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Blogs

The BuildHub Gardening Blog

A Prickly, Edible Hedge - Blackthorn

This blog post is just to note the possibility of using Blackthorn (also known as sloe) as a hedge - which was not one I had thought about.   Blackthorn will grow into a small tree, but can also be made into a hedge; personally I think it might be attractive as one species in an informal hedge. The fruit can be made into jams, jellies or flavoured gin. Unlike many gin flavourings, it is far more than a tinge - you *know* that it has sloes in it.     It also has whi
Holywood Passive ICF Build

A well, a stink, a big hole and a BBQ.

After demolition was completed in March, nothing happened again until late June. If you want a good worker, you have to wait. And that's my friend of 10 year plus, Noel. So I was happy to wait a few months to get him to do the extensive ground works, an experienced plant operator with a team of solid workers at his disposal.   As we're building a basement, we knew excavation would be extensive. Once we'd leveled the site, dug out the founds, the drainage and main basement excavation wo
  • Conor
Canalside Bungalow Renovation

Two becomes one

Ever since we moved in we have always been asked "is it two bungalows or one?" Weirdly it was designed exactly like the main picture (which was the start of our build as they were doing the footings).   I think it was all a bit of a ploy. Roll back to early 70s when it was some sort of large vegetable patch. Planning permission was refused for two bungalows, various amendments and someone designed the bungalow as it is today, one bungalow suspiciously looking like two bungalows separat
Wedding Cake Re-build

Still working our way up a hill

Not sure but I couldn't add any more images to the other blog post so this is a continuation.....   The interesting plot has 2 downhill aspects ? One is the main garden and the other is to the left/front of the house where we will have an elevated parking area - there is an earlier entry describing the build of the metal structure and helical piles etc. This pic is after the beam & block & rebar just before the concrete went in.   Back in the garden w finished the law
  • Adam2
Wedding Cake Re-build

Working our way up the hill

Seeing as we were going to be using the whole plot width and the overgrown garden would then be impossible to access (sensibly) with machinery we bit the bullet on a big clear-out. Getting our soakaway in also meant this was a good thing to tackle before the house so we've spent a few months of stripping things out so we could create the soakaway area, building a lot of gabion walls and laying artificial grass. Oh and we built a shed - a very fine shed indeed ?   The soakaway is deep u
  • Adam2
Building in a woodland on the Isle of Wight

Working on the roof and waiting for the slate delivery

This covers the past few weekends of family effort. My friendly builder Jeff is finishing off another job for my electrician (the Island is a small place) so we're been plodding along on our own.   First, we needed to screw down the 50x38 counter battens at 300mm centres. The first pair in place with me balancing on the north side with my new roof ladder.   The battens themselves are to be spaced at 600mm centres, but because we were worried about high winds that weeken
  • dnb
Building in a woodland on the Isle of Wight

This isn't quite the help I had in mind, but it might work out..

My daughter thought I needed a bit more help with the roof, so came up with this pair of critters. The double act that is Griff and Raffe. What could possibly go wrong?   They can saw the counterbattens...   They can saw the battens...   They can load the nail gun - when they aren't sleeping in the hammock   And they even tried nailing the battening - but to the scaffolding.  
  • dnb
The BuildHub Gardening Blog

An Introduction to M-M-Microgreens

At the start of lockdown in March 2020 I decided to try to see how well I could grow what are termed Microgreens.   What are microgreens? At a simple level, these are a posh version of “mustard and cress” that we all grew at school, and comprise several dozen different crops that can be grown indoors at eaten very young – usually when the cotyledons have grown, and sometimes when a few leaves have also developed. Typically these are nutritious and flavoursome, and perhaps colourful, sm
Canalside Bungalow Renovation

Cooking, Mice and Update

I wish this was a food related post! Nope, actually the less we can cook the better. The minute the gas goes in it turns from a 36 degree caravan to an actual steam room complete with scents of tea tree and lavender from what we have applied to our arms and legs from the critters are attacking us in here through open windows and vents.    Meanwhile our dry storage in one of the outbuildings, formerly a shop the previous owner had selling canal associated tat has mice! Discovered when l
Self-Build in Shropshire

Thanks

No blog in a year and then two in one week ! Having finished and moved in, I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to my fellow forum members for their help and inspiration. Whilst the decision to follow a fabric first / passivhaus approach had been made before I discovered the forum, the information in the blogs and posts was a huge help. Some of the areas where the forum had a direct influence on my decisions included:    Inspiration - Many of the blogs  - Warranty 
  • jonM
Self-Build in Shropshire

Finishing the house and moving in

First all my apologies as this blog entry is about about a year late given that we moved in August 2019, but better late than never as they say !   Moving on from finishing the shell, we moved onto completing the inside. We knew from previous experience this would be the most intensive part of the build and had tried to make as many decisions up front as we could regarding bathrooms, kitchens and flooring, nevertheless there were still a lot of decisions to make.    Everythin
  • jonM
The BuildHub Gardening Blog

How to prune Wisteria and Clematis

I have a somewhat vigorous mature Clematis and Wisteria, rambling over a frame dividing the leisure garden from the kitchen garden.   This is an exchange from during lock-down with a friend, but I would welcome any further comments before I tackle this.     These are a few "high summer" dripping wet piccies from this morning:       o   This is the type of frame that is under all that greenery; a 2m tall horse fence.  
Albaston self-build

The first chapter...

We only agreed that we would explore the possibility of building our own home in January, and now somehow seem to be well and truly on our way to seeing that happen in the coming year. Very exciting, but also quite daunting. Like most self-builders, I watch episode after episode of Grand Designs, Build the Dream etc, wondering why people fall into the same financial pitfalls almost every time, and more importantly, how we might avoid doing the same.   Having found a plot with planning
Finchampstead Passivhaus

Drainage + EPS

After around 18 months of planning things have finally been moving a lot faster over the last couple of weeks which is great!  I'll try to summarise the interesting bits:   Type 2 vs. Type 3 Our EPS was installed on a sub-base of 150mm MOT Type 2 and 50mm sharp sand for blinding.  Structurally this is absolutely fine, but there was an awful lot of and fro with the foundation designers about if permeable type 3 + grit should actually have been used as specified in the system certif
  • Dan F
The BuildHub Gardening Blog

A Strong Drink and a Peer Group

Douglas Adams, in "Life, the Universe and Everything", that Arthur Dent expressed a need for "a strong drink and a peer group".   That is what this Gardening Blog is for - my need for the same thing because my knowledge about gardening is patchy, just like my garden. Buildhub cannot supply a strong drink, but I am hoping that the peer group can help me get to grips with the garden I inherited last year. The idea has been around for a couple of months, and is now in a position start.
Building in a woodland on the Isle of Wight

Getting started on the roof

This is only a short update because we've been taking it easy on the house so the boss and I can get some (paid) work done. Will be the school holidays soon - so slave labour will be available!   I have ordered some plain and simple white UPVC soffits and facia from a local company so time to start measuring up and cutting the splines level. More work for the Alien and some string. The plumb line is made from a Lotus Elise crank pulley bolt! Hopefully the soffits and facia will be inst
  • dnb
Back on the self-build waggon...

Final part of loft insulation

Bit back to front this, will take some photos of first half when I’ve done this bit, at minute it’s chockablock with kingspan boards.   ive turfed all of the insulation out, binned the very old collapsed stuff, shook all the crap off the remainder, hoovered everything.   at the minute I’m just working on uncovering the rather dangerous looking electrics, but putting kingspan boards in where I can just to get them done and out the way.   this is one for the electrici
Canalside Bungalow Renovation

Proper rooms

So, progress has continued and after months of walking round looking at drawings I can actually see proper rooms which is all very exciting. My necessity of carrying lip gloss everywhere has been replaced with a tape measure which is now a handbag essential! I've become almost obsessive checking sizes of rooms, window openings and that potential bathroom purchases will fit. My tape measure had that much use it finally broke!   One stand out moment was the steels for the 5.5 metre Inter
Holywood Passive ICF Build

Down She Comes!

Now we have planning in place, and a design we are happy with, time to get started. We are certain we cannot employ a main contractor to do the build - at 280m2, the MC estimates are in the £400k range. We need to keep it closer to £250k.    Demolishing the existing was the first challenge. After a few calls, it soon became apparent that this would not be cheap. £10-£20k from the main demo companies. Lowest offer was £4 for a reclamation company to come in, demolish by hand and take al
  • Conor
Druim nan Darach

And we are in

There was not much in the way of progress from the last entry as we were already close to moving in.   The plumbing was completed in the last entry and connecting some final electrical fittings was done soon after.   After a decade since putting in outline planning it was time.   Our furniture delivery has taken longer than anticipated and we are living with a bean bag for the living room seating and a mattress on the floor for our bed. But we are here. The fir
Building in a woodland on the Isle of Wight

Putting the lid on the box

I think we are done with going up, so it's time to put a roof on the house. It's fully made from SIPS panels, approximately a foot thick so very little internal structure is needed. We had a little bit of argument on site today unfortunately between the SIPS people and scaffolders, but it was resolved and progress was made. It comes down to differing cultures and a lack of experience of the speed of this sort of build locally.   The front as seen from the driveway approach. It has beco
  • dnb

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