Stonework finished - last windows in

Its taken a bit longer but all in good time, the stonework has been completed at the garage, front door and around the sunroom.
Garage

Sunroom


Front Door.


Last windows in now aswell. Sunroom, front door and front window and the stain glass window (designed by myself.)

Designed window.


So finally the house is sealed up, next tasks were to get the scaffolding down. done by Dec 1st. New year tasks now to get the digger in for all the drains and heating pipes to garage, get a condensed oil boiler and the key ingredient - ELECTRICITY, sorted, so we can warm up the house and get going on the next steps.

Electrician back first, then plumber, tiler to be sorted. might try some painting over the xmas holidays. furniture buying.

INTERIORS progress.
Stairs - awaiting final drawings and prices. Kitchen booked for end Jan - start Feb. My bed bought ( 1st one a bit too long so new one sorted now). Dining table and chairs ordered. Tiles picked for downstairs(hall, sunroom, kitchen and utility). Over xmas wooden floors for sitting and tv rooms to be sorted, with the stairs carpet, and onto landing. Plenty of furniture spotted, so awaiting the lotto numbers to be able to pay for it all :o)))

Latest House photo

Steel & Stone week - up to Nov 2nd & Nov 9th

Stonework around sunroom going well, awaiting sills which finally will be delivered on 2nd Nov - and off up again they can go after that.

Steel for over windows arrived (minus 2 lintels) so trying to locate them now. Garage work can continue so that should be finished by early next week. Finished on Nov 3rd. Scaffolding still up in front of it so photo to arrive later!

1 beam over front door needs to be inserted into the side walls so core-drilling dude required for that. and get him to core out vents in kitchen and utility while he's there! Core work done on 2nd Nov, steel through front door holes on the following Tues. 6 men to do that. Now stone continuing up the wall. Sunroom sills put in just this week, and stone going up around them. Still locating the 2 final steel lintels (special screw fixing required to attach it to the corner of wall (nothing to support it from ground up - all fun)

Slabber nearly finished inside - besides the 2 open window areas and the sunroom. Some small bits to be done still this week Nov9th, hard to get him to just finish it off! Hope to get plasterer back to start skimming next Monday 12th Nov.

Slabber and stonemason started - to Oct 24th

Last week the slabbing started with all the ceilings on the ground floor completed and now the walls have started. Upstairs all the stud walls got 1 sided slabs, so then i had the job of packing in the rockwool over the weekend. This week is completing the other side of stud walls and onto the attic. Rooms are now feeling like real rooms as you can't see from room to room anymore. Smaller in some ways but now i know the layouts etc.

Stonemason started yesterday 23rd Oct. Here is a photo of their work so far.
Garage front gable ->


Steel on order to be put in over all window and door openings to support the stone over that! Window sills on order (was going to precast and make them but that effort will take too long and outcome is unknown). so back to the shop made. hopefully they'll arrive by early next week and we'll rock on with getting stone up and windows in. Then finally the house will be sealed up!

Slabber has then to return to do the sunroom and around the windows/front door that are not in yet.

Heating and electricity are the next jobs and then onto tiling aswell.

up to Oct 15th

Finally 2 buckets of colour render arrived on on 10th October so plasterer could do the back wall of house, then up on the scaffolding again to paint the sills.

Inside the electricians got all 1st fix done by Friday evening.

Insulating guys came on Sat morning, did about a 1/4 of the attic with kingspan, and didn't come back til today Monday. pressure on them now as the slabbing team arrived to meet the delivery of plasterboards so they are going to start on ground floor today and once insulation in roof and between joists they'll start upstairs.

Stonemason due on later this week, so steel order in for over the windows/doors of sunroom and front door and garage.

busy week, no new pictures.

Sunroom roof on.

With the gable wall plastered by the sunroom, it finally got roofed.
While the scaffolding is up, we cleaned the windows upstairs on all sides of the house and painted the window sills black.
Taking great shape now.

Photo of latest view of front of house ->


Short some colour render so back of house has been delayed and hopefully by Oct 9th it will get finished off.
Some scaffolding to come down this weekend and the rest next weekend once we paint the sills at back of the house.

Stonemason fun.. cancelled original guy, (due to his lack of interest and actually not turning up) and have found another group to come within 2 weeks. Starting 16th Oct. so within 2 weeks they'll hopefully be completed. then cast window sills and get windows in. House then sealed up!

INSIDE ->
Electric points marked so that is ready to go. That was a fun evening. 2 and half hours walking round decided ( even though i had it all on plans already) where switches and sockets should go. Electrician had some good thoughts on different lighting options and some of my plans changed.
He's to be onsite and finished by 20th Oct.
Lining up some help to Kingspan the attic roof, before its slabbed & skimmed. This work is being lined up for week after 20th Oct.

Kitchen plan finalised with final drawing to come next week. Still no tiles picked for floor. or whether the skirting boards and architraves will be painted or wood. Plenty of things to plan out yet :o)

But hopefully by end of October, outside and inside are plastered and fully sealed.. Then its 2nd fixing fun for November. Get the heating system up and running and warm up the house.. I'll nearly be able to sleep in it then!

Plastering well on its way

Slow few weeks since last report.
Sept 3-7 - post all-ireland week nothing was happening.
The plasterers workmen arrived on site and started.
First coat on all walls included a mesh to hold it all together.
2nd coat is a primer to prepare for the render.
Final coat is the 2.0mm coloured render.

Sept 27th, 2 weeks late starting plastering and we are short 1 bucket of render to finish off the back of the house. so fingers crossed by Oct 6th we'll be removing the scaffolding.

Photo of front of house ->


colour is a bit stronger than i'd expected but i'm told its still drying off :o) fingers crossed it dries off nicely to a buttermilk colour to match the chimneys!

Internal works update.
Shower trays in, pipe work started. Window boards in, stud walls set into position. Electrician on the way soon.

Garage -> got the first coat of paint on that 2 weeks ago. haven't returned to it since. Painted window sill black to see what that would look like. will do house sills black now and the plinth around by the footpaths once they are finished off. (a long way off yet).
Garage door arrived today too. Black roller door. looks great.
Solar panel frames also arrived today and are being installed.

Next jobs.. stonemason to get house sections done, then window sills can be precast and poured, then its windows and front door done and the house is finally sealed up.
hope all this happens in next 2 weeks so by end of Oct, the inside slabbing will be well on its way!

Windows are in

As per the schedule - which i never published.. the windows appeared this week. Sunroom, front door and stain glass not going in for a month or so. Stonework and window sills to go in first to the sunroom.
Front door traffic too busy for that door to go in so we'll get the outside done and then the offical door opening will commence after that!

Photo of the house with windows (seal on the windows which we'll leave for a few weeks too, til plastering is finished)


Plasterer still on schedule for next week to start, so God please sort out the weather and keep it dry for the week :o)).
Plumber to core wall for water pipes etc before then, and start inside work. Electrician appearing in next 2-3 weeks, so i've a bit of time to get kitchen layout and which way doors will open sorted!

Garage Plastered & Organising week

Well even with the terrible rain this week (what's new with that forecast) the plasterer managed to get the garage plastered.


Windows still on schedule for Monday 27th Aug. Stainglass window is a go! Thanks to Carey Glass in Nenagh and the designers there, accepting my wonderful artwork!
Stonework to start mid Sept.
Plasterer back start sept (once windows are in)
Gutters/fascias/soffits started.
Front door surround - nearly sorted.

Plumber and electrician advised of progress and they'll be required soon.
Plumber to do cut outs for sewer pipes before plasterer starts.
Also need electrician to prep for outside wall lights!

all go.. but getting there.

Roof & Chimney up to - Aug 13th

This week, got chimneys plastered and painted, back of house roofed with velux and vents put in!
All stud walls inside are up and got a stairs location to get into the attic. This fixed stairs gives easy access up to a huge space!
Windows were measured and ordered and will be arriving within 2-3 weeks.
Plaster can start after that. so hope to have stone mason starting before then!

Photo of back of house roof


Chimney Painted just before Limerick got through to All-ireland final ->

Roof on 30 July - 3 Aug

As the concrete dried in the walls, the carpenters were busy cutting the rafters for the sunroom roof and got started straight away.
Monday 30th July - internal block walls being built up today and tomorrow so then the carpenters will be up working on the main roof.
Talk of chimney pots and plastering chimney in the next few weeks to get the roof finished off. very fast and exciting.
Just keeping a few steps ahead of the guys with the next tradesmen is proving okay... (so far).

Its Thursday - all window sills in.
Going to cast the sills around the stonework areas - over front door and sunroom. Chimneys are built up and i managed to get Black Chimney Pots rather than the terracotta coloured ones.
Carpenters working at serious pace. All stud walls upstairs are in, had some minor adjustments but they're working out well.
Attic space is nearly laid out.. and roof beams are going into place.

Plasterer organised to plaster the chimney stacks by early next week so the lads can finish off roofing by end of next week.
Scaffolding up at front and back. Sides to be done as Plasterer and fascias and soffits and gutters are going up.

Stain glass windows designed so hopefully they company will be able to make them up.

Photo of roof progress on Thurs Aug 2nd.

So in summary as we hit the Bank Holiday weekend in August.....
Its now 15 weeks since the ditch was opened and the photos above are evidence of the progress made. With the weathermen declaring this suumer one of the wettest summers in a long time, anytime i've needed a dry spell to keep going, Sammy Sunshine has done his best. I've been lucky.. and long may this luck continue.

Next weeks update -> Roof on, first sign of colour on the chimneys, line up the stonemason to start and hopefully i'll have checked out a garage front door.

Upstairs walls built over 1 week.

Took a while to get pre-cast measured up and ordered and approved but just 5 days later it arrived on site. Got soapblocks up to mark out rooms, plumber and vacuum system in to lay out pipes. All the while the garage got a roof on. Sat 14th July concrete came to screed off the pre-cast floor. Now waiting the guys to come back for ICF walls on exterior for upstairs. Sunroom also being done this time round.
23rd July -> Amvic ICF guys back onsite and started work on the upstairs walls.

Monday Morning Photo

Monday evening photo



Tuesday evening Photo



Wednesday Photo

Skipped thursday as i forgot the camera.. but the gables were finished and the sunroom started.

Friday - The big pour
All done on time, concrete arrived around 10am, and poured into the walls. 13 cars onsite as the team run round to make sure all goes well. click on photo to see larger view.



Windows are measured up, and currently designing stained glass for front door and window by stairs.
Gutters measured up for on garage and to be ordered.

Still a bit slow on the stonemason and plasterer but i'll get there. Prices coming in now so hopefully they'll be able to line up with the current schedule of work.

Carpenter hoping to have house roofed for August Bank holiday w/end before his holidays so i am thrilled with this deadline (that i didn't have to set).

New Photos

Finally got a sunny day to try take some photos of the latest activities on site. This is a view from inside the gate.




Window sills are on the way. Garage really taking shape. Acquired a free window from the folks for the garage so i'm saving a bit of dosh!! Window to be placed on near wall of photo.


Security on site so far has not been an issue but with the birth of new calf, i think i'll have the place supervised for free over the next few months ->







Interesting times with the measuring up of the pre-cast floor, head height on the stairs etc. Engineer and company working to find the right solution -> getting a "cantilevered slab" to allow for a steep rise on first part of stairs and then extend the landing back towards the gable for the last 3 steps after the half landing! Photo to follow once pre-cast appears on site.

My reclaimed Limestone (from Dromineer) has arrived from Nenagh, first load is the loose stone for the front gate entrance, that stone will stay put for a while.
Bagged stone to come over w/end for the sunroom, front door and front of garage.

The Waiting game

Well the guys have finally returned to take the 2nd measuring with the internal block wall for the pre-cast slab so now its sit and wait time.. Ha ha yeah right.
Do you know what size openings for the chimneys, stairs, do you need any others??
Have the lads come back to build up internal walls and fireplaces?
what way are you going to screed off on top of the pre-cast floor?
Has the garage started yet, so you can finish that off and store the supplies in a safe and dry corner.
What are they going to ask you if you've decided on next?
Window sills is my next adventure, and then onto ensuite layouts for plumber before he comes back in 2 weeks time.

And don't mention the rain.
Terrible 2 weeks of wet weather, hardly a row of blocks go up each day. Yesterday 20th the guys were in full swing and 3 additional rows appeared on some walls.
ICF cutting out is fun.... Blocklayers ahve to clear a run each day on the ICF wall to tie the block wall into the concrete. I think i'll have to start chiselling away at the chimney spaces that need to come out. 2 sections of 5 ft by 9ft. that will take a while. My first major job on the house, roll up the sleeve and tuck in!

Ground floor External Walls up

Didn't get a photo of the finished floor, and now another week has passed and there are external walls up. ICF structure walls, for outside and inside central loadbearing wall.


Sunroom not done yet, blocks laid incorrectly to hold in the concrete being poured. Door from kitchen to sunroom wasn't cut out so that is to be cut now... special blades required for that. Not too bad a job given that i was off taking it easy in the Canaries for the week.
Next job is to get the concrete slab company in to measure up and they take 2weeks to deliver. meanwhile, garage walls are to commence this week and also internal block walls to be put in place.

Next steps in foundations

Well finally after 2 weeks and 2 days, they are back on site again, and i have learnt what a "Whaker" is. Grade 804 stone (load after load) is being pressed into the foundations and a layer of dust over this. Radon barrier will be next.
Had some questions when I noticed the radon sump pipe was coming out the hole in the wall at the hotpress, which should be for the incoming heat and water! Bathroom - waste pipe also in the wrong place. And no exit pipe at the garage for the heating and water.

I am learning that you need to check every step along the way, and not be afraid to ask why is that there. Verify each step against your plans. Positions of all doors, facilities...
The guys have been very accommodating to putting them in the right place! A certain tact is required to say, "Hey, you've put them in the wrong place and i want it where it should be".

The hoover system goes in next and he is getting his schedule in a twist trying to accommodate me around the weather and his other work and very little notice. If it starts to delay things, i'll be skipping the "Nice to have" of an internal hoover system.

Staying calm and trying to reason with these guys that have this happening all the time is character building to say the least.

Here is the latest photo of proceedings.



Just realised this photo is a great shot to have a view of where all the pipes are running for future reference. Did do a floor plan of the run of pipes on my drawings aswell.

Later today, floors will be finished, all power floated etc.. another photo to follow.

Foundation - next steps

May 2nd,
Foundation block work done for the house and garage.

First delivery of concrete arrived

Sat morning 21st April 7:40am, Roadstone arrive with the first of 5 loads of 30N20, with both the house and garage poured and levelled by lunchtime.
All to be left settle for 4-5 days now and blocklaying to commence on Wed/Thurs.
First splatter of rain(in nearly 4 weeks)arrived late Sat evening, making no impact on the site. :o)

Digger has moved in

18th April 2007, a moment in history...



After all the plotting and planning and endless dreams, its all starting today. Digger has arrived on site and commenced with the driveway, and tomorow the marking of foundations and clearing this section will be well on its way...


From the back of the site, a photo of the digging done on the house area.

Pre-Build photos

Here are some photos of the site and view from the site before the digger arrives this week. Top one is a view of the position of the house, the view i'll have from the front door, and the bottom shot is from the road looking in across the site.

1 week to go.

April 12th.
I have set up this blog so that those near and dear to me can watch the progress of my house build from afar. It will store photos of the most significant changes on the site, hopefully how progress is going over the next year and maybe even a witty story or two along the way.

House details :- 2560sq ft 2 storey, with sunroom. Seperate garage.


Opening the site is to start week April 16th.
Photo of green site to follow.