With a full pallet of adhesive, grout and sealant the whole delivery weighed in at around 3,700Kg, all of which I had to move into the house.
That's my workout for the week!
Friday, 10 April 2009
Day 156 - Stone Delivery
The natural stone tiles arrived this Thursday. A wonderful limestone from Turkey called Applestone for the kitchen, sunroom, utility and lobby, and a variety of slates from China and Brazil for the bathroom floors and walls.
With a full pallet of adhesive, grout and sealant the whole delivery weighed in at around 3,700Kg, all of which I had to move into the house.
That's my workout for the week!
With a full pallet of adhesive, grout and sealant the whole delivery weighed in at around 3,700Kg, all of which I had to move into the house.
That's my workout for the week!
Monday, 6 April 2009
Day 154 - We have stairs!
After the carpenter cried off from tackling the stair case, I dragged Andy down for the weekend and together we took on the challenge.
Armed with school boy carpentry and the vague memory of an engineering degree we made a start. Three hours in and we were confident enough to start cutting, glueing and screwing, and by the end of the day we had it pretty much done. I popped down on Sunday morning to finish off the details and voila: one staircase!
Next up: natural stone flooring. How hard can that be?
Armed with school boy carpentry and the vague memory of an engineering degree we made a start. Three hours in and we were confident enough to start cutting, glueing and screwing, and by the end of the day we had it pretty much done. I popped down on Sunday morning to finish off the details and voila: one staircase!
Next up: natural stone flooring. How hard can that be?
Monday, 30 March 2009
Day 153 - Plaster Complete
The new plaster work is all complete now and we've made a start on the huge job of painting. We're using a microporous paint - Dulux Supermatt - that allows the new plaster to breath and continue to dry even after it has been painted.
The second fix carpentry is also underway with the door architrave and doors themselves being put up.
Lots more painting, staircase assembly and stone floors next on the list.
The second fix carpentry is also underway with the door architrave and doors themselves being put up.
Lots more painting, staircase assembly and stone floors next on the list.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Day 143 - Plasterboard continues
The plaster boarding has continued at pace this week. Nearly all the ceilings and walls are done now, and the skim finish has begun upstairs. Next week sees completion of all the plaster work and hopefully delivery of the staircase.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Day 136 - Plasterboard on the first floor
The plasterers started on Tuesday this week on the first floor. The internal walls are being insulated with a thermal and accoustic fireproof material and then covered with 15mm, screw-fixed SoundBloc plasterboard. The same board is also used for the ceilings. You can also see the green moisture-proof board going into the bathrooms.
The effect is amazing! Having spent so long seeing the house without walls it completely changes the space. It feels huge!
The ground floor work will start next week while the first floor gets its pink plaster skim finish.
The effect is amazing! Having spent so long seeing the house without walls it completely changes the space. It feels huge!
The ground floor work will start next week while the first floor gets its pink plaster skim finish.
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Day 133 - Ready for plasterboard
Some general house keeping this weekend ahead of the plasterboard which starts first thing tomorrow.
Martha and I gave the whole place a good tidy and I took out the safety deck in the stair well which allows us to, for the first time, get a real feel for the light in the hallway.
I did my final checks this morning, taking pictures of all the walls and ceilings so I have a record of the location of all of the services just in case we lose anything.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow - the walls are on their way!
Martha and I gave the whole place a good tidy and I took out the safety deck in the stair well which allows us to, for the first time, get a real feel for the light in the hallway.
I did my final checks this morning, taking pictures of all the walls and ceilings so I have a record of the location of all of the services just in case we lose anything.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow - the walls are on their way!
Monday, 23 February 2009
Day 131 - Satellite Cables & Meter Boxes
I was busy on the plot this weekend fixing the cables for the Sky dish and a few final touches before the plasterboard goes on next Monday.
I have discovered to my horror though that the ventilation installers have punched a hole through my soffit board for their drain pipe. Shirty email on its way now!
I have discovered to my horror though that the ventilation installers have punched a hole through my soffit board for their drain pipe. Shirty email on its way now!
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Day 130 - First Fix Complete
Well, almost.
The wiring for the security system is now in place, and the plumbing and electrics are all in. The remaining carpentry work will be done next week, including door linings, thresholds and a few bits of external joinery.
I have ordered the staircase which should be arriving in a week or so and the tree surgeons were onsite today trimming up all of the remaining greenery.
I'll be installing the electrical meter box this weekend together with the coaxial cable for the Sky TV feed. That should just about do it!
There is also a new addition to the Cannon family; Mr Volvo's front wheel drive was starting to grate, so when I came accross this little chap I couldn't resist the swap. I definitely think I got the better half of the deal!
The wiring for the security system is now in place, and the plumbing and electrics are all in. The remaining carpentry work will be done next week, including door linings, thresholds and a few bits of external joinery.
I have ordered the staircase which should be arriving in a week or so and the tree surgeons were onsite today trimming up all of the remaining greenery.
I'll be installing the electrical meter box this weekend together with the coaxial cable for the Sky TV feed. That should just about do it!
There is also a new addition to the Cannon family; Mr Volvo's front wheel drive was starting to grate, so when I came accross this little chap I couldn't resist the swap. I definitely think I got the better half of the deal!
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Day 125 - Bath & Showers
We had a week off last week while the plumbers and electricians were elsewhere, but we were back on this week.
The electrics are now complete and the plumbing is moving slowly forwards. The new shower doors arrived in enormous boxes from the supplier and take up almost all of the dining room! We now have the heated towel rails for the bathrooms and the bath on site.
I am making final decisions on the stairs, drylining, insulation, carpentry and lighting this week so work will be carrying on at pace now for the next few weeks right up to the start of the second fix.
Not long until we get walls!
The electrics are now complete and the plumbing is moving slowly forwards. The new shower doors arrived in enormous boxes from the supplier and take up almost all of the dining room! We now have the heated towel rails for the bathrooms and the bath on site.
I am making final decisions on the stairs, drylining, insulation, carpentry and lighting this week so work will be carrying on at pace now for the next few weeks right up to the start of the second fix.
Not long until we get walls!
Monday, 26 January 2009
Day 120 - Heat Recovery Ventilation System
The electrics are almost complete for first fix and the electricians did a superb job of cleaning up when they were done. What stars!
The Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system was installed today. This is the clever bit of kit that takes warm, stale air from the bathrooms and kitchen, extracts the heat into fresh air from the roof which it then pumps into the living spaces.
This removes the need for trickle vents in the windows and will keep the house fresh, warm and very thermally efficient.
I have also taken delivery of most of the bathroom fittings including the toilets and showers. The remaining items will be coming along shortly.
The second fix carpentry items also arrived today, including all the internal doors, door linings and skirting board, plus another back and front door just for good measure! The lorry driver waited for me for 2 hours as he said he couldn't lift the doors on his own. Much humble pie was eaten when he then watched me offload and carry singlehanded all 12 in one-by-one.
That's my workout for the week!
I'll post some pictures of the joinery items later in the week.
The Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system was installed today. This is the clever bit of kit that takes warm, stale air from the bathrooms and kitchen, extracts the heat into fresh air from the roof which it then pumps into the living spaces.
This removes the need for trickle vents in the windows and will keep the house fresh, warm and very thermally efficient.
I have also taken delivery of most of the bathroom fittings including the toilets and showers. The remaining items will be coming along shortly.
The second fix carpentry items also arrived today, including all the internal doors, door linings and skirting board, plus another back and front door just for good measure! The lorry driver waited for me for 2 hours as he said he couldn't lift the doors on his own. Much humble pie was eaten when he then watched me offload and carry singlehanded all 12 in one-by-one.
That's my workout for the week!
I'll post some pictures of the joinery items later in the week.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Category 8 Data Cabling
One of the key decisions when planning the build was how we were going to distrubute television, telephone, audio and computer signals around the house.
You've probably heard of Category 5 (Cat-5) cable. This is the standard for computer networks and is geneally used in new houses too to perform all of the above functions. However, with the new HD video standards Cat-5 is finding it hard to keep up - you just can't get enough information down the cable.
A bit of research lead me to a cable standard that I wasn't aware of - Catergory 8 (Cat-8), which can carry over 7 times more data than Cat-5.
Plus, with some clever faceplates and a neat patch panel its much tidier as well, minising the clutter and number of sockets we have to put on the walls.
Check out the supplier website for more details: Single Point Networks
The clever bit comes in how we wire up the Sky boxes. By putting the Sky box in the roof along next to the patch panel for the Cat-8 system, we can distribute the TV signal, in full HD and digital audio glory, to many TVs around the house. Plus, we put infrared receivers on each of the tellies to pick up the signal from a Sky remote and relay it back to the box via the Cat-8 cable, so you can change the channels from any of the rooms too.
Clever eh?
You've probably heard of Category 5 (Cat-5) cable. This is the standard for computer networks and is geneally used in new houses too to perform all of the above functions. However, with the new HD video standards Cat-5 is finding it hard to keep up - you just can't get enough information down the cable.
A bit of research lead me to a cable standard that I wasn't aware of - Catergory 8 (Cat-8), which can carry over 7 times more data than Cat-5.
Plus, with some clever faceplates and a neat patch panel its much tidier as well, minising the clutter and number of sockets we have to put on the walls.
Check out the supplier website for more details: Single Point Networks
The clever bit comes in how we wire up the Sky boxes. By putting the Sky box in the roof along next to the patch panel for the Cat-8 system, we can distribute the TV signal, in full HD and digital audio glory, to many TVs around the house. Plus, we put infrared receivers on each of the tellies to pick up the signal from a Sky remote and relay it back to the box via the Cat-8 cable, so you can change the channels from any of the rooms too.
Clever eh?
Day 116 - Guttering in the sunshine
I got a chance to get back onsite today and complete the last bit of guttering by the back door. The electricians are pushing on inside but no sign of the plumbers today; typical!
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