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Grosey

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Blog Entries posted by Grosey

  1. Grosey

    It's nearly dry!

    By Grosey,

    So I'm still here, plugging away. Apparently I have a roof that is constantly underestimated in terms of the amount of work required. Both chippies and roofers took weeks longer than expected. Still, all part of the fun!
     
    Since my last update the cut roof elements were completed, dormers etc. Tiling was completed this Monday. I've insulated the loft. Marley Cedral cladding has begun in the past couple days. 
     
    Next steps are for fibreglass flat roof to  hopefully be completed on the balcony on Monday, then rear bifold doors and front balcony Velfac sliding doors to be installed. I will then FINALLY be 100% watertight and ready to attack the inside in anger. 
     
    Few photos of various bits and bobs below. 
     
     













  2. Grosey

    We’ve moved in!!!

    By Grosey,

    Woke up this morning in our new home! Now sat on the sofa watching tv in my new home, waiting for a full day of rugby TV to start so I can sit and sip cold beers in my new home!
     
    Can you tell I’m pleased?!
     
    Facts and Figures 
     
    1 year, 1 month, 14 days
    (Breaking Ground to Moving in)
     
    4 Double Bedrooms
    3 Ensuite
    1 Family Bathroom
    1 WC
    Open plan lounge kitchen diner
    Utility Room
    Double Garage
    Workshop
     
     
    Land: £120k
    Build Cost: £200k
    Size: 300m2
    Cost per m2: £666/m2
     
    (This figure is slightly off as a large part of my ground floor is garage / workshop space so can’t really be counted as fully costed m2. However I’ve also got a £30k retaining wall in the ground floor section that wouldn’t usually form part of the cost per m2. Either way I think I can happily say I’ve built for approximately £800/m2 which I’m very pleased with)
     
    Photos below of all the finished areas. Garage and outside space an ongoing project!
     
     












































  3. Grosey

    1 year Progress Photos

    By Grosey,

    Haven’t really kept this blog going as I’ve been flat out working on things myself, was much easier to blog when the builder was doing all the work! We passed a year since we broke ground on 27th September and should be in well before Christmas so I’m very happy with progress. 
     
    Kitchen being fitted on 16th Oct and then a few days of joinery work. Then gloss like mad and we should be somewhere close to moving in. Can’t wait!
     
     






















  4. Grosey
    Rendering and all cladding completed.  Couple coats of paint on the render and we'll probably give it another towards the end of the summer when we hopefully finish the build. 
     
    Also Cecil the Lion is in place, this stone lion head is on every house that my family (my Grandad, Dad and now me) has self built, 4 in this town currently, 3 of which are still owned by the family.  The story of how this tradition began is a little lacking in detail, but I did enjoy placing it 50+ years after my Grandad did the very same thing just a mile or so up the road. 



  5. Grosey

    It's Dry, and wet!

    By Grosey,

    Finally got watertight after much fighting with Velfac doors, wrestled with insulation, polythene, underfloor heating, shuttering for liquid screed, access for 3x concrete trucks. Anyway the pumped screed was finally completed today and this has always been a major milestone in my mind. It also happened to coincide with the day the scaffold came down which has put today up there with the best days of the build so far for me. 
     
    Sitting back with a brew now enjoying the moment after having quite a few low times feeling rock bottom over the past 10 weeks! Such is the emotional rollercoaster of self build. 
     
    Big Travis delivery coming first thing tomorrow with all the CLS so I can start on studwork and materials for cousin to start external rendering on Monday. Externally the place should look finished within a couple of weeks, internally a slightly different story. 
     
    Ive always seen this journey as split in to thirds - first third was admin, raising funds completing the purchase tendering for builder etc, lots of work with little achievement, second third was all the work I put out to my builder (watertight shell), final third now is me finishing the build and turning it in to a home. 
     
    4-6 month push now starting tomorrow morning, on the home straight!
     
    P.S big credit to @jamiehamy for posting me some samples of the Cedral light oak cladding, it firmed our decision to go for it and we are really pleased. He wouldn't take any payment or gift of thanks so here's a public thank you at least!











  6. Grosey

    It's going up!

    By Grosey,

    Just a few new photos of current progress. Tanking was completed and polished concrete slab finished at 2am on a Friday night a few weeks ago. Which meant standard house construction could finally begin. Things have progressed well with no major snags at this stage, up to first floor level now ready for block and beams delivery on Monday. The Steels that arrived were a fair bit more substantial than we were expecting. Lots of fiddly work at this stage but after the 1st floor is in place I'm hoping progress will really ramp up. Roof trusses are ordered for delivery on 4/12/16 so currently still on track to be some form of watertight by Christmas. Large Velfac sliding doors that are going on to the balcony won't be delivered until w/c 9/1/17 so full watertight won't be until then. 











  7. Grosey
    Finally starting to feel like I'm building a house! Steel reinforcing for the retaining wall has been put in, concrete in, first Building Control inspection and first warranty inspection all passed. 
     
    Builders lockup is now on site, I'll be taking my caravan down tomorrow so we can have bacon and brew facilities. 
     
    Feels nice ice for the property to be moving upwards in direction after so long going down in the ground!
     
    If the concrete is in am I finally out of the woods with groundworks, or is there still potential for any nasty surprises to come out of the ground?



  8. Grosey

    It's Alive!

    By Grosey,

    So, work has finally started! After initially thinking I had purchased a fully excavated site, 2 days and 700 tonnes later, I understand why everybody says ground works are the worst part! That is of course except for the opportunity for me to spend 2 days having a great time driving a 9 tonne dumper. ?
     
    Slightly hairy moment when I bumped a tree, showered myself in apples, lost the use of the brakes... Spotted an apple had wedged itself under the brake pedal as I was rolling downhill!
     
    One of the labourers has been assigned duties of chief Goose Wrangler... The Neighbours Geese and various other wildlife are very used to having my plot as their afternoon grazing ground and they aren't best pleased with my arrival. Funny they have their schedule though, 1pm every day they come wandering over in single file for a snack!
     
    Still, 4 days work and I am now the proud owner of something that more closely resembles a building site, with completed footings. 
     
     
     
     









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