Peculation Area Finished, Garage Getting Started.

We have done quite a bit since my last post.

All the insulation for the walls and the air tight membrane have been done. Only the 1st floor ceiling and attic to do. Then we will carry out a preliminary air tightness test.

Upstairs South side wall with air tight membrane on ready for taping

Downstairs West side wall. Will be the utility room.

In the summer we had the grass area around the back of the house and the field next door mowed and the baled. We had a total of 17 bales made.

The grass was first mowed.

Ready for baling

The baler in action

Bales are wrapped in plastic by the wrapper, keeps the birds off.

The area above the house after baling

The field next door with wrapped bales.

In October we started work on site again.

First the septic tank was installed and the peculation area, for the waste liquids to go into, was done.

From the septic tank we had to dig out ten 10m long trenches these where filled 300mm of clean stone then the perculation pipe was installed then another 150mm of stone then a geotextile membrane was laid on top, to stop the soil contaminating the stone, then the trenches were back filled.

Also upgraded the phone so photo's are better and bigger I hope.

The pipes are drilled with 8mm holes at 4,6 8 O'Clock

The pipe ready for installation

Getting the hole ready to receive the septic tank.

Lifting the tank into place

The tank in place this was back filled with dry concrete and soil.

The peculation pipes with stone below.

Putting on the geotextile membrane.

We then started the foundations for the garage which is 14m x 5.5m nearly as big as the house. It will consist of a car port and garage.

First scoop out of the ground.

The base of the foundation covered in a layer of stone and compacted.

We put the same type of reinforcement into the garage foundation as the house. We put in three 16mm bars at the bottom and two 16mm bars at the top, all linked with 10mm bars.

The links were pre-made for us but all the 16mm bar was bent on site. The kit to make the links was pretty impressive.

Corner detail

We used 17.5m3 of concrete in the foundation.

1st load being placed.

Getting there waiting for the 2nd load.

 

Blocks were added into the middle ready for the walls

Foundation blocks finished now to start the floor.

The floor is made up stone compacted in 150mm layers.

Then a layer of sand again compacted. Then the radon barrier.

The radon barrier will act as the water proof membrane so all the joints were taped.

Then insulation was put in and reinforced steel mesh. The mesh had spacers underneath to keep it above the floor. Then this was filled with 12m3 of concrete.

Once the concrete was roughly leveled a vibrating screeded was used to compact and level the floor.

The vibrating screeder.

The slab after 48 hours.

The block work for the garage will start 9th December.

The roof trusses for the garage will be pre-made off site and we will put them all up in one day. They will form the barrel shape of the roof.

The House Got Painted and the Scaffolding Came Down!!!

We started putting up the rain water goods on the 25th March and finished it in a couple of days.

We choose plastic guttering and fascia, Michael the architect wanted zinc but it was five times the price, so plastic for now but we might change it sometime in the future. 

The zinc would have looked great. 

The Plastic Guttering and fascia.

The next big task outside was the get the house painted. The weather at the beginning of April was very good, cold but dry.

We painted the whole house using brushes which made the paint soak into all the pores of the render, very hard work on the arm muscles.

View from the North-West corner

View From the South-West

North view the front of the House

The Sunny South-East Corner

 

View from our bedroom window taken from the scaffolding outside.

  
We had a delivery of the first of the 700 sheets of 2400mm x 1200mm insulation that we will be using. 

The insulation came from Ballytherm. The amounts are 350 sheets of 150mm and 350 sheets of 50mm.

The first order was 30 sheets of each.

We will be seeing a lot of this driver.

We will be placing the 150mm sheets first, these will be placed vertically into the 150mm timber studs then the 50mm sheets will be placed horizontally into 50mm studs.

We started the inside face of  the north wall first because this has the least amount of windows so the most amount of insulation.

The first 150mm sheet

Most of the downstairs complete

Michael adding the 50mm sheet horizontally.

After the 50mm insulation we added the air tightness membrane. We used Radon barrier which is very controversial but it meant we needed far less jointing tape and at €35.00 a roll its a big saving.

The Radon barrier is taped at the top and the bottom

  

The plastic air tight membrane then the OSB board.

After the membrane we put up OSB board which is where all my services will be attached.

We have also had a delivery of more OSB so we can clad the plastic membrane and some thicker material which we will use to lay on the loft floor.

The temporary stove I made is now inside and functioning brilliantly. Many people who have visited the site have commented on it. We are using a flexible chimney flue as a temporary measure a new twin wall chimney flue will be used when the permanent stove arrives. We are calling the stove "Thomas" after Thomas the Tank Engine.

The new OSB board and "Thomas"

The open plan kitchen,dinning and sitting rooms

  

We have had to finish the landing upstairs so that the stair man can come to measure up. We added a much better temporary stair case with a hand rail which has made the plumber and April very happy.

Adding the joists for the landing

The new landing and top of the stairs

Looking from the first floor to the stair landing.

Side view from the ground floor.

The first floor landing.

Picture of the proposed staircase.

 The staircase we are having will be the same as above but with eight treads not nine. This is being made to measure in white oak and glass panels with a white oak hand rail. It should look good.
  

All the timber framing upstairs is also finished this will have a layer of plasterboard on each side and insulation in the middle. The plasterboard will be skimmed with a coat of finish plaster than painted.

View from the front bedroom towards our room.

Our en-suite with shower tray positioning for the plumber

We also added a loft hatch.

The view from the front middle room to our room

Upstairs family bathroom.

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 On the 21st May we started to take down the scaffolding the hire on it finishes end of May so just in time. It took a day to remove all the scaffolding and so far it was one of the warmest days this year.

 
 The complete work took about six hours. While we were working on the house the local council were reinstating the road outside. So we asked them if they could use the vibrating roller that they were using, to go over the drive, which they duly did.

A great bit of kit

The best bit of kit the council have.

 The house with all the scaffolding removed looks very stark. When the garage goes up and all the massive landscaping is done it shouldn't look too bad.

North-West corner

South-West corner with the very temporary chimney flue.

Southern Elevation

South-East elevation

We also have to put some cladding around the east and south elevation windows as per the council instructions.

The barrel roof of the garage will also add some interest.

The cladding can be seen around the widows on the East and South elevations.

The next phase is to complete all the insulation work and for the electrician and plumber to start the first fix.