5.  An exciting week this week with a lot of progress.

14 September 2012

Tuesday

The architect had written to the full team to say that ‘Diana had called a meeting’.  Not sure why he introduced it in this way.  Was it to frighten me?, everyone else? or was it just an easy way to say that he had forgotten to arrange it, and I had reminded him. Whatever, it turned out to be a very good meeting, and it is certainly a bonus to get all the team together to hear everyone’s views.  It meant Max and I could sit back a bit and do quite a bit of listening.

Prior to the meeting Max and I had decided on the method we wanted to go: ‘self-build’ or timber frame manufacturer’, but we decided to hold back to hear how the others thought.

The architect presented his modelling of the land, with a fabulous drawing showing the areas of ‘cut’ and ‘fill’ that I believe warrants a place on the wall.  I've tried importing it but had problems with it being too complex - so you'll have to take my word. 

On plan, the building is at an angle to the natural slope of the land so their 3D computer modelling programme came into its own.  Pretty difficult to get one’s mind around where the land is in relation to the floor level without it.

By the end of the meeting, and after all the discussion on how the building sat in relation to the site, and how the substructure would be formed it had suddenly become much more architectural in my mind.

The building is now being expressed and realised much more overtly.  It has become a building that will grow out of the field at the end with Max’s studio, and float above the ground at the other end where the living room is. 

By the end of the day I had a feeling of a child having been born.  It has become something that I suddenly feel a real emotion for.  I have found a new excitement.

Towards the close of the meeting Max and I let the team know that we had decided not to go with the easy option of having it all built for us, we would stick with our original idea of participating in the ‘self-build’.  Interestingly the architect and engineers all seemed very happy with our decision, even though somewhat surprised.  We think they had been expecting us to go for the ‘fast build solution’as we had been enlisting the quotes and exploring the option as a possible scenario.  With the self build method meaning more involvement for them, and their look of pleasure when we told them of our decision, they too must be enjoying the planning and designing of the house.  That’s good.  A real positive for us.

The evening before we had interviewed two sets of chippy builders, and both sets impressed us.  We had been recommended one pair, and seen their work.  Both sets filled us with confidence that they could meet the brief, construct the house with the accuracy that we require, and both gave us a very reasonable timescale in which they could erect the basic waterproof shell.  So we have an attractive choice.  Both have said that they will be available in November.  The confidence in their abilities and their genuine interest in the house against the impersonal rigidity of accepting a factory-built shell seemed altogether the better solution - certainly for us.  

Thursday

By today I still hadn’t heard from the planning officer, so I called her first thing in the morning and she promised a response by the end of the day.

It came mid-afternoon.  As is always the case they tell you what you can’t do never what you can do.  However, this never defeats me until I have read through Section this, Para that, and I have completely grasped what the criteria are that they won't allow.  So having checked out Class G, Part 5 in relation to 'chimneys on extensions' I am extremely confident that we can regard the Phase 2 part as coming well within our permitted development rights.   This will mean we can build the whole house all at the same time. So much more convenient for us, and of course less of a prolonged disturbance for the neighbours.  And that’s important!.  So this is really, really, really good news. 

Once the house is completely finished, to cover our backs and tidy everything up as a legal entity with the planning authority, we will apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness for Purpose.  All standard practice and very straightforward.  

Friday

Friday was our first day of ‘Preliminaries’ – the period of getting the site ready for demolition and ground works / foundations.

In the morning our guy with the heavy plant was moving in to level off the ground for the caravan and the secure container for our tools and equipment; dig the trenches for the water and electrics to the caravan, and the same for the site office; levelling off the land below the garden for the polytunnel in which we will be growing plants for the living wall; and removing a number of unwanted tree stumps. 

Laying the electrics to the site office and caravan. New meter boxes in foreground

The trench for the water pipe to the caravan

Later in the day the ’10 x 8’ container arrived with a very grumpy man who obviously had ‘an attitude problem’.  Maybe this was my first adventure as project manager with a man who is not used to having some carefully worked out requirements handed to him very politely by the female sex.  I somehow doubt it – I don’t think men like that exist, I've never met any  – he was just a bolshy bloke, having a bad day.  Anyway he moved his lorry backwards and forwards a few times, got caught up with all the local tractors and trailers with hay bales which caused some commotion, unloaded the container; and then went off to grumble his way back to Weston Super Mare, where as far as we were concerned he could cool off in the sea.  The container looks as if it will do a better job than him, and without any complaining.   

Trenches filled back in after cables and water pipe laid, and new entrance 

to field to make access possible for the caravan.

You can see the container awaiting positioning alongside the caravan 

once the latter has arrived..

 The site is now ready for the caravan to be delivered next week.  Probably a bit before needed - but we have time to practice.

Before everyone gets too excited, we have just received the latest gantt chart from the architect. He hopes to complete Stage E this coming week and move on to Stage F which is all the serious drawings for us to build from, plus all the internal fit out drawings.  He doesn’t want us to start getting too carried away before all these are basically detailed up and agreed. Our colour  (turquoise) on the chart appears at the end of October when we seem to take over the reins.  For us it’s getting very close.  For you (especially our daughters and their boys) it probably feels like an age.  ‘These things take time’  I'm afraid you have to be patient.

Once it starts it gets very serious, so we can’t jump in too soon.

Meanwhile there is a lot for us to do.  Max has been working on the Site Office.  The garage door has been moved back a meter, shelves have been put up behind the garage door for all his tools.  The electrician has been to put in a new consumer unit and the sockets for the office.  One at least for an electric fire.

The office, by the way, is the generic name for tool shed, utility room, kitchen and desk area. All in about 9 ft square. Got the picture?  Nothing glamorous – purely functional.  There is a separate room for the ‘welfare centre’ so in that respect it IS glamorous.  There will be very smart signs saying ‘All persons MUST report to the site office’  Hard hats must be worn on site’  ‘Guard dogs patrolling’.

Oh, there is also a first aid box, accident book, and the inevitable Health and Safety poster.  That’s compliance.

The garage is going to be knocked back to the position of the recessed wall you can see, so that it is out of the way of constructing the new house.  So the next stage is to take off a bit of roof and knock down the side walls back to the door

This is the back of the garage door that Max has lined with useful shelves for all his tools

This is going to be my area - where the manager's desk will be (under the window).

Along the side will be the kitchen (kettle and fridge) and the utility room (my washing machine and dryer)  All mod cons in here.  Don't worry the tools will have gone by then. (Ever hopeful)

There is a side door to the garage.  We haven't blocked up the only opening 

Between times there has been a certain amount of produce grown, cured, plaited etc.  So some proud pictures follow.  Some of us, mainly in the shape of Max, don't stand idly by.  No doubt he'll relax this evening with a puff or two! whilst I watch the football.

His hand rolled, carefully grown cigars placed into home-made formers

The cigars pressed and ready

Home grown onions plaited and ready to hang