26 The excitement is on again

26.             The excitement is on again

We started on site again, Monday 4th March and progress has been good.

It is very rewarding to see so much more of the building in place at the end of each day.

The roofing scaffolding sheets being lifted into position

We said the sun would come out as soon as the sheets went on.

Not for long!  The gales howled and the blizzards threatened.
Icy weather returned within a matter of days.

The scaffolders brought black sheets to start with, but after several phone calls and large intakes of breath and puffing out of cheeks they finally agreed to cover our building in translucent white ones.  All is well.

The studio wall is tanked with waterproof paint.

The steel beams arrive and are installed and Max and Dan are fitting the sole plates to the blockwork, on which the stud walls will be built..

The blocking timbers are fitted within the steel beams,
and the joist hangers are fixed to these.
The steel fabricators have been back and made some final adjustments as things were not quite accurate.
Everything is now correctly in place.

This is a typical architect's detail of which there are many.

This is a plan section of the wall detail showing a steel column (the H in the middle) with the blocking timbers  within the flange of the column.
On the right of the column is a typical window frame detail.
The wavy parts are where the insulation sheets will be, with battens on which to fix the external cladding.  

Max has created a file of drawings which give very simple dimensional details for the builders for each wall of the building.
This helps us calculate exactly the quantity of material we need, and gives the builders the key dimensions already worked out and clearly shown.

This is one wall, with the details for timbers and significant elements pointed out.
The speed at which the builders are progressing must have some bearing on the fact that Max has helped make it pretty straight forward for them.
It has taken a lot of work during the previous 6 weeks to be able to translate the drawings into meaningful instructions.

This shows the vertical blocking timbers within the steel  column flanges, the horizontal sole plates along the top of the blockwork wall with DPC and DPM sealed between the two, and the header plate under the top steel beams

This is looking into the snug with the vertical studs and horizontal noggins all in place.
Insulation will fit between the vertical studs, as well as insulation panels all fitted to the outside of the wall.

Mark and James cutting the ply window reveals to create the structural openings for the windows - which are due to arrive mid April.

Window reveals in position for the large kitchen window

Living room wall showing the stud wall in the process of being fitted.

Detail of the living room wall

Fitting the sole plate to the first floor

Insulation panels stacked ready to be fitted to the exterior of the ply sheets.
Rolls of insulation are fitted between the studs and the verticals.

The floor joists arriving on site to be fitted the next day.
Trying to maintain a policy of 'just in time' management.
Feels a bit hairy and scary at times.
Working well so far.

Joist hangers have been fitted ready to take the joists for the first floor.
The floor should be in by the end of the week

This is our proposed schedule until the beginning of May, by which time we should have the main body of the house in place and ready to start the internal fit out.
Well, we'll see.