Air tightness test

So I appreciate we haven't blogged for ages - once we moved in the excitement of being here overtook actually posting, however we want to keep a record of things so here is the latest update.
We had the air tightness test - essentially pressurising the house and measuring how many times the air changes to keep the pressure. We were aiming for <3 but it was 4.8 and some gaps have been found under the french doors both upstairs and down, and in the upstairs loo. It seems that the builders will sort these issues out within the contact, but there is also some leakage around all the beams that make up the base of the first floor - the old roof joists. This means sealing round all the front ones with some sort of silicone sealant, and then taping all the rear ones prior to getting the back of the house rendered once the balcony is done. These bits are of course not in the original contract - so more money here we come!
Just to add some entertainment the shower is leaking this morning......
Luckily the plumber has been round already and it is the sealant around the shower tray that needs to be re-done - the bad news being that the parentoids come to visit this weekend and not good having a leaking shower. Oh well!
More pictures of downstairs and an update will follow soon........

We're in! (And slow to post).

We had the stuff that had been in storage delivered on 22nd Sept, but moved in ourselves on that Friday - moments before my brother and his family arrived for the kids birthday weekend!
Here's an idea of what they found - just a little chaos.


Clare doing the hostly thing:
D'you think they had fun?
Actually, I think they did - we took the kids to Stomp which was fantastic (though just a bit long for Ben) and then they ran about through the fountains in market square. Childhood bliss! (Alice really seemed to like her neck-warmer I'd double-knitted for her - may have a pic somewhere...).
A little detail of wool getting put away...

Anyway, things are moving on with the unpacking - here are a few pics of upstairs.
The study (Clare's desk on the left all tidy, yarn store to the right)
and my desk on the other side (chaos of course)

And the rest of the upstairs - going in a circle from the kitchen
more kitchen

sitting area

and the dining area .

More photos to come from downstairs and outside - Clare's been sorting out her bike and tool store. Hope to get those up soon!

Two weeks no post, so sorry

A combo of busy-ness and stress got in the way of posting - we even uploaded pics last week!

The guys have been working very hard, specially Darren, managing the whole endeavour on the ground).

the stairs are in, and look fabulous! The blue you see in these pics is paper carefully wrapped around the handrail to avoid staining and damage, and the treads are covered in hardboard for similar reasons.

In the first you can see the front door, the beam and the curved wall of the bathroom; in the second the corridor through to the door to the spare room.

Every window is in now, even the door to the courtyard, though unfortunately there seems to be a very slight bend in this, and despite the guys best efforts it may cock up the airtightness test and need replacing. Ho hum.


Last weekend we slaved to get the kitchen part of the floor finished so the purple English Rose double sink unit would be ready for the plumber's work (it's still waiting, though in position).

The floor is done with a coat of 50:50 Treatex matt clear and spruce stain first, then another of the matt clear; the wall is Earthborn clay emulsion in fresh Air (brilliant coverage).
As well as the ceiling over the kitchen we (=Clare) did a roll over all the holes where the light fittings were due to go, so we don't have to cut in round them when finishing painting the ceiling.



(The colour isn't quite right - less burgundy, more aubergine, though not quite that either).

This weekend we've done most of the rest of the floor upstairs (there are a few areas we couldn't get to due to the ever-present piles of insulation). We did it much better this time after our trial run last week!

Everywhere is plaster-boarded and almost everywhere plastered; all the light-fittings are in upstairs, and several sockets have been corrected (meant to be brushed metal upstairs not white plastic). So between Monday morning and Tuesday night they only have to plumb in all the loos, the kitchen sinks;
fit a fuse-board and complete the electrics (including ANY lights in the shower-room);
finish the plastering;
finish the railing round the stairs;
finish fitting the hot water tank and the MVHR (for which parts awaited AGAIN).
On Monday our ecokitchen arrives and the hob and oven need to be fitted in that (should be v easy for an electrician though). The hood needs to get up on the wall.

And the yard needs clearing.



No worries about guests on Friday, then.... At least it's family!

Our week off

We've both had most of the week off (I worked Friday, but that's all) as we had previously hoped to be moving in this week. Instead, it's been a productive week in other ways (including seeing Toy Story, The Girl Who Played with Fire and Scott Pilgrim and the Evil Exs and chilling together).

Our oven has arrived, we are waiting for the extraction hood, and the other kitchen unit is confirmed for mid-September (we need to order the hob to go in it).

We've painted the stairs (really this is more workshop p*rn for you, Tony!)


The rooflet has fallen off the door to the road, happily missing Darren who just moments before walked under it!


Most of the ducting is in (and the MVHR due to arrive this week...).

We've got kitchen windows
A sliding door onto the (imaginary) balcony

and a lovely over-stair opening window we will never be able to reach!


The two little windows in the south wall upstairs are rather darker than we expected, but we like them.


And the floating engineered oak floor is partly down upstairs. Looks lovely!


We've done some sample paint squares upstairs too, deciding between white and fresh air (a bit cooler). We've ordered the Treatex Hard Wax oil for the floor (spruce ie white half/half with plain).

And we've handed in our notice for the end of September and arranged for our stuff to arrive from storage on 22nd Sept. We should be in for Alice and Ben's birthday visit! (Though chaos will certainly still reign).

There are more

So yesterday we got back from a weekend away for me to do the triathlon, and saw the outside of the house with 6 windows in BUT THERE ARE MORE! Our architect Gil sent us some photos he took on Friday, from the inside of the house, and they have done loads.
Here is a collection of window photos.....






My favourite bit being that the windows onto the pavement (spare room) are in, with the UPVC still in situ outside complete with net curtains still!?

Finally an example of the architrave and a close up of the pale grey inside colour;


So we have been brave and are handing in our notice today - we are getting a little bit excited about the reality of moving in at the end of this month

WINDOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We dropped in to have look round on our way back from Bristol/Exeter/Monmouth shenanigans,and we couldn't get in! 


You might think that this would be met with fear and loathing in las vegas, but NO! For the reason was - this:


Why yes, that is a beautiful new front door, to which we currently have no key. And here's an upstairs window:

The balcony doors:

bathroom windows (if you squint a bit):

And maHOOSive bedroom windows, too:



Totally craptastic photos, of course, but such is life.


I must add that Clare has finally done a triathlon - she did the 'Little Woody' (I know! I'm calling it the Little Ted) half ironman.


She did well, timing good etc. Details on facebook, I understand!

Congrats my love....

site meeting update.....

So another site meeting on Friday - some progress but also some frustration.

We now have an installer and plan for the flue, which will be a fan assisted flue so it is shorter and doesn't need planning, but he is on holiday and no-one has chased it up or worked out when he will fit it......
Our main builder and joiner Darren and Chris are going to put in the pipework for the MVHR as they cannot find another installer, and then hopefully the green building store will attach it to the machine. Unfortunately no-one seems to have chased up why we still don't have the main machine, when we are going to get it and when it will be installed....
The windows HAVEN'T arrived - hopefully the end of next week, although no-one had phoned after Monday to check if they had arrived in the country yet.....
No plans at all about who will do the air tightness test, and when it will be done....

Seems all a little bit frustrating as other than more insulation downstairs and in the roof space we haven't really got any further forward than when I got cross 2 weeks ago, the same issues that were stalling progress then, are still stalling progress now. However, I did let them know that we have to be in for the end of September, as we are handing in our notice on September 1st, and have family coming the last weekend of September and they need somewhere to stay - this has given us another provisional completion date of September 17th - not holding my breath though!