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!

Arched window

Popped into Ropewalk House this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to see Dave had completed one of the arched windows looking out from the dining room next to the secret stairs.

Week Decisions

I've just woken up at 6:00 am and today is my 39th birthday!  I feel pretty good waking up early having slept through the night not thinking about house issues.

The house has immersed us in the cycle of having to make decisions.  I thought that we had done lots of research in years gone by but until you get into the detail and finally make a decision it just doesn't stop.  Take one single element i.e. we (Flora mainly) really wanted a rainwater harvesting system rather than Matt's strategically placed raised water butts.  It took not only the internet time but many discussions with Gary and Dave and then more time with the tree expert from the council who was worried that our C graded trees were being possibly affected by the large hole.

Quick summary of where we're at: -

1. Block work about 7 ft in height.
2. Windows and doors finally ordered apart from garden door that may be made separately.
3. Wood burner stove - from Stovesonline now ordered (double insert back boiler).  It's going to give out 5 kw to the room and 14 kw to the thermal store.  I thought we were going for the smaller version 5kw and 10 kw but maybe it's better to have too much than too little?
4. Kitchen 'range / chimney' insert dimensions adjusted and starting to be re-built.
5. Money leaving our bank account at a fast rate of knots... mortgage application sent to the Ecology Building Society.
6. Kitchen confirmed from Howdens but need to get Garry to order it and confirm the trade price.
7. Accepted expensive water connection quotation from Wessex Water.
8. Sent Gas and electricity paperwork for estimates.

Flora and Tilly standing in the kitchen / dining area

Things to be done soon: -

1. Expensive seasoned oak beams to be ordered for above the cooker.
2. Make a decision about the fireplace wood storage.
3. Order the MVHR (mechanical ventilation heat recovery) from the Green Building Store.
4. Confirm prices of wavy edged oak weather boarding.
5. Research more plumbers that can instal solar thermal and back boilers (easier to find fairies at the bottom of the garden).
6. Come up with a estimated lighting cost from the Original Lighting Company. Went up to London for the Olympics and at the same time visited their showroom to take some pictures.

Looking from the dining area to the play room and beyond to the sitting room

Week 11 - 1st week August out of the ground

Week 11 - August

Time rushes by when work cranks up and then you've also got lots of ringing around to for the house thus the last thing on my list is to actually record what has been going on!

In a month things are looking really positive having now poured a considerable amount of concrete and the weather for a short spell decided to clear up with a week of sun.

Concrete piles being delivered - early July

17th July after considerable amount of rain the cellar still looks good - had to be pumped out again

Looking at the wood store & utility room then the trench foundations for the kitchen and dining room

27th July - all the concrete has finally been poured!  Aircrete blocks can start to be laid.

South west corner of the house showing the monks stair indent

1st August it's starting to look more like a house!

a)  Things that I've just completed and feel considerably more relieved by finally doing so: -

1) Gas application - this shouldn't be too bad considering Dave thought (as did everyone else) that the large concrete bollard thing next to the site was water when in fact it's mains gas!

2) Electricity - day after I posted the application they've already contacted Garry so I'm impressed but we're see.

3) Water application was a pain in the arse asking for schematic which yours truly attempted to do and come up with a simplified version.  They've also made contact.

b)  Things to do.

1)  Windows - Having been badgered by Flora who is understandably apprehensive about the cost of triple glazing I finally got ringing the various other companies.  Having sent a few emails about 5 weeks ago and received nothing telephoning is certainly the more effective way.  Two alternative companies we going to obtain quotes for are the Passivehaus Stove in Devon and Rawlinton in Bristol.  We're going to do a whirl wind tour at some point in the next few weeks to see the actual windows.  I can't decided whether having aluminium powder coated is better than painted.  Essentially the former doesn't need any maintenance which sounds great but it may only last 30 / 40 years where as the painted wood version needs reapplying every 5 years but may last considerably longer.

2)  Heating systems - Stovesonline have been really useful talking about installing a double insert stove with back boiler. I hoping they're be able to recommend a plumber who might be able to design and commission the heating system.  I've had a quote from Celic Solar who seem pretty expensive but they may be in the end the ones to go for.  Passivehaus Store also have a non anti freeze system which apparently makes a low maintenance opinion.

3) Flora is researching the kitchen having gone to Howdens and spoken to Andrew about other ideas.  She's come up with the good idea of making the kitchen range area more interesting looking by adding a fire place / kink to hide the extractor fan.  The range / induction cooker has so far been sourced.

4) Lighting - we were recommended to look at http://www.lightingmatters.co.uk which for the first time I've actually come across a lighting website that I thought had some wonderful ideas.  It actually got me excited rather than down hearted to think we might be able to have some of these in our house.  We both agree that we're spend our money on the main communal areas with ordinary lighting upstairs.