Oak posts delivered

Today was exciting.  I had to walk up and see for myself that the huge oak posts being put into place by Tom and his team.  Knowing that this oak has grown in Flora's family farm for the last 150+ years just makes it more special.  Obviously I felt like a complete spare part but it gave me the opportunity to look at real craftsmanship in place.

The oak frame being assembled - an undercroft to sit under & above will be the study

The oak dowels being cut away

By contrast we (that includes Garry and Dave) were appalled to see a vent pipe sticking out of the beautiful wall in a really obvious height put there by Celtic Renewables last Friday when they did the initial installation of the wood burner.  Without any consultation to anyone, it just looks like they did the easiest thing for them which is a shame as I'm going to ask them to do it again in a less obvious place!  It also worries me about thermal bridging (conduction of the heat through the pipe to the outside) so I'll ask Phil Neave (of Thermal Phil as Harry the House calls him) our environmental consultant.

Two stories high

Where did October go?  I was only thinking a few days ago that September was the stone cladding month followed by October being the laying the floor joists / wood month and suddenly we have less than two weeks before it's November.  My concern was always getting the house water tight before the autumn rains but frankly at this rate winter may be cold but it might be considerably less wet than our summer.

Things we're thinking about this week like faux bookends .......

Last weekend we stayed at this house

Even better this was the entrance to our bedroom! This is the sort of entrance  I want for the monks staircase up to the study.

Second floor going up (taken from the primary school car park)

View from the scaffolding to our garden

• Heating - the wood burner has been installed (1st part).  I've tried to find another company approved to install both wood burners and solar thermal panels but to no avail even rang up both accredited associated websites.
• We think the windows and doors are going to look good but frankly it's too late now!  They should be delivered in early December.
• Tom McCurrac is arriving today to erect the wooden oak frame to hold the study up and the oriel window.

Sunday walk around

I've just seen an email from Garry which says something about an invoice so at the moment it's better to look at that in the morning and concentrate on the progress of the Ropewalk House.  Apart from last weeks wet weather which nearly dampened the spirits of the GW team I think it's going pretty well.  Tom McCurrac is coming to Bruton in the week of the 21st which again will be really exciting to see his progress having picked up the oak trees from Dennings Down Farm a few weeks ago.

Flora on the scaffolding outside the play room window

The part of the wall Flora built

Garden door archway which I think it beautiful

The rough view from our bedroom window

Look down the monks stairs void

Directly in front is kitchen, left playroom, beyond downstairs loo

Looking out from the sitting room window into our garden

A seasoned but new oak beam dividing the kitchen and playroom

South wall window just to the right will be the monks stair

Play room window (left) and sitting room window right but will have a dividing wall

 

Stoning

I think the stone work is nearly complete which is great as it looks brilliant but it's also taken ages so I would like to see some vertical improvements please.

Today I went up having dropped off Polly at the Primary School in the pouring rain.  Everyone was sheltering (Garry, Dave, Gareth and JJ) under a very temporary roof.  I think they may or may not have sacked the day as they wanted to put on the plates to hold in the timber roof joists.  We were going to have the more modern zig zag sort of I beams but now we think a solution to run the MVHR ducting down past the various wardrobes gives us a saving going back to the more conventional material.  I don't care as long as we don't hear every foot step from up stairs and it doesn't take the electrician and plumbers far longer to run the services through. I've been assured that this is unlikely to happen.  What hot this week: -

Stone window sills from Bruton

Flora adding even more credibility points helping with facing the walls

1. Another oak beam (new one this time) was delivered and installed on Monday separating the dining room through to the play room.  It looks surprising good already which is very exciting.
2. Windows have taken a huge amount of Flora's time checking and double checking.  I think we may be there now we decided that the larder door is to be a outside door as the larder will be having two outside vents to keep it cool.  An unforeseen expense of £900 has arisen due to having to have toughened glass for some of the windows as they're below 800 mm from the floor.
3. We choose and paid for a Rangemaster cooker + got a 1/2 price cooker hood at the same time from Spillers of Chard.  Very happy with all of this, well done Mrs RP for the research.
4. Going to fix up a meeting with Nigel Davis (QS) and Garry to match actual expenditure to predicted.
5. Mortgage application has been accepted so now I've got to submit some final paperwork but it's looking positive.
6. Been talking to Celtic Renewables with reference to the plan and then backing up my knowledge with a very useful conversation with a friend in the know.  It's never simple and I need to get a decision once and for all.  I think they're good but I'm still slightly wary that they coming from Cornwall and I should be able to find a more local company.  This is tomorrows quest!

Oak Beams

A really frustrating aspect to computers is having saved the latest blog pain stakingly typed from my phone it then doesn't so here goes for a second and it all better be worth it.

Decisions have in my view slowed down over the past couple of weeks possibly due to Garry going on holiday and Dave and the team concentrating on the stone work. Still things have progressed

1) The brick work looks higher and the stone work is chasing it up quickly.

2) David Brayborn sent us his report about the trees on the eastern boundary and in short we're going to leave them be for at least this winter and the next.

3) The oak beam which will be set above the cooker was researched and ordered by Flora. I had the task of picking it up from Glastonbury reclamation.  Luckily it just fit into the estate with probably less than 20 cm.  It looks great to finally see something in place that we know we're be looking at for many years to come.  All the internal block work will all be covered up and even the plaster gets paint over and eventually chipped and scratched.  This old oak beam already had history from another house and it was really lovely to know that we're reusing something again for a purpose.  Full credit to Flora I know she has considerably more patience and drive in these areas of detail.

4) We went to Devon to stay with Flora's Mum for a week which was great!