mike2016

This week the roof was cut in. Can see the spaces for the Velux rooflights and get a different picture of the inside - the vaulted ceilings in the rear living area in particular. The builder recommended a ceiling in the upstairs bedrooms at around the 3 meter / 9 foot mark which is high enough even if you're bouncing on the bed! Still leave a bit of space for storage so may leave a small hatch and floor this area after setting it up. It's a warm roof so this is all conditioned space. Next week they'll add OSB and Solitex WA, then baton and counter baton and that's them finished! The roofer is due in after Easter to install the tiles and the Velux will go in sometime then also. There is also an AEV for venting the soil pipe to install. There's a ventilated ridge, and other details that will be interesting to see installed. Should stop ice dams forming! Big decision point is around the rear picture window - it's to be metal clad. There is the option of adding additional insulation on the outside and then stud work for the ventilation behind the steel cladding or just insulate internally only. Also the roof of this feature needs to be worked out. Some drain to the back of the house but that needs a gutter. Most drain towards the house which I didn't realise and the water channels to either side. This junction has to be perfect or it ensures rain ingress. There's a good local team recommended by the builder so I've left word and hope they'll get in touch next week so they can build out the 7 degree backward slope needed for the roof of this area. There is a lot of metal posts in the house which worry me but I had a few hours onsite today to take my time and see if it's something to worry about or not. The contact area with the foundation or wall are very small so there may be cold spots but I feel for a first attempt, the detailing is sufficient. I just didn't realize how decisions about moving walls etc impacted structural changes until I saw them onsite. Decisions made years ago haunting me a bit, but I can live it! It's still a wonderful house. The next two will be better!! The air tightness will be a challenge but I got some samples of Tapes, Gutex and Phonotherm I plan to use by driving to the company I'm buying them off and seeing their warehouse up front. I hope to entice one of their technical guys onsite for an hour to get their advice on a few things. I expect a detailed post at a future date to address this. Lots to think about. I plan on using Moy Metac in the timber frame wall - 220mm worth. The frames are mostly at 600mm centers. I'd calculated I'd need 43 rolls off the plans but now looking like 53 when I did a quic calc onsite. They do a roll that is exactly 220mm deep and 1200mm wide so plan to cut in 1/2 and it should press fit in the space nicely. I could do this before the windows and doors arrive, just need to find a good price! And hope it isn't swiped! Windows to be measured either next week or 2 weeks later due to builders holidays. Delivery 9-10 weeks after that. Bricklayer, still chasing quotes! Hope to get that done Late April / Early May. Waiting on council to approve brick style as the plain red in the estate isn't to my taste, I've gone for a blend of brown, red and beige. As a project there's a LOT to think about, decisions to be made and money to be managed! Spending is SO easy, tracking it and keeping in budget not so much!!

Groundscrews are perfect for this. Watch Robin Clevetts garden room series on YouTube. No concrete!

Electric for the one you can't reach above stairs but the battery will need replacing in a few years if solar fed, or is it mains powered? Extra sparks bill too. I would go manual for other two if a ladder can reach for cleaning. With mvhr won't need to open except for that. Stairwell one useful for purging excess heat in summer evenings....

A local company called TimberTech up the road from me in Ireland - run by two brothers. You know its good when all the trades know them and can't recommend them enough! Did want MBC back in 2016 but just didn't get my act together fast enough! They moved to the UK! Don't have twin wall stud and cellulose but did get Kore passive raft and have decent Architects drawings for insulation and other details to get the performance I'm after. Just picked up today some Gutex woodfibre board I'm thinking of using and Bosig Phonotherm for around the inside of the window openings. Waiting on a date for window measuring, a quote for the brick/blockwork, brise soleil bracket details to send onto my structural engineer and dozens of other details I've to talk to TimberTech about tomorrow as they finish in a week! Roof is on and felt/batons next week, tiles after Easter. The Velux rooflights arrived too and are big and heavy. Another Blog post coming soon I think! If anyone is in Ireland and wants to check them out they are here: http://www.timbertechhomes.ie

I think that without a roof everything look bigger and brighter!! Never got to see it without internal walls though, arrived after everything was put up! Roof currently going on and trying to get windows ordered before they go on holidays over Easter for a week!

Pick a room. Set fire in it, close door. Time for 30 minutes. Open door and attempt to put out fire. Compare result to the following: A. Room destroyed but fire could be put out before penetrating through ceiling / walls = success. You have 30 minute fire rating including plasterboard. B. You lose the whole house to fire = failure. Please rebuild and repeat test until successful. Only tests conducted on 32nd of each month are acceptable for insurance claim purposes. Please make sure all cats in the area are suitably wet before commencing test as they like a good fire.

What way did you seal up the openings? Thanks!

What are people's thoughts around installing insulation and starting air tightness BEFORE the windows and doors arrive. I plan to wait a week or two to check the roof (fully tiled) is without leaks and the walls are good - seal openings with plastic / OSB / other so I can press ahead with the inside. There is a risk things get wet but has anyone done it? Is it very weather dependant? Thoughts? Thanks.

All my internal walls are in place but the windows and door openings look huge!! Lots of insulation! 360mm worth. Just a long wait for windows and doors so wondering about covering openings with plastic or OSB and getting started on that if things seem dry inside. Have Solitex WA on the outside for weather protection and full roof will be on soon but water ingress is still possible and could damage any work done. Would save a month though!

Yes, saw in a magazine - it overlooks the internal open plan area and is big enough to act as a perch when you want to read a book and get away from it all!!

The timber frame arrived this week from the factory. There was a large crane onsite all day yesterday. Got decent weather, no wind and only a bit wet in the morning. The lads have the walls fully up, 1st floor done and a ridge beam in place. They are starting cutting the roof today as that is built in situ. Really surprising walking around the rooms after looking at drawings for years! The window openings are a LOT bigger than I ever thought though, huge would be the description! Had a lodger arrive already - neighbours cat performing 1st inspection! Thanks to everyone on BuildHub for their support, advice and inspiration from their own experiences to help me get this project off the ground after SO long!!

Direct Labour, no QS. I'll supply bricks/blocks based on my own estimates, he's just supplying trades. I have another I can go to but he's not gotten back with any quote as yet....

Thanks. Through opening rates could be one figure or the other though as there is brick one side and render the other. Will have a chat and see....

I have a bricklayer I was hoping to line up but he will only quote a rate per m2. There are different rates for brick and block. My house has a mix. He prefers to walk through the job when it is finished and finalize the cost then. This exposes me to whatever figure he comes up with though. I very much doubt I can use him, too much risk but is this normal? If I used him for years I might be OK with this but first time, I can't make that leap of faith with 10k on the line....thoughts?

corrugated cardboard with colour tape cover the top edge? Or rigid card from a card shop and DIY it? Or something like this but would it fit in a drawer: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Luvhomee-Organiser-Containers-Foldable-Reinforced/dp/B0BGJ35CLW

Is this a problem caused by use of open plan and lack of a hallway that connects rooms together? So a fire in the kitchen / open plan space could trap people in the Family Room? Obvious question - the small window at the bottom of the family room, can this open? If so - does that count as an exit? you can always make it taller / wider / french door it if necessary at this stage?

I have a eufy, outdoor 4g site camera with solar panel. Battery life only 4 days when motion detect on. No timelapse. Would try reolink next time as some do timelapse. Had to craft a hood to stop droplets blocking lense. Charging very difficult onsite when freezing. Works grand otherwise!

I have a 6 camera hikvision system with NVR, 4 poe hard wired, 2 wireless. Looking for a simple poe doorbell but not interested in going Hikvision for that (expense, complexity, integrations?). Going with https://reolink.com/ie/product/reolink-video-doorbell/ so it stores all images/events locally, no subscription and integrates with home assistant although I'll use the native app initially. Agree about charging, poe all the way!!

Finished the Kore Passive Raft Foundation this week. Just in time as it's currently sleeting it down out there! Cold enough to make a pour more difficult. they set in a 70mm rebate for the lift & slide door and also cut out the kore to let the concrete out to the edge (up to shuttering) for a steel post to carry the blockwork over the two corner windows. We'll insulate around that later. the Kore went in really fast, then rebar, ductwork for the kitchen island and getting it finished before more cold weather kicked in. It rained just after lunchtime which slowed down the curing. But really pleased with progress and we're ready for the timber frame next!

How did you handle door openings, any special shuttering / detailing required?

I've a mix of brick and block (with render) in my build. We're measuring the windows off the actual timber frame when its erected. During the 8-10 weeks they'll take to arrive I wanted to get the outer block/brick leaf built and render the blockwork, do soffits, fascia, gutters etc. Met the brickie today and he prefers the windows to be installed so they can cosy up the brickwork. That would mean 8-10 weeks of no work though and scaffolding I'll be paying for. I could take it down but is there a middle ground that let's me get the brickwork done in advance before the windows arrive? Thanks!

Everything is tied to the timber frame - there are Stainless steel anchor straps and holding down straps tying in the timber structure to the foundations and also keeping the roof on! They have a certain tolerance. You can find out what that is perhaps if the original SE is still around / has it on file / via the Architect? Check planning and see who the original Architect was?

Ouch, that's a relatively expensive doorbell too. One suggestion on the forum below is to try power it via Micro USB and see if that gives any sign of life? Not sure if it's the same model or not though. You can always RMA it if it's blown as it's just new..... https://community.ui.com/questions/G4-doorbell-has-stopped-working-any-troubleshooting-possible/b9e2677f-f7f3-4613-88f2-65f2cc680605?page=3

"Made Ground" - found out at last minute. Poor down to 2.2 meters. The sub foundation is part of the system to avoid subsidence - using 89 groundscrews!! Now all covered you wouldn't know they were there at all!!

We'll allow 10mm on each axis for wiggle room. The groundsworker want to tie in the DPM/Radon barrier onto the blocks. Definitely the reverse way I'd like things done but just need to make sure the block work is perfect on the internal measurements. I'll have a chat with them in an hour or so and see what they think...good suggestion though....