Wednesday 30 April 2008
Day 42 - Half way there
Well, we have half a scaffold. Hopefully the weather will improve today and the guys will be able to finish off ahead of Potton's arrival tomorrow.
Day 42 - Scaffold Ahoy
The scaffolders started today after yesterday's misfire.
I was on site with my spade from 7:30 this morning to lend a hand as they seem to have an allergy to digging holes. You can see from the pictures how the edge of the trench surrounding the foundations was right where the inside uprights needed to be so muggins here spent several hours digging through the hardcore to get them a level bottom.
I left site just as it started to rain (that'll teach them) and all things being well, they should be finished by close of play today. I'll pop over before it gets dark tonight to check on their progress.
I also took delivery this morning of a 16 cubic yard skip to contain all of the rubbish that the main build will generate and some roofers undercloak which the Potton team will use to wedge under the sole plates of the frame to level out any imperfections in the slab.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we measured the slab yesterday to check the dimensions: it was correct to the nearest millimetre. Well done Supercrete!
All the effort has paid off.
I was on site with my spade from 7:30 this morning to lend a hand as they seem to have an allergy to digging holes. You can see from the pictures how the edge of the trench surrounding the foundations was right where the inside uprights needed to be so muggins here spent several hours digging through the hardcore to get them a level bottom.
I left site just as it started to rain (that'll teach them) and all things being well, they should be finished by close of play today. I'll pop over before it gets dark tonight to check on their progress.
I also took delivery this morning of a 16 cubic yard skip to contain all of the rubbish that the main build will generate and some roofers undercloak which the Potton team will use to wedge under the sole plates of the frame to level out any imperfections in the slab.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we measured the slab yesterday to check the dimensions: it was correct to the nearest millimetre. Well done Supercrete!
All the effort has paid off.
Tuesday 29 April 2008
Pikeys
As some of you will already know, we had half of our lead roof stolen at the new offices last week. The culprits moved and covered all of the security cameras whilst they removed our roof of the burdern of being watertight over a six hour period one night.
As you can imagine we're less than happy!
As a result I've been thinking about security in general and am going to take the blog private in a day or so's time. This will mean that you'll have to login to get access to it and that not everyone (hopefully not many pikeys have internet access anyway) can see what's going on on site.
I will email out invites to all of those that I have sent the blog to in the past, but if you don't get one, please don't hesitate to email me and I'll add you to the list.
As you can imagine we're less than happy!
As a result I've been thinking about security in general and am going to take the blog private in a day or so's time. This will mean that you'll have to login to get access to it and that not everyone (hopefully not many pikeys have internet access anyway) can see what's going on on site.
I will email out invites to all of those that I have sent the blog to in the past, but if you don't get one, please don't hesitate to email me and I'll add you to the list.
Slight Delay
Scaffolding isn't going up today as there is a small problem with the levels surrounding the slab that I'll need to iron out with the scaffolders before they can start. All things being well they should be on site tomorrow to get started.
Potton aren't starting until Friday am now so there will also be a slight delay there.
Good news is that Building Control and the warranty provider Premier have signed off on the foundations so the bank has authorised the next tranche of funds for the build.
I won't have to sell a kidney!
Well, at least not until the first fix...
Potton aren't starting until Friday am now so there will also be a slight delay there.
Good news is that Building Control and the warranty provider Premier have signed off on the foundations so the bank has authorised the next tranche of funds for the build.
I won't have to sell a kidney!
Well, at least not until the first fix...
Sunday 27 April 2008
Day 41 - Foundations Complete
The slab looks wonderful and the foundations are now complete!
The ground workers have removed the shuttering and cleared all but a small amount of the remaining earth away. What remains will be used to fill in around the foundations and rainwater harvester later in the build. The sewer pipes have been left at the boundary of the slab for now to avoid traffic from the subsequent building stages damaging the chamber which will be installed in the driveway to link up all of the pipes later in the build.
Scaffolding will be going up on Tuesday and I will be inspecting the site for the final time with the team from Potton then before the timber frame is delivered on Thursday.
Full steam ahead!
The ground workers have removed the shuttering and cleared all but a small amount of the remaining earth away. What remains will be used to fill in around the foundations and rainwater harvester later in the build. The sewer pipes have been left at the boundary of the slab for now to avoid traffic from the subsequent building stages damaging the chamber which will be installed in the driveway to link up all of the pipes later in the build.
Scaffolding will be going up on Tuesday and I will be inspecting the site for the final time with the team from Potton then before the timber frame is delivered on Thursday.
Full steam ahead!
Thursday 24 April 2008
Day 40 - Concrete anyone?
The day of the pour.
The first of eight cement mixers arrived on site this morning at 7:45 and the concrete began to flow. The site was all ready and prepared with the damp proof membrane complete and the steel meshing in place.
The ground workers' spirits fell slightly when they learned that the concrete pump that they had booked hadn't turned up so they'd have to move the concrete around the old fashioned way until we could get another brought over, but once they got stuck in progress was good.
I'll pop back later today to see how they got on.
The first of eight cement mixers arrived on site this morning at 7:45 and the concrete began to flow. The site was all ready and prepared with the damp proof membrane complete and the steel meshing in place.
The ground workers' spirits fell slightly when they learned that the concrete pump that they had booked hadn't turned up so they'd have to move the concrete around the old fashioned way until we could get another brought over, but once they got stuck in progress was good.
I'll pop back later today to see how they got on.
Tuesday 22 April 2008
Day 38 - Damp Proof Membrane
The soil pipes and ducting for the BT, electrical and harvester are now in and insulated, and the damp proof membrane is going down. This will wrap the concrete in a waterproof plastic that prevents moisture from getting into the slab, keeping the timber frame and the floor dry.
The concrete pour is booked for Thursday morning and I'll be back on site then to get some pictures for you as the slab is poured.
The concrete pour is booked for Thursday morning and I'll be back on site then to get some pictures for you as the slab is poured.
Saturday 19 April 2008
Day 36 - Well, almost ready to pour
The service ducting is going in now to carry the many cables and pipes that need to run under the house through the concrete slab. Hardcore is being laid witin the shuttering and steel mesh will be laid around and over this to tie the whole structure together.
Thursday 17 April 2008
Day 34 - Ready to Pour
The concrete shuttering is in place now and we're ready to pour the main foundation slab. You can see the steel reinforcing bars that have been drilled into the concrete footings which will, together with the steel mesh, hold the whole business together.
Potton are ready to go for w/c 28 April and I've booked the brick layers, roofers and scaffolders around this date.
I'll be happy once we're finally out of the ground!
Potton are ready to go for w/c 28 April and I've booked the brick layers, roofers and scaffolders around this date.
I'll be happy once we're finally out of the ground!
Sunday 13 April 2008
National Homebuilding Show
This weekend we took a trip up to sunny Birmingham for the National Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the NEC.
We've been to a few of these before in the run-up to the build so we knew what to expect and who we wanted to search out.
We spent quite a bit of time seeking out solutions for our rainwater harvester problem (overflow below the water table) with little luck. There is a new range of tanks specially designed for this that have just come out, but there's not a lot we can do now our tank is under several tonnes of concrete.... Creative solutions will have to suffice here!
We also discussed the underfloor heating on the first floor. This is also an area of much debate as, to get the best from our heat pump, we'll have to run the heating at as low a temperature as possible, which means it will have to be extra efficient. The decision is whether to run the pipework above or below the first floor deck. Current best wisdom seems to be to put them above in a dry mix. This increases the thermal mass of the floor and makes the system more efficient but will add approximately 40mm to the height of the deck which could cause problems for Potton. I'll let you know what we decide.
We also discovered some really great deals on the stone materials for the walls and floors. Applestone and slate are the two currently favoured choices and with show discounts and end of line deals we should be able to get the prices down by up to £10/m2 from our budget. Good news indeed!
Now all we need is a set of foundations that float...
We've been to a few of these before in the run-up to the build so we knew what to expect and who we wanted to search out.
We spent quite a bit of time seeking out solutions for our rainwater harvester problem (overflow below the water table) with little luck. There is a new range of tanks specially designed for this that have just come out, but there's not a lot we can do now our tank is under several tonnes of concrete.... Creative solutions will have to suffice here!
We also discussed the underfloor heating on the first floor. This is also an area of much debate as, to get the best from our heat pump, we'll have to run the heating at as low a temperature as possible, which means it will have to be extra efficient. The decision is whether to run the pipework above or below the first floor deck. Current best wisdom seems to be to put them above in a dry mix. This increases the thermal mass of the floor and makes the system more efficient but will add approximately 40mm to the height of the deck which could cause problems for Potton. I'll let you know what we decide.
We also discovered some really great deals on the stone materials for the walls and floors. Applestone and slate are the two currently favoured choices and with show discounts and end of line deals we should be able to get the prices down by up to £10/m2 from our budget. Good news indeed!
Now all we need is a set of foundations that float...
Thursday 10 April 2008
Day 30 - Concrete Drilling
Work is progressing well now on the new plan thanks to a break in the weather.
The third and final GSHP trench in in, pressure tested and back filled, and work has begun on the new raft foundations. The topsoil between the footings has been removed and the concrete is being drilled ready to accept the steel reinforcing bars that will tie the raft to the ground.
We're getting there... slowly.
The third and final GSHP trench in in, pressure tested and back filled, and work has begun on the new raft foundations. The topsoil between the footings has been removed and the concrete is being drilled ready to accept the steel reinforcing bars that will tie the raft to the ground.
We're getting there... slowly.
Saturday 5 April 2008
Day 26 - A Way Forwards
After a stressful week trying to find a way forwards things are now back on track.
The foundations have been redesigned to a hybrid raft that can sit over the existing strips. Steel shafts will be drilled into the existing concrete footings and then a 300mm steel mesh reinforced concrete slab will be poured over the whole plot to form the raft.
This will of course be more expensive than the original plan and I am yet to have my conversation with the engineers over the costs.
Meanwhile the ground workers have completed the third ground source heat pump trench and the full set of pipework should be ready for pressure testing on Monday.
One more week of mud and we should be on our way.
The foundations have been redesigned to a hybrid raft that can sit over the existing strips. Steel shafts will be drilled into the existing concrete footings and then a 300mm steel mesh reinforced concrete slab will be poured over the whole plot to form the raft.
This will of course be more expensive than the original plan and I am yet to have my conversation with the engineers over the costs.
Meanwhile the ground workers have completed the third ground source heat pump trench and the full set of pipework should be ready for pressure testing on Monday.
One more week of mud and we should be on our way.
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