What a week!

Ok - this is I hope the last time I write about money.  

At the start of the build I had a contingency which is now well and truly gone. After that I thought if we didn't buy outrageously expensive items, unlike the numerous couples of popular TV series trying to justify why they really did need to spend £20,000 more on a kitchen than they had planned for, I thought we would be in the clear.  The difficult part is how do you explain going over budget?  In short a combination of us changing our minds eg the wood shed roof material from a agricultural roofing material to slate (but then the whole design had to change which was considerably more expensive and only communicated by how much after it had been done).  The other factor was underestimation by the QS certainly in the amount of exterior oak cladding but possibly other areas.  Without someone taking hours to work this out we'll never know and frankly I'm not going start spending more money working it all out!  We've got a very good understanding of how much and Andrew will be letting us know of the financial progress in our weekly Friday meetings.

So apart from the money side of life (the house will in some optimistic way be completed) - it's been a week of decisions.  My head hurts just thinking about all the stuff that I'll probably forget about next week.  Trying to remember what Andrew or Garry said and then conveying it back to Flora can be really hard work!

Top points of the Pops this week: -

Our notes to Piers the plumber confirming the position of the loo in our ensuite bathroom.

• Bathroom / plumbing and all things watery - we've changed / finalised the layout of all two bathrooms and the downstairs loo.  Trying to future proof the plumbing we've also asked for a hot and cold feed to be factored in to run into the downstairs loo just in case we wanted in the future to instal a shower.

• The huge 500 litre thermal store (water tank) arrived on Friday.  Thank God for the very strong Lithuanian window fitted who kindly helped man handle the 400 kg tank into the house - equally thank God for the patio slide doors as the tank didn't actually fit through anything else.

The rather large thermal store supplied by Dunster Boilers - currently positioned in the dining room with Tilly looking in disgust.



• How do we get rid of excess heat from the solar panels / back boiler?  We're going to have one or two dump radiators in the hall and utility room if this is the case in colder periods of the year.  But then what happens if the amazingly efficient solar panels produce too much hot water in the summer?  Piers the Plumber suggested something he's installed recently into another house.  A hot water pipe running out of the house into potentially a green house providing so much warmth that the owner is now able to grow bananas! 

Utility room - outside door - notice the wet floor due to the leak in the roof!



• Who's doing what?  In an ideal world we wanted one plumbing company to do everything.  Well this was possible but it was going cost a considerably more so we now need to make sure that all three parties involved in the plumbing know exactly what they're required to do.
• Not a lot of slating has happened due to the snow but it's only going to be raining this coming week!
• Leak in the utility roof but apparently not everything has been finished / sealed.
• Delay Tom Maccurach completing the pergola until we know we'll be able to pay him.
• Confirm a rough time line with Andrew and finish date for GW Builders (Garry, Dave, Gareth and James) 1st March.
• Confirm light fittings and watch the first fix take place.

On the study wall we've decided on the light fittings (yellow marks)

• Talk about screed which then greatly affects how and when the stone flooring can be laid.

Our sitting room / snug toy free zone.

Access to the first floor - not quite the final hallway look at the moment.

Garden door and playroom window - see the black damp course membrane will be under the final floor level.

• Watch as the 1st floor internal walls become more solid with plaster board, floors chip boarded and outside walls insulated plaster boarding (yes that's right even more insulation).

Another spare room overlooking the garden - the chimney is behind the block work.

Girls bedroom - ok it doesn't show very much but the window to the right gets a great view to the school gates.

The spare room with stud work showing the built in wardrobe with it's back opening into the study, inspired by The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe .

Attic - but it has to have the ducting for the Mechanical Heat Recovery + rain water header tank (s) installed soon.

Leading across the hallway to the family bathroom and girls bedroom.

The round window and ideal position for a loo with a view.

The dining room doors below under the undercroft and study window all fitted.

Lighting in the snow

This blog was always intended to be a way of trying to collect my thoughts together over the years of building our house.  What was I thinking two years ago probably has changed considerably about either the design, money and people.  I think it's healthy to periodically look at how far we've come and so far we can both say it's been on the whole a really enjoyable experience.

The build took on a new phase this week going up about three gears in terms of people on site.  I counted 14 on Monday which is great but I don't want to add up how much that day cost us!

GW Builders - Garry, Dave, Gareth and James
3f2 Carpentry - Andrew, Robin, Rob and Alex
Rawlinson Windows - Russ + 2
Lead man
Chris the electrician
Solar Sam

Andrew from 3f2 Carpentry was always going to be in charge of the project from the first fix onwards.  He in theory was going to be in around October time so he's been delayed but fortunately he's had plenty of other work to keep him and his team busy.

Andrew and Flora chatting in our ensuite bathroom (use your imagination!)

It's been hectic going up to see progress trying to make decisions and talk to everyone.  It's at the crucial stage where we've had a very good look at the finances.  For whatever reasons we've reached a point where we now have a good idea of the final cost from GW builders.  There are other elements outside the structure of the house that we've asked for a fixed price just to be able to make an informed decision about whether we can afford the non essential items.  We need some sort of drive way covering for example but we don't actually need the entrance gate and wall to be built at this very point in time.  To try and build a wall using lime mortar isn't very practical.  We always had it in our minds that we wouldn't move in until everything was complete but this may have to change, financial unknowns and giving a little more time to decide and see how things can work we think should be considered.

We really like these light fittings from Original BTC company

Something we must make a decision about is lighting.  This morning after tobogganing with the girls braved the again snow, borrowed the 4x4 from Mill on the Brue and drove to Fiat Lux lighting shop in Frome.

The view from the study window out to the very white garden

There are two aspects to lighting - technical stuff i.e. electricity consumption and the aesthetics.  Frankly if we didn't give a hoot about trying to minimise our impact on the this world then the former probably wouldn't register in a conversation.  Most of the time when Flora and I have gone somewhere to look at something I've been the one to crash out first and get bored, until today......  In retrospect perhaps I might have started the conversation with the very pleasant and clearly knowledgable man in the shop about something else than the merits of LED lighting.  At which point Flora walks off to look at lights around the shop until we've finished and my head has stopped spinning.  There are some lovely lovely lights and essentially if you're thinking about trying to save energy then it's harder due to the whole industry being in the state of huge technology advancement.  The visit was interesting, thought provoking and we're nearer to deciding than we were yesterday.  What it really hard to decide is how do you know you're going to have enough lighting in the right place looking good without blowing the budget and being paranoid in the future of turning anything on? In the end you just have to make decision and get on with it and try your best without going completely mad.

The front of the study roof is nearly complete

Garry nailing on another reclaimed purple Welsh slate

So at the end of week whatever

1. Most of the windows and doors are in - we've had good comments even from Harry and Flora's pleased so that's great.

The beautiful round bathroom window

1. The third layer of insulation in the roof - TLX silver has been fitted (I made the decision not to have another layer of celotex rigid insulation back with plasterboard as it was going to cost loads more despite improving the U value of the house).

The chip board floor already makes a difference.  Looking from our bedroom along the hall to the family bathroom.

1. The slates to the roof are getting there not helped by the biting cold wind ending up with 10cm this morning.

1. James is slowing ploughing on with the north wall.
2. Upstairs the chip boarding is nearly complete and the stud walling is about finished.
3. Chris the electrician has started the 1st fix
4. The flat roof to the oriel window, garden porch, utility room and flashing on the back door porch has been fitted.

Lead roof over the utility room

A cold Sunday walkabout

Summary of the week - lots happening!

1) Reclaimed Welsh slates are going on.

2) Tom returned and put the hipped porch up.

3) Windows finally arrived and have started to be put in.

4) North wall is progressing well with the help of James.

5) Friends came to have a look!

Time well spent up at the house

It feels great to be doing something physical that is contributing to the build of the house rather than coming up with some of the ideas, making decisions and supplying the funding!  We've had the time for the last few days to watch the girls playing in the garden whilst we have been lucky enough to have a few hours helping the building team.  For me I've been staining the ends of the roof joists a grey colour.  Each soft wood joist protruding out from the roof have been cut at the lower facing end in a curve which gives a really noticeably more elegant look to the roof structure already.  By staining the ends of the joists we hope the soft wood will be less stark in comparison to the oak that will turn a silver grey in a few years time.

Carefully does it painting the ends of the roof joists.

Polly's contribution to the stone wall building smoothing out the lime plaster.

The undercroft to the right will be the dining room area through the doors.

North elevation cladding.

Flora drove up to Bristol to look at more stone and came back with an even better type with a really good price which is at the moment a very good thing!

Polly has been so enthusiastic trying to help both of us over the last two days it's been lovely.  Climbing up the scaffolding to help me paint didn't bother her at all nor the mud and dust from helping Flora build the garden stone wall.

West elevation.

Wood shed - roof.