The stone pediment to the front gable is complete. It was a challenge to install, due to the weight of each individual section, the height at which the stonemason was working, and also the amount of reinforcement and strapping necessary to secure the units in place. Now the roofers will be able to continue the tiling and will be working on this next week.
The plasterers are under way on the top floor, tacking the ceilings and dwarf walls. They will be plastering walls and skimming the plasterboard during the early part of next week. They're expected to be on the top floor for a couple of weeks, before they move down to the floor below.
We were disappointed to discover that the windows, originally due to be delivered today (4th February), will now be arriving a week late. The manufacturers have had some trouble in their production line. Thankfully, losing a week is a manageable delay (or so Jon reliably informs us!) and the builders should be able to cope. Osborne Developments has a long standing relationship with the company and are confident about the high quality of the product. In their experience, Perform Eco's service and after sales care is second to none. We shall see!
Friday, 4 February 2011
Catching Up!
Due to a heavy workload recently, I'm a little behind with my blogging - sorry folks!
In an attempt to put matters right, I'll write about progress made over the last couple of weeks, so bear with me if you will, till I get to present day.
21st January:
Scaffolding around the chimneys now struck and we are able to see them clearly from the ground. The combination of the brickwork corbel detail designed by the architect and the handmade Old Clamp brick looks really good. Thought went into the style of chimney pot and the stone band around the top, resulting in chimneys that match perfectly with the house.
The roof tilers have begun fixing the slates. They started with the garage and will be continuing on to the main roof next week. They now have a clear run and are eager to finish the slating in one hit.
Inside the house, we spent the week ensuring everything is where it should be before the plasterers begin. First fix on the top floor is complete and the plasterers have started to fit all the rigid insulation to the underside of the rafters. They are also fitting the metal framed sacrificial ceiling on all floors. Tacking and plastering won't begin until we are confident that the roof is dry and we are safe from the elements.
My heart missed a beat the other day when I walked into the kitchen to find that the studwork that had just been built to house the refrigerator and larder, was not where it was supposed to be! I was faced with a brick wall when I tried to enter the larder! Due to a misunderstanding, Jamie had taken his measurements from the ties in the blockwork and hadn't checked the plan for the correct positioning, so the larder was farther back than it should have been. Poor Paul, who had just finished the work, had to redo it, but I'm happy to report that it now looks fab! Disaster averted - in the nick of time!
There are still electricians and carpenters completing the first fix on the floors below and once done, we will ensure that all sockets, switches and lighting are where we want them to be.
The staircase will be finished and poured very soon. At the moment, the staircase is covered in all the timber shuttering, so it is difficult to get an overall feel for the actual size and shape of it. Once the timber is struck out, we can begin to finalise the detail on the cladding, balustrading, and handrail.
Jon said that the home-made chocolate muffins handed out to the trades midway through the week were a welcome sight and a highlight for those having to work in close to freezing temperatures all winter long!
28th January:
The slating on the roof went well this week. Despite rain, wind and low temperatures, the roof tilers made better progress that we were expecting. The majority of the slates are now fixed. Once they are all on, the hips and ridge tiles will be fitted and pointed in.
The boys have also been working on the gable at the front of the property. The brickwork is up to height, ready to carry the large stone copings. Due to the weight and design of these stones, the builders asked for input from the structural engineer as to how they should be fixing the stone in place. He has specified a number of different straps and reinforcement, from the stone through the brickwork and blockwork, fixing into the second floor slab. They will be working on the stone to the gable next week.
They have also finished pouring the concrete to the primary staircase and we now have a feel for the size and how it will eventually look.
The metal grid on the ceilings is ongoing and all the first fix is complete, barring a few areas the builders are awaiting information on, namely kitchen and bathrooms.
Looks like the roof is doing its job and keeping the rain out, so the plasterers have the go-ahead to start tacking on the second floor during the early part of next week.
In an attempt to put matters right, I'll write about progress made over the last couple of weeks, so bear with me if you will, till I get to present day.
21st January:
 |
Scaffolding around the chimneys now struck and we are able to see them clearly from the ground. The combination of the brickwork corbel detail designed by the architect and the handmade Old Clamp brick looks really good. Thought went into the style of chimney pot and the stone band around the top, resulting in chimneys that match perfectly with the house.The roof tilers have begun fixing the slates. They started with the garage and will be continuing on to the main roof next week. They now have a clear run and are eager to finish the slating in one hit.
Inside the house, we spent the week ensuring everything is where it should be before the plasterers begin. First fix on the top floor is complete and the plasterers have started to fit all the rigid insulation to the underside of the rafters. They are also fitting the metal framed sacrificial ceiling on all floors. Tacking and plastering won't begin until we are confident that the roof is dry and we are safe from the elements.
My heart missed a beat the other day when I walked into the kitchen to find that the studwork that had just been built to house the refrigerator and larder, was not where it was supposed to be! I was faced with a brick wall when I tried to enter the larder! Due to a misunderstanding, Jamie had taken his measurements from the ties in the blockwork and hadn't checked the plan for the correct positioning, so the larder was farther back than it should have been. Poor Paul, who had just finished the work, had to redo it, but I'm happy to report that it now looks fab! Disaster averted - in the nick of time!
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| Insulation - How Thick Can You Get?! |
There are still electricians and carpenters completing the first fix on the floors below and once done, we will ensure that all sockets, switches and lighting are where we want them to be.
The staircase will be finished and poured very soon. At the moment, the staircase is covered in all the timber shuttering, so it is difficult to get an overall feel for the actual size and shape of it. Once the timber is struck out, we can begin to finalise the detail on the cladding, balustrading, and handrail.
Jon said that the home-made chocolate muffins handed out to the trades midway through the week were a welcome sight and a highlight for those having to work in close to freezing temperatures all winter long!
28th January:
The slating on the roof went well this week. Despite rain, wind and low temperatures, the roof tilers made better progress that we were expecting. The majority of the slates are now fixed. Once they are all on, the hips and ridge tiles will be fitted and pointed in.
The boys have also been working on the gable at the front of the property. The brickwork is up to height, ready to carry the large stone copings. Due to the weight and design of these stones, the builders asked for input from the structural engineer as to how they should be fixing the stone in place. He has specified a number of different straps and reinforcement, from the stone through the brickwork and blockwork, fixing into the second floor slab. They will be working on the stone to the gable next week.
They have also finished pouring the concrete to the primary staircase and we now have a feel for the size and how it will eventually look.
The metal grid on the ceilings is ongoing and all the first fix is complete, barring a few areas the builders are awaiting information on, namely kitchen and bathrooms.
Looks like the roof is doing its job and keeping the rain out, so the plasterers have the go-ahead to start tacking on the second floor during the early part of next week.
Sunday, 16 January 2011
First Fix Finished (Almost!)
We're now approaching the end of the first fix. The electricians are doing their final sweep through the house, the carpenters only have a few days left and the plumbers have pressure-tested all their pipework. They carry out two pressure tests - after capping off the pipes, they pump up the pressure of the air inside the pipework and then monitor the pressure to see if it holds. If it doesn't, they locate the points at which the air is escaping and rectify the leak. Once they have carried out the air pressure test, they fill all the pipes with water and keep the system on test, checking that it holds for a number of days. They can then be confident that there are no leaks in the system - hopefully!
Windows to the World
Not such good news to report. The company that the builders are using, Perform Eco, was supposed to deliver the windows and external doors at the end of January. This got delayed until 4th February and we are now being told they don't know when they can deliver. Think we're going to have to ask the builders to put a bit of pressure on the company for a date, as it could put the build behind schedule. Jon says they'll have to push other activities harder to make back the time.
You have no idea how many windows Paul and I drove past, looking at different styles! We're going for Georgian style sash windows and were keen that there be three rather than four panes across each window. The height of the windows on the ground floor are typically much taller than those on the first floor and where the number of vertical panes weren't equal, we then had to decide where the bottom edge of the top sash windows would appear. We opted for more vertical panes showing on the bottom sash windows.
As a general rule, the builders usually plaster from the top floor downwards. There will sometimes be good reasons to work in a different order, but this is likely to be the way they do it on our build. Clive and his team of plasterers are eager to start tacking, skimming and plastering the walls and ceilings as soon as possible. Unfortunately, however, the windows need to be installed first!
You have no idea how many windows Paul and I drove past, looking at different styles! We're going for Georgian style sash windows and were keen that there be three rather than four panes across each window. The height of the windows on the ground floor are typically much taller than those on the first floor and where the number of vertical panes weren't equal, we then had to decide where the bottom edge of the top sash windows would appear. We opted for more vertical panes showing on the bottom sash windows.
As a general rule, the builders usually plaster from the top floor downwards. There will sometimes be good reasons to work in a different order, but this is likely to be the way they do it on our build. Clive and his team of plasterers are eager to start tacking, skimming and plastering the walls and ceilings as soon as possible. Unfortunately, however, the windows need to be installed first!
Snow Stops Play
We had hoped that the tiles would go on before Christmas, but the chimneys needed to be built first and due to the extremely cold weather, this wasn't possible as the cement wouldn't set.
This week, however, the boys have been busy and the chimneys are almost up. Jon says they're hoping to finish them by the beginning of this coming week. The work includes the brickwork corbel detail and band of stone at the top. Once the stonework is finished, they'll be putting the chimney pots on and creating a concrete flaunch above the stone. They are, of course, heavily dependent on a clear day's weather for this to happen. Once the scaffolding around the chimneys is struck, they will then be able to start slating the roof.
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| Octagonal Lantern in Roof |
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| Tarring the Roof |
Steaming Ahead!
Paul and I drove up to Newport Pagnell between Christmas and New Year and met up with Tim Hutchinson, who runs the UK division of V-Zug, a Swiss company that manufactures high quality kitchen appliances. We met Tim last May at the Grand Designs show in London and were very impressed. The company has only recently come over to the UK, but I think it's going to be very successful, if the quality of the products is anything to go by. We wanted to look at their steam ovens and coffee makers. The ovens range from simple steam to combination and the company's Combi-Steam XSL has a massive 51 litre cooking volume, much larger than the Miele.
I'm waiting for Tim to get back to me with prices, but my only worry is that it may be too deep to fit into the space Jamie's earmarked for the steam oven (it needs a depth of 550mm, whilst the Miele sits in a 350mm niche). I'm trying to think of alternative locations, without compromising the symmetry and design of the kitchen.
I'm waiting for Tim to get back to me with prices, but my only worry is that it may be too deep to fit into the space Jamie's earmarked for the steam oven (it needs a depth of 550mm, whilst the Miele sits in a 350mm niche). I'm trying to think of alternative locations, without compromising the symmetry and design of the kitchen.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Staircase to Heaven?
Ah, yes, the staircase!
You may think I have ideas above my station, but I'd always wanted a beautiful stone, winding staircase, with metal balustrading and slender Georgian handrail. And so that's what we're trying to achieve, although it will be no mean feat if we manage to do it on budget. The staircase up to the second floor will be in wood, but with the same balustrading to continue the theme through and link both together visually.
Sadly, one of my suppliers, a creative and talented metal craftsman, who was going to do the balustrading for us, has bowed out of the project. We're therefore relying on one of Steve Osborne's suppliers, to come up with the goods and I do have a concern that they won't be able to come up with exactly what we want. We shall see ... watch this space!
At the moment, a wooden structure has been erected, onto which concrete will be poured to form the stairs and this will then be clad in stone. Again, another worry I have, having visited a show house built by another local and very well known property developer in the area (no names, in case I get sued!), is that because some of the steps will be curved, the stone will have to be cut to fit and it looked really ugly the way the developer had done it in the show house. I have voiced my concern to Andy, but he is confident that the supplier will do a good job and that the joins will not be visible. I use the same stone supplier and they are very good, so will be keeping a close eye on what's going on!
Paul and I visit site on an almost daily basis and every day there is a little more to look at. With Christmas almost upon us, it feels like such a long time ago that we were decorating our tree in a house that doesn't exist anymore!
You may think I have ideas above my station, but I'd always wanted a beautiful stone, winding staircase, with metal balustrading and slender Georgian handrail. And so that's what we're trying to achieve, although it will be no mean feat if we manage to do it on budget. The staircase up to the second floor will be in wood, but with the same balustrading to continue the theme through and link both together visually.
Sadly, one of my suppliers, a creative and talented metal craftsman, who was going to do the balustrading for us, has bowed out of the project. We're therefore relying on one of Steve Osborne's suppliers, to come up with the goods and I do have a concern that they won't be able to come up with exactly what we want. We shall see ... watch this space!
At the moment, a wooden structure has been erected, onto which concrete will be poured to form the stairs and this will then be clad in stone. Again, another worry I have, having visited a show house built by another local and very well known property developer in the area (no names, in case I get sued!), is that because some of the steps will be curved, the stone will have to be cut to fit and it looked really ugly the way the developer had done it in the show house. I have voiced my concern to Andy, but he is confident that the supplier will do a good job and that the joins will not be visible. I use the same stone supplier and they are very good, so will be keeping a close eye on what's going on!
Paul and I visit site on an almost daily basis and every day there is a little more to look at. With Christmas almost upon us, it feels like such a long time ago that we were decorating our tree in a house that doesn't exist anymore!
Henry steps up to the mark at the end of term!
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