Ground Floor slabs on

Finally we have the ground floor slabs on.  They were lifted in yesterday, and another stage of the house is completed.  It also helps us to get the real size of the rooms on this floor and many of these are the key rooms in the house as the most used.  The added height of the ceiling (to make up for the step in the kitchen) is evident when you walk in, below the floor to ceiling height is not too far off 3.5 meters, this will come down by 400mm with floor and suspended ceiling.  We can also start thinking of things such as kitchen layouts and other significant rooms that will effect parts of the build such as underfloor heating.  We're still a good 3 weeks behind where I wanted to be, so the race is on to get weather tight - something I'm clearly obsessed with at the moment.  The back rooms now seem dark - the concrete blocks don't reflect any light and we're used to having full daylight all over the rooms.

Window quotes still continue to come in.  There is a range of quotes as you'd expect from a number of companies with products that appear similar.  Some of the things I'm looking for are U-values (performance on insulation) and security - the first is important for us as we're at the edge of the heating system capability and anything we can claw back and save brings us closer to being able to work as is without adding extra heat  pumps.  The question will be how much of a premium that is worth, you spend pounds to save pennies over 20 years or so.  Once that is resolved, then the next phases are pretty much lined up to the point where we can think of starting the interior fit out.

Finally the perspective picture view with these slabs on and the steel frame completed on the front windows.

Slow going with blocks

The blocks are not going up anywhere nearly as quickly as we'd been sold.  These internal walls will be carrying load for the hollowcore 1st floor, so we can't get these in place until they are completed.  It's not a mis-estimation on the builders part, the issue is that the blockies didn't turn up for a few days, and I suspect didn't exactly do a full days work when they were there.  These guys are subcontracted by the structure builder, so I don't have a direct line to them, and the builder isn't always on site while these guys are supposed to be, so supervision is minimal.  At this stage with everyone complaining about the lack of work you'd think people would want to get through it and maintain a good name for the next job.  I guess not.

This story is nearly finished, most of the blocks are up and hopefully this will then get slabbed next week.  The final ICF row, internal blocks and then the roof (finally) can start.  In the picture the columns are either side of the fireplace.  We're looking to install a warm air circulation system, this is above the stove we'll fit here and allow air above it to get heated and circulate back out the top of the stack.  This should improve the heat we obtain from the unit when its on.  We still plasterboard over the area so this space is hidden, and we'll have to work out how to affix heavy items such as a TV etc.  But combined with the Heat-Recovery ventilation we can use the stove to pump heat all around the house.  It's located in the central open space, and warm air here will naturally circulate to the dining room, kitchen, back lobby and top landing.  However, if we're in a position that we're depending on this for heat we're already in trouble!

Again I'm only worried about the pace of building from the perspective of getting the house sealed.  We're getting quotes for windows, doors, stone and have plaster in mind, so if we get pushing we might have an intense 8-10 weeks to get weather tight and ready for internal fit-out.

Ground Floor internal walls

With the outside walls poured the work has started on the internal walls.  Again we'll start to see the floor plan come to life and be able to walk though the house, allowing us to start planning the interior layouts in our own heads.

There are more and more detail decisions we need to make at this stage, that we really haven't thought of.  Size of the opening for the stove, final ideas of room sizes, as well as starting to plan stone cladding, windows and cills.  It'll be a busy period now as we make these choices, view work in other houses and order in materials and labour. On top of that the roof will hopefully be ready to be started in another 2 weeks.  While that is going in, we want to be moving fast on all the other aspects - sills in, stone on, windows in or there-abouts and if we still have time maybe start the external render.

With the windows we'll end up with some problems.  The large windows in the basement are too big to have as side-hung, so while we could have a tilt & turn window closing it may be very difficult due to the weight.  The curved wall may either be segments or a curved pane- the latter may be very expensive.  We also have to decide if we want certain pane's divided or left as single large panes.  Thats all without deciding on colour and type.

We have a decision on the external stone - a natural stone cladding made up of quartz and granite.  This has proved to be significantly cheaper than natural stone to apply - both in the cost of the stone and more so in the cost of the labour to fit it.  We'll also need to sort out an installer for the sills - these require a bit more detail as damp-proofing needs to be installed as well.

Finally, we also have our first tenants in - a flock of swallows have built a nest in a girder inside the garage.  They did it a lot bloody quicker than we managed as well.  They'll be off for the winter, and hopefully when they get back there will be no way in for them.  The carport area is exposed though, so we'll have to ensure there are no handy nesting spots - otherwise Lorraine can park her car under the nest and clean up the consequence!

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.

Steel onsite

The steel for the windows and reinforcing the garage roof are now onsite, when you see it laid out you can see why it costs so much!  I thought it was a few small sections, but there is metres of the stuff.

Delayed on fabricating the structures needed, but with lightning in the area over the last few days I can understand a certain reluctance to be swinging some of these about.

Ground floor detail

The walls rising on the ground floor bring to it a number of details that have to be resolved as we construct.  There seem to be number of issues cropping up here, mostly as a result of changes and one that has been deferred until now.

• First off, we moved the kitchen wall out by a foot.  Sounds small, but what we all forgot is that there was a steel beam in the basement roof below that was waiting to carry that wall, and more importantly the weight of the hollow-core slabs on top of it.  We moved it as we're worried the kitchen would be smaller than we'd hoped.  Similarly, the front wall of the living room moved out 450mm or so to ensure it was sitting on the wall underneath it.  The incremental cost here is a new steel beam in the underside.
• We've decided to add another half block of ICF on the wall level of the ground floor - with the step in the kitchen the ceiling height there would have been affected, so to maintain a reasonable height there we need to up the size of the wall a little.  More cost of material to do so.
• The living room features windows that wrap around the corners, nice but something needs to carry the weight of the wall above and in particular the stone on that wall.  This requires steel box sections to carry these, with .  Up till now it's been left, but now the engineer has spec'ed it our builder is a little skittish about the fabrication of the piece.

With all that, timeline for the next bit are to pour these walls towards the end of this week, complete the internal blocks next week and lie the hollow-core slabs by the end of next week.  If we miss the last deadline, we'll have an issue as we'll be waiting 2 weeks while the floor slab company are on holidays.  If we make it, it's likely we'll get all the walls completed by mid-august and look at starting on the roof.

Ground Floor walls started

The Radon barrier in, floor poured and the walls for the ground story are starting.  Had a look last night to see the progress and get a sense of the house as it sits back offset on the basement.  Also, all important, the tape measure to ensure the kitchen size is correct - 5.4m square.  The tape is correct, but without all the walls and ceiling on it's really hard to judge the size accurately.  It was the same in the basement, rooms look a lot smaller until they are finished off.  So finger are crossed really that it will work out.

Here is the back wall of the house, the radon peeking out from where the walls join the footings.  Again lots of jacks are going up to support the walls, giving me confidence that they will be straight!  This phase will only take a few days, with the detail going in around the front door - it seems to transcend the levels of basement/ground floor so getting these levels right is a task for the architect.

In the meantime, our minds switch more firmly to stone and windows.  Realistically we need to order our windows in about 3-4 weeks.  Similarly, we'll need to get in cills and stonework before they arrive, and it's proving difficult to get the stone - colour is no problem but we like the more rectangular cut rather than square or round and sourcing it is tricky.  However we've seen it around so it can be done.

On the windows the PvC or Alu-Clad is still a topic.  We've quotes from several companies that are competitive and may open up alu-clads, still would be a massive stretch.  But, if we're going with black windows PvC suffer from expansion and contraction with heat and this will cause gaps to appear, with contraction in winter.  So we may end up saving on windows and spending money yearly on heating.  With the heating specification at a stretch that isn't ideal.  We're going to look at some samples on the weekend and see where it all stands.

The offset on the basement leaves us with a natural balcony from the sitting room, which will be great in summer.  The outline of it is going up above.  Also working out nicely is the vertical services shaft.  So far, so good - the next detail to go in at this level is central vacuum and HRV duct runs!

Ground Floor footings

The ground floor footings are laid out, defining all the rooms on this floor over the ground (as opposed to over the basement).  These have a Radon barrier placed over them and the interior filled back up with earth.

These footings will support the block walls internally, and ICF externally or for load-bearing.  The plumber has also been in to install soil-pipes for waste water and showers at this level so that they will be under the path level on the finished build.  This will stop all the pipes being visible on the finished walls.  For the 1st floor, these pipes will route via the suspended ceilings internally.

Also added at this stage are the draw pipes for the stove fire.  Since the rooms are not ventilated naturally, we don't want the fire drawing air from the room directly.  2 pipes are installed, one routing to the left of the stove (just at the edge of the curved section of wall), the other routing back to the kitchen wall.  This allows 2 directions for air to get into the fire, preventing downdraft from the chimney into the fire if the wind direction isn't favorable.

Next is the installation of the Radon, and remaining pipes to sit in this floor level.

With the perspective drawing, I'll keep a set of photos taken from roughly the same perspective and it will be interesting to see the progress to that - so far we look like this

Ground Floor

After a bit of re-jigging we're nearly ready to pour the ground floor.  The changes we made went in after the foundations were poured, so thankfully these limited the extent of what could change.  Now the next Radon barrier and floor are ready to go in on the areas not over the basement section.

We need to get the plumber back on site to install the pipes for the kitchen, bathrooms and utility areas, of course I should have really known this and arranged it earlier, but my inexperience shows through.  Luckily he's able to have a look today, and hopefully able to install soon after that, but the builder is a little unhappy at losing days.  In fairness though, I'm not hassling him on the days here and there he isn't on site (he's very reliable though) so a little leeway here from him should be expected, although I can understand he may be a bit frustrated after the delay with plan changes.  After this though, it should all be in his control and no more delays - the only other thing will b the 1st floor plumbing.

I also have to get a the HRV and central vacuum points arranged for this floor before the ICF is poured.  I have a fair idea where these will go, but the HRV in particular is a little more fuzzy as the designer refused to believe that the vertical service shaft would line up.  Of course he also refused to look at the updated set of plans I sent. Net result is that for the basement it wasn't a complicated run and we could extrapolate the duct run to the shaft, but the ground floor is more complex and I'll have to chase him for this.

Week delay

Moving the walls a bit has certainly delayed us.  Because of these changes the builder quite rightly wants a set of drawings that represent these - for himself and also for other suppliers (hollowcore floors for example) that need to measure off and use them.  Problem is getting time from the architect to sit down and go over the changes, as opposed to catching him on the road where he can't see the drawing.

As a result, we're nearly a week delayed.  The builder is getting antsy over the stall, and so am I - I wanted to start the roof in mid-July and it's now slipping to August.  Since the roofer isn't around the 1st 2 weeks of August, it could mean the roof takes to the end of September - and we're heading for Winter.