# House build



## Colin Grigson (5 Aug 2021)

Having bought a house with a building plot conveniently next door, we’ve had architects draw plans and started the build this week.
We built a new house a few years ago and it was nothing but hassle, we swore then that we’d never be so foolish again … so here we are being equally as foolish once again.
I’ll post pics as the build progresses … you’ll note my location is Slovakia so the methods and sequence of the build may be a little different to that in U.K. and elsewhere … it might interest someone … it might not 
The builders have levelled the house footprint and dug the footings this week, added steel (after a passing Geologist suggested so to ensure there were no subsidence issues further down the road - there was a thin layer maybe 20cm deep of Sandy loam about a metre down), suitable access tubes for water, waste and electric and finally poured 4 mixers worth (36m3) of concrete … there’s no going back now


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## jowwy (5 Aug 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> Having bought a house with a building plot conveniently next door, we’ve had architects draw plans and started the build this week.
> We built a new house a few years ago and it was nothing but hassle, we swore then that we’d never be so foolish again … so here we are being equally as foolish once again.
> I’ll post pics as the build progresses … you’ll note my location is Slovakia so the methods and sequence of the build may be a little different to that in U.K. and elsewhere … it might interest someone … it might not
> The builders have levelled the house footprint and dug the footings this week, added steel (after a passing Geologist suggested so to ensure there were no subsidence issues further down the road - there was a thin layer maybe 20cm deep of Sandy loam about a metre down), suitable access tubes for water, waste and electric and finally poured 4 mixers worth (36m3) of concrete … there’s no going back now
> ...


are you going to live in the other house while this one is being built or do you need to sell to build???


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## alicat (5 Aug 2021)

I'm looking forward to watching it grow.


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## raleighnut (5 Aug 2021)




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## Colin Grigson (5 Aug 2021)

jowwy said:


> are you going to live in the other house while this one is being built or do you need to sell to build???


We currently live next door quite happily and will do until this new one’s finished - no hurry at all which is nice.


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## Colin Grigson (12 Aug 2021)

We were away for a couple of days, but in our absence the builders have moved up one small level, a ring of steel reinforced concrete blocks have been laid and filled with concrete followed by a 20cm thick layer of ballast/hardcore which is ‘wackered’ down ready for shuttering to contain a further layer of 20cm thick concrete reinforced with 8mm grid steel .. the photos will make more sense than my writing I hope !


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2021)

The edges are shuttered now, steel grid is in and wired together … hopefully concrete mixer trucks arriving in the morning with around 20m3 of strong mix … that’ll be the slab ready for walls to start in a week or so - the concrete needs to go ‘off’ a little first …


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## jowwy (16 Aug 2021)

Looking good so far.....


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## Archie_tect (16 Aug 2021)

They don't hang about but the weather looks perfect!

Nice to see a decent overhanging verge and eaves to protect the walls and window heads... did you not want to incorporate solar hot water panels and PV during the build- [or you could incorporate first fix for it to add later- if you are using a hot water cylinder make sure it has a dual coil for the solar hot water feed].]

Looks fantastic and very tidy which is always the sign of a good builder.

I'm jealous!


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2021)

jowwy said:


> Looking good so far.....


Thank you Jowwy


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2021)

Archie_tect said:


> They don't hang about but the weather looks perfect!
> 
> Nice to see a decent overhanging verge and eaves to protect the walls and window heads... did you not want to incorporate solar hot water panels and PV during the build- [or you could incorporate first fix for it to add later- if you are using a hot water cylinder make sure it has a dual coil for the solar hot water feed].]
> 
> ...


Wow - praise indeed from someone who knows his onions - thank you !
We’re not planning any solar panels I’m ashamed to say, just the usual gas, electric, water and waste. This is Eastern Europe and Solar’s not big here yet.
We’re lucky with our builder, he came recommended by the Architect and the ‘Clerk of the Works’ is the Archtects husband … not the cheapest trio but we’ve worked with them before and nothing’s too much trouble - convenience and peace of mind are expensive commodities


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## jowwy (16 Aug 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> Wow - praise indeed from someone who knows his onions - thank you !
> We’re not planning any solar panels I’m ashamed to say, just the usual gas, electric, water and waste. *This is Eastern Europe and Solar’s not big here yet.*
> We’re lucky with our builder, he came recommended by the Architect and the ‘Clerk of the Works’ is the Archtects husband … not the cheapest trio but we’ve worked with them before and nothing’s too much trouble - convenience and peace of mind are expensive commodities


you could have set a standard by fitting it though or is it just not available??


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## Archie_tect (16 Aug 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> Wow - praise indeed from someone who knows his onions - thank you !
> We’re not planning any solar panels I’m ashamed to say, just the usual gas, electric, water and waste. This is Eastern Europe and Solar’s not big here yet.
> We’re lucky with our builder, he came recommended by the Architect and the ‘Clerk of the Works’ is the Archtects husband … not the cheapest trio but we’ve worked with them before and nothing’s too much trouble - convenience and peace of mind are expensive commodities


You can future proof the roof and services by doing the first fix electrics and running flow and return pipes and a spur in the loft to connect to later... be worth it. There are some fantastic solar companies manufacturing in Eastern Europe so they will already make all the tech stuff locally and it'll be a fraction of the cost of doing it here- they probably just export all the kit they make to Germany and France [it would've come here once!]


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2021)

jowwy said:


> you could have set a standard by fitting it though or is it just not available??


You’ve got me thinking ….


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2021)

Archie_tect said:


> You can future proof the roof and services by doing the first fix electrics and running flow and return pipes and a spur in the loft to connect to later... be worth it. There are some fantastic solar companies manufacturing in Eastern Europe so they will already make all the tech stuff locally and it'll be a fraction of the cost of doing it here- they probably just export all the kit they make to Germany and France [it would've come here once!]


I like the idea of a provisional first fix …. I’ll chat to our Architect about it and take her advice -


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## Colin Grigson (17 Aug 2021)

We had a big storm here last night - lots of rain, which has cooled everything perfectly for the concreting today, it also compacted the ballast nicely after the wacker had done it’s work. Temperature’s dropped nicely too - I was worried about pouring concrete in 34’C but today was a temperate 18’C … perfect conditions !. Slab is almost complete, concrete will be left now for a week or so to go ‘off’ and then it’ll be finished ready for walls …


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## alicat (17 Aug 2021)

Oh, that's coming along nicely. Thanks for the pics. I'm hoping that the wind stays at your back.


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## Colin Grigson (17 Aug 2021)

alicat said:


> Oh, that's coming along nicely. Thanks for the pics. I'm hoping that the wind stays at your back.


Thank you alicat


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## JhnBssll (17 Aug 2021)

This is both very exciting and very depressing at the same time  Very exciting to see your build taking shape so quickly, yet very depressing knowing how long my tiny extension has taken me to date  Keep on with the updates, enjoying this 😊 I'd be interested to know what your architect says about the first fix solar idea - a great plan in my eyes


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## Colin Grigson (17 Aug 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> This is both very exciting and very depressing at the same time  Very exciting to see your build taking shape so quickly, yet very depressing knowing how long my tiny extension has taken me to date  Keep on with the updates, enjoying this 😊 I'd be interested to know what your architect says about the first fix solar idea - a great plan in my eyes


I watched your extension thread with great interest … I’m sure if I was doing all this myself it too would take a lot more time. You made a cracking job of your building work - it’s always a better standard when you do your own. Although I’m very pleased with the builder, at the end of the day it’s not his house and shortcuts will be taken … whether they’re spotted or not remains to be seen  … I now have the CC (builders chapter) massive watching them - they’ll not get away with much .


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## Colin Grigson (19 Aug 2021)

Whilst the concrete slab hardens, and to keep them out of mischief, the builders are connecting the sewerage, water and building a tanked shaft (not sure what that’s called) that will house the water meter and the sewer riser thing (again not sure what it called - it has a manhole cover at the top - the big black item on the slab) …


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## Colin Grigson (24 Aug 2021)

The slab has had a week to harden and so the builders are moving on to walls today, firstly they’ve applied a bitumen type solution to the concrete, and then unrolled the damp course which is bitumen impregnated material which is heated using a huge naked flame as it’s rolled onto the bitumen solution applied earlier. Then the corner bricks will be positioned and fixed .. we’re waiting for the an with the equipment to arrive to facilitate this …


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## alicat (24 Aug 2021)

Gosh, they're fair cracking on. Is that a single-skin building? Those blocks look a fair size...


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## jowwy (24 Aug 2021)

alicat said:


> Gosh, they're fair cracking on. Is that a single-skin building? Those blocks look a fair size...


i was thinking the same about those blocks......


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## Colin Grigson (24 Aug 2021)

alicat said:


> Gosh, they're fair cracking on. Is that a single-skin building? Those blocks look a fair size...


Yes, single skin, the blocks are 40cm x 30cm x 30cm, the holes throughout give the thermal quality apparently. The finished walls are insulated further on the exterior using 15cm thick (I think) polystyrene. You should remember that we can quite easily have -30’C here in winter and +40’C in summer which requires serious insulation to maintain a comfortable temperature inside - helped in summer with A/C everywhere.


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## Colin Grigson (26 Aug 2021)

An eventful day or so, you’ll see from the photo that the blocks were being laid from the corners inwards and it appeared to me that the builders were doing fine … until the ‘Clerk of The Works’ turned up … he was on holiday last week so had a fair amount of work to review. His verdict was to instruct the builders to partially dismantle the walls since (from the front elevation) the vertical joints in the block work were too close together - he insisted the blocks be laid differently to achieve a half blocks gap between vertical joints … they look fine from the angle I’ve pictured but I could understand his concern when viewed from the front - builders are not happy today …. He also asked them nicely to re-route the main water supply - the builders wanted to run the supply within the solid floor but the ’Clerk of Works’ pointed out that water at 5-10’C and underfloor heating at potentially 40’C could/would cause condensation so that upset the builder too … it’s to be moved to the tech room where planned ….


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## alicat (26 Aug 2021)

Wow, what an amazing clerk of works.


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## Colin Grigson (27 Aug 2021)

The builders have been busy for a couple of days … at this rate I’ll be moving in next Thursday!


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## Colin Grigson (3 Sep 2021)

There appears to be a Europe-wide shortage of building materials at the moment - not sure what’s driving it, but it’s a pain !. The only bricks our builder can buy are slightly higher spec. (which on it’s own isn’t an issue) but they’re a different colour too . The house will be insulated, rendered and painted so we won’t see the difference when it’s finished … but in the meantime it looks awful !. Don’t be too shocked at the standard of










brick laying - you’re spoilt in U.K. with your beautiful bricks and bricklaying …. here it is this way - all houses look awful during build and then magically transform with insulation and render, but we’re a long way from there yet. The builders have left now pending availability of materials … we were in no hurry but now we’ve started  ..


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## Colin Grigson (14 Sep 2021)

Things are progressing slowly with the materials shortages, but today the builders have started the shuttering for the larger lintels and the base of the upstairs floor … both of which will be steel reinforced concrete. They’re also joining the DPC beneath the first course of bricks to the external vertical component of the DPC. The photo doesn’t show much I’m afraid - I’ll try to get more informative shots next time


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## MichaelW2 (14 Sep 2021)

Are you in an earthquake zone?


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## Colin Grigson (14 Sep 2021)

MichaelW2 said:


> Are you in an earthquake zone?


Funnily enough I wondered the same …. and I live here !. 
There’s over 1.6km of 10mm and 12mm steel to be incorporated and nearly 800m of 14mm and 16mm steel to go in too. I’m unsure why it has to be so substantially built - the statistician’s calculations for the steel and concrete represents about 25% of the build documentation. Another odd thing here is that the horizontal components are separated from the the vertical at every stage of the process. Priced separately (with the horizontal much more costly than the vertical), different personnel on site … all change . Once this part is complete the original team return and continue to roof level … I did say things were done differently here


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## Colin Grigson (18 Sep 2021)

The shuttering’s finished … there’s a lot of steelwork to go on above the shuttering before the concrete can be poured - I’m only now appreciating just how much work there is in this horizontal element - bonkers


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## JhnBssll (18 Sep 2021)

Crikey, that is pretty involved - I wouldn't like to try DIY'ing that  Presumably the house could double as a nuclear fall-out shelter once complete though  I'm pretty excited to see the concrete poured for the first floor


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## Colin Grigson (18 Sep 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> Crikey, that is pretty involved - I wouldn't like to try DIY'ing that  Presumably the house could double as a nuclear fall-out shelter once complete though  I'm pretty excited to see the concrete poured for the first floor


This is way past DIY …. there’s been 6 or 7 men up there working all week so far and I assume next week too … I’m sure technically you could manage, but at a few hours here and there it would take forever …. like some of my DIY projects . Excited and nervous about the concrete pouring … there’ll be just over 40m3 going up there sometime next week I hope … more pics of that, as and when.


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## Colin Grigson (18 Sep 2021)

A couple of pics of the area to be concreted … the edge already has it’s steels in - just that centre part to steel now but it’s a complicated layup so will need time ….


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## Colin Grigson (21 Sep 2021)

Some steel for those that like that sort of thing …. still lots more steel to go up there. No wonder there’s shortages - I have it all !


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## Colin Grigson (23 Sep 2021)

There’s more and more steel going up there, we were hoping to be pouring concrete tomorrow but there’s still over 150 pieces of steel to layup, so concrete’s postponed until Monday if they can get the steels completed … this part has been a crazy amount of work and materials !.


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## CXRAndy (23 Sep 2021)

I'm coming to the end of my house build, just kitchen to fit now, and hope it passes final inspection by building control. 

We are buying up a do it upper property next.


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## Colin Grigson (23 Sep 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> I'm coming to the end of my house build, just kitchen to fit now, and hope it passes final inspection by building control.
> 
> We are buying up a do it upper property next.


Good luck with your final inspection … any pics ?
I don’t know if you feel the same, but building a new house from scratch is easier in a lot of ways than renovating on old one - having done both I prefer the new build …


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## CXRAndy (24 Sep 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> Good luck with your final inspection … any pics ?
> I don’t know if you feel the same, but building a new house from scratch is easier in a lot of ways than renovating on old one - having done both I prefer the new build …


I'll get some pics in a bit. I've done two newbuilds and several renovation and extension projects. Yes, I agree to a degree that newbuild is easier but comes with regulatory headaches and design issues which only pop up when construction is underway. A small but irritating issue, was we had Pozi joists for the first floor. They were fitted by the joiner per design spec. But he forgot to take into consideration that radiator pipes needed to come out of the floor where some of the joists were positioned. You're not allowed to drill or cut these joists at all. It required channelling the wall and some weird copper bends to get to radiators-small niggles but annoying. Thankfully having spent hours measuring and remeasuring the stud walling, most of the final fix went pretty much OK


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## Colin Grigson (28 Sep 2021)

Finally, we’re ready for concrete in the morning - rain is forecast though, as long as it’s only a bit of drizzle we’ll be ok. After the concrete it needs to go ‘off’ for a couple of weeks, during which time we’ll run and connect gas and get the electric supply into the house too …


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## Colin Grigson (30 Sep 2021)

I thought I’d stick this pic in - it shows our ‘Clerk of Works’ climbing the ladder to inspect the steels …. nothing too ‘out of the ordinary‘ there I hear you say … but he’s 82 years old !. We were very lucky that he took our project on because he only does a couple of builds every year - he’s a real character and know’s everyone in the building game for miles around …. he’s married to our architect who still practices with her architect daughter - a real family affair !


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## jowwy (30 Sep 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> I thought I’d stick this pic in - it shows our ‘Clerk of Works’ climbing the ladder to inspect the steels …. nothing too ‘out of the ordinary‘ there I hear you say … but he’s 82 years old !. We were very lucky that he took our project on because he only does a couple of builds every year - he’s a real character and know’s everyone in the building game for miles around …. he’s married to our architect who still practices with her architect daughter - a real family affair !
> View attachment 611480


dear me - that ladder would be sending H&S executives into a frenzy in this country lol


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## Colin Grigson (30 Sep 2021)

Concrete is done - that’s a big step complete. A bit more ’bricklaying’ (I use the term in it’s loosest form ) and another ring of concrete and we’ll be ready for the roof - hopefully around the beginning of November if all goes to plan.


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## Archie_tect (30 Sep 2021)

Never seen an in-situ first floor cast on a house without permanent profiled steel shuttering! 

It's a very different construction process though I did once have a builder who wanted to build;d using the thin joint aerated clay blocks in lieu of a cavity masonry wall.

I have used 150mm foamed interlocking insulation for many years- it gives a wall u-value of between 0.12 and 0.15 W/sqm.degC depending of the wall make-up.- at least the concrete is inside the insulation so there'll be no cold bridge- do they take the insulation 150mm below the ground floor slab edge?


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## Colin Grigson (30 Sep 2021)

Archie_tect said:


> Never seen an in-situ first floor cast on a house without permanent profiled steel shuttering!
> 
> It's a very different construction process though I did once have a builder who wanted to build;d using the thin joint aerated clay blocks in lieu of a cavity masonry wall.
> 
> I have used 150mm foamed interlocking insulation for many years- it gives a wall u-value of between 0.12 and 0.15 W/sqm.degC depending of the wall make-up.- at least the concrete is inside the insulation so there'll be no cold bridge- do they take the insulation 150mm below the ground floor slab edge?


I’m not sure I understand all of your post … is the u-value good or bad ?. Yes, you’re spot on with the insulation - exactly 150mm below 
Thanks for looking in


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## Archie_tect (30 Sep 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> I’m not sure I understand all of your post … is the u-value good or bad ?. Yes, you’re spot on with the insulation - exactly 150mm below
> Thanks for looking in


The lower the u-value the better the protection from heat loss when it's cold outside [or heat gain in the summer].
100mm insulation would give around 0.25 U-value. 50mm used to have a U-value of around 0.6. Having all the heavy, dense masonry and concrete inside the insulation provides thermal mass, ie keeps the internal temperature fairly even throughout the year and through the day/night.


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## jowwy (6 Oct 2021)

i have just seen the blocks you used in your build, for the first time in the UK on an old episode of Grand designs from 2007.........even though its 14yrs old, i have never seen those blocks used in any episode since and i have watched them all.


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## Colin Grigson (6 Oct 2021)

I wonder why they used them in U.K. . More usual is cavity wall construction using the much smaller ‘normal’ brick isn’t it?. Although I recall seeing the large developers using the large concrete blocks too when I lived in U.K. - I think they then finished with a ‘pretty’ facing brick so it all looked nice when complete.
What sort of structure did they build with the blocks in Grand Design?


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## jowwy (6 Oct 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> I wonder why they used them in U.K. . More usual is cavity wall construction using the much smaller ‘normal’ brick isn’t it?. Although I recall seeing the large developers using the large concrete blocks too when I lived in U.K. - I think they then finished with a ‘pretty’ facing brick so it all looked nice when complete.
> What sort of structure did they build with the blocks in Grand Design?


it was an eco home and they believed it was quicker and more thermal efficient to use that type of block


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## Colin Grigson (6 Oct 2021)

jowwy said:


> it was an eco home and they believed it was quicker and more thermal efficient to use that type of block


Thank you Jowwy - Our’s is supposed to be ’eco’ in terms of energy usage, definitely not ‘eco’ as in economical to build


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## Nortones2 (7 Oct 2021)

jowwy said:


> it was an eco home and they believed it was quicker and more thermal efficient to use that type of block


Is there a name for the block? Asking as my son in law is a minor-key property developer.


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## Archie_tect (7 Oct 2021)

Thermoplan Ziegel is one thin mortar bed clay block unit:
https://www.greenspec.co.uk/green-p.../details/ziegelwerk-thermoplan-ziegel-blocks/
Another is the Wienerberger Porotherm system:
https://www.wienerberger.co.uk/tips...t-is-porotherm-and-why-should-you-use-it.html

Both systems need to be insulated and rendered externally and carefully detailed around openings, piers and lintols to ensure that the blocks aren't crushed under point loads.

Due to the high humidity of our maritime climate the innovative blocks haven't really taken off here- people are wary of not having a cavity still.


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## Colin Grigson (16 Oct 2021)

Builders have been back, they’re slowly building up the walls upstairs whilst keeping as much weight as possible off the central parts of the new floor. The supporting shuttering will be removed next week, by which time the concrete should have reached around 75% of it’s strength. Once the shuttering is away we can start the stairs which will make everything we do much safer … 
We also started a small 4m x 2.5m garden shed that will house the pool technology (a future project), our dog and the bbq in winter. A good week overall


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## Colin Grigson (22 Oct 2021)

A little more progress this week, mainly removing the bulk of the shuttering that was forming the first floor level. The slab for the shed is complete too ready for bricks next week. The builders are back to ‘brick-laying’ next week in preparation for the roof … which has already been pushed back a couple of weeks. The weather‘s getting distinctly nippy now so we need to get a move on - we must have a roof for winter.


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## Colin Grigson (4 Nov 2021)

Some progress over the past ten days or so … downstairs shower room wall is going up, chimney is up through first floor, upper floor outer walls are up some way, all the window openings are formed now so we’re waiting for confirmation on previous (from plans) quotes for those - easily the largest single expense in the whole build. The small utility room within the ’garage’ (too small to be called a real garage) is being walled too so it’s starting to look a little like a house in places


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## Colin Grigson (12 Nov 2021)

I had an unexpected delivery of wood today, the roofers are obviously preparing to move onto site in the next week or so, some monster pieces in there !.


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## jowwy (12 Nov 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> I had an unexpected delivery of wood today, the roofers are obviously preparing to move onto site in the next week or so, some monster pieces in there !.
> View attachment 617449
> 
> 
> ...


that would make you a millionnaire in the UK, with timber prices currently lol


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## Slick (12 Nov 2021)

Nah, we don't have anyone who would know what to do with that without someone turning that into trusses first.


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## bikingdad90 (12 Nov 2021)

Almost caught Upton @JhnBssll Colin.  Just teasing, coming along brilliantly. I do like the solid rather than timber cavity wall approach.


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## JhnBssll (12 Nov 2021)

bikingdad90 said:


> Almost caught Upton @JhnBssll Colin.  Just teasing, coming along brilliantly. I do like the solid rather than timber cavity wall approach.



When he's done I'm fully expecting to gain a labourer


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## Colin Grigson (16 Nov 2021)

Following a few days of shuttering in preparation for more steel and concrete, the concrete truck and pump arrived yesterday and emptied into place another 4m3. These concrete beams will hold the main roof beams so they’re kind of important … it means the roofers can come in and make a start once the concrete has gone off. While we wait for that we’ll build the walls of the shed so the roof can be done whilst the roofers are here … it’s coming along slowly …


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## alicat (16 Nov 2021)

Oh, that's coming on great.


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## Milkfloat (16 Nov 2021)

I still have the impression that ex-Soviet architects are planning for World War 3.


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## Colin Grigson (16 Nov 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> I still have the impression that ex-Soviet architects are planning for World War 3.


I’m starting to wonder myself … what’s coming


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## Colin Grigson (24 Nov 2021)

A little more progress to show. Roofers arrived yesterday and already have a few large timbers in place. They‘ll leave today for a couple days whilst the end apexes are bricked up and then hopefully back on Monday for the week to complete the job. The shed is ready for it’s little roof too at the same time. I’ll be signing the window / exterior door order today (and paying a 35% deposit) for delivery and fitting during February I think … once the windows are fitted the exterior blinds boxes can go in and the facade insulated, rendered and silicon structure applied.


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## Colin Grigson (25 Nov 2021)

I can’t help but be very impressed with these roofers - amazing work they’re producing and so quickly. This joint for example is 4 different pieces meeting together, with another of different size going diagonally across and at an angle upwards … and that was all cut with their precision device called a chainsaw … I could watch them all day … if it wasn’t so cold


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## Colin Grigson (7 Dec 2021)

A little more progress on the roof … thankfully !. We’ve snow forecast and I don’t want to be shovelling snow from inside the house … hopefully get some felt and tiles on this week …


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## JhnBssll (7 Dec 2021)

Looks fab, you'll be round helping me with my lead flashing in no time at this rate


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## GM (7 Dec 2021)

Great job there Colin, can I book the first 2 weeks in July!


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## slowmotion (7 Dec 2021)

Is your house in an earthquake zone???? I don't think it's going to fall down.


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## Colin Grigson (7 Dec 2021)

GM said:


> Great job there Colin, can I book the first 2 weeks in July!


You didn’t mention which year … you’re a realist like me - leave it open


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## Colin Grigson (7 Dec 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> Looks fab, you'll be round helping me with my lead flashing in no time at this rate


You can have my great roofers … when they’ve finished mine


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## Colin Grigson (7 Dec 2021)

slowmotion said:


> Is your house in an earthquake zone???? I don't think it's going to fall down.


The roof won’t be blowing away in the wind either … the whole house seems to have been designed with longevity in mind


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## slowmotion (7 Dec 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> The roof won’t be blowing away in the wind either … the whole house seems to have been designed with longevity in mind


I was admiring the timbers. It makes me weep when I see the matchsticks used to make roof trusses in the UK. Pitiful really.


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## Colin Grigson (7 Dec 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I was admiring the timbers. It makes me weep when I see the matchsticks used to make roof trusses in the UK. Pitiful really.


I know exactly what you mean - just 200m away there’s 2 x new houses going up with toothpick roofs, being built by a developer with profit in mind rather than any thought to quality. The first storms will be interesting for the poor buyers if the roofs are as strong as they (don’t) look. Saddens me too that they’re allowed to build like that .


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## Slick (7 Dec 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I was admiring the timbers. It makes me weep when I see the matchsticks used to make roof trusses in the UK. Pitiful really.


Or very well designed for their intended use. 

I do agree that the trusses here are formed using heavier timber than most of the tiny roofs that are required for a lot of the low cost housing market we see in much of the UK, but I'm not entirely convinced it will be any stronger than the average engineered roof I would see in the west coast of Scotland, or even in the Highlands. The gable ladders for example look to me to be quite light compared with what we would expect to see here. 

Apologies if my comments are detracting anything from an interesting thread.


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## Drago (8 Dec 2021)

I love the way the roof bits are bolted together there Griggers. Over here itmwould be a few poxy nails and staples.


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## slowmotion (9 Dec 2021)

Slick said:


> Or very well designed for their intended use.



Given that a loft is very useful for storage or conversion, the builders/developers are doing you no favours at all by filling the space with truss timbers that can't be modified easily.


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## alicat (9 Dec 2021)

It's looking lovely. When do I get my invite?


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## Colin Grigson (9 Dec 2021)

alicat said:


> It's looking lovely. When do I get my invite?


You’re top of the list …. as to when - we’ll leave that open for now shall we


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## alicat (9 Dec 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> You’re top of the list …. as to when - we’ll leave that open for now shall we



Yay! I've got every confidence it will be quite soon given how it's been romping along.


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## Slick (10 Dec 2021)

slowmotion said:


> Given that a loft is very useful for storage or conversion, the builders/developers are doing you no favours at all by filling the space with truss timbers that can't be modified easily.


Attic trusses.


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## Colin Grigson (15 Dec 2021)

We have some roof atop the walls … we’re waiting for the tiles to go on now and the rainwater gutters, down pipes and so on. Chimney is almost finished - just waiting for the silicon structured top-coat to be applied prior to tiling the roof so that the tiles and flashing stays clean. As you’ll see - it’s already started snowing so we really need to get this finished before we have another ‘dusting’


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## jowwy (15 Dec 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> We have some roof atop the walls … we’re waiting for the tiles to go on now and the rainwater gutters, down pipes and so on. Chimney is almost finished - just waiting for the silicon structured top-coat to be applied prior to tiling so that the tiles and flashing stays clean. As you’ll see - it’s already started snowing so we really need to get this finished before we have another ‘dusting’
> View attachment 622078
> 
> 
> View attachment 622079


is it being rendered like the rest??


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## Colin Grigson (15 Dec 2021)

jowwy said:


> is it being rendered like the rest??


Yes, exactly jowwy, rendered and silicon structure grey coloured finish applied


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## Slick (15 Dec 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> We have some roof atop the walls … we’re waiting for the tiles to go on now and the rainwater gutters, down pipes and so on. Chimney is almost finished - just waiting for the silicon structured top-coat to be applied prior to tiling the roof so that the tiles and flashing stays clean. As you’ll see - it’s already started snowing so we really need to get this finished before we have another ‘dusting’
> View attachment 622078
> 
> 
> View attachment 622079


No lead in the valley? 

I suppose I really should mention elf and safety.


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## Colin Grigson (16 Dec 2021)

Slick said:


> No lead in the valley?
> 
> I suppose I really should mention elf and safety.


No lead, but there is a coated alloy channel being fitted that does the same job. 
The builders, roofers etc … could all do with a better understanding of H & S but I’m banging my head against the wall suggesting so …. this the way they work here - unfortunately


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## slowmotion (16 Dec 2021)

I'm being a bit fussy. You really need to get them to replace the small washers on the roof member joints with 50x50 square ones.


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## Colin Grigson (16 Dec 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I'm being a bit fussy. You really need to get them to replace the small washers on the roof member joints with 50x50 square ones.


I’m unsure what that would achieve, it may not look like it but the studding is M14 - 22mm nuts, and the round ‘washers’ are 57.5mm diameter giving a surface area of just over 2,500mm2 (I think) , 50mm x 50mm square would give a similar area so unless there’s another advantage I’ll not risk their wrath and trust they know what they’re doing …
Thank you for taking such an interest that you notice these things - I hadn’t given those parts a thought


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## slowmotion (16 Dec 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> I’m unsure what that would achieve, it may not look like it but the studding is M14 - 22mm nuts, and the round ‘washers’ are 57.5mm diameter giving a surface area of just over 2,500mm2 (I think) , 50mm x 50mm square would give a similar area so unless there’s another advantage I’ll not risk their wrath and trust they know what they’re doing …
> Thank you for taking such an interest that you notice these things - I hadn’t given those parts a thought


I apologise. From the photo I thought they were no bigger than 25mm diameter.


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## Colin Grigson (16 Dec 2021)

slowmotion said:


> I apologise. From the photo I thought they were no bigger than 25mm diameter.


Nothing to apologise for - I’m pleased you noticed something potentially bad and it gave me an excuse to get the vernier callipers up there - much to the amusement of the builders who were no doubt wondering to what degree of accuracy they have to work in future if everything will be measured so precisely . The photos are deceptive and those beams are more than 3m up so it all looks smaller than actual - I too was surprised


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## slowmotion (16 Dec 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> Nothing to apologise for - I’m pleased you noticed something potentially bad and it gave me an excuse to get the vernier callipers up there - much to the amusement of the builders who were no doubt wondering to what degree of accuracy they have to work in future if everything will be measured so precisely . The photos are deceptive and those beams are more than 3m up so it all looks smaller than actual - I too was surprised


I spent a fair bit of my early twenties with my nose in an extremely well-thumbed copy of Ozelton and Baird's "Timber Designers' Manual" . It gave me a bit of an obsession about timber structures so I'm afraid you'll have to make allowances for me!


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## Slick (16 Dec 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> No lead, but there is a coated alloy channel being fitted that does the same job.
> The builders, roofers etc … could all do with a better understanding of H & S but I’m banging my head against the wall suggesting so …. this the way they work here - unfortunately


Yeah, I hear you. It wasn't that long ago we all worked like that here as well. I've worked with guys like that before, really difficult to get them to do it any other way. 

Build looks spot on though.


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## Colin Grigson (18 Dec 2021)

Another productive week - roof tiles are starting to go on, gutters are fixed etc .... . The roof timbers are on the shed too. The builders have started forming the walls upstairs so we can really see what the bedrooms and bathrooms are like ‘in the flesh’ instead of drawings. We’re waiting for 2 x roof supporting steels to be made that will be built into 2 of the bedroom walls, once the steels are in we can finish all the walls upstairs … feels like we’re getting somewhere now .


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## alicat (18 Dec 2021)

That's a solid outbuilding. 

I like how the internal walls are breeze blocks rather than plasterboard.


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## JhnBssll (18 Dec 2021)

Your build has nearly overtaken mine now


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## Colin Grigson (22 Dec 2021)

We have a roof .. 99% done just in time for Christmas / New Year shutdown. That should keep the worst of the weather at bay until windows and external doors go in. We still don’t have any stairs which is concerning - it’s a fiddly, time consuming job shuttering a concrete staircase and not as lucrative as other aspects of the build - most of the ‘first-fix’ chippies approached have been ‘far too busy’ once they know it’s stairs  … we’ll get there eventually


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## JhnBssll (22 Dec 2021)

Looking great Colin, bet you're pleased with progress! How long are you expecting second fix to take once you're watertight?


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## Colin Grigson (22 Dec 2021)

JhnBssll said:


> Looking great Colin, bet you're pleased with progress! How long are you expecting second fix to take once you're watertight?


Thank you John …. ‘how long are we expecting’ - that’s a leading question  , it will depend on when the money or ‘will to live’ runs out . Seriously, it would be great if we’re in there for next Christmas but it won’t matter if we’re not


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## Colin Grigson (22 Dec 2021)

The builders finished the internal walls upstairs today too after the steel fabricators fitted their roof supports. They don’t look much in the photos but they’re 100 x 100mm with walls 10mm thick - very heavy and hopefully up to the job. There were supposed to be 150x 150mm wooden posts supporting the roof at those two points but the posts projected beyond the wall line (the bricks are 12cm) and would have looked odd halfway along a wall - with the steel insulated and plastered it will be level and flat in the wall … if you understand what I mean


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## ColinJ (22 Dec 2021)

Is that door lintel strong enough? It could be just that photo, but it looks like it is sagging!


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## Colin Grigson (22 Dec 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Is that door lintel strong enough? It could be just that photo, but it looks like it is sagging!


Thanks Colin, I hope it’s just the photo  - they are pre-cast steel reinforced concrete lintels encased in kilned clay against condensation and in that application it’s only holding up 3 courses of hollow block ... I’ve noticed my phone camera does distort pictures …. cheap American crap


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## Colin Grigson (12 Jan 2022)

Finally we have some progress with the stairs. Lots more steel on top of the beautiful shuttering the carpenters knocked up, and more concrete to come tomorrow if it’s not below freezing - a temperate +3’C is forecast so we should be OK. One of the builders was telling me that he worked in Moscow for a year building roads and they pour concrete there even if it’s -25’C with no problems … it should be warmer than that here .
This is where we are today, I’ll update as and when.


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## jowwy (18 Jan 2022)

Hows things going Grig???


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## Colin Grigson (18 Jan 2022)

jowwy said:


> Hows things going Grig???


Fine, thank you for your interest Jowwy. We’re waiting for the staircase concrete to set and then we’ve got electricians, plumbers and air-con prep moving in. Windows are due in around three weeks and garage door a couple of weeks after that - at least then the site will be secure. Once the first fix electrics, water / waste, air-con’s finished and the fireplace is built we can plaster … can’t wait for that . Then in early spring we’ll start the floors - damp course, thermal insulation, underfloor heating, fresh air feed for fireplace, screed and finally tiles. In the meantime external hidden blinds will be installed and the outside insulated and finished with silicon structure. Reading that back it seems endless .


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## Colin Grigson (2 Feb 2022)

Finally we have some windows - that means the plumbers can start, followed by air-con and electrics … the windows were the ‘big one’ - now we can get a move on


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## JhnBssll (2 Feb 2022)

Very cool, thats a lot of glass! It's going to feel very light and airy  Quite different to fat and hairy, which describes me rather better


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## jowwy (2 Feb 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> Finally we have some windows - that means the plumbers can start, followed by air-con and electrics … the windows were the ‘big one’ - now we can get a move on
> View attachment 629316
> 
> View attachment 629317


Nice airy bar area and man cave you have the grig lol


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## Colin Grigson (18 Feb 2022)

Some more progress this week, plumbers have been busy preparing the wastes that will serve the bathrooms and kitchen. Next week they’ll be on hot and cold water supplies to the same. We’re having a hot water system that recirculates hot water (via pump) to within 2’ of each hot water tap, so that no matter how far the tap from the boiler we should have almost instantaneous hot water. In our current house we have time to make a pot of tea whilst the hot water travels to the tap


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## alicat (18 Feb 2022)

Thanks for the update - it looks nearly habitable!


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## Colin Grigson (18 Feb 2022)

alicat said:


> Thanks for the update - it looks nearly habitable!


I wish alicat … there’s still bits and bobs to finish off


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## jowwy (17 Mar 2022)

Have you moved in yet Grigg???


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## Colin Grigson (17 Mar 2022)

jowwy said:


> Have you moved in yet Grigg???


Hahaha … not quite !. I’ll update the thread mid-week next week, it’s chaos there at the moment with the electricians chasing out anything that doesn’t move. There’s also a digger there doing a preliminary levelling before we mark out the (small) pool, therefore, outside is virtually ‘out of bounds’ and the inside is too - one good thing is that the electric Velux windows were fitted to the bathrooms earlier in the week so they’re a lot more light … seems never-ending at this stage


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## jowwy (18 Mar 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> Hahaha … not quite !. I’ll update the thread mid-week next week, it’s chaos there at the moment with the electricians chasing out anything that doesn’t move. There’s also a digger there doing a preliminary levelling before we mark out the (small) pool, therefore, outside is virtually ‘out of bounds’ and the inside is too - one good thing is that the electric Velux windows were fitted to the bathrooms earlier in the week so they’re a lot more light … seems never-ending at this stage


Hopefully i’ll still be around to see it finished.


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## Colin Grigson (28 Mar 2022)

The promised update … electricians have finished cable laying, the plumbers first fix is patched ready for plaster and the air-con prep is in … we’ll patch in the electricians chases this week ready for plaster next Monday - hopefully !. We’ve also removed a load of soil in preparation for the pool and to get to a level we can start to work with for the groundwork’s that are planned - no grass - just blocks, tiles and some Astro-turf


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## newts (28 Mar 2022)

Very organised first fix, clean & tidy too


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## Colin Grigson (28 Mar 2022)

newts said:


> Very organised first fix, clean & tidy too


Thank you newts


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## slowmotion (29 Mar 2022)

I'm amazed at the neatness of the services. If the surfaces haven't been plastered yet, take some photos of where the pipe runs are. Embedded plastic pipes can be hard to detect, unlike cables or metal.
You have a very smart house.


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## Colin Grigson (29 Mar 2022)

slowmotion said:


> I'm amazed at the neatness of the services. If the surfaces haven't been plastered yet, take some photos of where the pipe runs are. Embedded plastic pipes can be hard to detect, unlike cables or metal.
> You have a very smart house.


Thank you slowmotion, I spent an hour or so photographing all pipe and cable runs yesterday and downloading to memory sticks. The photos we had of our current house have been very handy when needing to drill and fix in a wall … not to mention fitting ceiling lights .


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## Colin Grigson (2 Apr 2022)

Plasterers have arrived as promised !. The usually tidy site has become anything but …
Theres 7.5 pallets x 40 x 25kg of plaster in the pile outside … that’s 7.5t of dry plaster 
There’s going to be five of them here for two weeks doing this, so I’m sure we’ll be well acquainted by the end 
They’ll be firing up their plaster applying machine on Monday, I’m unfamiliar with this technique so I’m intrigued how it will go …


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## ianrauk (2 Apr 2022)

Love that curved staircase


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## ColinJ (2 Apr 2022)

I find this a very interesting project, but find it hard to imagine the end result - In my mind's eye I just see a giant garage! 

I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like when it is finished.


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## Colin Grigson (2 Apr 2022)

ianrauk said:


> Love that curved staircase


Thank you Ian, I hope it’s nice and ‘smooth flowing’ when it’s finished … we have similar in our current house but it’s like a ’threepenny bit’ rather than flowing … it’ll be down to the skill of the plasterers to get the right look … fingers crossed


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## Colin Grigson (2 Apr 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I find this a very interesting project, but find it hard to imagine the end result - In my mind's eye I just see a giant garage!
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like when it is finished.


 Love your reply Colin - hopefully it will be a mix of ‘giant garage’ / white cube / comfortable modern family house when it’s finished … if it ends up just a ‘giant garage’ I’ll have to fill it with more bikes


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## Colin Grigson (5 Apr 2022)

First full day plastering today - they couldn’t work yesterday because their machine was knocking out the 25amp mains mcb. I had to call the Electric Board equivalent who pitched up in the afternoon to fit temporary 50amp mcb’s. At least the machine is working and they can blow their muck on the ceiling all day @Fnaar …


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## JhnBssll (5 Apr 2022)

That's looking fab already, amazing how a good bit of plastering transforms a room!


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## Colin Grigson (5 Apr 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> That's looking fab already, amazing how a good bit of plastering transforms a room!


Thank you John, yes - especially if the brickwork is as rough as I have … anything’s an improvement


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## newts (5 Apr 2022)

The plasterer straddling the trestle reminds me of when I was working on a stand build at NEC last month, the adjacent stand had a decorator sitting atop an 8ft trestle & walking it around the perimeter painting the top the wall


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## Colin Grigson (5 Apr 2022)

newts said:


> The plasterer straddling the trestle reminds me of when I was working on a stand build at NEC last month, the adjacent stand had a decorator sitting atop an 8ft trestle & walking it around the perimeter painting the top the wall


These guys do the same - they walk the trestles around all day, over the pipes, trunking etc … I don’t think they’d get away with that with H&S in U.K.


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## GM (5 Apr 2022)

Colin, I think you must be working the plasterers too hard, one of them is having a kip under the stairs! 
Great job BTW, fassinating seeing the progress!


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## Colin Grigson (6 Apr 2022)

GM said:


> Colin, I think you must be working the plasterers too hard, one of them is having a kip under the stairs!
> Great job BTW, fassinating seeing the progress!


Thank you GM … I’ll have my eye on the ‘sleeper’ in future


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## alicat (6 Apr 2022)

Those stairs are the wrong way round unless you are left-handed - you won't be able to repel invaders!


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## Colin Grigson (6 Apr 2022)

alicat said:


> Those stairs are the wrong way round unless you are left-handed - you won't be able to repel invaders!


My daughter’s left-handed and our world revolves around her …. or so she thinks . Our land-shark will repel any invaders long before they get to the stairs … if not there’s the back-up Jack Russell - no-one could survive her breath


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## JhnBssll (6 Apr 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> My daughter’s left-handed and our world revolves around her …. or so she thinks . Our land-shark will repel any invaders long before they get to the stairs … if not there’s the back-up Jack Russell - no-one could survive her breath



A veritable onion of home defence hahaha


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## Colin Grigson (18 Apr 2022)

Plasterers have finished and done a great job, I’m really pleased with the finish and the staircase looks perfect …. onto floor insulation, underfloor heating and screed starting next week …


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## BianchiVirgin (18 Apr 2022)

Those stairs are seriously cool.


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## Colin Grigson (18 Apr 2022)

BianchiVirgin said:


> Those stairs are seriously cool.



Thank you BV … the plasterers did an amazing job on the staircase


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## alicat (18 Apr 2022)

Oh how amazing, it suddenly looks like a house now!


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## Colin Grigson (26 Apr 2022)

We’re onto floors … and due to labour shortages my skills have been tested once again with me taking on the fitting of the acoustic insulation upstairs … 8cm polystyrene was fitted downstairs by the heating engineers but they don’t ‘do’ mineral insulation … most likely due to how itchy and irritating it is to work with. Next job is to lay the heating pipes in their ‘cassette’ and then onto screed which is booked for 9th-10th May. The floors are another ‘biggy’ - once they’re done it will really start to take shape


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## BianchiVirgin (26 Apr 2022)

Heating engineers AKA plumbers. 

Sorry, bugbear of mine, the misuse of that word.


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## alicat (26 Apr 2022)

Ooh, first sighting of furniture!


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## Colin Grigson (26 Apr 2022)

BianchiVirgin said:


> Heating engineers AKA plumbers.
> 
> Sorry, bugbear of mine, the misuse of that word.



There are two distinct parties carrying out the ‘plumbing works’ here … one lot do the water supply to the house, sewers and hot and cold water, whilst the other lot keep to heating systems, boilers and so on … whilst it maybe a misnomer to refer to the latter group as ‘heating engineers’ I’m not sure what else I could call them to separate them from the more ‘ordinary’ plumbers


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## Colin Grigson (26 Apr 2022)

alicat said:


> Ooh, first sighting of furniture!



Aaah, the builders chairs … you had me wondering for a moment


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## BianchiVirgin (26 Apr 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> There are two distinct parties carrying out the ‘plumbing works’ here … one lot do the water supply to the house, sewers and hot and cold water, whilst the other lot keep to heating systems, boilers and so on … whilst it maybe a misnomer to refer to the latter group as ‘heating engineers’ I’m not sure what else I could call them to separate them from the more ‘ordinary’ plumbers



Yeah, on the continent they're mainly separate disciplines but they're still plumbers. Or heating installers or similar. They're probably a better standard of tradespeople too, as they specialise and tend to be technically pretty good at what they do.


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## Colin Grigson (29 Apr 2022)

Another productive few days … downstairs has the heating pipes installed and they’ve moved upstairs to complete that. The screed is already booked for 9th May so the heating pipes need pressure testing and signing off before the builders are back to shutter all the openings, balconies and steps. A good week this one


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## ClichéGuevara (29 Apr 2022)

BianchiVirgin said:


> Heating engineers AKA plumbers.
> 
> Sorry, bugbear of mine, the misuse of that word.



As one of a large group of people that did additional qualifications over and above anything a plumber would do, and has never been designated as a 'plumber' and qualified with a specific qualification as an Engineer, your bug bear can be classed as resolved.


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## JhnBssll (29 Apr 2022)

House progress is looking great Colin, standard of workmanship seems spot on from the pics!

As an engineer myself I've always thought of it as a mindset rather than a qualification and have no problem with the term being used in this respect.


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## Colin Grigson (29 Apr 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> House progress is looking great Colin, standard of workmanship seems spot on from the pics!
> 
> As an engineer myself I've always thought of it as a mindset rather than a qualification and have no problem with the term being used in this respect.



Thank you John, I’m catching you up slowly … had my porch flashing done today - no pressure


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## JhnBssll (29 Apr 2022)

Oh crap...


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## ianrauk (29 Apr 2022)

There's something very satisfying looking at those under floor heating pictures.
Great stuff Colin.


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## Colin Grigson (29 Apr 2022)

ianrauk said:


> There's something very satisfying looking at those under floor heating pictures.
> Great stuff Colin.



Thank you and I know what you mean … they’re very neat and uniform aren’t they. I had to choose the pipes earlier in the week - the white ones didn’t look ‘racy’ enough - that’s why we have the red, it seems a shame to cover them in concrete but they’d be a bugger to tile as they are


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## alicat (29 Apr 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> downstairs has the heating pipes installed



I love your labyrinth - can I come and walk round it before it gets covered up?


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## Colin Grigson (29 Apr 2022)

alicat said:


> I love your labyrinth - can I come and walk round it before it gets covered up?



You’re more than welcome alicat


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## Trickedem (30 Apr 2022)

Colin are there any joins under the concrete? Or is one continuous pipe?


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## Colin Grigson (30 Apr 2022)

Trickedem said:


> Colin are there any joins under the concrete? Or is one continuous pipe?



There are no joins, each ’zone’ is one piece of pipe from the manifold and back. The large space in the photo has 5 separate ‘zones’ that can be controlled independently. The maximum length of pipe in any one ’zone’ is 110m (according to the local equivalent of BS). Where the pipe passes through an expansion joint in the concrete it is sheathed in a corrugated conduit to allow for slight movement so the position of the joints in the screed floor are already set before the screed team arrive…. it’s an education doing this


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## Colin Grigson (9 May 2022)

The screeders have arrived as promised and along with them their equipment, and a big truck of material plus a small one of cement - the volume of stuff going in there is mind-boggling 
They reckon they’ll be finished tomorrow morning too ! … nearly 300m2 in 1.5 days - they’re not afraid of work this lot 
The ‘dad‘ that owns the business and sets the datum’s in each room has been doing screed floors for nearly 30 years … his son is learning the ropes and taking over slowly apparently ….


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## bikingdad90 (9 May 2022)

That screeding looks pan flat and level! 
Looks quite thick though! I’m used to seeing it a little runnier


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## Colin Grigson (9 May 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> That screeding looks pan flat and level!
> Looks quite thick though! I’m used to seeing it a little runnier



Thank you bikingdad, I’m not sure how thick screed usually is but ours is 5cm / 6cm. It’s funny you mention the consistency - I was surprised just how dry it is, there’s no splashing or any chance of self-levelling ….


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## Colin Grigson (16 May 2022)

Floors are drying out slowly … nothing we can do inside for 3 weeks now so we’ll start digging the little pool next week - hopefully


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## Roseland triker (16 May 2022)

Wack the heating on.that I'll dry it out nicely 🙄


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## Colin Grigson (16 May 2022)

Roseland triker said:


> Wack the heating on.that I'll dry it out nicely 🙄



I’ve been watering it all week to prevent it drying out too quickly  … we’ve had a real hot spell 25’C + and the parts near the windows were drying as we watched and the balconies too in full sun  - hopefully it’ll be ok now a week after it was finished


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## JhnBssll (16 May 2022)

I watered my foundations for a few days, poured the concrete during a heatwave  Your build is looking fab Colin, its been said before but the standard of work looks very high


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## Colin Grigson (16 May 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> I watered my foundations for a few days, poured the concrete during a heatwave  Your build is looking fab Colin, its been said before but the standard of work looks very high



Thank you John . We’re very pleased with both the quality and speed that it’s coming together so far. If you know anyone that needs a plasterer, mine are done for a while


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## Colin Grigson (26 May 2022)

Whilst the screed dries out properly we’ve made a start on the construction of the small pool. It was dug out yesterday and the spoil removed and we’re now ready for the concrete base that may be poured later if a pump is available … we need to get these larger projects complete before we tackle the facade of the house in a couple of weeks time - I don’t want concrete splashes up the new finish


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## JhnBssll (26 May 2022)

There's 3 months of digging there at JhnBssll speed... Impressive!

I look forward to your updates, it'll be sad to see it finished in some ways haha


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## Colin Grigson (26 May 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> There's 3 months of digging there at JhnBssll speed... Impressive!
> 
> I look forward to your updates, it'll be sad to see it finished in some ways haha



That took just over two hours yesterday with 2 earth moving tippers rotating taking away the spoil - they’re a well organised outfit the diggers … 
‘sad to see it finished’ you say …. depends on your perspective I suppose … I won’t be sad, but not pleased when it’s done either - more relieved it’s done without major issues - so far at least 
To show some solidarity, I’ve asked the builder to leave a small piece of porch flashing … a house is never ‘finished’


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## irw (27 May 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> Whilst the screed dries out properly we’ve made a start on the construction of the small pool. It was dug out yesterday and the spoil removed and we’re now ready for the concrete base that may be poured later if a pump is available … we need to get these larger projects complete before we tackle the facade of the house in a couple of weeks time - I don’t want concrete splashes up the new finish
> 
> View attachment 646314



That's the _small _pool? How big is the big pool?!


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## Colin Grigson (27 May 2022)

irw said:


> That's the _small _pool? How big is the big pool?!



The hole is big, but you’ll see as the walls go up that the pool is considerably smaller than the hole required for its construction. It’s final dimensions will be 6m x 3m x 1.5m deep - somewhere to cool off rather than swim lengths in


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## gzoom (27 May 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> you’ll note my location is Slovakia so the methods and sequence of the build may be a little different to that in U.K. and elsewhere … it might interest someone … it might not



Am not at all jealous of the progress you have made.....We had planning permission approval for our house build nearly 3 years ago now here in the UK. I contacted our builder again just last night, still no idea on start date, even getting a quote from the steel company is proving almost impossible at present, thats before we get into the 30-40%+ increase in build price over the last 18 months!!

All I can still do is look at our planning drawing and dream .


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## Colin Grigson (27 May 2022)

gzoom said:


> Am not at all jealous of the progress you have made.....We had planning permission approval for our house build nearly 3 years ago now here in the UK. I contacted our builder again just last night, still no idea on start date, even getting a quote from the steel company is proving almost impossible at present, thats before we get into the 30-40%+ increase in build price over the last 18 months!!
> 
> All I can still do is look at our planning drawing and dream .
> 
> View attachment 646412



Prices have gone crazy for materials … subbies here are leaving quotes open for days / weeks rather than months and it’s strictly ‘money for materials on the table’ with order so they can secure their price. I don’t know where this will end but I echo your 30% - 40% increase in 18 months - there’s no end in sight to the increases and to people (like us) already committed to a build it’s a real headache - contingency monies are being used up for inflationary price increases. Your plans look great by the way - where in U.K. will that be ?.


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## iandg (27 May 2022)

Prices have gone through the roof - and delivery times. 50 sheets of plasterboard, 8 weeks delivery. We started a renovation in 2019. Budget £150k needed a £70k mortgage (getting a loan for a non-habitable property is another story) to finish the project. It's taken 3 years to get from this
















To this


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## Colin Grigson (27 May 2022)

iandg said:


> Prices have gone through the roof - and delivery times. 50 sheets of plasterboard, 8 weeks delivery. We started a renovation in 2019. Budget £150k needed a £70k mortgage (getting a loan for a non-habitable property is another story) to finish the project. It's taken 3 years to get from this
> 
> View attachment 646425
> 
> ...



That’s an incredible transformation Ian - hat doffed !. It’s often easier to build from scratch than restore / renovate to that degree - I feel your pain regarding the budget pressures


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## Colin Grigson (27 May 2022)

My guys have got their ‘second wind’ … at this rate I’ll be sipping a Margarita poolside on Tuesday 
They’ll fill the cavities with a strong concrete mix in due course - that should keep the potentially frozen mass of earth on the outside at bay …


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## alicat (27 May 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> They’ll fill the cavities with a strong concrete mix in due course - that should keep the potentially frozen mass of earth on the outside at bay …


 I'd be more worried about what will keep the water inside...


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## Colin Grigson (27 May 2022)

alicat said:


> I'd be more worried about what will keep the water inside...



The pool liner should do that. The pool is built so strongly in case the ground around it freezes - the forces of freezing earth are incredible and can easily crack a non-reinforced pool - in temperate countries you don’t have to worry about such things but here it’s not uncommon to have -20’C in winter.
Have you packed your water wings alicat ?


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## alicat (27 May 2022)

^^^ thanks for the explanation, @Colin Grigson. 



Colin Grigson said:


> Have you packed your water wings alicat ?



Going to look for them now!


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## bruce1530 (27 May 2022)

I remember a local farmer telling me about building a "slurry pit" with a similar construction to that small pool - dig a much bigger hole than you need, pour a concrete base, build a block structure to enclose the slurry, backfill the walls with some of the exavated dirt, leaving a "pool".

He then went on a trip to a supposedly "less industrially developed" region and watched them build a similar construction, using just concrete and a tractor/backhoe. Mark out your 6mx4m (or whatever) shape, dig a 12 inch wide trench around it, about 2m deep. Fill trench with concrete and let it set. Excavate the dirt from the middle. Pour a concrete base.

Not as pretty as his method, but much cheaper and easier.


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## Colin Grigson (30 May 2022)

The fireplace is being fitted this week - the design has changed a little from the original due to a change in cladding material around the sides of the fire … the choice was stone or plastered but with a fire resistant ‘spacer’ to absorb any fluctuations due to expansion once the fire was hot - having seen the ‘spacer’ material we’ve opted for stone at the sides … I haven’t described it well but it should become evident once the stone is applied  … in the meantime the 14.5kw fire is being built in … it draws cold air from outside via a trunking run under the floor - this will chuck out more heat than your average ‘tea-light’


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## Colin Grigson (6 Jun 2022)

A busy few days have seen me putting a mist coat on the new plaster downstairs … I used to enjoy painting the odd room but this is on a scale I’m unfamiliar with - I ache everywhere after 3 days so far … I’ve calculated I’ll need 30 x 20kg buckets of paint at the current usage - that’s a lot of paint to stick up there !
The plaster boarders have started with the first layer (180mm thick) insulation between the beams, 220mm still to go up (at 90’ to existing) in 1 x layer of 160mm and the last of 60mm at 90’ to the second layer - the idea of that being that there will be almost no joints on top of each other … first disaster today - the wall cupboard above the sink in my daughter‘s bathroom has been ordered too wide now the construction for the ceiling is in place - just been back to the bathroom people (cap in hand) to return the 1200mm one and order an 800mm in its place - I suspect there’s more of these minor issues to come before the house is finished


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## Mr Celine (6 Jun 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> The fireplace is being fitted this week - the design has changed a little from the original due to a change in cladding material around the sides of the fire … the choice was stone or plastered but with a fire resistant ‘spacer’ to absorb any fluctuations due to expansion once the fire was hot - having seen the ‘spacer’ material we’ve opted for stone at the sides … I haven’t described it well but it should become evident once the stone is applied  … in the meantime the 14.5kw fire is being built in … it draws cold air from outside via a trunking run under the floor - this will chuck out more heat than your average ‘tea-light’
> 
> View attachment 646878
> 
> ...



14.5 KW fire? Where in Antarctica is your new house?


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## Colin Grigson (7 Jun 2022)

Mr Celine said:


> 14.5 KW fire? Where in Antarctica is your new house?



 … whilst we’re not in Antarctica it’s fair to say we can experience some pretty extreme temperatures, down to minus 20’C in Winter and up to 40’C in summer - real seasons. We ordered the fire for its proportions without thinking about the heat output - design over function  … hopefully we can control the heat with the amount and size of wood we burn …


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## Colin Grigson (15 Jun 2022)

A picture or two of the layered insulation above the plasterboard ceilings upstairs .. there’s 180mm + 160mm + 60mm which totals 400mm/40cm or nearly 16’’ in old money. 
The tilers have visited for a couple of days to complete the utility room and garage floor so the boiler can be installed - we had a major ‘hiccup’ in that they laid the floor tiles beautifully in the utility room - shame they’d used the bathroom wall tiles, they all had to come back up the next day which wasn’t too difficult, but removing the (now solid) adhesive was a different matter altogether  ... I’ll post a couple of pics once it’s finished …


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## Milkfloat (15 Jun 2022)

Now that is what I call insulation! It's a shame about the tiles.


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## Colin Grigson (15 Jun 2022)

Milkfloat said:


> Now that is what I call insulation! It's a shame about the tiles.



Thanks Milkfloat .. it’s discernibly cooler upstairs already unless it’s my imagination or my subconscious trying to substantiate the cost 
We managed to salvage most of the tiles - at least for using as ’cuts’ - unfortunately the tiler‘s sense of humour was not so easily salvaged


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## Colin Grigson (20 Jun 2022)

A little more progress from last week :- firstly we’re finally running the pipes for rainwater away from the house to their relevant soakaways which are massive 2m x 2m x 4m deep - huge capacity but , again, I’m not sure why they have to be so large - we’ll have 3 x these at the finish.
Secondly the pool is taking shape nicely, we’re just applying the high density polystyrene to the inner walls whilst we wait for the pool people to connect their pipes and cables, once that’s complete we can back fill the hole to the pool walls with ballast.


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## T4tomo (20 Jun 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> … whilst we’re not in Antarctica it’s fair to say we can experience some pretty extreme temperatures, down to minus 20’C in Winter and up to 40’C in summer - real seasons. We ordered the fire for its proportions without thinking about the heat output - design over function  … hopefully we can control the heat with the amount and size of wood we burn …



I love those traditional tiles stove thingies you get in Slovenia, I've come across them in mountain huts / restaurants when skiing. Very good for drying out your gloves over lunch etc.


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## Colin Grigson (20 Jun 2022)

T4tomo said:


> I love those traditional tiles stove thingies you get in Slovenia, I've come across them in mountain huts / restaurants when skiing. Very good for drying out your gloves over lunch etc.



They’re called ‘Pec’ - we had three in our old house, you’re right in that they’re the traditional heating method for houses here prior to central heating. The heat from the fire itself (at around 600’C) enters a complex labyrinth of firebrick to extract as much heat as possible before the waste enters the chimney at around 200’C - that’s why they’re so large. They’re very efficient though and hold the heat for up to 2 days unlit. Great for drying stuff on as you say


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## alicat (20 Jun 2022)

I love those steps in your pool - what a pleasant and easy way to get in and out.


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## Colin Grigson (21 Jun 2022)

alicat said:


> I love those steps in your pool - what a pleasant and easy way to get in and out.



Thank you alicat


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## Colin Grigson (19 Jul 2022)

Apologies for the lack of updates .. we’ve been on holiday amongst other things 
There‘s been a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks. The facade of the house is coming along nicely. The interior has had 2 x coats of paint with a third planned after the tilers have done their bit. We also have a boiler fitted and heating system filled. All the rainwater downpipes are now connected to their relevant soak-aways too. The large A/C unit at the top of the stairs is fitted and the decoration panel to finish it is planned for Thursday - the scaffold can come out of the stairwell then,












































after 1 x light is fitted at the highest point.
Really pleased so far … starting to take shape nicely but still lots of work and materials to go …


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## jowwy (19 Jul 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> Apologies for the lack of updates .. we’ve been on holiday amongst other things
> There‘s been a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks. The facade of the house is coming along nicely. The interior has had 2 x coats of paint with a third planned after the tilers have done their bit. We also have a boiler fitted and heating system filled. All the rainwater downpipes are now connected to their relevant soak-aways too. The large A/C unit at the top of the stairs is fitted and the decoration panel to finish it is planned for Thursday - the scaffold can come out of the stairwell then,
> 
> View attachment 653444
> ...



looking mighty good is that........im onmy way to jump in your pool, its rostio here in south wales


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## Colin Grigson (19 Jul 2022)

jowwy said:


> looking mighty good is that........im onmy way to jump in your pool, its rostio here in south wales



Thank you Jowwy - no good jumping in the pool, it’s dryer than a moth sandwich - next year maybe


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## jowwy (19 Jul 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> Thank you Jowwy - no good jumping in the pool, it’s dryer than a moth sandwich - next year maybe



i got ice cream now as i work.....lifes a lil cooler lol


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2022)

Just back from a few days away and some more progress to show … we have some floor tiles laid downstairs and a few wall tiles in the downstairs shower room. A few lights are fitted and some sockets - I’m not sure why the electricians approach to this is so haphazard but they seem to pitch up unannounced, do a bit and then disappear for a few days .. we’re most likely one of many such ‘work in progress’ for them. We have two sides of the house exterior walls finished and they’re working on the other two with some gusto !. 
We’re already looking at booking final building control inspections at end of September into October so all things being equal we could/should be in for Christmas - fingers crossed


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## JhnBssll (16 Aug 2022)

Looking fabulous mate, I'm excited for you 😀


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> Looking fabulous mate, I'm excited for you 😀



Thank you John - appreciated


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## jowwy (16 Aug 2022)

JhnBssll said:


> I'm excited for you 😀



im not - hes got a fecking pool and im suffering in a heat wave........and its empty lol

Like the build mate, looks damn good


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## Colin Grigson (16 Aug 2022)

jowwy said:


> im not - hes got a fecking pool and im suffering in a heat wave........and its empty lol
> 
> Like the build mate, looks damn good



Thank you Jowwy … the pool won’t be usable until next year and it’ll probably lash it down the whole summer


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## Colin Grigson (19 Aug 2022)

My good friend finished the stonework at the sides and bottom of the fireplace today - he’s not the quickest but the quality of his work is outstanding. There still seems to be an endless list of things to finish … but the target of Christmas dinner in the new house remains attainable so far …


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## alicat (19 Aug 2022)

^^^ I love that!


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## Colin Grigson (19 Aug 2022)

alicat said:


> ^^^ I love that!



Thank you alicat


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## Colin Grigson (11 Nov 2022)

I didn’t realise it’s been so long since I’d updated the thread … but we now have a couple of finished bathrooms and a utility room … we should be moving in the next couple of weeks so mostbig jobs are complete except the handrails for the staircase and landings and balconies… I wanted to be in for Christmas and that’s looking very likely with a couple of weeks to spare


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## jowwy (11 Nov 2022)

Is the swimming pool finished???


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## Colin Grigson (11 Nov 2022)

jowwy said:


> Is the swimming pool finished???



Not yet jowwy … but we’ll not be needing it for a few months


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## alicat (11 Nov 2022)

Oh, looking forward to the final updates!


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## jowwy (11 Nov 2022)

Colin Grigson said:


> Not yet jowwy … but we’ll not be needing it for a few months



Then get on with it, you aint got time to post here….i want too see it full to the brim with crystal clear waters….


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## bikingdad90 (11 Nov 2022)

You finished yet @JhnBssll? Ha ha.


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## JhnBssll (11 Nov 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> You finished yet @JhnBssll? Ha ha.



Barely getting started


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## ianrauk (12 Nov 2022)

It's looking stunning


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## Colin Grigson (12 Nov 2022)

ianrauk said:


> It's looking stunning



Thank you Ian


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## T4tomo (14 Nov 2022)

nice finish on the bathrooms etc. very swish.

I also like the way the basin can double a baby bath when the grandkids are visiting, very useful and saves a lot of bending!


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## Colin Grigson (15 Nov 2022)

T4tomo said:


> nice finish on the bathrooms etc. very swish.
> 
> I also like the way the basin can double a baby bath when the grandkids are visiting, very useful and saves a lot of bending!



Thank you T4tomo


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## Colin Grigson (16 Nov 2022)

It’s always important to get your priorities right … to that end the bikes have been moved and stored in our hall - slightly ahead of finishing the bedrooms and sitting room but the important stuff must be done first


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## Colin Grigson (16 Nov 2022)

The glass team were fitting handrails / guards today to the stairwell and balconies … too dark for balcony pics but here’s the stairs finished … the children can move in now that there’s not a hole from first floor down to ground …


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## ColinJ (16 Nov 2022)

I'm sure that everybody involved knows their stuff, but it amazes me that those panes of glass are strong enough to stand a significant lateral force at the unsupported top corners!


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## Colin Grigson (16 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I'm sure that everybody involved knows their stuff, but it amazes me that those panes of glass are strong enough to stand a significant lateral force at the unsupported top corners!



Thank you Colin, the panes are almost 2cm thick and laminated, like you say we have to assume they know their jobs … only time will tell I suppose - I’m more concerned with keeping them clean at the moment


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## bikingdad90 (16 Nov 2022)

Usually depends where you hit them. A large blunt wide area blow and they are likely to be ok but hit them in a very concentrated manner like a pin head and they usually shatter. It’s why you see escape hammers with a point on them.


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## newts (16 Nov 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Usually depends where you hit them. A large blunt wide area blow and they are likely to be ok but hit them in a very concentrated manner like a pin head and they usually shatter. It’s why you see escape hammers with a point on them.



With laminated you have a plastic interlayer to hold the integrity of the panel if there is a shatter.


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## ColinJ (16 Nov 2022)

I was thinking of the leverage of the glass acting at the fixing holes at the bottom of each pane.


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## Alex321 (16 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I was thinking of the leverage of the glass acting at the fixing holes at the bottom of each pane.



Those look like pretty solid fixings.


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## Slick (16 Nov 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I was thinking of the leverage of the glass acting at the fixing holes at the bottom of each pane.



Give me a lever long enough and I can lift the world.


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## ColinJ (16 Nov 2022)

Alex321 said:


> Those look like pretty solid fixings.


It isn't the fixings that I was thinking about - it was the forces concentrated by those pretty solid fixings into the edges of the holes in the glass.

We wouldn't want something like this to happen to the glass...



(Yes, I realise that those wacky Chinese walkway builders had faked the broken glass! )


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## T4tomo (17 Nov 2022)

bikingdad90 said:


> Usually depends where you hit them. A large blunt wide area blow and they are likely to be ok but hit them in a very concentrated manner like a pin head and they usually shatter. It’s why you see escape hammers with a point on them.



luckily children rarely have sharp pointed escape hammers attached to their heads/ bodies etc.


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## Colin Grigson (20 Dec 2022)

A new hall cupboard today, so finally we have somewhere for all the winter coats, shoes, hats and gloves … these last few jobs are dragging on!


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## Jameshow (20 Dec 2022)

newts said:


> With laminated you have a plastic interlayer to hold the integrity of the panel if there is a shatter.



Not on a 1970s vauxhall magnum on the new M25!!!


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