The Self Builder’s blog

Well not quite, but I hope you get my drift.

The first floor is in, which I wasn’t expecting.  I thought my stage payment at first floor joints, would included exactly that. 

As there is obviously nothing above, I didn’t expect to see floor boards being laid on top of them straight away.

But apparently, these bad-boys are water proof, which means that they can be laid now, and they can even assist the bricklayers, especially useful for tidying the internal block jointing work, I’m told.

It’s amazing how these thin pieces of wood conglomerate change the feel of the, well, house. In fact they make it look, and feel, more like a house than it ever has done.

The downstairs is now effectively laid out, and you get a good idea of how much natural light each room will get. 

Stood on the first floor, it seems a shame to put walls up at all, though I think from a hypo-thermal and security aspect, upstairs walls are necessary.

I might ask the builder to galvanise and leave the scaffolding on the west elevation of the house, that would make a fabulous balcony.

The three-foot-foreman is due on site this afternoon,  after nursery, I’ll see what he says.

Work is cracking on, despite the recent downpours.   

Being a complete novice, I’ve often been surprised how early decisions must be made, and, at times, astounded by the number of people that need to be consulted.

I set about setting up the service connections late last year.  Being advised by my initial builder, building control and fellow self-builders to do so. 

Luckily, in one way I suppose, I won’t have access to natural or piped gas.  This is a blessing as far as this stage is concerned.  I’m led to believe that a gas connection can be the most difficult to arrange and you can sometimes be left waiting for.  Anyhow, just water and electric it is.  As we all know those two go hand-in-hand like nitro glycerin and school buses. 

I believe you can arrange both of these connections via a private contractor, but unless you know an expert, I would suggest that the normal means of contacting your local service supplier makes more sense. 

You can look here for your electric chinas and over here for your water boys.  And useful guides for electric and water/sewer connections.

Both firms have been efficient in dealing with my enquiry, particularly E-ON with the leccy. 

Meter position has been the only little sticking point.  Well it would be more of a big point if I was forced to stick a whacking great white box on the front of me new gaff.   

After two attempts by phone to correct the drawings to a mutually agreeable point, the meter box is now in situ. 

A pedant may argue it is on the back of the house, however I see it as the side, and a walk-by reader will have easy access to it. 

I trust all will run smoothly when the duct is laid shortly.  I’ll just have to check with the local network custodian and my designated electricity supplier. 

I made another site visit today, to check on the builder’s progress. 

Blimey, they have got on with the walls.  The downstairs part of my big room is nearly done.  Daddy says that’s his room, but as I keep telling him, I’m the boss. 

The builder told me he would have done a lot more but it’s been raining.  I said I hadn’t noticed as we’ve been playing indoors this week at nursery, with Dino-World.  In fact I offered to show him my effort at a terradactyl today. 

I also sought and obtained clarification on my vegetable patch.  It’s going to be by my garden, where there is a grass patch at the moment. I’m not sure if one vegetable patch will really do, so I asked Daddy to include five on the plans, I’m may be the boss, but boy, can I delegate. 

We compromised and agreed on two, though I think my Dad will try and fob me off with a line down the middle of a large vegetable patch. It is in our best interest to have as big an area as possible as I’ve committed to growing plenty of things for Daddy to cook. 

So far I have promised carrots, mash and gravy.  I know you can get mash from potatoes but I need to find out how I grow gravy. 

Anyway, I thanked the builders for their work so far and told them I would be back soon, will report in due course.

I’ve spent the weekend, amongst other things, looking at secondary heating options in my eventually-to-be new home. 

There are two chimneys, thus two fireplace holes designed into this project. One of them would be considered large enough for an Inglenook type design.  The other much smaller and in the hall of the property. 

I’ve decided to hold off on doing anything with the second fireplace, as I don’t have gas and therefore the ability to put a half-decent north-sea-reserve-burning bad-boy in it. 

I had a quick look at the electric suite, flush with, or in, the wall jobs.  General rule of thumb with them seems to be spend more to look less chavish. 

And seeing as they can be added later without changing a lot, I’ll see if I can keep my money in my pocket. After all I should really reserve pride-of-place for my signed photograph of Britney. 

Anyway,  after some research I’m going to get hold of a wood-burning stove for the main fireplace and lounge. An apparent good decision for my CO2 output and SAP rating. 

It seems that they mustn’t use powered chainsaws in restainable forests, and the workers and wood must be transported in cars and trucks fitted with hydrogen fuel cells. 

There’s a massive and surprising selection. And because of the rise in price of steel, the vast majority are made from cast iron, much as the all once were. 

How many different styles of Inglenook fire places are there? Loads. 

The trick for me is not making it too traditional or modern without looking daft.  So the spec is: not too anything. After consulting with the builder, and a couple of suppliers, I’m going for an inside-out fireplace. 

This means I’ll be using the lovely bricks I have for the outside, on the inside of this large fireplace, this time, with a raked joint. 

Here’s wishing this piece of kit looks good in it, or I’ll need to buy some extra thermalites and a really big picture of Ms Spears.

It was really pleasing to hear my Son has such a high opinion of me today. 

When I suggested his first working day visit of 2008 to the site, his reluctance due to the inclement weather was resoundly beaten by his urge to sit on ‘the giant fork-lift’.

‘Wow – look at that’ he said as we drove passed the site to park safely nearby. 

Both in our green wellies, a pre-requisite of semi-urban living, we plodded onto the site with our usual gusto.  He has more than enough for both of us. 

We’d just popped to check on progress and see if the builders required anything or had any queries. The works were inspected and questions from the 3ft foreman were asked and satisfactorily answered.  Compliments were even exchanged. 

Max then suggested that we assist in the bricklaying, ‘especially Daddy’.  Now I know children will love their parents and hopefully have faith in them.  But, me bricklaying, would stretch cataclysmic optimism. 

However, and as always, my child was correct. I could help. 

The builders had omitted one of the patio door openings, the one probably to be used the most.  So a wall as a substitute simply wouldn’t do. 

So Daddy did help the brickies, as they’d only done that part of the bricklaying very recently, and only to plinth height, it was amended as we looked on (and took this blog entry photo). A well timed visit.

Must listen more to the mini-project manager, well after all, the builders have to!

A New Year and the work starts again.  The damp proof course has been finished off and today the bricklaying has begun. Which also means the questions and more importantly decisions need to be made. 

The builder called this morning to follow up on a conversation I had about joints with the bricklayer.  No, we weren’t discussing Holland’s introduction of a smoking ban, we were talking about the gaps between bricks. 

Originally when discussing bricks, joints and mortar we’d done so in the comfort of our own homes or in the relative warmth of a building merchants. This time the discussions were conducted on site and with the site in mind. 

As the majority of my border is neighboured by as-far-as-the-eye-can-see farming land, it means the house will be open to the elements head on. 

I’d taken a long time to look at the bricks, as I was told quite early doors that self builders can almost sleep walk into choosing a material without realise what a drastic, and unalterable, difference this choice can make. 

A lot of things can be changed if you make a mistake or don’t like your choice, but I can’t really imagine calling the builder and saying “I love it, but could you just change the bricks?” The aim was to create a new-build effect but not to date the house. So a passer-by would think that’s a new house, but it doesn’t look it, instantly established I suppose. 

So, a heritage style brick has been chosen, and the raked joint looked favourite, to show off the randomness of the brick and its own lines. However with now the reality to consider, the bricklayer was concerned that the elements would mean a raked joint need re-pointing in the not too distant future. 

That would go against one of my principles of making the house as maintenance and ongoing cost light as possible. 

Thus after a demonstration of three different joints I’ve plumbed for a gag-like or bucket handle derivative. It gives the effect of a shallow rake, but is a much more robust gap.   

Anyway if I don’t like I can always lump it!