The dreaded cupboard

Next time the automation cupboard is going to be big enough to stand and dance in! I think I've mastered the patience to put the RJ plugs onto the cAt 6 cables but its so time consuming - the electrician labelled the rooms by colour tape but not individual identity , so with 5/6 cables per room,without a cable tester it's just plug & see!! So far I have 1 tv and 1 wall control working , - why is the tv and audio colours different for the plugs?

Moving in :)

It feels like an end of an era, caravaning, garaging,winds, floods and now a house! Woop ieeeeeee! We still have so much left to do, electrics, bedrooms,tiling home automation ( when we learn how to stop crushing the plugs with the push down tool!)
I don't care though ! It's a warm roof x ( well more on warm in another post )

How to plumb a kitchen sink

Grab yourself 3 joiners and 1 plumber

Leaking windows

Oh dear - where is this coming from?

Kitchen in the making

My fab to be! Kitchen worktop and kitchen in the making!

Room with a view

My bedroom balcony

Floor laid!

Well in the 1 room anyway! It looks so good - I've sealed it with MPG marble sealer , then buffed ... By hand, then feet! Phew after hours of looking like a manic ABBA impersonator the floor is sparkling:) note to self hire a mechanical buffer next time

Sorry thinking aloud

Lighting & speakers

A treasure map location location location

Flooded garage

Just great! Is the bleedin house ready to move into yet?

Colour charts

Farrow & ball - Little Green or no frills

Paint.

After weeks of searching, sticking and colour mind maps we ( everyone !!) have decided on paint colours - because of the mezzanine the bedroom is to be the same colour , meaning just 1 thing 50 shades of grey in my boudair ! Farrow and ball was my first choice for the pavillion grey (PG)to match the downpipe for the kitchen doors . However, I couldn't find a local stockist who had 10 litres of it , so I've used Little green's French grey, although they do varying shades of each colour I stuck to the "normal" . With Farrow & Ball great white on the ceilings - the 2 rooms look different colours as downstairs is east,south and west facing, flooded with light and upstairs very subtly west lit.

Log boiler

As easy as A. b. C

The engineers arrived to fit the log boiler at the start of the week - great timing- we can then slowly bring the heating up to temp , then down slowly to ensure the screed is ready to accept the marble floor tiles - So 2 jolly "Cumbrian "? engineers scratch their heads at how the insulation on the Akva buffer tank removes....so it can be lifted into the building! .... Hours later .ratchet straps...cut fingers... It shouldn't have been removed.
OK plan B , unfortunately there wasn't a plan B not for the boiler anyway! Also they thought that the flue was going through the roof - NO not through the beautiful welsh slate , so instead out of the wall for the Chip shop look! The boiler is squeezed with millimetres spare into the opening , while plan B is put into place!
A new Buffer tank is being delivered next day - this is without a hot water coil though so plan C -
A hot water module has been ordered - apparently these work as well... Let's wait and see meanwhile day 2 the garage ( where we live) is flooded 5 hours + hot & cold taps left on =4 inches of water :(( this week has been the DOWNS of our self build!

Plastered!

I am eventually plastered! When you get to this stage of a build the need for the walls & yourself to be smooth & finished is something which becomes a 5 minute whoop! The decisions of paint and every other interior becomes a surprising chore. This surprising feeling is probably due to tiredness, stress! I thought this stage would be the most exciting ... Budget & patience dwinding trade by trade . I'm not fussed about cooking my turkey now - I'm at the joiners for Xmas breakfast, tiler for lunch , plasterer for mid morning drinks , plumber for supper! As you can imagine all are hurrying , including my cousin ( tiling!!)

Photos

Hall x2 and ensuite

Cat tails

Speaker cable in the switch box for the main bedroom , ensuite & main bathroom ( instead of having 2 speakers in the ensuite we have moved 1 speaker in to the main bedroom ) - the cat 6 cable runs back to the central cupboard for the audio

Screed

All level! After 7 hours Nigel & his team ( ACE screeders from Bolton) did a wonderful job ,we used Premier mortars screed (Astley moss sand) for the perfect finish it even passed Blakes 2p coin roll test! Alot of people are pushing the Floscreed ( Cemex & Lafarge) both supply this but after researching and price - if you ensure you use a good Screeder & a good 1:4 with fibres this method is hard to beat on price, material & finish !( the only negative is 2 days drying, we did ours on Friday so by Monday it's ready for the return of the trades! ) Plasterers begin on Monday (as the time is ticking towards December we may use 2 gangs to speed things up)

Underfloor heating

100 mm king span - 25mm upstand around the perimeter - and robbens underfloor heating - the boys are so excited that it comes with pipe cutters and a wheel to feed the pipe out! Easy peasy they said! Our plumber had thought it would take a week - day 1 all pipes laid day 2 - pressure tested! Christmas is looking more hopeful!!

Speakers and cat 6

Eventually! 500 m
Of cat 6 and under 200 m of speaker cable run everywhere - 1st fix might be finished ... Of we don't add anything else!

I haven't got the courage to add the total amount of copper runs- ( we've added our own underfloor system with the wet room ensuite!)

Again I will repeat"the electrics & plumb is the hardest part "

Just to keep you honestly updated- I have no kitchen as yet - well I have 1000's in my head but not in real world ...YET!

I have been considering the outside garden design, as I have choosen To have the garden as a music zone - speakers mounted on the outside walls - however, I then realised that it would be hard to hear the music due to the wind - so I have considered a sunken garden, however as we are at a high water table CLAY - it would be a submersed garden! So the alternative is a sheltered garden , a cave like feature which provides a sheltered area on windy days. I have searched google for ideas but am drawing a blank ..watch this space !

Underfloor

Chosen Robbens underfloor heating - fingers crossed! Just on the ground floor , with heated towel rails and radiators upstairs

Russound

After hours of reading on line, magazines & asking questions we've decided on a Riss sound audio and video automation- 6 zone to allow for expansion - we have also decided to use cat 6 cable which will future proof for hdmi tv . 3 cables to each tv - and 1 cat 6 cable for the rid sound keypad per room- all the speakers are run back to the control box and not joined , this ensures stereo sound using a dual core speaker cable . .... Whoosh! Over your head yet? I'll post some diagrams for clarity - or call Cyberselect , he was so helpful ( thanks)

This project is feeling like a snail race

When there is a buzz of activity , we feel so much better, at the moment there are dribs and drabs of tradesman finishing off first fix - I've made some decisions! Finally! After months of chasing up final questions and quotes, a recession where people don't answer queries and send quotes!
I've had 5 underfloor heating quotes and am now trying to decide between upanor ( possibly incorrect spelling) and robbens - I have had cheaper off the shelf quotes but these 2 are the most reputable middle of the road quotes. I've calculated the floor screed versus flo screed and premier mortars screed wins hands down on cost.
Bathrooms, we really wanted to go with a local company but they sanitary ware is costing £1000 more for the same/similar products - so something's have to be ordered from china or online:(

Kitchen fitted! Whoop woop

The last concrete floor

After weeks of having an indoor swimming pool, we have managed to put in the final floor slab

1st fix

This copper should be exposed , it's almost a pity to plaster over that artwork! I wish I could make a decision on the toilets, fans, kitchen , fire, appliances, boiler, CCTV and flooring! Oh and light fittings.. Oh and light switches! It's so stressful , I wish there was a self build site , where shopping for the above was easy....

In with the drains