blog my ecobuild

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOUSE!

2011-06-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hip hip hooray! Our house is a year old.

The house is performing very well, the bungalow is a dim and distant dark memory.
We feel very fortunate and happy. It has been a great adventure.

Good morning, Sunshine!

2011-05-21T03:54:00.000-07:00

Passersby have been wondering why we might have scaffolding up on our house again. Thankfully it is good news as our photovoltaic panels were installed this week.
We have employed the same contractors to do the work as for our solar thermal panels and heat pump.

We chose the Sanyo Hit 250W panels and have installed 12 of them. They should have a theoretical output of 3kWh peak.

Here is the roof with the brackets in place before the panels were attached.

Work in progress.

Job done! Fab! Thank you Neil, Steve and Liam.

When the system was connected within the house, we were amazed to find that it generated 3kWhp when the sun shone. Apparently there is often a drop-off of up to 20% but not with these panels. Having a good angle on the roof helps, without shadows from trees or other buildings.

We are very happy with the results. The first day we generated 13.5kWh, and yesterday we generated 12.8kWh even though there has been a significant amount of cloud cover! We have been charging everything and using the washing machine the minute the sun comes out!

The good thing is that with our low-energy house, the demands for energy are relatively low (even with three teenagers in the house). The installation of the photovoltaic panels to generate electricy should allow us to get sufficient income from the Feed-in tarriffs to cover the cost of our electricity the rest of the time when there is no sun. Net result: no bills!

Snagging ends but the garden grows

2011-04-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

We have had some snagging problems; such as the calibration of the rain water harvesting tank but that has been resolved now. There are some remaining problems with the mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system which is not meeting the planned specification for the house. We hope for a resolution of this in the future.

The house itself is working very well. The airtightness and high level of insulation have offered us a very energy efficient way of living. We are very happy with it. The house is so comfortable that the bungalow is a dim and distant nightmare. We have lots of space and light and could not imagine living in a conventional house again. Anyway, we are now looking at improving the garden so I will only occasionally be adding now posts to this blog.

Meanwhile, if you want to continue following the goings on in our project, you can see the new blog: blog my garden. Watch as the garden takes shape again after the build, although, the results are not going to be as fast!

The grass is greener or is it?

2011-03-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I last wrote on the blog. The house hasn't changed much but we've started to look at the back garden.

From a distance I was pleased because it looked like the lawn was growing back. However, on closer inspection I saw

it was ground elder!!! These tiny shoots bode alot of back-breaking work. They will keep coming back unless you get rid of all the long roots.

After two days of work, I'd hardly made an impact. I think I may have to think of a plan B. No weedkillers though as we plan to grow veggies here.

The digger may have helped to spread the ground elder around, but it also helped by making the pond. About two months ago we put the liner in the pond and waited for rain. It didn't seem to come. Then suddenly it started to pour down. A couple of days ago it looked like this. The liner was a bit big but I'm using it help collect more rainwater.

Meanwhile the front garden looked devoid of life as we decide what we're going to grow in there. But miraculously, perhaps caught on the digger tread, a small crocus tulip is flowering. Perhaps it is telling me to get on with planting before ground elder spreads to the front garden too.

Snow progress

2011-01-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

Amazingly, just before Christmas, our newly moved summer house received a new layer of felt on the roof, thanks to our intrepid handyman, Harry. Despite the snow he managed to complete the job, so like the house it is water-tight.

Our house is more than water tight. In the recent snow, even when the snow was melting on the neighbours houses ours was still intact. How's that for the good insulation in action.

Now it's a new year and we realise that in comparison to the house project, the garden will be more straight forward. Like sorting out the snagging problems, both will progres slowly but I will continue to update the blog occasionally.

Pimp my garden

2010-12-06T02:13:00.000-08:00

Finally, it's pimp my garden time.

It looks like it was a quick process but far from it, there have been days of preparation to get to this point. Tonnes of type1 stone have been whackered down all around the house. Phil has spent days getting the paving slabs in just the right places and in the best orientation to lay our garden path, getting the front path just right - and all of this in near freezing temperatures. I had a couple of hairy moments driving some the extra slabs back from the builders' merchants to our house on the dual carriage way.... but now the final stages are taking place.

As usual, Phil is trying to hide that digger behind the trees again, too late, I think the neighbours have noticed.

Meanwhile Jerry just keeps sweeping.

After another long cold day Phil and Jerry have nearly finished, just a few little jobs left but that shouldn't be more than a day's work for these guys. We just need the weather to improve.

Good job guys!

Finally the sun comes out so we can see the front path in all its glory.

So here we have it, a beautifully manicured front garden. Maybe one day we'll get some plants but for now we're just enjoying having the path. The postman really likes having a clean path to walk on, and has made comments about the yellow brick road. We just love it, well and truly pimped, wickid!

Digger Time Again

2010-11-24T01:52:00.000-08:00

Just when things were beginning to be settled in the house, the scenes of devastation in the back garden begin. The rationale is that we don't want to bring muck from the back garden to the front and make a mess on new front garden. This is the last time we saw the grass in the back garden. If you look carefully, you can see two garden sheds in the back right corner as well as the summer house in the middle of the plot. The summer house was just in the wrong place so we thought it would be a good idea to move it, but first we got rid of one of the two wooden sheds.

Then Phil arrives with a little digger and helps to dig a small wildlife pond (to keep the resident frogs happy).

Meanwhile Jerry is working hard getting the edgings down so that our shingle that will go around the house won't get trampled into any lawn.

Another day and Project 'Move Summerhouse' starts. It was a battle with the roof but with the help of teenage son and husband power they manage to dissect the summerhouse. It was quite some achievement given the amount of insulation, plywood lining, not to mention the large amount of building materials and general crud, that was inside it.

Here the men discuss Project Summerhouse and wonder who is going to be the first to admit that their backs are hurting.

Miraculously, by the end of the day they have achieved the impossible, Project Summerhouse, albeit with temporary tarpaulin roof, has been completed! Good job!

A quick moment to enjoy how much larger the garden looks now. The kindly donated trampoline will be barely visible from the house. Time for a skip for all that rubbish. We also have about as many old concrete paving slabs as the local builders' merchants.

A few days later and I spot a familiar sight ...there's no point hiding behind the trees, we can all see you Phil!

So Phil finishes up levelling out the ground at the back so it is now suitable for my veggie patch (one day). Now the back garden will no longer see the likes of a digger, any other work will have to be by hand.

So the saga of the garden continues, as usual battling the elements as Autumn turns to Winter. At last, all effort can be concentrated on the front garden and maybe one day we'll get rid of that heras fencing...

Fences

2010-10-19T01:12:00.000-07:00

It has been some time since I wrote on the blog as the project has nearly reached its conclusion. In many ways it is just the beginning as we grow more and more settled in our house. We have had our house-warming which was a grand food fest and a chance for friends and neighbours to see what has been going on for the last few months.

We were about to commission the hard landscaping at the front of the house but realised that if we do that then when we do the fence to the side, all the rubbish will come through and make a mess. We bit the bullet and decided to go for it.

Nothing is straight forward in our garden, we couldn't get the old fence down until the leylandii bushes, well rather trees, had been taken out. Simon returned with his chainsaw and had two days of slashing and burning, going to the tip and an abortive attempt with a chipper.

Benny arrived and quickly made light work of the remaining fence. The concrete posts were dispatched to the skip.

Soon all we had between us and the neighbours was a thin yellow line of string. It's a good thing we have very patient neighbours.

Benny and Jason worked really hard and by the end of the first day we had the frame of the fence up. It looked rather elegant and were wondering whether close-boarded fence was the way to go.

By the end of the second day the fence was done. It looks amazing. Suddenly our garden looked really long. If you look carefully there are a few laylandii trees that defeated all chain saws but they will be no match for the digger when it returns.

So progress is still being made. I will keep updating the blog but only occasionally as life takes on a more normal routine. Maybe one day I will get rid of that pile of sand outside the house, but not just yet.

Another step closer

2010-09-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

The house is getting closer and closer to being complete. We still have a pile of sand out front and an interesting arrangement of grey stone whackered down by Gerry and Phil. We need to do the fence to the side of the house first and then we can look at finishing the front so it's going to have to stay like this for a while.

Surprisingly, the man came for our wood-burning stove today. He needed to drill a hole through the house so that he could install the fresh air duct. We have been dreading that moment, fearing that the render my crack. Instead it all went according to plan. He then sprayed the flue and its connectors with black spray. It looks rather like modern art. I'm longing to check it all works but it was just too warm today.

Muck truck

2010-09-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

A favourite view of mine; a digger in the front garden. Now that we're settling in, we have to settle the house into its surroundings. The level of the ground at the front is too high.

Gerry loads the muck into the truck.

Some type 1 stone is laid and whackered down. Finally, the house begins to look rooted in its surroundings. There is a bit more work to do but things can progress more slowly now.

We're back!

2010-09-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, we have contact with the outside world!

Now we are happy in our new home.

The last two weeks since we moved in weren't without incident.

The move itself was great, only one wine glass was broken. The house has still got lots of boxes in strange places as we've been too busy to unpack as much as we'd hoped.

We also need to have a big tidy up as we've carted a lot of things around with us that we didn't need in our various recent moves. This time I'm going to get rid of it but the best bit is- we're not moving again so I can take as long as I need.

Here you can see the corridor and the sitting room behind it, viewed from the hall.

A well known cable company caused us lots of tension. We arranged the installation on the day after our move but the best laid plans and all that...!

Anyway, they couldn't get their cables through the dedicated conduit so the electricians managed to drill a new hole through the wall and floorslab. It was a very tense moment. Thankfully, they managed to avoid any underfloor heating pipes, the render or the aluminium drip strip under the wall panel, phew! Well done!

Things weren't plain sailing from there, unfortunately, but I won't bore you with the details here, I'm sure you all know what it's like. The good news is the internet now works.

Even before we had unpacked, we had our blower door test done. It was very interesting to see all the draughts that we still managed to get in our airtight house. The good thing is that we had a fantastic result. We needed to get less than 10m3/hr air leakage for building regs and we got less than 2m3/hr! It means our mechanical heat recovery unit will work efficiently.

A few days after we had moved in we noticed a dreaded problem that we'd had before in the bungalow: the loos weren't flushing properly! We had a horrible discovery outside. The new drains and chamber weren't draining away. We called in the professionals but they couldn't decide what was going on. There was only one thing left to do...who's got a shovel?

A digger appeared again on our sandy site, so Jerry and his brother Phil dug up the drains. It became apparent that the cast iron drain (on the left) was to blame. The join was misaligned and the section of drain had silted up, especially after the months of not being used had made it rock solid. The clay pipe that joined onto it was also full of small fractures, which could have been, amongst many things, the roots of the trees and bushes that had been on site. It was definitely time to replace those bad drains.

We decided that it would be a good idea to get another chamber on the run between the house and the main sewer but fortunately, Jerry and Phil found this! It was a pre-existing man hole in just the right place, it hadn't even come up on any survey but it was most welcome.

So now we have drains that work! It is a real blessing. We've learnt how much water we normally use and won't take if for granted.

I want to thank all our friends, neighbours and the leisure centre for all the showers, clothes washing and the use of the internet in the last few weeks, it was fab! You are all very much appreciated!

Still waiting

2010-08-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry to disappoint readers but we still don't have internet connection or telephone links. Our mobiles only work when you stand next to the windows because the insulation in the walls is so good! I will be back up and running soon. The good news is that the house is still fab and we are slowly rediscovering some order amongst the chaos of moving. Tomorrow the glass will arrive for the splashbacks.

Moving in

2010-08-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Due to an unfortunate delay in establishing connections with the outside world, I've been off-line since our move into the new house. I will give you all a better update when internet connection can be re-established! Meanwhile, the house is fab, everything I expected and more even though it's covered in boxes!

Plumbers and Electricians

2010-08-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

With our moving day rushing headlong towards us, everyone is feeling the pressure to get the work finished. Here Bob and Sam are tackling the shower in the family bathroom. They then installed the bath panel.

Meanwhile the electricians connect the LED strip lights to the power supply in the stairs. Wow! It took a long time but it was worth it. Groovy.

The worktop multiplug is also installed by the electricians in the kitchen.

The list of jobs for the electricians seemed to go on for ages but by the end of the day the end was in sight. A few more things and their work will be done.

Unfortunately, the stove installer had a less successful day as the fresh air duct was an unusual diameter and he didn't have a drill the correct size. The stove itself looks fab, I can't wait to see it in action.

The end of the day saw the plumbing finished, except for the washing machine, we'll see the electricians again soon but by then the house may be our home as we are already waist deep in cardboard boxes.

The end is in sight. I hope soon to see the desert in front of the house disappear, although it may not be in time for the removal van.

Plumbing thursday

2010-08-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

A day of plumbing....Sam and Bob arrived to do the little jobs that remain, including the sinks. Here is the new shiny filter tap all ready for action, just waiting for the mains water.

The utility room sink is also plumbed in.

The perplexing problem of the rainwater harvesting tank had us all confused. Here Bob and Justin are considering all the options. Fortunately, after contacting the manufacturer, the solution was found and rainwater was pumped into the system.

Here is the control panel showing that the tank is 100% full.

It's not often we'd want to photograph a loo but this was the moment when the rain water flowed into cisterns for the first time! Hooray!

As Ebi, Sylvie and the children are having a couple of days' well-earned rest, we took the opportunity to dissect out the kitchen, sand it and give it a quick lick of paint. Tomorrow we'll try to find time to do the other sides of the doors.

The end is in sight

2010-08-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

This morning I couldn't help but admire the pergola construction. It now has beautiful looking guttering that matches the rest of the house.

The plumbers came today. Bob and Sam have been busy on another job so we were very pleased to see them. They managed to get the plumbing organised for the inflow and outflow of the sink.

Ebi brought the connectors from Germany with him so the plumbers were able to install the toilets. They also attached the flushing mechanisms. So now we just need water; they are going to be flushed with rainwater from the tank so we just need to switch the harvesting tank pump on and it should work...hopefully we'll see tomorrow.

The day was overwhelmed by the achievement of Ebi and Sylvie. They worked incredibly hard trying to get through the list of things to do so that we can move in next week!

First thing this morning, the front porch had some metal framework attached to it so that the glass could have something stable to sit on.

Then Ebi and Sylvie worked on the skirting boards. They were pre-painted ones which clip onto brackets screwed into the wall.

While I was away starting to organise things for the move, the 'T-bar' treads started to appear. They separate the different flooring areas and neaten all the edges. Finally all evidence of the dodgy screeding job is covered up!

The banister is put in place! Hooray, it looks great and people who visit us won't have the treat of possibly falling down the stairs. The doors are all in place so now there may even be privacy, especially in the bathrooms. A bit of dusting and the whole of upstairs will be just about ready!

The day ends with Ebi putting the final fixings on the glass porch. It all looks amazing. We are getting very excited about moving in. The only problem I can see is that our old furniture will make the house look cluttered. With budget constraints the chic designer gear may have to wait quite some time but keeping our own is also more eco-friendly.

All hands on deck

2010-08-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the doors to the house were removed and cleaned.

Ebi called for troops as the pergola went under construction. Ebi and Sylvie had prepared the wood in the workshop in Germany and brought it over. Thankfully, Cousin Kumar came to the rescue.

Here the pergola is assembled, and stabilised with the extra pieces of wood. These were then removed once the ends had been bedded in concrete pads.

Today, the bamboo flooring has been finished! Here anything heavy is enlisted to keep it in place while it glues. There really is a feeling that this is rapidly becoming our home.

It's a real family affair as Ebi's family help out again today. They are just as determined as us to see the house finished.

In the effort to get the pergola finished, we enlist the help of Simon and Kumar again. Between them and Ebi with Sylvie, they manage to get the 9 glass panels on the roof. They each weigh 90kg, so its quite some achievement. It looks perfect. The deck will come later.

Busy Friday

2010-08-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started with the welcome site of Ebi's trailer full of interesting materials, including glass for the porch roof.

Meanwhile, Neil, Steve and Matt arrived to continue their work. It was a day full of various jobs. These included the installation of the heated towel rails in the bathrooms and the removal of air from the solar thermal panel system.

Half way through the day the flat pack furniture was delivered. There will be lots of fun hours ahead while we understand those instructions!

The day disappeared with lots of small jobs started, including the preparation of the wooden worktops for the kitchen. The worktops were sanded with using a series of grades of sandpaper ready for the first coat of Tung oil. With our house move imminent these are the final stages to get the house ready, even if it's not completely finished when we move in.

Light up Thursday

2010-08-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy one for the electricians Neil and Steve. They started by trying to find the conduit for the outside lights...it wasn't quite where they expected so they had to try a different approach. But they were successful.

We then started on the LED lights for the stairs, or rather the connector cables. It wasn't as easy as we'd hoped. It would have been a lot better if we had put the cables in before the staircase was lifted into the house! Instead Neil and I devised a method using tape, plastic ties and cardboard.

It was a long job so Steve and I worked on the cables after lunch.

We managed to get the LED strips in place in the staircase grooves so that they can be connected to the drivers. Each LED strip will light the tread below it.

Steve started to insulate the sockets that are on the external walls, trying to maintain the high level of airtightness.

Now the LED spots have lamps! It's great to have light, and the room is separated into three zones so we can choose how many lights are put on at one time.

Our feature light now has power too.

The house still looks like it's in a building site with the large pile of sand in front but at least the skip is now gone. I'm hoping to improve the front garden before we move in.

Flat pack wednesday

2010-08-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

With a couple of quiet days on site and nothing much to report on the house, we decided to take a quick trip to a certain furniture store, that we all know so well. It was not a good place for me today as I was overwhelmed by my lists. I had lists of lists and then lists of those lists. Fortunately, a cup of coffee helped and we got back on track and I ditched the lists.

Eight trolley loads later our quick trip had become a mammoth expedition that took all day. Thankfully the whole family and three kindly shop assistants helped us to take everything to the home delivery section. I think we would have needed a truck otherwise. Anyway, tomorrow we are back on site and will have to go back to sorting out the kitchen. It was a very welcome day off!

lights, doors and kitchen action

2010-08-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

The kitchen has continued to take shape. The sink and the hob cut outs have been done; we still need to oil the worktops though so they aren't in permanently yet. The utility room sink has also been cut out, so now not only do we the kitchen sink, we have two.

The electrics are progressing with light fittings being attached. This is the downstairs bathroom LED mirror light.

The main feature light above the stairs, that I dithered over and eventually bought from a Dutch website, is now in too.

The front door also has an outside light.

The most striking development is the installation of the two glass doors by Ebi before he left. They look great and ensure the house stays light and airy. Another good job, Ebi

kitchen and bathrooms

2010-08-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

Finally, it's possible to see the garage floor paint job. This is first thing in the morning before Brian started on the second coat. Brian had to wait a bit until the electricians had finished filling around some sockets.

The safety flooring was laid today by Steve, it went on smoothly over the levelling compound from yesterday.

Here you can see the flooring in detail; a speckled mixture of blues. This safety flooring is recyclable.

Ebi has had another busy day today. Apart from fixing the door frames, he has been busy...

....setting out the kitchen, and attaching the cupboards together ready for installation. We had some discussions about whether or not to put some wood on the sides of the units; either bamboo or beech worktop. In the end we have decided to leave them painted white; for now anyway.

Unfortunately, we had to move the fused spur for the extractor fan to ensure that the cabling is hidden a bit more. Josh has been very patient with the changes that have been involved and even done the hoovering! He and Matt spent most of the day attaching socket covers and attaching lights.

The worktops were then added, although it may mean moving some more sockets, were are keen to have the hob central over the cooker cupboard.

Everything is ready, now the kitchen sink is here!

flooring day

2010-08-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

The details continue today with the arrival of the flooring company, they lay latex smoothing compound in both the upstairs bathrooms. Tomorrow they will return to lay the floor.

Here is the ensuite bathroom with smoothing compound.

Unfortunately, the smoothing compound meant that Paul and Ross couldn't do much on site today.They did manage to finish assembling the basin that they started yesterday before going to another job elsewhere.

Most of the day Brian did the decorating and helped with the filling and sanding in the garage. It is now all stunningly white. I couldn't take a photo because Brian has kindly painted the garage floor. Tomorrow it will need another coat. Meanwhile, Ebi has been doing bamboo flooring all day!

Now everywhere, except the top floor landing is finished. A bit more bamboo tomorrow and it will hopefully all be done. Unfortunately, we are running low on flooring so fingers crossed, we will have enough to cover the rest.

It was a long day for Ebi, he must be seeing bamboo before the eyes. It is amazing, the house looks so complete now it has floor and painted walls.

Our home emerges with the details

2010-08-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

Gradually, the house is emerging from wraps, yesterday it was the staircase and today it's the front door, the light is coming in despite the rainy weather.

Ebi's workshop moves again, this time it's in the garage.

Meanwhile, Paul and Joss are installing the sanitaryware again. The vanity unit gets its doors. Unfortunately, the WCs need an attachment to be installed but we need to get this from Germany so there will be a little delay.

Paul is attaching the waste to the downstairs basin...

...but only after the low-flow shower and the shower door have been attached.

The family bathroom now has shower wall, thanks to Ebi, and looks nearly complete.

Ebi has been working on the bamboo floor in the main living room and finished the kitchen end so the kitchen could be moved and is now approximately in its final position. Here is the larder unit.

Having the units arrive fully assembled has saved so much time. They are well made too, with proper dovetail joints in the drawers. I am so pleased that they aren't our usual flat-pack furniture!

Staircase unveiling

2010-08-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

This was a day of progress. The second fix for the alarm system was carried out by Mark, it is great to feel a sense of completion beginning.

The ensuite bathroom now has a basin and an almost complete vanity unit.

The family bathroom has its double sink unit now too, thanks to Paul and Joss.

Ebi has been continuing the malervlies in the downstairs bathroom, the two front rooms and the hall. It's now all ready for painting.

Brian was thankfully on site again so he could decorate for us. He started doing the bathrooms upstairs but had enough time to make a start on the downstairs bathroom

In order to prepare for the bamboo flooring to be laid downstairs, I painted the screed with a kind of glue that binds the little concrete crumbs on the surface. When it was dry the kitchen moved again, with a lot of help!

The highlight of the day was definitely the unveiling of the staircase. I have been longing to see it without the cardboard protection. It was gorgeous, a little dusty but just as stunning as I'd hoped.

We all lent a hand today and feel that we're making progress. I hope that it will all be ready for when we move in later this month!

Fresh progress

2010-08-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

It is lovely to get to the details... Ebi has installed the skylight blind in all its blueness!

Ebi has continued to make amazing progress starting with the beginning of the bamboo flooring installation. He has now finished all four bedrooms! The flooring is more sustainable than oak and no pandas were starved to make it!

The first of the doorframes is installed too. My daughter is very pleased that her room is getting ready first.

The family bathroom now has its own bath! Paul and Joss were busy installing that today. The rest of the sanitaryware is going to wait until the decorating has been finished above the tiles.

Brian is back; helping to touch up the paint job (that we started) in the sitting room. It looks much better now, thanks Brian!

Meanwhile, the whole house mechanical heat recovery ventilation second fix has been going on. Here the plastic pipe is prepared to take its vent.

Ebi lends a hand, ensuring that the whole to the outside of the house for the exhaust air duct is just the right size, keeping the house as airtight as possible. The duct for the exhaust air is then pushed out the gap and everything is sealed in sticky tape.

Here the fresh air duct is being istalled. Apparently the lagging on the pipe is very sensitive and doesn't like to be squashed to fit. It was a difficult job to squeeze the pipe through but the guys managed it without even a bad word!

When the system was installed, the vents were then checked to ensure the optimum airflow was being achieved. That is what the large cone is for! The system is now ready for operation, so the house should always be fresh and the heat maintained within the house envelope. It has a summer bypass so we won't overheat in the summer and filters to extract the pollen; fantastic for the likes of us with allergies!

When it was all finished, Brian gave Ebi a hand doing what was Charlie's job before - filling the gaps in the plasterboard!

Levelling out the screed

2010-07-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

Today Ebi, continued from yesterday and ensured that upstairs was ready for the bamboo flooring by spreading the levelling compound. It looked like chewing gum but it set very quickly.

This was poured where was needed upstairs - i.e. just about everywhere. Only one bedroom had a texture where the screed was good enough for Ebi to think about laying the bamboo floor. This was one of the bedrooms.

The master bedroom also had the same treatment as did the ensuite bathroom where the floor dipped in the middle by 5mm. David, the tiler has also finished the grouting in the bathrooms but I didn't want to tread on the floor to get a closer look!

Ebi has also been working on the showerwall, this is a waterproof board that stops the problem of leaky tiles in showers, reducing the risk of damage to the walls. We had this costly experience in our old house. The showerwall has been finished downstairs bathroom and in the ensuite but the bath needs to be installed before Ebi can finish the showerwall in the family bathroom. The showerwall has a white metal edging strip that complements the tiles well in the downstairs bathroom.

The day finished with Ebi singing along with opera music, finishing windowsills and generally getting ready to start the bamboo flooring tomorrow.

varnish, tiles and windowsills

2010-07-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

This morning I arrived early to make sure the house was tidy (and to bring the thermos of hot water for coffees). I checked out yesterday's paintwork. It wasn't fantastic but we will do one more top coat after the kitchen has been installed. Later on during the day, we varnished the insides of the cupboards.

David did a lot of work yesterday and managed to get the utility room grouted in anticipation of the busier site today. He also finished the initial tiling in the downstairs bathroom ready for grouting today.

A bit later, the now familiar grey van arrived in our street; it was Ebi, his van loaded with exciting house materials. He settled in, creating his temporary workshop upstairs. Meanwhile, the floors were double and triple swept in anticipation of the levelling compound going down.

The tiler managed to finish the mosaic borders in the family bathroom, thankfully the extra mosaic tiles matched, a little bit of grouting and it will be done.

The downstairs bathroom was then grouted, ready for the next stage (showerwall and then maybe even sanitaryware!). David chose ivory grout which matches the tiles. The tiles don't look liken much in this photo but they are really smart and remind me of a hotel.

Amongst the many things Ebi managed to take in his van, are the windowsills. Here he's ensuring they fit and are level.

It was a long day but we are definitely making progress. We even managed to get rid of the plasterboard leftovers, and the skip is going to be picked up tomorrow. Just the pallets to go! I can imagine now that we may soon be able to transform the front of the site back into a driveway and garden.

8 week old house

2010-07-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Phew! Today we finished painting the satinwood topcoat on the kitchen doors. We are going to varnish the cupboard interiors with a water-based varnish but depending on how Ebi wants to do things, we may wait until the kitchen is installed. Next we have to decide on how we are going to protect the wooden worktops.

We have managed to catch a photo of camera-shy David, the tiler. He is working on the tiles in the downstairs bathroom on the walls. He wants to finish them today so he can grout them tomorrow. David is also going to grout the tiles in the utility room as there will be more through-traffic when the plumbers and Ebi return.

We had to leave before David was finished for the day, so tomorrow we'll see how much he managed to get done.

Interestingly, more and more people are hearing about our house through the local grapevine, I can't go to any local builders merchants without people asking me about the project. Even some online suppliers have heard about us! It is like a ripple effect. This blog is also now getting a wide readership- thank you. It would be good to hear from you and hear about your projects too! I nearly forgot to mention; the house is 8 weeks old.

Sanding madness and tiles

2010-07-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Our sanity was stretched this morning as the wood grain came up overnight on all the kitchen units that we had thought were ready for painting! I spent an hour tackling the sanding alone and went back to the rental house for strong coffee and biscuits. An hour later we all returned armed with our new purchase: a detail sander. I wish we'd bought this a few days ago! The sander made light work of task and we could quickly start on the painting and calm was restored.

Dave, the tiler, started to work on the downstairs bathroom floor. Fortunately, there weren't too many cut-outs...

...so he had time to do the utility room floor as well! It was very fiddly with all the gubbins in there. He's going to move the water softener a bit tomorrow so he can tile under it. I like these cheap and cheerful tiles; they should hide some of those muddy footprints.

It was a rather dull day today, the painting is brain-numbing and the early mornings aren't great for the children (or me) but we keep on going. I am longing to see the kitchen come together. If we take a step back and look at the bigger picture we are all very excited. Like my friend Martha says; it's like a jigsaw puzzle, you get the outsides done and you think you'll never finish the middle pieces. Then suddenly you are on the final stretch. One month to go until we move in.

Sanding and priming

2010-07-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of priming and sanding the kitchen units, we did more of the same today. Fortunately, the priming is now finished so a bit more sanding tomorrow and we might make a start on the top coat.

A moment of reflection up on the garage deck ...

Just as we were about to go and find some lunch the sanitaryware arrived, with no one to help, Tony had to take it into the house single-handedly. Not easy over the mound of sand!

The mosaic tiles that were needed to finish the bathroom were delivered, as well as the levelling compound, purchased to remedy the upstairs screed.

There wasn't much action from the tiler today as there was the question of the residual moisture content in the downstairs screed, which is a little higher than expected. However, given the hot weather and the fact that the underfloor heating has been on, we have decided to go ahead and tile the downstairs bathroom, there would be lots of downstream jobs that would be delayed otherwise.

I took a quiet moment in the afternoon to admire how much sky we now see from the house.

Tomorrow will be a bit more busy given that the plumbers will be back on site. Ebi will be back later in the week. In the meantime, the kitchen units wait...

Whitewashed

2010-07-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

It was another day of decorating today. Brian worked very hard and has managed to get all the decorating done upstairs (except for bathroom walls that need malervlies first). The staircase in particular looks stunning. I am really looking forward to seeing the whole house looking like this!

Meanwhile, despite having a trip to the dentist and lots of phonecalls to catch up on, we managed to make a start on the kitchen units. Thanks to Brian's advice we are learning some new decorating skills and finding out how important it is to have the right tools! Anyway, we made a start on the units and hopefully will do more over the weekend. It will be lovely to see the units in place, I can't wait.

As we start dreaming about moving in, some caterpillars have beaten us to it. There are loads of them on this ragwort outside the sittingroom. A quick internet search reveals that they are Cinnabar moth caterpillars. It is amazing how much more diverse the wildlife and insect life in particular has become since we've been neglecting the garden! It is the cheapest and quickest way yet devised to increase our green credentials!

White, grouting and knotting

2010-07-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Grouting done, as far as possible but we are waiting on the delivery of the last mosaic tile to finish the job in the family bathroom. The tiles in the ensuite bathroom are now grouted.

The masterbedroom has been painted by our very efficient decorator, you can see him in action on the other bedroom. It is very white and bright now.

Meanwhile, I have been working on the knotty problem of the pine units. Two coats of knotting solution and we decide to call it a day. Tomorrow we will prime the units and caulk them. In the meantime, the children have been painting ceilings in the two rooms at the front of the house. Many hands and all that. I've had to order more paint today as you need a lot of paint to cover the malervlies but it feels very smooth once it's covered.

Decorating and tiling again

2010-07-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Another day of decorating; by the professional: this is one of the bedrooms, looking fab.

And the determined amateur (teenager power). Actually, this is just the diluted first coat in the guest room; it will look much better later.

The tiler is continuing but unfortunately we are about one sheet short on mosaics.

Now the kitchen has moved itself into the main room downstairs; it has been sanded and dusted and is now waiting for caulking and knotting solution. Hopefully we will get a chance tomorrow to make a start.

Decorating and tiling

2010-07-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

The living room is looking much better now with the light fittings back in the ceiling. We have to do one more layer of paint on the walls and then this room will be ready for the next stage.

As we had family commitments today we couldn't get to site until the end of the day. We were pleased to see that there was progress by the decorator in our absence. The first coat has been done in another two bedrooms and the top coat in the two bathrooms.

Meanwhile the tiler has been busy with the mosaics in the ensuite and the large white gloss tiles. There is now a chrome edge on the mosaic border and he's made a start on the family bathroom.

Following Ebi's advice we checked the floor for moisture after a few days under the plastic sheet. Downstairs was completely dry and there was only a slight bit of moisture upstairs. Mind you, the underfloor heating is chugging away downstairs so it's not surprising that it's beginning to dry out. Tomorrow I hope to get back on site to make a start on the kitchen units before Ebi returns.

How many tradesmen can fit in the utility room at one time?

2010-07-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

This was a very busy morning; the plumbers, electricians, tiler and decorators were all busy. Fortunately, they managed not to get under each other's feet.

Here Paul the plumber, somehow he managed to persuade Sam to put his head inside the rainwater tank in order to make a connection with the pump!

Meanwhile, over the weekend the family have all been busy painting the main room (not very well). The paint is incredibly thick and doesn't smell at all, with very good coverage. It does look like the aliens have sprouted from the ceiling or maybe a photography studio or filmset. During the morning Josh sorted out the light fittings, pushing them back into the ceiling.

Josh also did some of the electricity sockets; gradually the house is being reclaimed from the building site as it becomes a more recognisable home.

One of the limiting factors for the internal decoration of the house is the floor screed. I've tried it with Ebi's moisture meter and it doesn't look very dry yet so I'm trying Ebi's other test. I have attached plastic sheeting to the floor and I will check in a couple of days if there is water underneath.

The electrician is discussing with the people who are commissioning the heat pump whether the additional pump for the underfloor heating is needed. Apparently, it is surperfluous as the heat pump will pump the water around the underfloor system instead. By the time the heat pump distributor people leave, the underfloor heating has been switched on for the first time. There are no leaks and the floor slab begins to warm up. It was a hot day today but by tomorrow it will be roasting in the house as we heat up the screed by 5C everyday until we reach maximum temperature that the system will run at normally. This will take a few days but hopefully we will be able to tile the floors once that has cooled down again.

Meanwhile, upstairs the decorator is working valiently on; he is very quick and efficient and by the end of the day he's managed to put the first layer on the whole landing and stairwell; quite some effort with ceilings that reach over four metres high! Good job! He is not alone upstairs, the tiler is busy for most of the day with the mosaics in the ensuite. Another job that makes the house feel more like our home.

Mesh away

2010-07-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Finally, we managed to get rid of the D49 mesh. Ebi took it on his trailer and we went to a local scrap metal merchant. We weighed his trailer with and without the mesh. It was great to get rid of the remnants of the first screeders and to clear the site. This time the metal merchant gave us money - nearly enough for a couple of beers!

Ebi finishes the decorator filler in all the corners. It's all ready for painting so Ebi and Charlie can leave for Germany again.

Meanwhile, the electricians continued their second fix- more sockets!

The heat pump cylinder has been filled by the plumber, so it's all ready for commissioning on Monday.

Malervlies and tidying

2010-07-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Another day and more tidying...

Here is the D49 mesh going onto Ebi's trailer ready to be taken tomorrow for disposal.

The evidence is here, there is more malervlies going on.
The electricians were still checking the air source heat pump and attaching socket covers upstairs today.

Caught in the act...

By the end of the day, the site starts to look a bit more organised.

Malervlies Day

2010-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

This was a day of more malervlies. Charlie is trying to disguise himself in it, he'd better be careful in case Ebi accidentally sticks him to the wall.

The electricians have been working on the second fix today, putting more socket covers in place downstairs, ready for the malervlies to go on around them. There are no photos because the heat pump has been pressurised between the inside and outside units, to a high pressure, to ensure that it is ready for commissioning next week. We thought it best to avoid the utility room until tomorrow!

There have been more deliveries. Here our teenage daughters are opening the packaging from the light-fitting for the family bathroom. The back garden is a mess but not as bad as the front!

Meanwhile Ebi and Charlie carry on working and I spy their balanced diet that gives them energy.

And so another day ends as it began; covered in malervlies.

We have contacted the removal company now and booked a day in August to move back; I can't quite believe it!

Smooth walls

2010-07-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe that I didn't notice the first of the switches in the house. Neil must have put them in yesterday. It starts to look more and more like a home and not a building site.

Here is a close-up of the strand-woven bamboo. Surprisingly, it is one of only a few engineered floorboards that I came across in my product research that isn't made with formaldehyde containing glue! It is also more sustainable as the bamboo (which is actually a type of grass) grows in only 6 years, a lot quicker than an oak tree!

This strange rectangle is actually going to be the hearth for the woodburning stove. It doesn't look like much at the moment but it is a beautiful polished starry granite. We managed to get it in the back of our tiny car (without breaking the axle surprisingly) but we needed Ebi's help to carry it into the house.

Around lunchtime, Ebi and Charlie started the next stage of the wall preparation. Yes, Charlie has finished filling and Ebi has finished the sanding! At the moment they are covering the walls with 'malervlies' that is a thin fibreglass layer like they use in boats or surfboards. It helps to protect the paint from cracking as the house settles. It also helps to make the walls water resistant, very necessay in the bathrooms, for example. This also means that we will be able to start painting soon.

This photo shows how quickly the building site can turn to chaos. Comparing the stacked materials inside to the mess outside. At the back here my son has started stacking some of the pallets in an effort to keep the site tidy. He has also been moving more sand today, spreading the heap around the sides of the building. The new skip has arrived and at last, the cement has been removed by the first screeding company. There is now hope to restore order in the chaos that is the front garden...

The malervlies glueing continues...

New week, new deliveries more sanding.

2010-07-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

Rain greeted us this monday morning but it didn't stop delivery of the bamboo flooring. Thankfully Neil arrived just in time to help Ebi and Charlie off-load it. It was heavy work but everyone kept going with the benefit of Ebi's great coffee. Then the eco-friendly paints arrived; this time the children and I managed to help.

Teenage son power is also very useful for moving sand, as the first screeders still haven't picked up their materials, and we need to tidy up the front of the site!

Neil went back to work in the utility room. The air source heat pump is looking much neater now the covers are on the different components. It is very tight in there with all that technology. I'm hoping we can master using it all!

The floors in the bathroom are finished off by Ebi and Charlie with board in order to protect the ventilation ducting underneath.

Ebi and Charlie are carrying on with their filling and sanding. It makes a big difference to the walls, they are very smooth.

One day the job will be finished, but not yet. They persevere, the mechanical sander echoing round the house and by the end of the day they have finished the walls upstairs! Good job guys! Thank you!

The end of another week

2010-07-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

It was very warm today. The electricians arrived to continue their work with the heat pump. Meanwhile, Ebi and Charlie continued to work in the garage. They boxed in the ventilation ducts with fire retardant plasterboard as well as working on the ceilings. The garage definitely looks too good for a car!

Charlie started and finished today in the same way, sitting in the corner getting the tools cleaned so he can get the filler ready for the plasterboard. He and Ebi have been very patient, filling in cracks and sanding down the plaster, not very exciting work for them in this heat. Next week things will really start to take shape with all this preparation.

A house emerges from the building rubble

2010-07-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Another day with deliveries. The tiles arrived very early in the morning, they looked as good as in the shop.

I was also delighted when our kitchen units were delivered. They are made to measure from Canadian pine by a small family run business. I am still going to get them painted. Here Ebi is helping to bring them into the study for safe-keeping out of the action while the plasterwork is done.

Here is the cutlery drawer waiting to be used. The kitchen looks good; it is very tactile and smooth.

Paul was around on site today, working on the rainwater harvesting tank. Paul also put in the hot and cold feed for the bath.

Josh and Matt are examining the electrics of the air source heat pump, they look a bit confused but with Neil's help they connect the cables to the outdoor unit.

Meanwhile the spotlights are put in place by Josh, but they still have plastic covers on them, just in case.

Meanwhile, back upstairs Ebi and Charlie hung up their sanding tools for while so they could plasterboard the garage ceilings.

It's starting to look really great. Everyone is working well together and every day we are edging closer to the finish line.

utility room and smooth walls

2010-07-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

This morning as I went into the summer house (oops I mean site office) with the coffee thermos, I looked back on the house and noticed that the electricians must have put the outside unit of the heat pump on the house yesterday. As you can see, it looks a bit like an air conditioning unit but it's not noisy. It takes the heat from the air into the heat pump via the refrigerant pipes that run through the floor slab to the indoor unit.

Paul was on site again. Today he attached the expansion vessel of the cylinder. It has pipework that goes to the right of the cylinder down to the ground where a pipe takes any excess hot water through to the outside. This heat pump installation requires real team work between the electricians and the plumbers. It's great that they work well together.

The water softener has arrived. This works by replacing the calcium and magnesium ions in the water with sodium ones, as sodium salts do not form deposits. We all know from our kettles what calcium and magnesium deposits look like. This replacement of ions is helped with a diaphragm and salt in the water. The choice of water softener is determined by the need for a high throughput of water.

Meanwhile, the walls in the upstairs rooms started to look very smooth and there was an electric motor sound. I saw Charlie.

But he was quietly covering the cracks...

...that left Ebi, who had gone prematurely grey . I caught sight of him through a mist of dust and electric sander in his hands. They were still busy when I left at the end of the day.

The house is five weeks old

2010-07-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

This morning the Neil, Matt and Paul tried to fit into the utility room at the same time. It was not very successful. It was decided that Neil and Matt would do their work first and then allow Paul space to come in. It was a challenge fitting the heat pump in with so many pipes in place already. We still have to fit the water softener, washing machine and a second kitchen sink in there! In this photo you can see some new horizontal pipes that connect the underfloor heating manifold to the heat pump.

Meanwhile, the rest of the house is undergoing a transformation as Ebi and Charlie cover the joints in the plasterboard and the fermacell. It really starts to feel more like a house now and less of a building site. Josh has been drilling holes through the ceilings and cutting the wires ready for the light fittings.

Ebi and Charlie put metal edging strips around all the corners.

then they cover them with plaster. Meanwhile, mindful of the budget, I spent most of the day trawling through websites looking for the best prices for the kitchen appliances. I've been arranging flooring and kitchen deliveries amongst many other background things.

Long after the other trades have disappeared Ebi and Charlie can still be found working. Ebi seems never happier than when half-way up a ladder! They were singing as I left.

Miscellaneous Monday

2010-07-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

This morning, the house was busy again. You can tell by the trailer that Ebi was back in town with more plasterboard!

The first screeding company came back to fix the job that was done. The levels were back on track, shame they couldn't do anything about the surface.

The electricians are drilling holes in the ceiling ready for the downlighters.

The moulds were removed from the sitting room floor, leaving holes for the LED floorlights in the screed.

Matt and Neil sort out the pipework for the air source heat pump; getting it ready to connect to the solar panels, underfloor heating and the water supply.

Here is the same installation at the end of the day. The utility room is becoming the hub of the house for the renewable technologies.

Ebi and Charlie cover the seams in the plasterboarding on the sitting room ceiling and work on the ceilings that they didn't have the materials to finish in their last visit. Another long day draws to a close.

Get Connected

2010-07-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

The water is now in the house! Joss and Sam connected the water pipe to a small temporary tap so we have access to water for cups of tea!

This is where the standpipe used to be but it is now connected underground.

In an effort to tidy up the site so we can get deliveries, we've started to fill the electricity trenches. We've also been tidying the ground floor, sweeping the loose screed clumps, ready for next week's work.

The house snoozes in the sun

2010-07-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

The air source heat pump has arrived!

This will take the latent heat from the air at the outside unit and use it to warm up a refrigerant that turns to gas even at low temperatures. This refrigerant gas is then compressed thereby releasing heat that is used to heat the water either for the underfloor heating or for the domestic hot water when the solar thermal panels aren't able to work.

The internal unit is attached to the wall in the utility room; it is where the refrigerant gas will be pumped to and will feed into a large cylinder (hopefully sometime next week).

The consumer unit is installed on the garage wall.

For the rest of the day the house has been resting, waiting for the screed to dry a bit more. The first screeding company will be returning soon to improve the upstairs floor and hopefully remove some of the materials from the front of the house so we can tidy it up. Currently there is D49 mesh and sand everywhere!

Screed part 2 day 2

2010-06-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

A slightly cooler day on site saw Russell and his team back to finish the screed. Here are a sample of the fibres that are added to the water before it is mixed.

A smooth result is achieved. It looks much better than upstairs.

All that's missing in the sea and then we'd have a perfect beach.

Screeding part two

2010-06-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

Early this morning our second sand mountain was delivered. A new screeding team arrived to do the ground floor. I hope that these guys will achieve better results than the last ones!

Here is Bob, who is organising out the mixing of the screed. Fibres are added to a tub of water that is mixed with the quick-drying cement. These fibres reduce the likelihood of large cracks appearing by making the screed more flexible. Bob's hat shows how hot it was today; over 30C again.

Russell is in charge and does the levelling out. He is using a laser level to check the screed depth as they start with the corner of the kitchen.

Action Adie, who helps with dispensing the screed, runs to check on something. This time the tube for the screed isn't left to wriggle around the floor as it is tied down to scaffolding boards laid on top of a plastic sheet that is protecting the underfloor heating pipes. For those of you who are wondering, the pipes shouldn't collapse under the screed as they are pressurised with air.

Here is the sitting room half finished as everyone has a short break. It is very hot work so the screed is drying out quickly. Russell decides not to work too long into the afternoon as everyone is struggling with the heat, not least the floor!

This is the finished downstairs bathroom. My daughter thought at first that we were using mud not concrete as it is brown-coloured. I'm optimistic about this job but I would like to see how it dries. Tomorrow the screeding downstairs should be finished.

Another quiet day

2010-06-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Another quiet day on site, the full skip was picked up. Gary managed to balance another skip on top of ours before driving off. Expert skip handling!

The scaffolding is going down.

The whole house is visible.

It looks very smart, like it has been unwrapped.

The screed is still drying upstairs but monday will hopefully be a good day for the downstairs screed.

The house rests

2010-06-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

There is a maze of underfloor heating pipes waiting for screeding downstairs. The board in the doorway is there to create an acoustic barrier so that sound isn't transmitted across the floor. It also reduces the risk of the screed cracking. The screeders upstairs insisted that they didn't need the boards and that they would cut a line into the concrete between the rooms, but that didn't happen.

In addition, they pumped the screed through a large pipe that was like a wild dancing python, in the process it damaged the insulation at the bottom of the stairs and over the hall. My daughter and I spent ages sweeping up the dry screed particles and covering the area with tape. Hooray for duct tape! It was hot, smelly work as the heat from the screed is staying in the well insulated house!

Here is the screed upstairs. The thickness variation is just on the borderline of british standard sr3. I'm still not happy with it, I'm sure it's not up to the standards of most other screeders! While I find a new screeder, the project is being held up. Mind you, it gives the screed upstairs a chance to cure undisturbed.

The house is shrouded by the large mound of sharp sand that is now redundant. The skip is full again and there is a large collection of cardboard and other reduntant materials. Another skip is full. More rubbish than when we demolished our house!

Watching screed dry...

2010-06-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

This morning the screed upstairs did not look too good. The screeder said it was the quality of the sand and that it was level. I discovered that there is a British Standard in screeding. Apparently over a 2m straight edge there can be a tolerance of +/- 7mm (called SR3). A flowing screed can achieve a slightly higher tolerance apparently. Anyway, I called a halt to the downstairs screeding while I decide what to do.

Meanwhile, the screed upstairs is drying, giving off heat on one of the hottest days of the year.

Insulation and Screed

2010-06-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

The house is starting to look very smart on the outside meanwhile, on the inside there is a huge amount of activity.

It is all systems go upstairs as we get the floor prepared for the screed. Ebi and Charlie worked all hours to get the insulation ready. Everyone leant a hand to get the tape on the insulation joints at the last moment.

The shower trays are raised ready to be set in the screed. Just in time ...

...because the screeders arrive.

They start quicky, with a very dry screed mix

which is reinforced with D49 mesh.

This is then levelled. Unfortunately, the screed mix was a bit rough so a smooth finish wasn't achieved. Hmm, the level doesn't look quite right; it will need to be checked when it's set.

Meanwhile, Ebi is busy with the hinges for the garage door.

Charlie is busy fixing the panel on top of the solar thermal pipes in the utility room.

The new beautiful garage door closes on another day on site. Ebi and Charlie go home for a well-deserved rest.

Connections and Insulation

2010-06-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of progress. Here is the cute digger back again that dug the trenches for our water and electricity connections with the help of Jerry and Doru.

Here is the trench that goes from the temporary power supply to the new meter position in our house.

The new connection is made.

Jerry and Doru apply more layers of black jack on the outside of the floorslab for waterproofing. Insulation is then stuck onto the perimeter of the slab.

The downpipes from the house are now all connected to the drains, ready for the rainwater collection. All the groundworks are now finished so a BIG thank you goes to James, Jerry, Doru and Andy who all got the job done!

The electrical as well as the plumbing connections with the rainwater tank and made. The pump is made ready. Here Matt is pulling the piping through while Josh is at the other end in the house and Neil is shouting directions between them! Good teamwork!

Ebi and Charlie have been working hard, as always. Here is the new position of the foul vent pipe that is in the process of getting boxed in. Unfortunately, they need to do the more imminent job of finishing laying the insulation so that the plumbers can finish installing the underfloor heating pipes and so that we can be ready for the screed tomorrow!

Mid-morning we get a delivery of sharp sand ready for the screeding but no insulation.

Eventually, long after lunch the delivery comes with a loud cheer. Suddenly, everyone is rushing, the insulation has to go down!

There are so many sheets that they can only just fit on the site. The race is on to see how far they get before the screeding starts. Can the plumbers still lay the pipes if the screeders are going past with screed? There are lots of questions that will need to be answered. Tomorrow we will find out.

Insulation and underfloor heating day 1

2010-06-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Nearing the end of the wiring...

The ventilation first fix is finished soon after Adam arrives with the extra ducting. It looks very technical, it's almost a shame that it will be covered by the floor.

But today is really the first insulation day. Here Ebi and Charlie are deciding how to cut the first piece, or maybe it's just a ploy to hide from the camera...

Here they are working out the best way to avoid the pipes.

After the whole of the sitting/dining/kitchen has been covered by a layer of insulation, it is sealed and a second layer of insulation is placed on top. Joss is giving Ebi a hand while Charlie cuts the next piece.

Next, Paul and Joss lay the underfloor heating pipes; it looks rather impressive but there is something reminiscent of a post office queue about it.

The pipes then lead to the underfloor heating manifold. So now the main room is just waiting for the screed. Next to the windows there are six wooden boxes in position acting as moulds so that when the screed is added they will become voids which can house the LED floor lights.

So the day ends with grotty weather but we are all feeling light-hearted; England are going to play in the world cup and its friday!

First fix ventilation day 2

2010-06-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today it was the turn of the ventilation people to work hard. The plastic ducts looked like a large trainset. The theory is that with the whole house ventilation the fresh air, taken in from a duct in the garage to the outside, is warmed up by the heat of the warm stale air as it is pumped out. This is done in a heat exchanger unit in the garage. The warm air from the bathrooms for example, is extracted and the heat used to warm the fresh air that is pumped into the sitting room, the bedrooms and the study. Here Josh is fixing the fresh air supply to two of the bedrooms and downstairs (through the floor) to the sittingroom ceiling.

Here Adam is organising the connection of the flexible ducting to the rigid ducts that will be hidden under the screed. This is what the ducts looked like when he'd finished.

Here are the fresh air ducts for the two bedrooms, facing either way in the internal wall. Unfortunately, when Adam and Josh had nearly finished the job they realised that they were running low on materials, so they will be back to finish off.

Meanwhile other mysterious house elves are working hard on the plasterboarding and covering joints and uneven parts of the wall. I managed to catch this shot of one of them, but you have to be quick because if you blink then you'll miss them!

The house elves managed to make a start with the plasterboarding downstairs as well. They also filled in the voids around the ducts with ready-mixed concrete.

The insulation for the floor was delivered at the end of the day, the problem is that there is nowhere to put anything now because every floor will need to be insulated ready for screeding next week. Ebi's now empty trailer came in handy.

The day ended with the electricians working frantically to meet their deadline. Here is Josh working at top speed to get the wiring completed.The day ends, one day closer to screeding time. The pressure is on.

House is two weeks old!

2010-06-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Paul made the connection between the top of the rainwater tank and the control panel with the pipe.

Here it is with the water connections completed.

Charlie and Ebi worked hard on the plasterboarding and managed to finish upstairs, covering the joints as well.

It was a day for deliveries too, here the showerwall (alternative to tiles) is being delivered. In addition, the underfloor heating pipes and the zone diagram were delivered. Here is the manifold for the underfloor pipes; another job for Paul but first we need to get the insulation down on the floor; we're just waiting for it to be delivered.

Meanwhile, the scaffolding is still here. As long as it's away before we need to dig the trenches for the services....! Let's see what the rest of the day brings...

Plasterboarding

2010-06-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

There were lots of little jobs on the site today such as calculating the amount of insulation that we needed for the floor. When the first fix is finished Ebi and Charlie will lay it so that Paul can get on with the underfloor heating pipes.

The plumbers weren't here today but that gave me a chance to take this photo of the rainwater harvesting control panel. The electricians need to do their electrical connections on it still.

Ebi and Charlie worked at full speed attaching the plasterboarding in the bedrooms. By the end of the day three of the bedrooms and both bathrooms were done. That was quick work! Then they made a start on covering the joints in the boards.

The skylights look even better with the plasterboard in place. The sun shone for us today so it looked so cheerful.

The electricians Josh and Matt had to spend some time on another job this morning but came back in the afternoon to return to the wiring in the main room. It does look a bit like they are doing a new version of step aerobics.

multi-tasking first fix day 6

2010-06-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Following from last week's less than perfect first fix alarm installation, James works to remedy the situation. Unfortunately, the situation last week resulted in unnecessary holes in the house envelope; let's hope that there aren't too many more of those! Anyway, it is sorted now.

Ebi returns to the build and he's brought his assistant Charlie with him. Ebi has brought literally over a tonne of plasterboard along for the ride. It's a type that we can't get over here. Thankfully Ebi didn't have to emergency brake en route.

The mechanical heat recovery ventilation first fix was started. Here Adam and Josh are sorting out the ducting. The white unit in the corner is the main unit of the system. It will take the warm stale air of the house and extract the heat and then use that heat to warm up the fresh cold air. The air will also be filtered. Here are some of the flexible ducting pipes that are going to go into the upstairs rooms through the flooring. Unfortunately, some of the predrilled holes need to be adjusted so Ebi will sort these out and the first fix ventilation should be finished on thursday.

Ebi and Charlie did lots of small jobs around the house and even found time to plasterboard one of the bedrooms!

Meanwhile, Joss is installing the rain water harvesting tank control panel. He got a chance to play around with a blow torch. He looks like he's having fun.

Another day on the build finishes, the garden is getting wilder, in contrast to the neat house. Tomorrow, the electricians will be back to carry on with the first fix electrics. It is good to have Ebi on site again, not least because he can fill in the gaps between trades and can tell the tradesmen what can and can't be done and Charlie has even taken out a broken key that's been stuck inside a lock for nearly a week! In addition, we have a very tidy house now that Ebi and Charlie have swept it all! Thank you!

Day 5 first fix

2010-06-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

Friday was a quiet one in the house. The plumbers finished the first fix but will be back for the underfloor heating and rainwater harvesting tank. Meanwhile, the electricians continued with the wiring for the spotlights in the living room ceiling.

The kitchen wiring is done as is most of upstairs. It's all starting to come together.

I've heard that some of you are finding it hard to visualise the house so I'm including the sketch floor plans from during the design process.

Ground floor

First floor

There have been a few minor changes, such as the way the doors open, but they are just about the same as the final plans.

It is amazing to think that a few weeks ago the house was just a series lines on a page!

Day 4 first fix

2010-06-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

This morning Christoph, Benjamin and Mike left to go back to Germany. They decided that the rendering had dried enough to allow them to remove the plastic sheeting. The render was gorgeous, it looked good enough to eat. A BIG thank you for a job well done!

Neil, Josh and Matt continued the first fix electrics and have just about finished upstairs. The conduits look very smart. The satellite cables are also in, one of the few things allowed to break the house envelope.

The semi-recessed box is in place. Neil was most impressed that the box fitted exactly in the space provided in the wall. The power connection to the house will have to be delayed, however, because the scaffolding is up so James can't dig the trenches that are needed. Thankfully the electricity board can manage a date just a week later because otherwise the screed would have had to be delayed and that would have impacted on everything, including us getting out of our rented accomodation

Paul and Joss have worked hard today, the family bathroom now has the waste pipes in place as well as the supply. Paul is checking the system for leaks by using something that is similar to a large bicycle pump. He seems satisfied that everything is okay.

The utility room is looking more like a panic room now that most of the pipes are in place. Joss was busy insulating the pipes today. There is a certain amount of tension as everyone knows that the pipes and the wiring will be under the concrete screed, there is only one chance to get it right! Thankfully everyone is very conscientious.

On a personal note I'm quite happy to see the back of today, there has been some stress with logistics with the date for the power reconnection for example. If only everything could run as smoothly as the house assembly and rendering!

Day 3 first fix

2010-06-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Another day on the build and Paul and Joss are continuing the first fix plumbing. Paul is connecting the pipes for the dishwasher and Joss is sorting out the waste pipe from the upstairs bathrooms.

Neil, Josh and Matt continue the wiring upstairs.

The Christoph, Benjamin and Mike have a break from rendering

The house is now a week old, and it looks great!

Rain nearly stops play

2010-06-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

The rain came down in torrents today and nearly stopped play. Fortunately, Christoph, Benjamin and Mike had large plastic sheets to cover the house. At the back of the house here they were covering the 'belt' section. If you look carefully you may spot Christoph at work.

Here is Benjamin at work behind the protective sheeting.

Meanwhile, side the ensuite bathroom Paul, Joss and Bob the plumbers had been hard at work connecting the pipes for the water supply, that was when they hit the snag. Where is the vent pipe going to go for the foul water? Here we come up with a difference between the German and UK ways of doing things.

Paul and Joss think of creative solutions. Unfortunately, the obvious holes in the wall are for the ventilation ducts and can't be used by the pipes. Finally, we have a solution; move the vent pipe and make a new hole in the roof!

Here you can see the difference between the two layers. The whiter layer is covering the factory applied render. Fortunately, it is now a bit better weather so progress has been made.

Neil, Josh and Matt are busy with the cables for the aerial, taking them up to a hub in the attic. Meanwhile the cat 6 cables are going the opposite way to a hub in the study downstairs!

Here we can see Josh pulling the wires through the ducts.

It has been a grim weather day but everyone worked hard despite it. We look like we're on schedule for first fix plumbing and rendering to be done by the end of the week, fingers crossed.

Render and first fix

2010-06-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

A new week begins as does the first fix plumbing and electrics in earnest. They park their vans in the street, as do the scaffolding guys who are required to add more planks to the scaffold.

The rendering team from the company has arrived. They need to have access to a whole wall in one go as the type of render they use sets in 90 minutes!

Christoph, Mike and Benjamin have cut strips of a heavy guage gauze fabric which they are using to cover the seams in the house.

Meanwhile, inside the house upstairs the electricians are hard at work. Here is Mark starting on the first fix in one of the bedrooms. You can see on the floor the pipes that have been laid to house the electrical cables.

Paul, the plumber, is busy sorting out the supply to the shower downstairs, helped by Joss.

The race is on, who will finish first for the day? The German team are making great progress on the exterior.

Paul and Neil, the electrician, ponder over the arrangement of pipes that is on the utility room floor.

I know we are wanting minimalist but this kitchen sink is stretching the point!

Josh is now working on the socket boxes too.

In the final showdown, the plumbers win, closely followed by the renderers but the electrician is last to leave (but he was clearing up the cups and thermos!). Game on again tomorrow.

The construction team finish

2010-06-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

The construction team continued their work even on the weekend. Saturday saw them finishing up the jobs inside the house. For example, they covered the brackets with Fermacell. The bottom part of the bracket will be covered as we build up the floor. They also covered the floor panel sides on the inside of the house with Fermacell. The team worked hard to finish their part of the build.

All the points which break the airtightness of the house have to be sealed, so for example; the exit point for the soil and vent pipe is already waiting in the ceiling upstairs where it has been sealed. After the pipe is connected from the bathroom downstairs, it will be boxed in by local trades. The black pipes next to it are the solar thermal pipes that come through from the panel on the other side of the roof, that Neil and his team put in on Friday.

After the pipes go down to the ground floor they are waiting coiled up until they can be fed through to the utility room.

The beautiful staircase is wrapped up to keep it clean until the work is finished.

The sitting room part of the open plan living area (sitting room/dining room/kitchen).

The kitchen which is also part of the open plan living area. It is already being used by everyone for their coffee breaks!

Upstairs! It's amazing to have an upstairs after being in the bungalow.

Finally, the team sealed the green vapour barrier around the skylight window. There work was done! The team finished after lunch and took a small break before leaving early Sunday morning. As soon as they are back in Germany they will be starting another house! FANTASTIC work guys; thank you Michael, Stefan, Tobias and Alex.

Next week the company rendering team will start!

Build day 4

2010-06-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

The start of another sunny morning sees Tobias and Stefan laying the roof tiles on the side that they started yesterday.

You can see from the back how big the house is especially when you think back to our old bungalow.

Time constraints have meant that the garden has slipped a bit...er...a lot! I think we may need a rotavator before too long... or even better a sheep!

How's this for gorgeous guttering. It is all ready to connect to the drains that James left in place ready to go to the harvesting tank.

Neil and his team have a break in the sunshine after attaching the solar panels. The pipes are then fed through the roof ready to go downstairs to where the cylinder will be in the utility.

The porch is put in place and then painted by Michael.

Meanwhile Chris with the aid of Tom drills through the wall in order to make way for the twin-walled flue. Chris will be the only person allowed to drill a hole through this house! Michael will then ensure that there is an air tight seal between the flue and the hole.

Here is the result of their work; a lovely shiny twin walled flue. The stove will come later when we have prepared the floor.

The roof is done!

That was a busy day with 11 workers on site but everyone seemed to work around each other despite the language barrier. Even the sockets for everyone's electric tools were different. Tomorrow is Michael, Stefan, Tobias and Alex's last day before they return to Germany ready to start another project!

Build day 3

2010-06-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

For the first time in two days the street looked quiet with no one parked on the road.

The team arrived bright and early and got their van ready. For those of you wondering; it is also a mobile tool box. If you look carefully, you may see some of the team's magic potion in the back.

The team soon have the 'belt' on the house. This is the bit of wood fibre insulation covering the side of the ceiling panel.

Those long shiny things that are leaning on the scaffolding are the beautiful guttering. It wasn't long before the team attached these to the roof. The skylight windows are also lifted into place and the waterproofing stuck down around them.

The house panels are attached to the floor with brackets which are covered with a layer of fermacell.

But who walked above the bedroom door in their size 9's?

The weather was gorgeous as work started on the roof.

And was quickly finished! The solar panel brackets were put in place as they went along.
Just the other side to do now. Another good day's work everyone!

Wow Again!

2010-06-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

Early morning on site everything is quiet...but soon Tom starts the crane and finishes lifting the internal walls from yesterday.

The team slot the apex panel carefully on to a supportive beam. Mind your head!

Upstairs has all its internal walls; Tom takes a look, meanwhile one of the team comes out of the attic door.

One of the bedrooms; currently with an unusual open air feature.

The roof panels are started. First the long side of roof with the integrated garage.

Then the shorter side.

An afternoon of work and the roof panels are done.

The flags mark this significant moment in the project.

The temporary site office/motor home from where Lesley, the UK Accounts Manager for the company, kept us all fed and topped up with coffee and tea. Great job! Thanks!

Roof tiles that we had to house in the street overnight last night are lifted onto the roof ready for tomorrow's early start.

Tom and Ben's job is done, they head back home with a 5 hour drive ahead of them.

Now the house is starting to look like the plans. I'm looking forward to seeing it without scaffolding.

According to German tradition, the chief carpenter, Michael, reads out a poem and smashes a glass from the top of the house for good luck. Ebi holds the flags with Alex, Tobias and Stefan standing proudly admiring their good work. It was a fantastic day! Ending with new keys to our house in my pocket, after only 2 days! Wow again!

Wow!

2010-06-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

Early this morning I arrived on site to find that the delivery lorries were already there! I definitely recognise this one from the factory photos!

Tom, the crane driver removed the protective sheeting from the house panels.

Very quicky, Tom hoisted the first panel into place. The expert crew: Michael, Stefan, Tobias and Alex each had their job to do and without speaking got to work. I like the fact that the plans were stapled to the wall even before the crane hoists had been disconnected or the support bracket had been screwed in place!

The external walls went up in a flash. Here Ben, the crane driver's helper (apparently called a Slinger), signals to the driver. The front door is in place.

The crew are very used to balancing on top of the panels as they work to tighten the joints.

I must apologise to the neighbours as there were times when the lorries did have to block the street!

Here we can see the large bolts that are screwed in to strengthen the joints. It's just as well it's not like flat-packed furniture...we all know how that would have fitted otherwise.

Once the external walls are in place, the internal walls are made ready.

Thankfully, everything is being filmed by capable Malcolm, who had his camera in a protective bag due to the rain.

Here is an internal wall being hoisted in to place; the crew are ready to receive it, the man on the ladder on the right will bolt it in place.

Then this capable crew member tightens the joint with a ratchet.

The ground floor is completed and the site empty as Michael, Stefan, Tobias, Alex and project manager Ebi, have a well-earned coffee and lunch break.

The workmen return and fill up any gaps under the panels. Here is the downstairs bathroom, complete with is saniblocks!

Next the floor/ceiling elements are hoisted into place and the green vapour barrier stapled down.

The staircase is waiting, all packaged up to keep it clean until we are ready to move in!

The first floor back wall is put in place followed by the front wall.

Towards the end of the day we get a chance to go upstairs. The only time we will see the upstairs without a roof or internal walls. It is a good space!

The local scaffolding team arrive and work hard, getting ready for the next stage.

Finally, this incredibly long day draws to a close, the crane stops, the lorries are all off-loaded ready to return. It has been amazing. So many people have contributed to this moment that I cannot begin to thank them all. It has been team work at its best. I can only show a fraction of events on the blog. A BIG thank you to everyone. Really, I'm at a loss for words. All I can think of is WOW! See you tomorrow!

Big green machine

2010-05-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Look what appeared during dinner time!

Very apt colour!

Let's see it in action tomorrow.

The calm before the storm!

2010-05-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

In Germany today isn't a bank holiday so when Ebi, the project manager, arrived from Germany after an 11 hour drive, he got straight to work! He started laying the bitumen based dpm (damp proof membrane) on the floorslab. After this is cut to size, needs to be set in place.

With a stroke of luck, the four workmen from the company arrive from Germany in a brand new shiny van!

They very quickly lend Ebi a hand. They light the flame thrower and heat the bitumen on the underside of the dpm product so that it melts and binds to the concrete.

The position of the walls is marked with chalk lines on the floorslab.

A quick check of the plans.

The levels are measured and small pads are put in place every foot or so to compensate for the (very) slight differences in the floorslab levels. Meanwhile the workmen are surviving only on coffee!

The floorslab is ready, totally unsuspecting for what will happen tomorrow!

Just when the workmen have finished and are getting ready for a good meal, Brian and Malcolm arrive to check out where they will put their camera to film the whole proceedings.

The heras fencing is extended and cones are placed on either side of the road. The safety sign goes up so it is now a hard hat and hi-vis jacket area! The van is left in front to make sure that no one else will park there.

It's just so exciting now, I don't think any of us will sleep tonight!

Loading time

2010-05-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

The trailer is nearly ready now, while in the background another trailer is being packed.

The roof elements are loaded on a big lorry. All the elements have to be loaded on the correct vehicle so they can be off-loaded in the correct order when they get here.

Such a cool BIG LORRY! Can't wait till Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Malcolm the cameraman has been on site taking footage of the floorslab, don't worry it will be more exciting next week!

All action here and in the factory

2010-05-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is a busy day for our project both here and in Germany. Doru starts the day removing hedges, small shrubs and a small tree nearly gets the better of him, but not quite. With great effort Doru wins!

Just take a look at the heap of vegetation that Doru piled up!

The site is beautifully neat and tidy, the heap of earth from the site is flattened by Doru doing a dance across the front garden in the cute digger. That way they can reuse it to back fill the foundations later on.

The floorslab is then 'black-jacked' which I understand to be the application of bitumen based paint to waterproof the slab sides and top of the foundations.

Now we're all set to go.

Meanwhile, over in the factory in Germany things are hotting up. Over the last couple of days more of the elements of the house have been completed.

Like these long roof elements, looking like they're on the starting blocks ready to race out into the sun.

Those Juliet balconies are looking good.

How's this for a cool staircase? We decided to have open tread so that we could allow the maximum amount of light in. It has bars between the treads for safety. The banisters are all wrapped up to keep them clean until the project is finished.

These have to be the best pictures yet. The panels are hoisted across the factory onto the waiting trailer!

Room for another bit?

It won't be long now before I see the house myself; just over 4 days to go! Watch this space!

From dreams to reality

2010-05-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our house! Well the front door anyway! It has been constructed today in the factory.

This is one of the wall panels under construction, waiting for its insulation. (If you look at earlier blog entry 'Visit to the factory' the process is described there).

Here are more wall panels waiting for action. They definitely have our name on them but don't ask me what part of the house they are...maybe internal walls?

Kitchen wall.

The long wall of the sitting room/dining room that will face the garden.

Competition time, have a guess which wall panel this is? ...Maybe back of garage or an upstairs wall?

As we close the back door on today's blog, we are very excited to think that this time next week the house will be over here!

The last jobs on the floorslab

2010-05-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

The shuttering around the drainage ducts is removed by James and the sand taken away so that there is a bit of 'give' for the ducts for ease of installation of services later on. The ducts will then be sawn down with plywood on top so that they are not a trip hazard during the construction process.

Doru tidies up the manhole for the foul waste, re-laying the loose brick work and smoothing down the insides. It looks as good as new! No tree roots here!

After a long, hot day in the sun, James and Doru have melted away but they were very tidy in the process! Only a bit of earth moving and we're ready for the house!

Inspection Day

2010-05-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

On this potentially tense day, Ebi arrives from Germany to check the specification of the floorslab. If he is happy, manufacture of our house will take place in the factory next week!

Here Ebi is with Helmut, the UK agent for the housebuilding company, resorting to using a tape measure as the weather is too bright and sunny for the laser level!

While I'm waiting, I can't help but admire the work that's been done. How are these for some cute right angles on the beautifully smooth floorslab?

Happy with the length measurements, Ebi and Helmut check the levels.

Ebi and Helmut trying to find the laser level red dot! It must be there somewhere!

Finally Helmut and Ebi are happy; singing James' praises for an A1* super floorslab.

The company's eco-friendly sign goes up complete with a picture of our new house!

All systems go!

Shutters away

2010-05-11T02:08:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Floorslab is looking good!

The shuttering has been removed, revealing beautifully smooth sides.

Thankfully, none of the neighbourhood cats have got stuck in the slab or left little paw prints.

It's really exciting ...just waiting for the inspection from the building company and then the arrival of the house!

Not long to go now!