Christmas Greetings

Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The builder's are currently taking a well earned 2 week break, but there are a few recent pictures we can share with you (but not necessarily in chronological order)...

That's quite a large window frame!

The underfloor heating on the top floor is laid below aluminium conductive plates, not in a concrete screed.

The indoor unit of the air-source heat pump.

Not the best weather to be digging up the road, but we now have electricity connected.

The first rooms are plastered.

The view from the road (the windows have grey frames not white, it's the protective film)

The timber shingles are going to look amazing :-)

The sliding folding doors are enormous!

The fully-glazed back door.

The self-levelling screed freshly laid.

Long Time No Post

It's been a while since our last post and a lot has been happening with the house.  There are now plenty of people on site each day including bricklayers, plumbers and electricians so things are happening very quickly.  The floor insulation and underfloor heating pipework has been installed and is ready to be screeded, the first of the windows have gone in, the masonry is complete and the roof membrane is on.

I've got some time off work this week to try and sort out various things for the house like the bathroom and kitchen details as well as catching up on paperwork.  Can't wait to be taking time off for something more exciting like painting or laying flooring!

Underfloor heating pipese laid on 150mm polystyrene

One of the first windows installed in the bedroom

Underfloor heating pipes ready for the screed in the main room

Fireplace and fluepipe

Dining Room window

The stairwell is looking very tall

The study and roof membrane are complete

A few recent photos

More battens added for the shingles

The first fix plumbing has begun

The study as seen from the roof terrace

The roof looks waterproof already

It's not always sunny in Sheffield

Tree top views

Another site visit and more progress to see.  The roof deck has been laid and sealed with bitumen, ready to receive the tapered insulation and single-ply waterproof membrane.  The parapet walls are up to their full height, which gives us a really good impression of what the roof terrace will be like.  You feel like you're in the tree tops and the view is impressive.

At ground level the vertical timber counter-battens have started to be installed, ready for the addition of horizontal battens and finally cedar shingles.

The window company have been on site measuring up so not long now until it's weathertight.  Finger's crossed we don't get any snow in the next couple of weeks!

The view from the roof

The roof decking is laid and sealed, ready to receive insulation and single-ply membrane

Blockwork to full height on the front elevation

Timber counter-battens are the first step towards fixing the shingles

Last scaffold lift

A quick check on progress on Saturday was thwarted by the scaffolders working at the weekend!  We returned a few hours later and they'd finished the last scaffold lift and we could get up to roof terrace level.  The view is fantastic, over the tree tops to Dore Moor and the setting sun.  It also gave us a good opportunity to get some photos from a new viewpoint.

The study is going to be in the tree tops

At last we can see the view from the roof terrace

Roof terrace joists

View from the road

Roof Terrace

I had a meeting on site this morning with the sub-contractors who'll be responsible for the heating system and plumbing, including the air-source heat pump, solar thermal panels and underfloor heating.  One thing we need to do is agree on the best location for the solar panels, but it's hard to tell until the second floor is built and we can assess the overhanging trees.

The builders have made good progress this week despite the wet weather.  The roof level steelwork is in position and the joists have started going on.  This means that the proportions of the first floor rooms are becoming clear.  The main living space looks huge, but it does include the living room, kitchen and dining area, so it probably needs to be.

The next and final lift of scaffolding is due tomorrow which means we must be getting close to topping out!  It's all getting very exciting :-)

Roof terrace joists started

The main living space (seems huge!)

Internal exposed brickwork panel

The view from the roof on a misty morning

Upstairs Walls

We decided it was time for an update, but it's starting to get a bit too dark to be going after work.
The first floor walls are well underway with some of them up to roof level already.  The roof steelwork is being delivered later this week and it won't be too long now until we're topping out.

Unfortunately the builders are a few weeks behind programme so the estimated completion date is now in March next year.  We can't really get too upset as it's taken me long enough to get the drawings done!

Walls above first floor level

The cantilevered balcony appears to float

The back door and WC window

Upstairs, Downstairs

It's been a busy week or so, but I've found some time to upload a few more recent pictures.  The build is progressing well and the first floor is in place.  This means that the downstairs rooms are enclosed and you can get a really good sense of the proportions, light and views out.  It also means that we can now stand at first floor level and even on the balcony.  The view is mostly of tree tops, but there are a few little glimpses through of the moors beyond.

The steelwork has been installed for the cantilevered balcony, including the very expensive thermal breaks (the blue thing in the photos below).  These are made of a type of high density plastic which massively reduces the amount of heat that would be lost if the steel beam ran straight through the wall.  Without them, there would be a risk of condensation forming on the ceiling below the cold steels, due to the air-tightness of modern construction.  They are fully structurally tested, but there is still something a little concerning about a balcony supported by plastic!

Cantilevered balcony frame

First floor and stairwell

Bedroom 3 with internal exposed brickwork

Bedroom 1 with huge window and tree top views

From the road

Dom's Mum and Dad came to visit at the weekend and we spent a couple of hours on site pottering around cutting back some of the undergrowth at the top of the site and collecting up all the gritstone we could find from old walls, steps, etc. to use in the gabions at the front of the site later on.  Many thanks for the help, it was really good to spend time on site.  We're looking forward to starting the more serious jobs of painting, flooring and kitchen fitting.

Most exciting site visit yet!

Another week and more to see.  The internal walls are complete to first floor level which means that we can now walk around all the rooms on the ground floor.  The bedrooms feel a good size, and the windows are nice and big with views of tree tops.  The corridor down the middle of the house doesn't seem too long and narrow (which we were a little bit concerned about).

The steelwork is in place to support the balcony and to trim around the stair opening and the concrete first floor beams are due to be delivered on Monday, so not long until the first floor will be in place.

The main bedroom with it's BIG window

The view in through the hallway window

Steelwork in place and ready for the first floor

Ground Floor Walls Nearing Completion

We've just got back from another trip up to the site to check on progress and everythings moving along well.  The external walls are up to first floor level, but the internal walls have a bit of catching up to do.  The front door and all the windows are now clear to see and the main bedroom window looks MASSIVE!  Well, we did want to make the most of the views and get lots of light into the main rooms.

Internal Walls Just Started

First Lift of Scaffolding

Front Door and Hallway Window

Ducts, tanking, scaffolding and even walls!

It's been a busy couple of weeks on site.  The builders have installed the ducts which will carry electricity, water and BT cables to our house as well as the drains that will take foul and surface water away.  This was a little more difficult than normal due to the steep slope, but thery're now all in place and covered over.

Ducts for electricity (black), water (blue), BT (grey) and drains (brown)

The brick layers are making good progress with the external walls.

A scaffolding loading platform and steps have made accessing the site much easier.  Deliveries will be lifted straight off the lorries onto the high level platform from where they can more easily be moved to wherever they are needed.

With the external walls going up, we can start to picture the views that we will get from the bedroom windows on the ground floor.  In summer this is going to be tree tops, however in winter we'll be able to see through the trees and across the valley to the moors beyond.  We think we'll be able to see over the trees from the first floor and will definately be able to from the second floor office and roof terrace.

Gill surveys the view from the bedroom window

 The tanking system which will stop water from from coming through the retaining wall has been completed.  Any water is drained to the bottom of the cavity wall, where a drain takes it away.

Tanking to retaining wall

 The external walls contain 100mm of rigid polyisocyanurate insulation board which will give really good thermal performance.  All the concrete and blockwork that's been used so far doesn't feel very 'eco', but it will provide excellent thermal mass, helping the house to keep warm in winter and cool in summer.

External walls in progress