Pics

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Update

as we have now decided on a log boiler , we have asked for permisson to add another door way to the rear elevation, this will act as the main boiler room entrance, thereby eliminating smoke/ dust etc in the house. However, for the lazy snowy Sundays or Chelsie days we will add a door from the house too.
The log store will be stocked for the main boiler and the wood burning stove in the lounge

More photo rant

Progress

Normal

I have realised I only tend to rant or write at stressful or decision times; I'm going to now post normal photos... Watch this space, I've been researching various elements and finding few and far between useful articles; maybe it's because self builders are always too busy to type and/ or when it's complete they are too content in their insulated houses... Maybe? Anyway ... For history sake,a photo rant for you ...

iPort, the wall for i pads and i phones

Home automation..We are looking into connecing audio,visual and lighting into the houe, omg a mind field of info and so many different options -iPort, the in-wall mounting system for Apple iPod Touch en iPad. - TOSS AUDIO

Room size research

Chelsie with her new blue shoes, undertaaking research on bath sizes 

Trying out bath sizes

What a happy model!!

Spider web of wood

Repair and positioning of queen truss

Rooms

Moving on slowly but surely: we've comitted to the room sizes upstairs now, phil and mike ( joiners) have made the stud walling and I think they are becoming used to my changes and requests-
mike has repaired the queen truss and changed the pitch.- this will now allow a clear view of the arrow slits from the upstairs bedroom for me to see... the sheep invading?! Or a moving landscape sounds more poetic!

Real life o's and x's

rooms to value

Although you live and breathe the plans and layout for so long, it is not until the floor and roof is on that you appreciate room sizes and design.  We have spent a few days laying out pretend walls, toilets, sinks,doors.  Just when we thought we'd changed the plans for the last time..We are throwing around...no not each other but the idea to change the bathroom to the cupboard (1.4m x 3.5m) . It would make a smaller family bathroom but will enable us to add another bedroom (potentially adding 3%*+ to the value)

• new bedroom 3m x 2.5m - this will be a single bedroom but being next to the master bedroom is a potential nursery (no I AM NoT being broodie!
• new bathroom 1.4m x 3.5m
• add an ensuite to a bedroom (8 %* added value)
• The house will now become 4/5 bedrooms- 3 double bedrooms; 1 dble with ensuite/dressing room, 1 dble with ensuite, 1 double no ensuite. 1 single, 1 large single/office (£25,000 added value*apparently!) As we used eco joists this will be easy to change , fingers crossed!

*I have taken the figures from self build and nationwide research

Brick work

Feline playground

What will angel and Ralph use as a playground when it's finished? Angel teaching everyone to use the ladder

1/2 a roof no chimney for santa

We have weather proofed the building now, a good job really, after listening to a little bad advice the floor boards were left exposed for toooo long- fingers crossed they will dry out -
Now with the floor and roof on,  the rooms upstairs and down stairs have become bigger, a silly thing to say but the space has become real!! 
Now with only 5 more sleeps left, all the little site elves are packing their trowels & sacks and winding down.
New year will hopefully bring a complete new roof, a rebuilt gable end and beautiful welsh slate.  #What colour ridge tile? Red or black/grey?

Roof truss

Help

Owl vents and arrow slits

I lurve them, they are quaint, characterful and perfect! What do you think?

Detail & the importance of good suppliers

I love the owl vent detail- it looks so good ! The frameless glass has been ordered from a local glazier supplier at only £18 each -

Some decisions are difficult to get to but worth the wait . Roof trusses are ordered and open voids agreeded on, Aber RoofTruss  have been very helpful and patient to the ever changing designs and times,they even did the calculations to reduce engineer costs- note to bridget jones, when you build ensure  you choose suppliers who want to help!

glass blocks to glass panes

Detail is so important, imagine your favourite dress without the killer shoes and accessories.- or if frills don't do it for you..imagine your favourite car without the alloys and colour coding.....or worse still now imagine the wrong shoes, wrong alloys, too much bling,too much flesh, too much exhaust! What do I mean? too much of something can be as detrimental to the finishing as too little, after much thought,driving around, web searching, uming and disagreeing, we have now decided:

• Roof trusses will sit on the internal wall- There will be no overhang, thereby no fascia, to upkeep, paint or polish!
• Along the wall plate we will have a brick detail which will have recessed bricks, similar to owl air bricks, these will be interspaced with glass. We wanted the recess to look frameless...how can we achieve this? Glass blocks? yes these will work well with new blocks being capable of low u values , no cavity bridging & cold spot problems. However, after 'picking' the ideas from Pearsons joinery, he gave me an idea to fit the glass in the cavity, whereby eliminating the need for any frame...Easy peasy, problems are designed for solutions...on to the next...
• Amend the truss plans to specify loose rafters in the voids to provide an open void above the stairs and in the lounge...all sorted.

Site chant

"I've never done that before" .... "Changing minds "- I am now prepared , everytime I speak the answer is the same, it makes me smile. I do ponder that perhaps I am stamping too much of my own personality into the structure of the build - we will see? , I'm certain though there couldn't possibly be a site where the plans are drawn and remain the same from slab through to light bulb-what a boring build that would be- note to self ... Keep patient imaginative people around me

Nearly to wall plate

There to stay this time?

After more thought- the beam came out again, to be replaced by 2 wonderful beams from Liverpool docks- however they were too heavy to lift- I've been told that THIS time they are there to stay..I'm not allowed to change our minds , quick brick it in
...

Shoes

Last week - on a rare morning I had at home, after I tripped over another pair of shoes and knocked a coat off the rack- I had an Einstein moment! There are always going to be areas in a building that are wasted, empty voids that are structural- we are now taking advantage of this and have built recesses in the walls, built from brick as to not show dirt ( easy cleaning) - purpose built homes for shoes and coats - and multi functional ... Can also be used for books or ornaments

Welsh slate or spanish?

The easiest of choices are not always obvious- my head tells me that the structure is where the money should be splurged, slates with 100 year garauntee, bricks, metal drain pipes,eco joists, etc...BUT my heart wants a bootiful kitchen - and my body a spa in the bathroom!!! I think the boring business head is going to win welsh slates and ikea here we come:) it wasn't an easy choice the slates have all been lined up alongside the telly for a month....

Eco beams /floor joists

After listening to the pros and cons of eco beams from  many builders and joiners, we have decided to use eco beams as an alternative to the standard floor joists cut on site.  We believe the advantage will be less movement in the floor, therefore less creeks and labour saving at the plumbing and electric stage- well keep you informed if this happens! The garage (which has become our home for the past 5 years) has been our trial build - We had 4 quotes and have not choosen the cheapest, for various reasons: space, materials, design/supply time -We have opted for the beams with metal between at 400mm spaces at a span of 4720 -movement should be limited. 

Out

Free gym membership on site or Hokey Cokey lessons- the beams have been in and out... on and off the fire. Not a good day ! The Boy scouts got carried away- I silently chanted "murder death kill"- but- I refrained and after the overly burnt oak beam has been sandblasted it can now return into the lounge! Phew! It all can't go smoothly all the time. Hicup 1

Beams... In out , in out , shake all about

floor plan change... utility or not?

If you are not happy its almost always not to late to change your mind.
After months of niggiling about corridors and room layout around the utility and study area.  David decided he hated the layout of the floor plan....'hello where have you been the past 3 years?' Anyway domestics over with but not before we included everyone in the office -bin the utility room or keep it? A utility is another room for, clothes, washing, odd socks,washing bottles/boxes, ironing boards...etc...etc...& and TAT.  No matter how minimal you dream of being as a human being you need some tat!So blank canvas  paper to the helm we drew our ideas and made the best of both- marital harmony.  By doing so we have minimised hall space and even added another bedroom/study and stayed married :-)

view to kitchen and 'newly redrawn ' lounge

PS. Oh &;a bigger utility!Round 1