Sunday 29 January 2012

The self build diary day 49 - a busy Site

Well it's been a few days since I have been down to site and on Saturday I received my list of things to do which included putting some locks on the Porta cabin.

On my arrival to site all I could see we're pallets of blocks and stone, which is obviously brilliant news.

The site is almost level and the rear is almost hardcored over and finished so that we can use it to store materials and access the site from the rear.

The Porta cabin is secure and just needs to be connected to the electricity.

And........... We finally have electricity!!!!!!!!!!! The lovely people at n-power came and installed our meter on Friday! Finally we have a serviced plot!

So for this week, it should be scaffolding that is the order of the week, although something tells me that we may have a few issues here??? Poor communication from the scaffolder could mean a re jig of the schedule. Watch this space!!!

I'll update tomorrow.

Neil

Wednesday 25 January 2012

The Self Build Diary - Day 45

The drains are coming on strong and the front of the site is looking neat and tidy at last!



The Site cabin arrived today, which looks goods, I have a bit of work to do on it over the next few weeks but it will do nicely for making a brew in and keeping bits and bobs locked up.

Tomorrow the scaffolders arrive on site and start their work and the drains near completion.

So things tick over nicely to schedule, but nothing much to report tonight.

Ill catch up with scaffolding progress tomorrow.

Neil
@neilgrimshaw

Tuesday 24 January 2012

The self build diary - day 44 - Lights camera.....

Well the weather today wasn't great! The drainage has made a small amount of progress and the front of the site has been hardcored. Site cabin arrives tomorrow and hopefully some more progress with the drains at the rear. And our first stint on selfbuilder.tv went online and on sky 231 tonight at 9pm, back on next Tuesday at the same time. It's nice to see the project in motion and will be great for us to look back on in the next few years. Http://selfbuild.tv Back tomorrow with some more photos of site. Neil @neilgrimshaw

Monday 23 January 2012

The Self Build Diary - Day 43 - The Slab

well it has been a busy 6 days, and my daily blogging has been more than slack, but it truly has been a busy 6 days.

The builders on site finished the packing of the raft design and prepared the site for an early morning concrete pour on Saturday morning, the pump was on site for 7 and the first concrete waggon arrived at 7.15.....am.

It was Dark.....very Dark


The builders and concrete contractors sparkled in their high visibility wear as we started to pump the concrete into the slab and really get a feeling for the size of the footprint, after all this is the floor to the ground floor of the house, obviously without any insulation on it and the underfloor heating and the floor covering.




As the sun rose (well it got lighter, this is Huddersfield and sun is rare) the raft foundation neared completion. The structural Engineer specified the concrete mix required, but we had some issues between loads regarding the fluidity of the mix, which needed consistency, we needed to make sure that the concrete could flow successfully through the steel. As it flowed it was levelled and compacted and really started to take shape.


The temptation to do a hand print became all too much at one stage, but i managed to restrain myself!

so the weekend was used to let the raft set.

This week the builders have set about preparing the rest of the site, Drains going in and then the site compacted and hardcored so we can get about easily and cleanly and store materials on site easily. the scaffolders will be in at the end of the week and Will be setting about constructing our tent.

So its all change very quickly, i will keep you posted and my blogging will return to its usual diligence.

Neil
@neilgrimshaw

Tuesday 17 January 2012

The Self Build Diary - Day 37 - Today is Hardcore

So today saw continuance of the filling of the ring beams of the foundations. I was asked yesterday why we had chosen the foundation method that we had; well the area is in a coal area and is a brownfield development site.

We sought the opinions of structural engineers and after doing some ground investigations via trial holes we looked for advice. we received a few different suggestions.

This is where having those people around you that I have previosly discussed is all important. To have the skill and knowledge and experience at your disposal of a builder, architect and other professionals that you trust and understand the project is invaluable. A structural engineer is no different, they must be on board with what you want to acheive, but at the same time deliver what is required with the balance between cost, timescales and most importantly the efficacy that is required, as no one wants their dream home dissapearing back into the ground in 10 years!

Our structural engineer (Marsh Design, Huddersfield) did just that, he saw what was required and designed it, nothing more. Another scheme discussed with another structural would have meant us having a straight forward 600mm slab of concrete full of steel to secure a private dwelling house; two other opinions saw this as excessive and unrealistic for a project of this nature.

Our design uses a 400mm ring beam and a 200mm slab on top, less concrete, less steel, more opportunity to lose spoil in the site rather than paying for it to be removed, and overall about ten thousand pounds less than a 600mm slab. this demonstrates that different individuals will give you different solutions, not all will base it on the projects objectives too.

Without the guidance of an architect and builder i trust, we could have just taken the advice of someone not in tune with the project and that would have put a massive hole in our budget.

This is the ring beam with the interior shuttering removed, the steel work is exposed at the top to tie it into the main slab when we pour it this week (temperature depending).

Here you can see how the builders pack the inside of the beam with spoil and then 100mm of hardcore to the level of the inside of the beam, then will pour the slab up to the level of the outer shuttering, once the steel mesh reinforcement has been constructed between the beams and over the hardcore.

So on course for a concrete pour this week, drains dug and a level site ready for scaffolders on Monday......fingers crossed. Neil

Monday 16 January 2012

Self Build Diary - Day 36 - Site levelling

The progress over the last few days on site has been really encouraging!

The raft beams on Friday actually are part of the building, and today the spoil at the back is being used to fill in between the beams, become compacted and then 4 inches of hardcore level off the inside to beam level.

this should take today and tomorrow and maybe Wednesday morning, and hopefully we can find an appropriate window of opportunity on Wednesday afternoon to pour the slab, the only problem we may face is the temperature dropping t the current levels, we really need it to be 4 degrees or more to ensure that the concrete sets properly.

frost today, frost Tuesday but hopefully a tropical (in Huddersfield standards Wednesday afternoon, will nudge us a step closer to being weather proof!

Ill post some photos of the works tomorrow, its amazing to see the site levelling and us getting a real perspective of the size of the site and the garden.

Friday 13 January 2012

The Self Build Diary - Day 33 - Concrete!!

Firstly my apologies for 2 days absence but there hasn't been huge news from site!

Everything has gone to schedule this week, the steel work was finished on Wednesday, shuttering completed yesterday.

But today, we have made the first permanent part of our home on site. We arrived this morning to a concrete pump and two waggons full of concrete.


Filling the raft beams full of concrete is stage one of our raft:-


a close up of the beams:-


So that will get the opportunity to set over the next couple of days, which will mean on Monday, the builders can fill the middle of the beams with spoil from the site and 60T of hardcore to level to the beams. and then subject to weather we can pour the main slab on top, which will hopefully be done on Wednesday or Thursday next week.

Today feels like a massive step forward, although in real terms its not actually a big job, it makes all a bit psychological difference to us to see actual structure forming!

so a trelaxing weekend, which may or may not include looking at some flooring or bathrooms, we havent decided yet!

have a nice weekend, Neil

Tuesday 10 January 2012

The Self Build Diary - Day 30 - electrical negativity

So CE electricity sent their contractors to site today to excavate for the connection, ready for it to be connected tomorrow.

Be warned self builders, I have not had this subject explained properly as such when CE failed to do something I didn't realise, which means that when we have the connection tomorrow we still can't use it!!! Which is most annoying!

When I payed CE electric for my connection in November they should have raised an mpan number which would have alerted my electricity provider to the fact I was having a connection fitted, they should then contact me to install the meter at the same time as CE install the connection. Did CE ask for the mpan......yes, did they check it had been allocated.....no. As such I had to get it today, which means I can get the ball rolling tomorrow, which may be another fortnight for electricity!!!

Luckily I have a contingency in a borrowed generator which will keep us ticking over!

I will be writing to CE to express my dissatisfaction at their service, a letter I'm sure they will just throw in the bin, but it will make me feel better!

Other wise a positive day of steel construction on site, some finishing touches to this and then some shuttering tomorrow.

Connection to the electricity grid tomorrow, even though we cant use it!

So the moral of today's blog, always check that everything has been done even if u think it has!!!

A frustrating day bat it's not the end of the world and we have a plan B!

Neil

Monday 9 January 2012

The Self Build Diary - day 29 - water!

Day 29 - the beginning of week 2 of action on site! The guys have cracked on with the steel work and you can really get an idea of how the layouts of the house sit and the size of rooms and areas, which is quite exiting, although not hugely accurate at this stage. Here's a pic of site first thing this morning:

The steel work should be complete tomorrow and the shuttering cracked on with ready for a Friday pour of concrete! The beam in the foreground is the front of the garage and the square in the middle is the kitchen and family room.

Yorkshire water also came to site today to connect the water meter to our site. The site was bought from an administrator so part of the difficulty is that certain elements of the sale are not warranted, so we had a big pipe coming out of the ground that water came out of and some cables popping up, so the fact it was a serviced site led us to believe they were our connections. Further investigations showed that the water connection wasn't ours and the wires relate to the streetlights. Tomorrow it's CE electrics turn to come and start connecting us for power.

In preparation for that we have build a board on site to connect the meter box to and for the basic connection for the builders supply, my first manual task and I have built a the board! I'm very proud! I'll get a photo for you!

Mrs G and I, went bathroom shopping at the weekend and have made some decisions about what we do and don't want in the bathroom. It's now her task to look out for suites etc, whilst looking after a toddler and being pregnant! She's busier than me!

I'll fill you in on the electricity chaps tomorrow!

Thursday 5 January 2012

The Self Build Diary - day 25 - steel and machines for "real" men

Well I promised you a photograph spectacular today and in retrospect it may have been unwise to build up my photographic skills! So I arrived at the site to meet tony the architect, Alex the builder and John the spark! Not all at once.
So it may be excitable me but! The sight of mechanical plant turns me into a child wanting to play with toys. However I am banned from plant on this site, due to clumsiness! We finalised a few setting out details with the builder and the architect. And whilst I was there I took this picture of the steel work for the beam of the raft.
It surprised me how much detail and work goes into assembling the steel work. It must be a frustrating task for the tradesman as it really is slow work. The ring beam steel should be complete by Wednesday next week hopefully ready and shuttered for pouring concrete towards the end of next week. Then we will construct the mesh of the slab that sits on top over the fill that will go into the middle of the ring beam. This will complete our raft in about a fortnight. John the spark has got all the bits ready for when ce electric come next Tuesday and Wednesday and we are all geared up for Yorkshire water to plumb us up on Tuesday. It's been another busy day on site and having the steel gives us a lot better idea of the size of the footprint of the house. It sounds daft really because we have known how big it is since the plans were drawn and I learnt about measuring at school. Oh and the sun shined today!!!!!! Any way more steel work tomorrow and then bathroom shopping at the weekend. So I'll catch you tomorrow. Neil

Wednesday 4 January 2012

The Self Build Dairy - day 24 - it's not the weather to be a builder

Well the weather in Huddersfield has been pretty poor again today! Which is making our decision on the tent the build seem like a better bet! (see day 2 for my garbled rationale on tenting it http://theselfbuilddiary.blogspot.com/2011/12/self-build-diary-day-2-to-tent-or-not.html) The weather in this beautiful part of the country is changeable So we can expect the unexpected. The cages for the raft beams are being built, which will form a 400mm beam around the outside of the raft, then we will have a 200mm slab on top of the beams to finish the substructure. Been talking all things plumbing today I am looking at a viessmans boiler, does anyone have any feedback for me on this seemingly trivial decision but it won't be next winter when the boiler isn't working! So it seems like not a lot has happened today but I do have a day job to fit in between the house build! So I'm off to site tomorrow to meet the architect so stand by for a photo extravaganza tomorrow! Neil Www.twitter.com/neilgrimshaw

Tuesday 3 January 2012

The self build diary - day 23 - hail, wind but men on site!!

Today has been the day we have been waiting for since the 6th June 2011. Who said buying a plot of land with PP on would be easy!

Six months of patience,impatience, frustration, delight and determination, oh and the racking up of legal fees, has brought us to today. The start of our house build!! As I arrived on site in driving rain, hail and gale force winds! To find many builders sheltering in a van. Quickly the rain cleared and action began.



This morning heralded the start of the construction of the raft steel, which will be complete and shuttered by the end of the week ready to pour!

We also took a delivery of plant and some timber for the shuttering.

It also saw My first ever foray into a drain. Via CCTV of course! Alternative drainage from Huddersfield came down to the site to check the drain connections were where they should be for this "serviced plot".... Serviced except without water or electricity!!! But where the drains there or would it be a clean sweep of absent services?

The drains were not where they should be..... But they were on our site. So thank heavens for small mercies! The £144 for a CCTV survey was well worth it as it will save us hours of digging, as it turns out in the wrong place!

All in all a good day with many wet builders but action on site an a huge morale boost for mrs g and I.

Happy new year and I look forward to updating you with daily updates!

New years resolution....to spellcheck!

Neil

Monday 2 January 2012

Self build diary - days 12-22

Well that's christmas and new year out of the way and it was a welcome break!!

Tomorrow we are on site and starting the construction of the raft steel work.

I'm also drain diving in the morning to locate the connections to our plot.

So it's a happy new year and hopefully one of plenty of progress!

Back to daily updates from tomorrow!

Neil