Once upon a time a deluded wrinkly, his much less wrinkly wife and their noisy little dog left their almost fairy tale rural retreat to live in a freezing rented bungalow while they buggered about trying to build a new semi-urban retreat nearby. (How clever am I avoiding the word suburban!). Everything would have gone swimmingly but for the fact that the head of the wrinkly was just too full.
It sort of still is I think. In the four months since the last post (stop thinking of a b
We are now in that phase where we can see the finish line not far away but, bizarrely, the closer we get the more there seems to be to do.
The list the jobs that yet need to be done is a bit depressing; reflecting on all we have achieved so far is much more uplifting. We are certainly in a significantly better position as we approach the end of the year than we expected to be when we started the project.
Work has continued in the run up to Christmas and several trades
So living in the house for the past month and a bit has allowed me to ease off the pressure a bit and start snagging / finishing some of the details.
I have underfloor heating under the main bathroom tiles but it wasn't working well. Barely noticeable at 40oC !! Turns out the electrician wired in both temperature sensors and it was adding the values together so after Schluter tech support suggested I check - I removed one pair of wires, lo and behold I have a warm floor. Really nice
As per my previous post, we submitted a S73 application to vary the planning conditions around occupation timelines. I'm pleased to say this has finally been approved!
Our application was validated 1 August 2025, and wasn't decided until 12 December 2025. Given the simplicity of our application (no design changes), we're shocked it took so long. No one had any objections and consultation comments came in promptly; our case officer just made a complete mess of things. She also only wo
Yes, there’s a lot going on right now. It’s been a mixture of challenges and progress this past fortnight.
Floor tiling
The original plan was for the floor tiling to be done during the first two weeks of November but the screed not being quite dry enough delayed that. Contractor sickness and the need for the tilers to try to juggle their other booked work around ours have led to us being about 3 1/2 weeks behind now and still not quite finished (a few tiles still to lay and ab
After a full on week of getting the following jobs done. We’ve finally moved in. Given we have to hand the keys back to the rental on Monday, it’s been cutting it fine.
1) caravan foul drainage connected to the sewage treatment plant
2) water supply to shed for washing machine
3) installing Starlink. This was very easy
4). Fitting a skirt to the static from salvaged 18mm shuttering ply
5). Making some steps. So glad I never burnt th
It’s now six months since we broke ground and it's fair to say we’re very pleased with the progress since we began. We have of course been very lucky with the contractors we’ve had working on the project, right from the start with the great groundworks team and that’s continued pretty much throughout. And we’ve largely avoided unexpected surprises and delays.
That was until a couple of weeks ago when we found that our screed was not dry enough to start laying the floor tiles http
First, some context:
Our plot already has planning permission as part of a larger development of 6 properties. However, the decision has a condition that none of the properties can be occupied until the parking and access for all properties has been completed. We've since purchased just one of the plots, and someone else owns the rest of the development.
With that in mind, our first step after our purchase was to submit a S73 application to vary that condition to allow fo
The plan for the two weeks just gone was to complete the plastering and start the floor tiling. No issues with the first part, our team of plasterers have done a great job, see below.
The floor tiles arrived more or less on schedule, and the tilers Steve and Kev turned up as planned. However, when they checked the floor humidity to confirm it was ready to tile, the meter showed it was slightly over the required level. I am a little unclear of the actual moisture numbers but their
Last night was my first night sleeping in my new house, finally! Got 1 bedroom mostly finished. Ikea wardrobes, painted, blind and floor installed. Just enough to call it a home! Lots more to do but it saves rent and commuting time. I plan to take it easy for the next fortnight as the last two years have been creeping up on me. Small projects for the short term.
Getting internal doors installed (by someone else!) currently. Put some acoustic insulation around the linings and cut it back.
This day has been on my mind for months. We really struggled to find a company that would visit the site and confirm whether we could get a static down the lane. In the end we took an educated guess and purchased a 2023 37x13 unit from a private seller.
So at 1100hrs today, the wife of the driver (Greg Caravan Haulage) appeared in the driveway telling me I needed to go and cut some low hanging branches.
We got the static on site relatively easy, but then it got bogged d
A principal role of the project manager is surely to deal with the unexpected - for example, when a key team member is ill and out of action. But what happens when the project manager is laid-up?
Following an ‘incident’ (all my own fault), I have spent the past week unexpectedly in hospital. That was definitely not in the plan. Fortunately I am home again now but largely ‘confined to barracks’ for the next month or so. At the moment I cannot even visit the plot, although I hope t
We apologise for the interruption in our scheduled programme.
Normal service will be resumed shortly.
Lots has happened on the build which is great and as it should be and all that, but I just can’t write about that right now.
Instead my head is full of leaving Bramble. 34 years ago, over a third of a century, we put flesh on the skeleton of a house and we breathed life into it.
And it’s been a constant ever since. Now we finally decided to
Two weeks since the last blog and there’s a lot to cover - but lots of pictures too, so persevere!
The main issues and concerns two weeks ago were 1. how well the airtightness test would go, and 2. keeping ahead of the plasterers.
The good news is: both of those concerns can be consigned to the bin.
Airtightness
As previously reported, we had engaged Aerobarrier to test, spray their magic mist, then retest the airtightness of our house. Prior to their
So the drainage field is now in and the tank went in today. It was a bloody deep hole! Used nearly 20 tons of 10mm shingle to backfill the tank.
just need to finish back filling and then I’ll need to create a couple of concrete bases for the electricity kiosk and the kiosk that will house the compressor for the Graf tank.
I have taken two weeks off work to prepare our site for our static caravan / shipping containers and also installation of the drainage field and Graf treatment plant.
The digger and dumper arrived on Monday and the Kubota was brand spanking new with < 1hr on the clock.
I wanted to tackle this all by myself, but I cannot grade to save my life, so I have enlisted the help of a local ground worker on an hourly rate. He’s been a god send and made easy work of the required
Week 18 - Progress on many fronts
It feels like the build has entered a different phase now that the structure is fundamentally in place and watertight so I am going to drop to fortnightly blogging, hopefully with enough progress to ensure there something to cover in each blog:
Since the last blog (week 16) we’ve been busy on a number of fronts, a lot of which is geared to being ready for the plasterers who are due to start on 8th October.
First fix electrics
Weeks 40 to 56
So it’s been a year now since we started the build and I’m happy with our progress but perhaps more importantly I’m still enjoying it.
If you have followed the blog from the beginning you might have thought this was going to be a quick build as the shell went up quick but don’t worry work is continuing as we expected at our own slower pace, we have no definite finish date but it would be nice to be in for winter next year.
The cladding is finally compl
Generally a much less stressful week than last week with lots of great progress but all is not perfect - see below.
Heating
Last week's drama getting the UFH pipes laid just in time for the screed pour seems like a distant memory but as there had not been time for Ken to fit the manifold and pressure test, he came on site on Sunday evening (roping in his Dad as a helper) to get that done.
Thanks Ken - and Ken's dad! A neat job completed...
As promised, I spared you a Week 14 blog due to our visit to Yorkshire for a wedding and catch-up with old friends. It was lovely to do something unrelated to the house and it made us realise how all-consuming our build has become. We will definitely try to have some more non-house time through the rest of the build.
That said, it’s back to the matter in hand:
UFH
Two weeks ago the guys were battling through laying the floor insulation in preparation for laying the
That was an advertising slogan from the 40’s and 50’s, which persisted in popular culture into my childhood in the 60’s (I’m a wrinkly, but not that much of a wrinkly). And oh boy, with the recent downpours we desperately needed a hat on the house.
As kids we used to turn the phrase around - “if you want to get a hat, get a head”. That’s what counted for humour back then. But like all my frivolous tool purchases over the years that turn out to be really useful if not vital durin
Blogging: an activity where the perpetrator converts trivia into prose and in doing so reorganises their own otherwise disordered mind. Possible side effects: perpetrator enhancing feelings of self importance; boredom amongst those reading; history being rewritten.
I find it interesting to contemplate why I don’t have quite such a burning need to blog at the mo. I’ve always enjoyed working with wood and metal and power tools. And that’s what I’ve been playing at for the last thre
Floor
The main focus this week has been laying the DPM + 220mm PIR floor insulation + 50mm upstand insulation round all the walls, then the UFH perimeter expansion strips and the vapour separation layer ready for the UFH pipes.
It’s proved intricate work. Ken our first fix plumber assisted by local builders Barry and Jordan together have been working hard to complete the task by the end of August so that the liquid screed can go down during the first week in September.
