRK6FUP3yKyixuLZLF4_1Bthe9xrSC1Gy1Mxc7xGEbScwobXn_qyETCGNB-B8OUAruj-Xo8c73_JMbZEjbSaVE4ACbHeVeKjwFhriE4ujtm3m/s400/CIMG5392.JPG" width="300" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While we were busy making a mess outside our plasterer, Troy, was busy inside making our walls look beautiful. He's only done a couple of days so far and managed three complete rooms which look superb. He's working on his own so although he's pretty quick he's going to take most of this week to finish. Time isn't important for this bit, we want his quality to remain good so he can take as long as he needs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-Q1IcE2vjfg_q_-NubOP2dFDXVAg5x_Ien9qos3cI9Yf9Fi9u87FBKznanqzK_f2GMzDVyJMO_KyYKd7LxR2Atk32oKPZnS7obdfQT3mklmLy4pb6ZVOQu1NNqK0Zmpg6mNYk03VF13L/s1600/CIMG5370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-Q1IcE2vjfg_q_-NubOP2dFDXVAg5x_Ien9qos3cI9Yf9Fi9u87FBKznanqzK_f2GMzDVyJMO_KyYKd7LxR2Atk32oKPZnS7obdfQT3mklmLy4pb6ZVOQu1NNqK0Zmpg6mNYk03VF13L/s400/CIMG5370.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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The plaster is a 3mm skim, so it only takes a couple of days to go pink at which point we can get some paint on it. We're waiting for delivery of a semi-professional spray paint system which will make light work of getting a couple of coats on the wall. That will be the priority while there's nothing in the house - just mask off the windows and doors and everything else can get sprayed white!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXs5gP1PJ-mpTE-wDmMAHvdJBpyXi1wqQkBZI_3HSMYL3uSwsfkxflHlvLUPrE2FywiEKKiI3PlzeS0fHsdFGTUqSOZgQA8ZJ-MQy-uLGrOH3W26o08pfqU7FI2nDs3x1g7A0yPTrhpa6/s1600/CIMG5400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXs5gP1PJ-mpTE-wDmMAHvdJBpyXi1wqQkBZI_3HSMYL3uSwsfkxflHlvLUPrE2FywiEKKiI3PlzeS0fHsdFGTUqSOZgQA8ZJ-MQy-uLGrOH3W26o08pfqU7FI2nDs3x1g7A0yPTrhpa6/s400/CIMG5400.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-32723615127700913712011-09-05T20:49:00.000+01:002011-09-05T20:49:10.184+01:00Week 27 - Ready for plastering<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well it's been a week of hard graft - working through the evenings until it's too dark to work any more - but it's all paid off because the whole house is now ready to be plastered. The plasterers will come in to do their bit on Wednesday and Thursday. It's nice to see the place looking so tidy, and we're really looking forward to seeing the finished walls and ceilings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below, Kai finishing off the awkward bits on the stairs and in the under-stairs wc...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQLymN6Ot7QVFrenj0Whf2p1u_inNHKVSbzAZy7kpJyvBsqJr8Su1qYhH61OglFUZq2tFUodSd5pewrRiMndxIGiXQ3T_Zjou5wYbedEGk6Wk7uFUdBbZ9pW4uI_COudTNcX8eqowph8v/s400/CIMG5233.JPG" width="300" /></div><br />
The main bedroom finished: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hGryglgBXdrY32TghaPXfFF-Unq-OJD22ezvOPGTr-VkmG2vGu_SypwmCgy4Bt9aBpVJ6JExSDG-CDNDpEHuFse_lxp3FgVnRY0KFQast6a_w0nt8NP91WM0UvDGKJvocQ8tFksOqzN4/s1600/CIMG5252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hGryglgBXdrY32TghaPXfFF-Unq-OJD22ezvOPGTr-VkmG2vGu_SypwmCgy4Bt9aBpVJ6JExSDG-CDNDpEHuFse_lxp3FgVnRY0KFQast6a_w0nt8NP91WM0UvDGKJvocQ8tFksOqzN4/s400/CIMG5252.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Front bedroom: The window boards are set in place now so the plasterers can finish right up to them, they look superb and really finish the window reveals off.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Landing and small bedroom: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4XzNrrX8QI31YmlfUZ9Wc5EbBkz33Ylg1W3-OfrbMqXWm02c_CH7VOJ8HbNLrq1YWaGpmfric1Dhyphenhyphen5wxuAPMQ6oeUqZsvp_XUpEa3dguxZLxCD7t0FpHicLpMaWFEptt91-nweozSXvx/s1600/CIMG5259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4XzNrrX8QI31YmlfUZ9Wc5EbBkz33Ylg1W3-OfrbMqXWm02c_CH7VOJ8HbNLrq1YWaGpmfric1Dhyphenhyphen5wxuAPMQ6oeUqZsvp_XUpEa3dguxZLxCD7t0FpHicLpMaWFEptt91-nweozSXvx/s400/CIMG5259.JPG" width="300" /></a></div> Stairs:<br />
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Space for wc: The ceiling under the sairs was a real pain, the plasterboard has to follow the profile of the understide of the stairs as they wind at the top and so it slopes and curves and feels a little like you're standing under a hump back bridge! I'm sure it will be better once plastered although the plasterers are going to curse at the curve.<br />
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Kitchen: Its the first time we've had the kitchen space completely clear and it's made us realise how massive the kitchen part of the room is. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw9doqVwcBSvoryD1nINyjufkDJ6NmywUAZA21q5OiFp6YqnQTi4zXQ6EJxgfH43GlFW5FD0KTcjvr1vD41UawyR7JteKb79is-XRjN-QhF12eK_XaNkXs1_Bcf9Wa9V28COSge0DyRGs/s1600/CIMG5281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw9doqVwcBSvoryD1nINyjufkDJ6NmywUAZA21q5OiFp6YqnQTi4zXQ6EJxgfH43GlFW5FD0KTcjvr1vD41UawyR7JteKb79is-XRjN-QhF12eK_XaNkXs1_Bcf9Wa9V28COSge0DyRGs/s400/CIMG5281.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Hallway: <br />
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And finally the living room:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUtGJQb8SagC8pHhgq7wer7n1aeusJFST4L9S2UvHU1e8eUvnsfQXAxJu4hSq06izNX_CZFB3BjyzYO58bpL1xAEQcdSL6-Hixjpn1FOZUxJ5xBe-ymEOSbrw6JebxWnRLsuAmtEIoVDF/s1600/CIMG5284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUtGJQb8SagC8pHhgq7wer7n1aeusJFST4L9S2UvHU1e8eUvnsfQXAxJu4hSq06izNX_CZFB3BjyzYO58bpL1xAEQcdSL6-Hixjpn1FOZUxJ5xBe-ymEOSbrw6JebxWnRLsuAmtEIoVDF/s400/CIMG5284.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-80164595489596385362011-08-29T21:47:00.000+01:002011-08-29T21:47:53.187+01:00Week 26 - Even more boarding out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Only managed to put in one full day's work this week so not much progress. Having finished the downstairs ceilings we went on to dot-dab the walls of the living room and most of the hallway.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-CMY3ZkC6sSqLr0aRD_qHfAzPtkL6vMkqiZIt4vadZ7REd4UEZqdM9UqNgFSsWCiOfrP9S33fMIbVozww6-fcZo9P8pQUsASe8qz2gE2U90z95kyl5Kk9331A4c0C-857uoMEKGzvHJy/s400/CIMG5198.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_HVxr-Q7u_pDyBZhCzM7MoFru_tXopu7pLubmAiUZOrmLBzPA5OEFofugc7lXf2-oEe-esOxRSHZcM_9hhx2q214SH4gEpcjo1y-F-tgLPd70RWlzviqKzitLXOv9EaApHH8kohpFTev/s1600/CIMG5213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_HVxr-Q7u_pDyBZhCzM7MoFru_tXopu7pLubmAiUZOrmLBzPA5OEFofugc7lXf2-oEe-esOxRSHZcM_9hhx2q214SH4gEpcjo1y-F-tgLPd70RWlzviqKzitLXOv9EaApHH8kohpFTev/s400/CIMG5213.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The first window board (cill) has been fitted and looks really nice. The window reveals will be left till last along with lots of other annoying details. We're about three-quarters of the way through boarding out now, with one week left to go to get everything ready before the plasterers come in.<br />
This particular task is getting a big monotonous now, it'll be good to get it out of the way... With nearly two tons of plasterboard stuck on the walls with 1.2tons of adhesive, we think it would be sensible to pay someone to do this next time! ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-40854384474146338852011-08-21T21:29:00.000+01:002011-08-21T21:29:34.292+01:00Week 25 - More boarding out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week we couldn't put off getting messy any longer and started dot-dabbing the plasterboard onto the block walls. The changes to the recent building regs make this task a bit harder than it used to be as you now have to pass an air tightness test which means dabs of adhesive aren't allowed, you need a continuous line of adhesive along the tops, bottoms and corners of every wall to form a seal. Special attention must also be paid to the reveals on every window.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf3Tl2SoAcemP9Mp9SL3SA2fRM0nkYLP8mmEH4NtsUVuCkNdM9GgkJ5YRci1StIfEGaJC3Az68jplY8FbTcWpyHkJ1EmLGGvU8usZpCf8e-6MqIKcRTxW5qcRyoMLOZz60KcCP7-DErBi/s400/CIMG5181.JPG" width="300" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have a rather unconventional way of applying the adhesive, most professionals would dab it onto the wall but we find it easier to dab it onto the board flat on the floor then lift into place, being careful not to break the now heavy board. I guess it's OK to find what works best for you, I will learn to do it properly one day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2J426BufZCHX7R0Xw0oFrWtUkXYY8ZHn9y5OheuCNwNQd7RCQ6-gKI6bLwhjoW2ApZwolakP4Wpq9nV4MfKVF2VaqszAOt-OAspEjHF9-wheYP7uQ_pESLn7Pujf4rwwtiyiHzmf06DAc/s400/CIMG5175.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rooms are starting to look much neater with the blockwork covered up. The wires for sockets and lights are just poked through small holes for the moment - after plastering the boxes will be cut in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqc1A7osbl8jIoIBaUtCpwM7aGK9z8N5hbxMiLS8A2xMz8eBwwJ4C1SBfebGtR-8LD7wvKPbKcGD-OiN70MB1mU67uPzcGBIyI35C3WB1UQqZappJ0jXlREVCv0lDzw3xsS6Oy55NKRx_/s1600/CIMG5171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqc1A7osbl8jIoIBaUtCpwM7aGK9z8N5hbxMiLS8A2xMz8eBwwJ4C1SBfebGtR-8LD7wvKPbKcGD-OiN70MB1mU67uPzcGBIyI35C3WB1UQqZappJ0jXlREVCv0lDzw3xsS6Oy55NKRx_/s400/CIMG5171.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
The boards are pressed into place by striking with a straight edge alternating between the vertical and horizontal direction, this makes sure the board squashes onto the wall evenly. It requires a fair bit of checking with a level and ensuring that it's in line with adjacent boards. It's all quite hard on the hands!<br />
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The upstairs is almost all boarded out now so we've moved onto the downstairs ceiling. The boards require acoustic quilt on top of them which is a nasty job with all the dust and fibres getting everywhere.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We mounted a bit of chipboard on the wall ready for the consumer unit to fix to, it keeps the wires nicely clipped till we are ready to connect everything. The new gas line is all soldered up and ready to connect to the meter when they install that in a few weeks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-23396343374731571272011-08-14T22:20:00.000+01:002011-08-14T22:20:24.185+01:00Weeks 23 and 24 - Scaffolding down and starting to board out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Progress over the last couple of weeks has been a bit slow due to the jobs being fairly bitty. Kai took the scaffolding down himself as the scaffolders aren't in any rush to come and collect it! We need the space for a skip to be delivered this week, and so that the delivery truck could get in to drop off all the plasterboard and dot-dab adhesive for the stud walls. The scaffolding is currently all stacked in a massive pile on the ground. The house looks great without the scaffolding hiding it, we're really happy with the way it looks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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The plasterboard sheets are 2.4m x 1.2m - pretty heavy and unwealdy so we used props to hold them in position while fixing them to the ceiling.<br />
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We boarded out one side of the stud walls, and packed the cavity with acoustic blanket which is a building regulations requirement to reduce noise coming through the walls between habitable rooms. <br />
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Kai fitted the waste pipes for the bathrooms in position under the floor, and laid the gas pipe ready for the plumber to connect up.<br />
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ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-74146379932010845182011-08-01T21:58:00.000+01:002011-08-01T21:58:56.385+01:00Week 22 - Starting first fix plumbing, and stairsThis week's job was getting most of the first fix plumbing done - running central heating and water pipes through the first floor void and up or down the walls as required. The ends of the pipes are all temporarily capped so that the system can be pressure tested. For the main system, we're using push-fit plastics called SpeedFit which are guaranteed for 25years. The pipes running the first couple of metres from the boiler will need to be done in copper though, to allow the high temperatures from the boiler to dissipate a little. Our last place was plumbed in polyfit which is an inferior brand, speedfit is so much easier to use with neat little features like insertion marks on the pipe so you know when it's fully home in the fitting. Running the flexible pipe through the joists is simple compared with trying to feed sections of copper through and soldering each joint.<br />
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Below, the wall has been chased out to allow pipes to be recessed. These will sit behind the dot dab plasterboard. <br />
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Kai even managed to get the soil pipes all sorted in the time it took me to have a shower... (athough maybe this says more about how long I take in the shower?!)<br />
We're trying to be clever and hide all the services in the floors so you don't get boxed in pipes everywhere but it does cause some headaches deciding in advance where pipes should poke through the floors and walls. It has forced us to finally decide what layout we are having and which suite we are going for in order to get the measurements correct.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The staircase was delivered on Friday afternoon so we spent the evening putting the last pieces together and getting it fixed into position. Finally we can get upstairs in a civilised manner! The straight flight came pre-assembled, just requiring the 3 winder steps and newel posts fitting into position with wedges, dowels and plenty of wood glue. The stairs were cut on a CNC router so everything fitted perfectly, with less than 10mm to spare in our stairwell, I love precision!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cJl1tPt60sLjrtQygclt7AgJ1-8czRxbbaY2jAHxL76g3LdD_Vp_LABzwfMOTtTFN8R5O1dkXpVPVZIRDSCNghZVPsYDIjhTZc71H4FGMlnpinEas91jri4gDrTv0-w9SnpIdjJsXUwi/s320/CIMG5109.JPG" width="240" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We'll leave the ballustrading off until the house is in a more finished state - don't want the messy plasterers getting our handrail all mucky.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-12477969495750134372011-07-24T22:51:00.000+01:002011-07-24T22:51:22.778+01:00Week 21 - Finishing first fix electrics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
This week we continued with the task of running wires and cables through the house. Certain areas of the 1st floor void are now pretty congested - it's unbelievable how many hundreds of metres of wire are required in a house.<br />
Below, wires for the boiler are left coiled up until the boiler is fitted in position.<br />
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Below, the most congested area next to the consumer unit (fuse box). There will be a cupboard in this corner to house the consumer unit and other things like phone and internet connection and the alarm control unit, so this corner has loads of data cables leading to it as well as the electrics.<br />
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200m 1.5mm two-core and earth (lighting)<br />
200m 2.5mm two-core and earth (sockets)<br />
100m 2.5mm three-core and earth (switches, thermostats and smoke alarms)<br />
25m 6mm two-core and earth (oven)<br />
100m Cat 5 data cables (internet/networking)<br />
100m 6-core alarm cable<br />
50m phone line<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The weather has been a lot better this weekend so fortunately we finally managed to finish off a few external snags before the scaffolding gets taken down in a few days - we've come to the end of the 10-week contract. Kai pointed the joints between the decorative stone pieces using a special bath-stone coloured mortar, although we're not convinced yet if it actually matches. We'll give it some time...</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ne3lK8ywpSMhWbwPSLfOSTF0JWNUa4VsC_T8gbsT2hdmQj03dpALvUK1ReMfLWHWB4KlxSCt2-JpaVQTRK1BcKnPhC3ieYP7nbZEsCEdMp69aLX7cLhDNwB5pMvu9KmGXn-0kWKyS5rK/s1600/CIMG5074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ne3lK8ywpSMhWbwPSLfOSTF0JWNUa4VsC_T8gbsT2hdmQj03dpALvUK1ReMfLWHWB4KlxSCt2-JpaVQTRK1BcKnPhC3ieYP7nbZEsCEdMp69aLX7cLhDNwB5pMvu9KmGXn-0kWKyS5rK/s400/CIMG5074.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Below, the valley tiles are finally mortared in. It was a complete nightmare to do this job as the angle of the roof is slightly too steep to comfortably climb up without slipping. The edge tiles are also extremely delicate and break very easily, so we ended up placing a scaffolding board (plank of wood) either side of the valley to kneel on and spread the load - one person climbing up to apply the mortar, and the other keeping hold of the bottom of the boards to stop them sliding. I'm pretty sure this job would be a lot easier if sky-hooks had been invented.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJDv6C0hqjcyHQjb4MusNyn3uMD9ykkXy6EL-KmlYayrn3KtXlL90qCH44g4hBAFo3El3sqITvf2czOXiVtsuuN-vk4gp2w-AbPJsBOLWigbaq4gC7NtQAEDPksdg1hTLjbDReYAafzM7/s1600/CIMG5083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJDv6C0hqjcyHQjb4MusNyn3uMD9ykkXy6EL-KmlYayrn3KtXlL90qCH44g4hBAFo3El3sqITvf2czOXiVtsuuN-vk4gp2w-AbPJsBOLWigbaq4gC7NtQAEDPksdg1hTLjbDReYAafzM7/s400/CIMG5083.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-10952911427613382432011-07-17T22:50:00.000+01:002011-07-17T22:50:37.719+01:00Week 20 - Starting first fix electricsThis weekend has been so wet that we decided to make a start on first fix electrics and finish off the studwork, which allowed us to work inside.<br />
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Most of the electrics will be run in the first floor void (between the floor joists). The only electrics above the first floor ceiling are the upstairs lighting circuits, so this was pretty quick to get done. It's very easy to drill holes in the studwork and feed the wires through, clipping as you go. Soon we'll board out the studwork, but probably won't cut the holes for sockets and switches until the whole lot is plastered. This makes the plastering much easier and neater, but does mean we'll have to remember where all the wires run so that we can cut the holes in the right places!<br />
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Below, this is most of the lighting circuit done for the kitchen. The twists of cable are to allow some slack in the lighting string so that we can cut and wire the downlights in the right place after the ceiling has been plastered. We intend to use Philips 7watt LED downlights which will cost £450 approx for the whole kitchen/diner. These are equivalent brightness to an 11w energy saving unit, but with equivalent light quality of a 50watt halogen, however the electricity you save using LEDs should pay for the units in about a year. Halogens tend to blow frequently and are fairly expensive to replace, where LED bulbs should last around 50,000 hours (years)!<br />
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The kitchen lighting will be split into three separate zones - 9 downlights over the cooking area, 4 downlights over the dining area, and 4 under-cabinet LED strips to light the worktop areas. Looks like this kitchen will be lit up like a bloody Christmas tree!<br />
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The work is being overseen by our sparky. We're doing all we can to make his life easier, labelling everything up as we go.<br />
On all the block walls we'll be dry lining the plasterboard using dot-dab adhesive so there'll be a small void behind the plasterboard. This means there's no need to chase the cables into the walls, saving lots of time and effort. We'll just need to cover the wires with pvc capping before boarding out. Similarly the socket and switch boxes won't need to be chased in either. A 10mm adhesive void, 12.5mm plasterboard, and 3mm skim just about accommodates the 25mm boxes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS__I0RAQsJPe7JaI93x6MeO7ehD6lQmPmqO6Mw-NNAc_B6YNZ3KfZugTykXVVfwj751F30TrsD0YDQ_mnWN17LAwGXvLV2bYOwNfXLSvw7u04Lwd-C5ZiAfkzZJ4AebLP_SOBvIIqwim/s1600/CIMG5071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS__I0RAQsJPe7JaI93x6MeO7ehD6lQmPmqO6Mw-NNAc_B6YNZ3KfZugTykXVVfwj751F30TrsD0YDQ_mnWN17LAwGXvLV2bYOwNfXLSvw7u04Lwd-C5ZiAfkzZJ4AebLP_SOBvIIqwim/s400/CIMG5071.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-68770596186258882172011-07-10T21:16:00.000+01:002011-07-10T21:16:39.692+01:00Weeks 18 and 19 - Render and plastics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Right, what a busy couple of weeks! Sorry for the delayed blog post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last piece to achieve wind and watertight - the front door has been installed so the house is now secure. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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uPVC fascias, soffits and barge boards all done. These have to be fixed in position before rendering.<br />
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Kai mortaring in all the verge. This stops the wind from lifting the edge tiles and the driving raining from getting into the roof void.<br />
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Fitting the guttering. I chose ogee style over round or square - it is about one and a half times the price, but it's really posh...<br />
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The renderers prepared the house ready to render the next day. The beading strips are fitted to all the corners to form a proper edge, which makes a really neat corner when it's all rendered.<br />
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160 x 25kg bags of 'Weber,pral M' Ivory mix render - 4 tons in all. This is a one-coat through-coloured monocouche render, which out-performs traditional sand and cement renders, and shouldn't need painting for 10-15 years. The powder gets poured into a machine which adds water and squirts the sloppy mix out of the end of a hose. The team of renderers on the end of it have to work quickly to get a consistent thickness and smooth it back to a nice finish.<br />
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It took the team of 5 just one day to render the whole house. About 4 hours of squirting, followed by a 2 hour lunch break to allow it to dry a bit, then 2 hours of rubbing it back.<br />
These guys normally work on big commercial developments (like Bristol harbourside flats) - not quite sure how we persuaded them to do our little house but I guess sometimes it's just nice to do a one-off. They were recommended by Bob the Builder. Because they work so quickly, they cost the same as if it was hand-applied, which would take a week and a half - but the quality of finish is much better because it's all applied so quickly (no drying lines, and it's applied at high pressure which helps it key into the concrete blocks really well).<br />
The roll of pink on the scaffolding is a special plastic mesh which they apply to areas like over windows and door heads, where the patch of render will be fairly small and needs the added mesh reinforcement to stop it cracking.<br />
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The render is still quite wet at this stage and looks quite dark. As it dries it will lighten up, and should contrast nicely with the decorative stonework around the windows. <br />
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In the meantime, Kai is going great guns with the studwork upstairs. It feels strange now that the space has been divided up into rooms. <br />
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The outside finished, and a new addition to the plot - Dobby the landrover, which should come in useful... <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOnC9b7aJAsUCHqEArlZXw0BSQIic0IcER4Hat2dMaTWtVoeMy_up6qhzpPRaSuNK4nmYzpjzqHDW01H0blkWeS2bN0cvDtSWRDmJYxC2y1CoKj5FesOxyCGXuV3b5gcS81txPUry0zDw/s400/CIMG4994.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ridge tiles in place on the projecting roof. It looks really neat and should look even better once all the verges are grouted in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The finished roof - view from the field:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> And view from the road:</div><br />
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We have quite a lot of tiles left over because the supplier delivered half a pallet too many. We have a small projecting roof over the front door to build and tile, and then the spares will have to be sent back...<br />
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We'll be glad if we never have to see a tile ever again, in all it's taken 4 long days to tile the roof spread over a couple of weeks and we've been hampered a bit by the weather. It's the sort of monotonous job that is best done quickly with 3-4 people, that way you can have a couple on the roof and a couple on the scaffolding which saves all the moving around up there.ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-87588475270875657122011-06-19T22:19:00.000+01:002011-06-19T22:19:56.543+01:00Week 16 - Roof tiling and windows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A huge thanks to Colin, who was back to help out on Monday and Tuesday. After finishing off battening the front of the roof, Monday's job was to 'bump' the stacks of tiles up onto the scaffolding and distribute the piles across the roof. We hired a 'Bumpa Hoist' which is a nifty conveyor belt for tiles. Colin loading at the bottom and Kai unloading at the top. The machine has three settings - fast, very fast, or aaaaaarrrgggghhhhh! Colin showed no mercy loading the bottom, leaving Kai running around the roof whilst the machine spat tiles off the end of the belt. Needless to say at the end of the day Kai was 'beat'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had seven pallets of tiles in total. Each pallet is nearly a tonne, and Colin+Kai took thirty minutes to get each pallet up there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafP3RGy03bGquFFvC3lMOEKbk8ZJhgzSLCznVNc1V6ZvxKPgcKcvhxbUHOD57e0dEWAxoolcckJwJtXmW7iaHNzF7jjF0UlnHteA02Dy9SSmbZxgDGeFU2onNr-BChAlv-XJ5dVHOHXds/s400/IMG_1054.JPG" width="298" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below, the tiles all bumped. This helps to get the roof to settle under the load. If you start laying tiles while the roof is not equally loaded, it might all go a funny shape...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFLaX6HWIoqzXn519Zfl1APEpteqhD-QMo7br_UwdTGr70B9wBYnTRuYAseMSByHjgrihM3poqWCkhEXSsmusgKjMvst5kO7LBLdGAw3nYO6LqkZ9AQjEkP9mR4waNzeKpoHk0KFer7jX/s1600/IMG_1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFLaX6HWIoqzXn519Zfl1APEpteqhD-QMo7br_UwdTGr70B9wBYnTRuYAseMSByHjgrihM3poqWCkhEXSsmusgKjMvst5kO7LBLdGAw3nYO6LqkZ9AQjEkP9mR4waNzeKpoHk0KFer7jX/s400/IMG_1062.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Starting to lay the tiles. Not all of them have to be nailed - just every fifth row, and the the edge tiles. We're choosing to nail all the edge tiles and one adjacent for peace of mind. That's only about two thousand nails...<br />
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Put to the test! <br />
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The valley areas are annoying to say the least. It slows you down to about half the speed, having to mark out and cut each valley tile. You have to be quite accurate getting the cut at the correct angle, otherwise it looks rubbish from a distance.<br />
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There were heavy showers on Saturday so Kai worked inside fitting the windows. It wasn't long ago we were doing the same thing whilst renovating a Victorian terraced house - and boy that was a lot harder. Newbuild = straight lines, right angles, precise measurements, secure fixings. Five windows and one set of French doors took Kai about 6 hours to fit and glaze.<br />
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It's a lot quieter inside the house now that the windows are in, they block out most of the road noise from the front. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Much better weather on Sunday so it was back to laying roof tiles. One or two more good days next week should complete the tiling, but there are an awful lot of small finishing details to be done - grouting edges, soffits and fascia boards, rainwater goods....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSASrSa6YWEaSiPxncbIbBr0rPMeUcrch0DnlAO-l_Dte-kvfzx9nG0tam5Ov1IheQZR99DMdH6yUPE46LTlrcEKaHWfLHcPA0gzmS7O5z6OU_ynl5JgDHLD9CKt8xGNzct0i9N436xEOm/s1600/IMG_1102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSASrSa6YWEaSiPxncbIbBr0rPMeUcrch0DnlAO-l_Dte-kvfzx9nG0tam5Ov1IheQZR99DMdH6yUPE46LTlrcEKaHWfLHcPA0gzmS7O5z6OU_ynl5JgDHLD9CKt8xGNzct0i9N436xEOm/s400/IMG_1102.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7RWRX2XcDN5jTNOVmHU8tajUuNHKXvplzMxOkI_aPVHtxSmbOHYT5nMF74SplS1DOVCi9Ol3jesB7kBJ6IR9NuSD2Gb1LXkn3rCs3aR4McU9nfcEdiOsDgnrhp0Wq2HDpmaFNbK4WK6o/s400/IMG_1108.JPG" width="400" /></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-92176562544758870442011-06-12T18:20:00.000+01:002011-06-12T18:20:55.003+01:00Week 15 - Roof felting and battening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We spent Thursday and Friday finishing off the gables, cutting blocks to fit the angle of the roof took ages. Many thanks to Steve for coming to help out! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZdI2tGuH8BCVptiMbK0GHwsp9wX50kF9LqIcXCnCsPvQcUBcLEOf8HnHBoupUMC9PiPTZeV8Rafsbv0X_-RGfEIYmZlrBQZTucrM59a6oVJZdRmz7IhN4lvQ5LoakOj7dk_OYxrbMxT3/s400/IMG_1028.JPG" width="400" /></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The finished gable ends look really neat now. The white plastic stuff in the cavity is called a fire sock, it's filled with mineral wool and designed to stop fire spreading into the roof space.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJZCVicUVF_lNl0RViY-2LSy03SIHgD6by1BtiwbG41ZPALscN_D9PCuiZZ-fx1a6yJEc3N80YlGbfd9DyLI9gOy0MqIc5QPCinpmgs65VvU78Xkky78S8jixmH4K7Asa3FTgBUJhVj2i/s400/IMG_1038.JPG" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDqWfcJb63pBJ55zr8VJ-TSarp6wK0JJge-pCA4fEJlNhKCVIIvtSsrj1Or4Iw9IBDjKet2r5uhFmikbFXyvZQm92yLcrdwzZyAKU6hq3fbzwYqLKpI4TT8E0dbQbYedX7xfeFjV2qUIT/s1600/IMG_1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">'./</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDqWfcJb63pBJ55zr8VJ-TSarp6wK0JJge-pCA4fEJlNhKCVIIvtSsrj1Or4Iw9IBDjKet2r5uhFmikbFXyvZQm92yLcrdwzZyAKU6hq3fbzwYqLKpI4TT8E0dbQbYedX7xfeFjV2qUIT/s400/IMG_1037.JPG" width="298" /></div><br />
After working out what spacing is required for the tiles, we started felting and battening. Battens are required at 100mm centres for plain tiles (a bit like slates) which means an awful lot of nails and hammering, and aching hands for Kai at the end of it... Next time we'd go for large format interlocking tiles which cover a lot more area and need a lot less battening! They wouldn't look nearly as nice as plain tiles will though.<br />
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One side all finished, ready to get loaded up with tiles.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The windows arrived on Friday morning, and we had just enough time to fix and glaze the big French doors which will lead from the kitchen out to the decking. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIXyPx8NpYtlPj347BHC7b9EvJk0edtGVXUb6h4jauSp7JPyrzO3aeZMz49ivMEBLJo9QGY6fwnq068EBYlgBeQLTvldQcOgZzkLiCm-6PsUiVtcL5H8cF3hlW1NxPQcoXOEkA-r5d_Is/s1600/IMG_1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIXyPx8NpYtlPj347BHC7b9EvJk0edtGVXUb6h4jauSp7JPyrzO3aeZMz49ivMEBLJo9QGY6fwnq068EBYlgBeQLTvldQcOgZzkLiCm-6PsUiVtcL5H8cF3hlW1NxPQcoXOEkA-r5d_Is/s400/IMG_1031.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-85727647292139172022011-06-05T20:55:00.000+01:002011-06-05T20:55:40.920+01:00Week 14 - Roof structure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week the trusses arrived, so we spent Saturday getting the roof structure up and braced. A huge thanks to Kai's dad, Colin, for helping out. It was a mammoth task getting the trusses up onto the roof by hand! Like the floor joists, they are incredibly floppy individually, and getting the temporary bracing fixed was very difficult to do safely. The roof gets much more rigid as you add in the permanent bracing, and in the end it feels nice and secure to walk around up there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDoDEhU95xk9xPoIgkxdGAudLAsf2MRRKcxsEeMQbHftkks3_ICnebve-JUM2jTaiGlKnMDn7ZJokkpvGHktOnt_GeGZwk-QfBvxmUOhQzIXQptAv6IK_U9Fxqtj7pFN1TMOvWuiywsRx/s400/IMG_0994.JPG" width="400" /></div><br />
We spent quite a long time making sure the trusses all lined up in every plane, so that the tiled roof will look flat from whichever angle you look at it. It was especially tricky getting the projecting roof to meet the main roof,getting the valleys and the ridge to all line up. Any mistakes here will show up really badly once the battens are on, and would be a lot of work to rectify. It's all too easy to rush it, but it's worth taking the time to get it perfect.<br />
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It looks like a proper house now!<br />
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With the cavity closers in position the windows look a lot tidier. The windows and doors will arrive next Friday, and shouldn't take more than a day to fit.<br />
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Couldn't do much on Sunday due to the inclement weather, but Kai managed to get the felt support trays and over-fascia vents in on the rear of the roof. Ten years ago plastic products like cavity closers and roof accessories weren't commonly available, and you would have had to make do with bits of timber. The plastics are cheap, very quick and easy to put in, and finish off the edge detail very neatly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWK1bfeD4kkXq1gPu7_MTcPost5zULSmBIgDNKc8xalBK7YCsiA3rP7IfnMEbOFRrsIEAHXyTuvrq1AbrgbR-YM92NpQzYVFr2N_GqN97rA1RFurMS5urvouFiAR1Y6kb5zhyphenhyphenncAlKvfY/s1600/IMG_1027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWK1bfeD4kkXq1gPu7_MTcPost5zULSmBIgDNKc8xalBK7YCsiA3rP7IfnMEbOFRrsIEAHXyTuvrq1AbrgbR-YM92NpQzYVFr2N_GqN97rA1RFurMS5urvouFiAR1Y6kb5zhyphenhyphenncAlKvfY/s400/IMG_1027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-25459376699255342322011-05-30T22:09:00.000+01:002011-05-30T22:09:55.418+01:00Week 13 - Superstructure complete<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were hindered slightly by the bad weather this week, with strong winds and heavy rain making life difficult for the builders. The plastic covering on the first floor is pretty slippery when wet! Transferring materials up to the first floor was also heavy-going for the builders.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We now have something the shape of a house! We asked the builders just to 'rough out' the blockwork for the gable ends. When the trusses are up we'll have a more accurate guide to be able to cut the last blocks to shape and complete the gable walls ourselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So that's it, superstructure complete in just 2 weeks. We're mighty impressed with the speed and accuracy of the blockies, as is the building inspector who has signed off all the work without comment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The roof trusses arrive next week...</div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-48811523284859575662011-05-22T16:30:00.000+01:002011-05-22T16:30:16.016+01:00Week 12 - Part 2 - First floor walls started<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second half of this week involved a lot more fiddly stuff (window heads and the string course), so everything progressed at a slightly more believable pace.</div>Thursday evening and the ground floor window heads are in, and inner leaf blockwork built up to the level the joist hangers need to go in. Kai spent Thursday evening fixing the hangers in place ready for Bob to continue block laying the next day.<br />
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Friday evening and 3 more courses of inner leaf are up. You need a minimum of 3 courses of blockwork over the hangers to fix them in properly, before you can load them up with joists and flooring. Bob wanted the flooring all finished by end of Saturday so that the space could be used to store piles of blocks ready for the next day's work.<br />
Joists in and temporary bracing and restraint strapping fixed to the top flanges. The joists are manufactured by Steico, they're engineered timber I-joists manufactured from 8mm structural fibreboard webs (hardboard) and pine flange material. They're fine when facing the right way up, but when on their side they're incredibly floppy and you have to be careful not to snap them!<br />
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The joists site on the joist hangers, which are built into the inner leaf. Special hangers are required in the zone of the french doors because there won't be blockwork on top to fix them in position.<br />
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Noggins fix to the joist ends to add more restraint.<br />
Making a start on the flooring:<br />
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Half way through the flooring. It's called Egger Peel Clean flooring, made of 22mm thick chipboard with tongue and groove edges. The flooring gets glued to the joists and at each joint to make the whole floor a lot stiffer. We went with the slightly more expensive 'peel clean' option (a polythene cover that you peel off when you're ready) because it gives you up to 40 days protection against rain, people walking on it and storing materials.<br />
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And the flooring is finished. The first area where the glue has already dried has been loaded up with Celcon blocks on plywood boards to distribute the loads.<br />
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We propped underneath the longest span to make sure the beams don't deflect too much. <br />
Noggins (cross-pieces) are required under partition lines.<br />
The ground floor spaces are beginning to look more like rooms now.<br />
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The stairwell. Two joists are connected together here by special plates because of the loads that will get transferred from the stairs. Travis Perkins (our main supplier for all the materials) have a design service for the complete floor system. It comes as a package with instructions on which joists and hangers go where. The only modifications you have to do are to shave off a few millimetres off the ends of the joists to suit the walls if required.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4-HIu6QQuUN4XI2ADUvCkoPcEcLSMqii4Lw-9mxd6DDlqfJ4l_6xa0QyHyaRvXcMQ0bkNbXRIH-it4SWFRzlIRpzCND1PUvjzqi7ToGJU4w4SVi5KkvvsxBukvV47x4TGwnxEtxFuiK2/s400/IMG_0936.JPG" width="298" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday, the next lift of scaffolding ready for the builders to continue the first floor walls. Too windy to lay any blockwork today - gusting up to 30mph Celcon blocks would just fall over...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-E9INFrjzqcyguVXTc1z7scQ4YGk6fc9bjuUcOFEtxe6GKdWKX8RZT_oMycDWQTsFq7gzalK6hX3urbrMlWSgImqGSB-n6T7xhcFDI2n44C20UVF2zw78be4E4Blqq4WLKJ89d_3bp2s/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-E9INFrjzqcyguVXTc1z7scQ4YGk6fc9bjuUcOFEtxe6GKdWKX8RZT_oMycDWQTsFq7gzalK6hX3urbrMlWSgImqGSB-n6T7xhcFDI2n44C20UVF2zw78be4E4Blqq4WLKJ89d_3bp2s/s400/IMG_0079.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-50501227635006469762011-05-18T22:21:00.001+01:002011-05-18T22:28:52.974+01:00Week 12 - Part 1 - Ground floor walls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wow, what a busy few days! With the arrival of Bob the Builder (yes, he is called Bob), things have started moving at a real pace. Bob and his bricky mate Ryan finished off all of the plinth brickwork in about 5 hours. We reckon these guys are capable of laying a thousand bricks a day, which is probably typical of most brickies working as a 2+1 (2 brick layers and a labourer).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bob might actually be Father Christmas doing odd jobs during the summer months...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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The finished brick plinth.<br />
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With the arrival of labourer Andy (or Horse as Bob and Ryan call him), the team blasted through 2 meters of inner leaf in the first propper day. You're allowed to do this many courses of block all at once in Celcon because it's light enough not to squash out the wet mortar lower down.<br />
This photo was taken at lunchtime on Monday, and by the end of the day they had made a start on the outer leaf dense blocks as well. Poor Andy get's worked like a dog trying to keep up with the other two amid constant banter and shouts for "MORE MUCK, MORE BLOCKS". It's all very entertaining.<br />
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By Tuesday the outer leafhas caught up. You can just see the Celotex insulation within the cavity. Decorative stone window cills are in and covered to protect them.<br />
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Also the internal walls are half way there.<br />
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Gaps in the outer leaf for the electricity and gas meter boxes. The builders use compressed concrete bricks for all the fiddly areas in the outer leaf, rather than messing around cutting blocks to size. They lay about 600 blocks in a pretty normal 9hour day which is exceptional, most 2+1s will lay between 300-400 a day. Despite the fact that these guys work quickly, the quality of their work and attention to detail is spot on - or Bob-on as we call it. They think through all the coursing and block lengths, so there's hardly any waste from cut blocks. They're also incredibly tidy and clean up thoroughly at the end of every day.<br />
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By half way through Wednesday the internal walls were complete, and Bob's team had run out of work to do until they can work off the scaffolding.<br />
Looking from the kitchen towards the front of the house.<br />
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Wednesday evening the scaffolders erected the first 6foot lift. The site is getting very tight on space, and we have deliveries of floor joists and loads more materials in the next couple of days! It's tough keeping up with Bob! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLz-KNscMHQMX1B8DupfDzGPasB2-liupT1xVDz2SzHCctwwpc_IxZ65DdMovEQPGkzpq-nipq5l3vUBx0LrhrzPdz8sooOETm6bmA9-2kOj_uSiEGkWh2NnSCP7-e-dUmixSqRvOuW0p/s1600/IMG_0886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLz-KNscMHQMX1B8DupfDzGPasB2-liupT1xVDz2SzHCctwwpc_IxZ65DdMovEQPGkzpq-nipq5l3vUBx0LrhrzPdz8sooOETm6bmA9-2kOj_uSiEGkWh2NnSCP7-e-dUmixSqRvOuW0p/s400/IMG_0886.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Completed internal walls.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQTHjzKbs4P7zmmK7YopN0z-5mRfbM8lFHRYEiTY3vBB1yVx-uYex4yrY-NdoKK_xu4AUdVYUeVTCoFXr3dYNnluSmsp7tw-ZPqeW26b1LChubynylQPIp10_5GVMnHlOXNqpzR7WOAcy/s1600/IMG_0896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQTHjzKbs4P7zmmK7YopN0z-5mRfbM8lFHRYEiTY3vBB1yVx-uYex4yrY-NdoKK_xu4AUdVYUeVTCoFXr3dYNnluSmsp7tw-ZPqeW26b1LChubynylQPIp10_5GVMnHlOXNqpzR7WOAcy/s400/IMG_0896.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662634886217824714.post-59672470265088175892011-05-15T18:45:00.000+01:002011-05-15T18:45:47.559+01:00House Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some house plans to put the whole thing into context!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The house is positioned in the back corner of the plot, so that the frontage will line up with those of the other houses along the road, and so that the houses will have roughly equal space between them. This was done to get the design through planning permission. As a result of this, there is a narrow 2m strip along the back of the house, we hope to put decking there to make the most of the space and the view. To the side of the house will be a small garden area. All the space in front of the house is taken up by parking for two cars and a turning head. Planning requirements these days need you to be able to leave your driveway in a 'forward gear'. The turning head on the plan looks slightly excessive, so we might try to pinch a bit of space back for the garden.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmtTeDrFniyNWd4t-vUtjZdzarGwolU1AZdbi-JowfNX2db8G5b5qBGsDP_34WQ2-Tj4OsbERWPzdw4w5TSYv54U9mO4U0Q1C_oI6wuYcw0zIezl9T-S5FMjUQCPin8ECFiokNyRWvcDI/s400/Site+plan+simple.png" width="377" /></div><br />
Ground Floor<br />
The living room and kitchen diner should both be quite generous spaces. The French doors will open out from the kitchen onto the decked area with the view out to the field. The wc has been shoe-horned under the stairs because planning requirements insist on having an accessible toilet (doorway wide enough for a wheelchair) on the ground floor of any new home.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsPhIDv9-aknk4j1Mx-DSo2WOVH0cSrmVfJE3g_v1o8o7vepHcaxliLvoPKMxZdygz8pp6pF_mHl5fRYcUV7bjMr24JfH7MX5-7T-zrMpmpqKrLV1VEQQLcB-tsfF-jtUvxPeeqLw1jzp/s640/Ground+floor+simple.png" width="448" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First Floor</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Three bedrooms and a family bathroom. The main bedroom will have French doors and a juliet balcony, to make the most of the view out to the field.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV7hOVznCFKAY2coSKFMzYKBCsHiPHNW0eX06aj_heSELg6gmohjYjjj6PqqfYlSLuCXL6ElTMjYnwrryDyYBE_TnhnZzeXo3C_W4dpqfyGGiJ1cNooAw__chqQCB4PcHQzOJZ_NykNFl/s640/First+floor+simple.png" width="448" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Elevations</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With a total floor area of 100 square metres, the house is not your typical Grand Design, but it will be perfectly formed!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The outside finish will be render. Above and below the windows there will be reconstituted stone heads and sills, and there will also be a string course (band of recon stone) at first floor level. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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If anyone fancies having a closer look at the project in progress you're welcome to drop in! Be sure to bring cake.ionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709238744279221963noreply@blogger.com4