wk:9 errecting the frame...

Week 8 ended with plenty of rain and heavy skies (picture below courtesy of our wonderfully supportive neighbours). But as can be seen below a lot of the timber frame had been delivered to the site and the base boards were mostly in place round the edge of the slab, ready for the frame to be attached to.

With Week 9 now well under way, Jonathan's team have started erecting the frame. Part of the west and north walls are first. Michael and Will here working on the north wall.

Jonathan and Chris. Chris has started to apply the boards to the inside of the frame that serve as a vapour barrier, hold in the blown in insulation and prevent movement in the structure.

As seen from the north west corner. Some extra reinforcement for the retaining wall will be poured in tomorrow (28/05) to shore it up.

Recently Simon's groundworks team have also been installing the enormous (7 cubic metre) soakaway underground (no photos yet!) and working on the drainage and terrace.
 

Looking north towards the north wall. The large gaps represent the holes into which the windows will be installed (obvioulsy not quite as big as the wholes. In the Foreground all the pieces of the frame waiting to be erected. Each one is precisely cut to size and numbered to identify its location when its installed.

wk:7 demolition and groundworks week 7 of 7...

As week 7 ended the slab was indeed down and polished. 

There is still work to do though on the 7 week demolition and groundworks package though. All hands have been helping out on the retaining wall in Brendan's absence!  

Prep is made for pouring the concrete slab on which the block work steps up to the terrace will sit. The concrete goes into the area on the right with the steel grid suspended on blocks.

Brendan did mange to get back to the site on Saturday and started to make good progress on the terrace wall.

The back retaining wall is pretty much complete now.

The week ahead should be an exciting one with lots of blockwork scheduled for the terrace. Then Jonathan's team start on site erecting the timber frame on Wednesday which we are very much looking forward to.

slabbed up...

The slab is most definitely in. In fact when Em and Thea turned up on site at eleven all the concrete (three wagons not four) was poured. I wanted action shots of big trucks and great buckets of concrete being carted around the place. All we have are the guys floating it and then later in the day getting started with the Power Float for a really smooth finish. Almost Germanically dull and impressive at the same time, that they had made so much progress.

Its great to see it in and the progress that it records but in an odd sense it almost seems a shame that so much hard work and detailing went into what lies below, that will never be seen again.

I got the impression that everybody wanted to have a go with the Power Float, but the boss went first.

the day before the pour...

The day before the concrete for the slab is poured has been a busy one. Lots of insulation laid, staggered, taped and tightly installed. The weather once again has been kind.

Serious ice cream eating required !

Steel going in and being set at the correct height to sit in the middle of the slab.

Just before eight this evening the guys had it in good shape. Another big day!

wk:6 demolition and groundworks week 6 of 7...

Week 6 is now up and we are just embarking on Week 7. The block work of the foundations is complete for the main building. Still some work on the retaining wall (right) and terrace (currently non existent) to do. Insulation is already partly fitted, the levels have been brought up and the drains are in. There is still some service (water, power, etc in and back out to the garage) connections to be added (bottom left) . 

Tomorrow will be a big day for Team Tozer as they add various membranes and then 200mm of Celotex insulation (see below) and then the steel reinforcement before the concrete for the slab gets poured on Wednesday. Reportedly four wagon loads! 

Amazingly when we visited the site tonight at 6.45 Chris was still onsite cracking on with ensuring the compacted sub floor was just the right height all over.  

All this insulation will be installed tomorrow across the full print before being covered in 150mm of concrete.

bad gas.....

Radon is apparently bad gas. But this amazing construction - a Radon Sump will catch it for us and whisk it away. We need it for building regs approval as we are near areas that have "Radon Issues". They said we could have one or a test to see if there is actually a Radon problem. Despite the vast expense, its considered cheaper to fit one of the feats of modern science rather than have a test.
  

gales, heavy showers and rumours of a tooth extraction...but at least we can forget cold bridges

Despite the rain, gales and some dental health concerns, progress continues and the blocks continue to rise. The main soil pipes are also now mostly in place and can be seen poking up.

What's more with the arrival of some Perisul FoamGlas insulation on site apparently we can rest easy on the cold bridge front. This stuff is effectively load bearing like blockwork but is highly insulating and therefore crucial in reducing cold bridges in the foundations of the building.

Apparently it is made from recycled windscreens. 

wk:5 demolition and groundworks week 5 of 7...

Now five weeks into the project and Team Tozer are still cracking on. With the concrete down, now the blocks are starting to come up at a pace. They will finish flush with the top of the slab that the timber frame sits on. Nathan (to the right) I believe is secretly managing the project and reporting back to Simon in his base in the Bahamas, as he doesn't seem to have left the site in the last five weeks. Brendan (left) a relative newcomer is the man responsible for the blockwork. Hat's off to these guys though, who were still hard at it at 6pm the evening before a bank holiday weekend!   

  

In terms of levels the earth within the blockwork will be brought up roughly 200mm with earth followed by 150mm of crushed hardcore, 200mm of foam glass insulation and then the 150mm of concrete slab.