Steel up

With the steel now in around the windows and lower floor area the pace is back up.  Hopefully we'll be in a position to pour the walls of the next story Tuesday, and then it'll be a sprint to get the internal blocks up - these are needed to support the weight of the hollow-core floors above.  All in all we still may make it for the 3rd week in Aug to get to roof plate - once these slabs go up then there is only a section of ICF left to go as well as internal walls, and no details with steel for load bearing left.  Given that, ideally the roofer will start then while the stairwell is cast.

It's about 2-3 weeks off where I wanted to be at the start, we've had a lot of little niggle delays, mostly around specification and detail of areas that ideally would have been thought out to start with.  It's meant that we've had to go back and retrofit steel, penetrate the hollowcore floors and a few other things like that that make you roll your eyes a bit.  I'm all for getting sleeves rolled up and get moving, but a bit more thought on the engineering may have saved me a good few thousand euro by being rolled into the original cost and thus open for negotiation.  While the extra detail prices aren't exorbitant, its difficult to negotiate the prices as you've been locked into the builder for that section.

We also had a stonemason looking at the site as we've decided on what stone to use.  It's a natural stone cladding (comes in tile-like sections) but is made of natural stone.  The one we've picked is mostly quartz - its what we've been drawn to in the stone yards and I think the natural sheen on the stone will make it very changeable in the light.  We're also looking at internal walls where we may put stone - we're thinking of a grey slate in some areas of the basement.  Give that cave feel.

Windows are still not even quoted - there has been a big hold up in getting a proper window schedule, with designated fire hinges or toughened glass where required for regulations.  Not a massive blocker now, but we're now into the builders holidays and a lot of firms will be shut up for these 2 weeks.  It's all getting tight to get closed up by end of October.