28. Not something to show the neighbours - they might freak out

North Elevation

These elevation drawings of the cladding may freak the neighbours out - but they are only schematic to show how the hardwood cladding panels are set out.  I just had to put them in the blog - they are such fun.

The key and the setting out combinations A. B. C. D and E

The architects have planned for 5 different combinations of three different widths of board, shown as blue, green and red. They have been precisely laid out so that no boards have to be cut around a window frame, giving the windows a very clean and precise look.  The architects envisage the building looking like a solid lump of timber, out of which are honed the holes for the windows.  So the window frames are negligible - the timber overlaps them, and the face of the window is very much in line with the face of the building. 

Our task is to build this, and meet these exacting standards.

The South Elevation
(sorry it's rather a wonky pic)

So the key shown as A, B, C D and E describes the five different combinations  that are then put together between the precise measurements between structural openings.  Some have the number +1 or +2 shown at the bottom of them - this is where a tolerance for each overlapping board of 1 or 2mm has to be utilised to spread them out to fit the space.  The architect initially allowed for a 4mm tolerance (to each board) over some groupings, but I rejected that as totally unacceptable.  He's come back with a new layout, keeping everything within 2mm max.

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The lengths of the boards come as random lengths, but the wood has been kiln dried to such an extent that the movement that you usually experience in wood will be 'minimal' - they say.   So when they are butted up to each other the horizontal line between them should be negligible.

Looking over the field covered studio roof to the west elevation

So these colourful elevations look great fun - but don't be alarmed they are as I say - only schematic - the colour in reality is the usual brownish colour that will turn silvery grey with time.  Chosen because we believe it will blend with the local lias limestone of the area.

We are not about to bring op art into the green belt.

  

27 Joists, fireplaces, floorboards and parapets

Floor joists being installed.  The ones nearest are actually for the first floor bedrooms, the further joists are the roof joists to the single storey living room and snug.

Looking down through the bedroom floor joists

The silver sheet that has been placed between the beams and floor joists is the breather membrane. This will then be taped to another sheet to cover the ground floor walls, and above to cover first floor walls - this is continued all around the building to make it airtight.  

All the webs in the steel are filled with insulation before either the external timber boards or the breather membrane are fitted.  Insulation and air tightness are the most important aspects for saving energy costs.

These are the packs of mineral wool that will be fitted around the walls where ever there are spaces

Aligning the fireplace with the chimney
Setting it up was quite demanding and it appeared to fall on my shoulders.
.  Dimensions were very precise: 961mm, and 423mm and similarly precise angles. Any old position was unlikely to work. I had to find a way of using a fine line which concrete doesn't exactly encourage.

In order to achieve these fine lines and precise measurements I first laid tape
on which I could draw on with a fine biro. 

Once I was sufficiently confident that it was all in line allowed the master to cut the first block.
The brickie comes in a week to build the curving chimney over the fire place.
 We must wait and see if it comes out through the roof in the right place - and then some weeks later if the fire draws correctly.

The roof boards over the living room in the foreground.  In the distance the bedroom floor joists, soon to be covered with floor boards.

In the foreground the roof parapet to the living room roof.

The roof joists to Max's studio being installed.
The space between the steel beam and the blockwork is where the high level windows go to give a floating appearance to the field and wild flower meadow that will come up over the roof to this point in the foreground.

Looking from the house into the studio area.
We are installing a roof light which you can see cut into the roof beams.
This is in the corridor area on the approach to the studio.
The bathroom and utility room will be off to the right.

Quite a lot of progress has been made in the last week, and the start of this week.

We have decided to go with an air source heat pump for our central heating and hot water and will place the order tomorrow.
I also expect to do the final calculations for the external hard wood cladding tomorrow so that I can order the timber tomorrow as we need delivery in about 4 weeks to keep on schedule.

No days wasted due to weather.  
The scaffolding, sheeting and roof structure have proved their worth already.

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.

25. Suddenly things are expanding

25.  Suddenly things are expanding

The scaffolders started on Tuesday 26th March after a false start on the Monday due to the ground being too soft.  We had to import a whole lot of hardcore to give it a firmer base, but Stefan came to the fore again and ensured that all was well for the next day.

The impact of the scaffolding work has been massive.  'Massive' being the focus I'm afraid.

Starting with the uprights

Laying the first lift (the first set of working planks)

We will have 3 lifts one to build the ground floor, one for the first floor and one to build the roof.

This was the achievement by the end of the first day

The first lift  to provide access for building the ground floor tiimber infill walls
 second lift overhead

The ramp giving access to the second lift so that deliveries for the first floor are easier than carrying up ladders!  

They came and worked Saturday to catch up a bit.
 It is now considerably larger!  Somewhat frighteningly so.
It's larger because it is all going to be roofed in and sheeted so that we can carry on building 'whatever the weather'
Amazingly the local walkers / villagers are becoming even more fascinated - we don't appear to have lost any friends yet.
and in fact we've been invited out to supper again tomorrow evening.

A little reminder of what the site looks like when looking towards the view it affords.
On days like this, it makes one realise why we are doing this project.

The steel for the studio didn't arrive this week.  The steel fabricator had problems with a building site in Salisbury.  The structural engineer was fired and our steel man was left to sort out a building that was 20cms shorter than it should have been.
Ooops.
It puts short delays into context, and makes one thankful for small problems.

On Monday the work starts and it all gets very serious again.
There should be lots to report next week.