Redoctober

Thanks @Tennentslager yes a lot of sockets - both sets are outside the en-suite and bathroom, so the sockets are servicing a light switch, towel radiator, UFH sensor & extractor fan above the showers.

Hi - yes things are getting messy but in a positive manner! I have been very busy these last few weeks, working a full 8 hours or so and a full weekend. The house has now been plastered except for the sitting room. The reason being the chimney still hasn't been completed. Should be done this week I am told! Once it has been done, the plaster boards can be finished off and the room plastered. Allowing for the rooms which have been plastered to dry thoroughly, I have followed on with my paint roller and whitewashed to walls and ceilings. I am using Johnstone's Trade Contract white emulsion which in turn has been diluted. The first coat I applied was more diluted than the second coat. Having asked a question on the main forum, I am comfortable with painting the walls in a weeks time or so with our favoured colours. I have been giving it my all simply to keep ahead of the joiner, who has started the second fix joinery. The upstairs has been finished but the downstairs will wait until the floor tiles have gone down. Outside I have also been painting the exterior wood. We are using the Dulux range - Weather shield - Firstly, I applied two coats of preservative primer. Then, on went two coats of dark grey undercoat, before finishing off with a top coat of Bowler Hat. Having followed their procedures, I am hopeful this will be good for at least 10 years. The stone work is nigh on complete. It is basically the gable ends that need finishing of together with the chimney. Unfortunately I am struggling to upload some photos - these are the ones I did manage to do. Perhaps I will have better luck when the next post is due. Thanks for reading.

? Love it.

Welcome - I'm sure your experiences will be very useful to the members. Having just had our new build plastered throughout, I have seen at first hand what a skill it is.

Thanks @PeterW, that is reassuring as the plaster has been going on since about two weeks ago and I have been following on with the "mist" coats, once the walls and ceilings have dried naturally. I had heard various things ranging from six months to a year before actually decorating.

Evening all ! I have started and completed white washing most walls and ceilings with a diluted mixture of Johnstones Contract white emulsion . Two coats applied. What do you recommend doing with the walls thereafter? Should I leave them now for a period of time to allow the plaster to continue to breathe? Is it OK to apply the top coat of paint of our chosen colour? If so, should it be Matt or Silk? As ever, I welcome your thoughts.

We drew up a design ourselves and worked with a TF manufacturer to get it through Building Warrants etc - have a look at my Blog for full details.

Hi @PolicySucks we looked very closely at BO and although there wasn't anything wrong with them we decided not to go with them for the following reasons. Outside of about a 100 mile radius from the HQ [which were are] we would have incurred a work force levy, which ran into the £1,000s. More importantly though, we found the oak frame to be too restrictive internally. By that I mean, we found a lot of space was either lost or compromised due to the oak frame. Finally, we just found that the particular house type we would have gone for / could afford was a bit too small for us and we could afford more for less by designing a house along similar lines, including the porch!

+1 to welcoming you to the forum. Really good to get someone new to the forum who is not only willing to contribute but has the depth of knowledge you have. Hold on tight though it can be a bit choppy out there !! ?

Our builders use an electric mixer, powered by mains electricity supplied from a temp power supply in our car port. No issues encountered and I have seen then bundle a few stones into it at the end of the day, with a good splash of water, to clean it out.

Pleased it is going well for you - the upstairs UFH set up is interesting. What goes in under the spreader plates and above the first floor ceiling?

Happy days indeed. Enjoy every moment as in no time it will have gone and there will be other things to excite and frustrate in equal measure.

@Cpd we have gone with Lindlab - a precoated galvanized steel product. One section has already had to be replaced as it proved not to be "scaffolder" proof after he decided to swing a long pole into it when dismantling the scaffold!! ?

I did the "loose fit" insulation and I suppose it took me 5 - 6 days - a steady pace with plenty of tea breaks ! The plaster boarding upstairs took two guys probably two weeks [10 - 12 days maybe] and they have managed the downstairs in a week due to the nature of the rooms - fewer angles and corners than upstairs I suppose.

Ha - relax and enjoy the glass of red. Well spotted mind. Yes it is a movement joint which is necessary I am informed. We had discussions about these and they have been positioned in certain places for a reason. The one you have identified will be "hidden" from view by an oak frame porch which will hopefully be erected and attached mid Sept. The ones at the rear ties in with a down pipe an the others have been positioned in corners as to disguise them better.

No trick of the light - the blue plaster boards have sound proofing qualities - they certainly have something as they weigh 6kg more than the standard white boards. The blue ones have been used for the ceilings and partition walls. The standard white ones for everywhere else. Not something we stipulated - it was supplied by the TF manufacturer.

Hi all - a few photos showing the house 95% plaster boarded and some plastering started. Just the cloakroom and plant room off the utility room to complete. Somewhat frustratingly, we will have to wait a full week before the plasterer returns, which holds up the decorating and second fix joinery. The ceilings for the first floor have had two layers of plaster boards fitted, which helps with sound proofing. Whilst this has been going on, the stone ,an and his labourer have really cracked on and finished the front of the house. The stone has been taken up to just above head height around the rest of the house. they just need to build up from there and to do the external chimney. The kitchen fitter came out to do final measurements and noted that the external waste pipe in the utility room was a bit snug to allow both the washing machine and tumble dryer to fit in, so has recommended a breakfast bar type work top which is 665mm as opposed to 600mm deep. This will allow sufficient room at the back for the appliances and removes the hassle of having to adjust the pipework / drainage. The next phase will see the plastering completed and the second fixes started. Outside I hope to see the house fully stoned and the chimney started. We'll see.

+1 with what has been said already - on top of that, second time round, I would make sure there is sufficient "good ground" from the footprint of the house to set the scaffolding. It was only when the frame went up that we realised the scaffolding was put too close and the reason given was that there was insufficient ground cleared for them to do so. Also, I would supply them with plans and measurements of the house, as another issue we had was that they put the top lift above the roof line, causing difficulties !!

Exactly, it was these types of hidden costs that nearly caught us out. It was only because we had a meeting with the TF supplier, a few weeks beforehand, that these aspects were fully understood as up until then, I mistakenly thought the stuff they were supplying was being fitted...............but no !

WOW - a great looking house and I shall look forward to seeing this unfold - good luck.

Looking to be a great project - good luck with it all.

I agree with all of the above - our erection costs were slightly increased after I established it didn't initially include the fascias and soffits. So once that was included, together with crane hire and the fixing of sarking boards we paid in the region of £46 per square metre.

@ProDave looks like the issue may not be as first feared. Fingers crossed that is the case. However, We have such timbers [may even be C24, I don't know for sure] on our fascias, soffits and gable ends etc. It has been suggested that I should start to stain / paint them, so I started with a preservative primer today. Is that really necessary given the above or is it a case of " can't do any harm etc. We do intend to paint them once we have agreed on a colour and the next step with be an undercoat. As ever, I welcome your thoughts.

We have just plaster boarded our first floor and used 3 types of board - Standard boards for the ceiling and external walls - boards with sound proofing properties for the internal partition walls and then moisture resistant boards for the bathroom and en-suite. Interestingly the sound proof boards weigh in at 6 kilos heavier than the standard ones.

Sorry forgot to mention - you will be able to get that scaffolding out won't you ?? ?