5 Feb 2015 Update

I’m renewing the selfbuild insurance policy I have for the project. They wanted photos of the current situation / progress. So I thought I’d use the opportunity for a general update.

First a 3D reminder (SketchUP) of the plan !

garage grass level with patio + full area (2)

ie a 3 story contemporary build with a garage under the garden at the front.
– The garage is a separate building. It’s block built with a beam and block roof. The house is a steel and wood frame with thick walls filled with sheep wool.
– Externally some of the building is timber clad and the rest will be render (not yet done).

The buildings (house + garage) are now secure, weather tight lockable structures.

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Looking down onto the top of the garage (ie the front garden) from the top floor, you can see the front hasn’t yet been slate tiled and that the grass didn’t get very long to try and establish pre winter.

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As soon as the weather improves the garage and walls to the neighbours will get rendered.

Walking up from the road at the front to the courtyard with the front door (plan of downstairs and the the courtyard):

04 - floor plan 01 ground floor (2)

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The pipes are for the ground source heat system.

Inside downstairs is the plant room, empty stair well, kitchen area, dinning are & lounge. All of which are mostly areas for tools etc.

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Ground Source Heat Pump on the left in the above photos. Plant room gear in the plant room photo below:

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Kitchen area currently full of wood cladding for the soffits where first fix electrics has now been done.

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More cladding in the dinning area:

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Lounge area:

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You can see that the first fix electrics and plumbing has started:

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This next photo is looking down into the ground floor of the stairwell from the first floor:

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(the stairs are ready, but the walls need plastering and painting before they’ll be put in).

Walking up the outside stairs from the courtyard by the front door to the rear and then looking towards the house:

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Then the first floor. First the first floor, floor plan:

04 - floor plan 02 - bedrooms (2)

The rear most room has a temp sink and microwave.

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A temp bathroom:

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and the bedrooms:

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The top floor is pretty empty:

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But a spectacular view !

04 - floor plan 03 - study (2)

More cladding, the last door & the garage progress

A chunk more cladding has gone up, including some of the thinner horizontal cladding on the top box:

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The vertical cladding on the middle box is wider with nice detailing around the windows.

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The last door has been put in. The doors and windows are all in place, but not yet 100% fitted.

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The garage floor has been poured and the last internal wall is going up:

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Amazing to be calm and dry, inside, with outside having howling wind (I’d been kitesurfing earlier in the day), looking out at kitesurfers on the beach.

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No rain, no high winds, so the EPDM can go on

After what feels like months, the forecast is for 2 days without rain or strong winds, so, at last, the waterproof EPDM membrane for the “flat” roof system can go on.

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Over the (checked for nail heads etc.) marine ply sheets is a protective layer (white below) and then the thick rubber EPDM  (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber sheet.
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The MVHR is due to start being installed tomorrow, so some of it’s ducting has arrived:

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A lot of sealing up progress

A lot going on, with the build and with other things, so a long while since an update.

The relentless UK weather of high rainfall and strong winds that have flooded large sections of the UK and battered the Cornish coastline has slowed down the daily work rate and meant that some items, such as the dry roof membrane for the flat roof, is not yet done.

The stormy sea from the house:

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The roof had a mesh of timbers put on, with marine ply over the top, to give a gentle slope from a central ridge for the “flat” roof:

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You can see the level drop in this photo:

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At the same time, the internal studwork is going up:

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The window frames are going in (the white tape comes off later !):

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and a bit more of the garage has been built:

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Despite looking bigger than it will due to the scaffolding and lack of cladding and other details that will soften the impact of the size, it’s shape is now there:

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Construction starts

Today, the  project changes direction.
So far it’s been de-construct, demolish, dig & take away from the site.
Today is detailed set out and the start of foundations. So materials arriving on site that will stay on site as part of the new buildings (house and garage).

The mini digger and mini site dumper truck in the foreground and setting out by the bottom road with sunshine and a small swell in the very background.

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Fire & Fire Breast Evolution

The fire, TV, fire breast, log store is continuing to evolve.

A tall thin fire could look great and remove the problem of needing to heat shield the TV from being above the fire.

It also means the TV can be at a more normal height.

With a proposed 2m or 1.9m wide fire breast a tall thin fire (less than or close to 50cm deep) the fire breast should be nice visual, but not space dominating feature of the room.

Especially with the planned slate, similar to this fire at the Scarlet Hotel:

 

Updated layout mockup with notes below. This based on the STUV 21/45, where there is a version that has a full height facia:

layout - fire with slate texture - tall slot fire