Build Week 5 - Beam & Block Floor

This week the floor structure went in. We chose to have a beam & block floor structure so we could use the existing foundations and allow ventilation and drainage to the basement walls. We used a specialist polystyrene block instead of the conventional concrete building block. Although more expensive it has many benefits over the traditional system. Expanded polystyrene it is a very good insulant, requiring little extra insulation to bring it up to the very high standard we set ourselves. This along with its T profile, which lets it sit in between and on top of the beam, means that the floor construction depth is reduced. The product uses a wider beam spacing meaning less beams, saving time and money. The polystyrene blocks are manufactured in 2.5m lengths and are easy to cut and fit into place, again saving time, money and a lot of work. This floor construction also scores A+ on the BRE green guide contributing to the CfSH materials assessment.

The day that the beams arrived was a very tough one as there was torrential rain all morning. Luckily we had hired a crane for the morning to lift the beams from the lorry directly onto the low level masonry. In hindsight we would have struggled greatly without the crane as the torrential rain made the clay ground very slippery and dangerous. As it was we managed to get the beams in place by lunchtime and could retire for the day absolutely soaked to the skin, but with all the beams insitu. The next day the polystyrene blocks were delivered and were quickly fitted into place. A job well done in difficult circumstances. The rest of the week was spent finishing the low level masonry in preparation for the SIPS installation..........

Build Week 4 - More Groundworks

A week spent continuing with the preparation for the SIPS erection. The site is taking shape and we are now getting a definite feel for the footprint. Now that the plan is becoming much more defined there is a much greater feel for the size of the house. When everything is open it feels like it is very small, but as it rises out of the ground it gives a much better indication for actually how big it is. There was more excavation and the concrete was poured for the external shed and rainwater tank foundation pad.

Tanking base drain rodding point 

With the low level masonry going up, and following a meeting with the SIPS installers on site, the project programme is starting to firm up. Some time has been spent planning in all the next phases of the project. This has been very positive as we can now see that if things go according to plan we should get a finished envelope in a couple of months time and an idea of when the main internal works will be done.

CfSH - Level 6 Design Stage Certificate

We have received the Code for Sustainable Home design stage assessment certificate - officially achieving the top rating of level 6.

It is practically impossible to score maximum points everywhere, however we scored maximum credits in 5 of the 9 sections. We dropped a point in the energy section, most of which should be recovered in the post-construction assessment following the air pressure test. Another point was dropped in materials due to using timber/aluminium composite windows. Points were also dropped in the management section as we chose not to take part in the considerate constructors scheme and key point indicators due to the extra financial costs they would incur. Some points were also dropped in the ecology section, some of which are only applicable for taller developments. There is an extra credit we could achieve through extensive ecological enhancement, should we need to.

We are really pleased and proud of what we have achieved here.

Build Week 3 - Low Level Masonry

With the foundations now in place it is time to start setting out and building the low level masonry to the level required for the beam & block floor system. It was a week hampered by weather and setting out difficulties.

Building with the SIPS system is very quick and easy when the base is in place. The challenge is getting the low level masonry set out precisely to match the dimensions of the SIPS. There is little room for error as the SIPS shell is manufactured to the precise measurements of the computer model and when it arrives on site  there is little room for give and take. To add to the challenge of this the walls of the existing retaining structure were not built square meaning that we had to spend time to adjust the exact location and orientation to make it fit as required.

 The tanking system was installed as well, which is basically a dimpled plastic sheet which is fixed to the inside of the retaining wall. It guarantees that there is no water ingress to where the structure resides. We lost a day to the weather, but it was nice to finally see the footprint of the building rise from the ground.

Build Week 2 - Foundations

This week was the real start of the project with the foundations being poured. Monday to Wednesday was spent completing the foundation excavations and getting them passed by the building control and warranty inspectors.

At 7:45 on Thursday morning the concrete pump lorry arrived. Over 5 hours 10 concrete lorries came and went, and 60 cubic metres of concrete was poured in the foundations and infilling the existing retaining wall. Without the pump lorry it would have taken about a week. Luckily it was a fine day and all went very well.



Friday saw the start of the masonry so we now feel we are now well and truly under way.  

Build Week 1

This was a week of preparation and traipsing around in the sticky clay. The aim was to get the foundations & drainage set out and started, and to get the retaining wall waterproofed and french drain installed.

The constant on / off rain proved very frustrating as the clay became really sticky and foundation excavations filled with water. However David, Mick & Tom battled through, and the first week was relatively successful with the retaining wall waterproofed externally with the french drain installed to carry water away from behind the wall. The mains drainage was connected and most of the foundations excavated.

Looking forward to week 2 getting the foundations poured and looking like things are starting to take shape ... and some better weather would be nice too.

Code for Sustainable Homes - Level 6 Achieved

The audit of the design stage CfSH assessment has come back with good results. There are a few pieces of evidence that require clarifying but level 6 has been achieved. It is extremely satisfying as an awful lot of work has been put into achieving this.