Well at last we have started to see some real progress. The diner has finally been completed but not without some teething problems. Here are some technical details: All rafters are 200×50mm C16 grade timber with 18mm thick T&G boarding fixed over the rafters. Over the ceiling boards was installed a vapor barrier and 200mm thick Dow Chemical Roofmate SL-A extruded polystyrene insulation board. Then we installed a 0.7mm VM Quartz Plus Zinc laid  standing seam roof.

Diner rear wall is constructed.

Floor rafters are installed.

Supporting beams and roof frame completed

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Zinc standing seam roof installed.

We used a company called VM Zinc to provide the standing seam roof materials http://www.vmzinc.co.uk and they put us in touch with their sub-contractors to install the roof. We used a company called Bell Zinc and Copper Roofing http://www.bellzinc.co.uk . The installation was quick and carried out with incredible skill and perfection. The finished item looks really good.

The next task is to tackle the external insulation and cladding and this has presented a few problems, namely the length of the fixings. We initially had real problems sourcing the stainless steel ties of the right length to fix through the insulation and through the battens and insulation. But Ablerow persevered and after a week or two were able to lay their hands on the right fixings. All exterior walls needed to have all rendering removed to provide a good surface to attach the cladding. 140mm Dow Roofmate SL-A Insulation is then held in place with a polyurethane foam adhesive ready for fixing with stainless steel ties. On to this goes a breather membrane and then 50 x 50mm vertical battens fixed to the masonry wall through the insulation with additional ties. This will have a stainless steel expanded metal lath fixed over the battens and then rendered in a 3 coat 30mm lime render.

The importance of this stage is that without the insulation and cladding in place we can’t fit the windows and without the windows in place we can’t achieve a dry sealed house. This is essential before pouring in the screed floors on the ground floor ready for laying the electric cabling to form the underfloor heating. And only then can we think about internal decoration.

So the house stands with almost all of the windows removed and all of the old render removed ready for thermal cladding. From now on (fingers crossed) we should see some more real rapid progress.

Here we start to see the gradual deconstruction of the older part of the house. This first picture shows the new floor beams going in to what will be the kitchen.

But then things started to get heavy. The next few pictures show the roof over the older part of the house completely removed.

You’ll notice that the immersion boiler is still visible and useable also you can see that the wall has been removed where the new front door will be.

This view looks through the hole created leading through to the diner from the kitchen. Just beyond the doorways at the back is the master bedroom. These up stair rooms have been striped back to the basic brick work. You will notice that the walls are only one brick thick.

This is the view from the landing looking down into the old kitchen.

The side wall has almost completely been removed and floor beams have been installed throughout the first floor providing a strong level surface. This makes way for a flitch beam to be installed across the whole length of the house. A flitch beam (or flitched beam) is a compound beam used in the construction of houses, decks, and other primarily wood-frame structures. Typically the flitch beam is made up of a steel plate sandwiched between two wood beams, the three layers being held together with bolts. In that common form it is sometimes referenced as a steel flitch beam. Further alternating layers of wood and steel can be used to produce an even stronger beam. The metal plate(s) within the beam are known as flitch plates. Only after this can the roof be rebuilt.

Yep that immersion boiler is still there.

Here the flitch beam is being prepared for installation.

Much earth has to be removed and a slope built to allow access to the mini piling rig. This will pile down 6 meters ready for the support steels to be put in.

Enter the piling rig. It has arrived and over the next few days it will drill up to 12 holes each one taking around an hour.

The company we have used is called Southern Piling.

Well this at last brings us up to date the date being 3oth July 2009. I will continue to update as progress moves.

It wasn’t long before we had to evacuate the living room and hand over to the builders. Their first job was to dig out up to half a meter down throughout the ground floor.

The building regulation notes say:

GROUND FLOOR CONSTRUCTION

Break-up existing ground floor and excavate to reduced levels. Over existing consolidated ground lay 150mm thick hardcore with minimum 25mm sand blinding. Install over blinding 1200 gauge polythene damp-proof-membrane (dpm) to continue up internal wall surface and lap over damp-proof-course (dpc) level by 100mm. Dpm to have a minimum of 150mm lap at joints and are to be taped with a bitumen tape. All surfaces to receive dpm should be sound, clean, smooth, dry and free from dust; any sharp protrusions should be removed.

On dpm lay 200mm thick Dow Floormate 300-A insulation board (2no. layers 100mm with staggered joints) or equivalent. Insulation to be enveloped in 1000 gauge polythene prior to concrete slab being laid. Install 25mm thick vertical strip of rigid insulation board to the perimeter of each new floor. Insulation should comprise a premium performance CFC/HCFC–free rigid phenolic insulation core with coated glass tissue facings on both sides manufactured under quality control systems approved to BS EN ISO 9001: 2000

Lay 75mm thick 90% Ordinary Portland cement replacement in-situ concrete slab. Reinforce concrete slab with a single layer of A142 mesh. Wire to reinforcement within concrete slab electric underfloor heating cables to be designed to a minimum of 70W/m2.

So far the floors in the bathrooms, living room and hall have all been dug. The main problem here is the kitchen and dinning room where the older part of the house does not have foundations. This may require a different approach such as digging to a shallower depth and not having so much insulation. The Local Authority Planning Officer was not happy digging to recommended depth in these rooms due to the lack of foundations.

At this point I am the only one staying in the house, all rooms bar the master bed room and bathroom are now being worked in. Caroline and Luke have moved out to the parents homes for now and I don’t think it will be long until I move fully in to the garage.

I am at last getting closer to catching up. In reality things have moved on some what.

The picture above shows where the doors to the bathrooms will be, once the roof is on they will cut through.

The bathroom roof goes on …

… and the bathroom doors are cut through.

Meanwhile at the side of the house the upstairs spare bedroom wall has been knocked through. This will eventually lead in to the new diner area. You may notice the bank and retaining wall in the bottom right of the picture above. The Structural Engineer had concerns over the weight of the extension on the bank, which has meant getting in a mini piling rig.

The first picture shows a view through the spare bedroom out to where the diner will be. The building inspector commented on the floor beams being rotten at the ends and insisted on replacing them. (More cost I’m afraid)  The next picture is taken looking up through the original dinning room to the bedroom above.

At this point we have moved almost everything out of the house, we are still using the kitchen and living room, master bedroom, bathroom and Luke’s room but we are gradually moving out. The plan is that I move into the garage while Luke and Caroline swap between parents until we can start moving back in. So far the speed and quality of the work has been very impressive. At this point we are only four weeks into the project.

We have encountered some problems, which will need additional work and cost but nothing really scary yet. This has mainly being the complete replacement of the roof rather than a partial replacement. To be fair this was highlighted in the survey when we bought the house. Also the replacement of the up stair floors in the older part of the house, Luke’s room and the spare bedroom.

So we are nearly up to date. Most of what has been done so far is the basic building and making ready, but we are staring to get in to some of the more unusual aspects of the build.

Work carried on at a cracking pace. It wasn’t long before brick and block work began while the roof was being prepared. At this stage my partner Caroline, my son Luke and myself are still living in the house.

Foundation bricks and damp course in place.

Wall construction below dpc to consist of four courses of engineering brickwork. Above dpc external walls to have an inner skin of 100mmthick 7N/mm2 dense concrete blocks finished with 2 coat plaster ready for decorations. An outer skin of 100mm2 thick 7N/mm2dense concrete blocks with flush pointed joints. Build into walls stainless steel wall ties (20×3) to BS 1449: Part 2:1983 at 900mm horizontal, 450mm horizontal and vertical centres in staggered formation, with additional wall ties at every block course at perimeter of all openings.

Over existing consolidated ground lay 150mm thick hardcore with minimum 25mm sand blinding. Install over blinding 1200 gauge polythene damp-proof-membrane (dpm) to continue up internal wall surface and lap over damp-proof-course (dpc) level by 100mm. Dpm to have a minimum of 150mm lap at joints and are to be taped with a bitumen tape. All surfaces to receive dpm should be sound, clean, smooth, dry and free from dust; any sharp protrusions should be removed.

Luke looks on at the new family bathroom.

Chris Farr of Chris Farr Associates was commisioned to prepare calculations based upon the drawings supplied and concerns over roof strength and lack of foundations in the older part of the house which the planning inspector had picked up on.

Chris made calculations on strengthening the roof, new rafters, diner room floor joists, diner room maim beam, column designs, balcony beams, foundations for columns, structural steelwork and ground floor recommendations.

Here we start to see a few of the hidden and unexpected problems. The lack of foundations in the older house would mean potential underpinning and the whole roof would need replacing. Chris was able to make structural recommendations which would negate any underpinning but we would need to strengthen and replace the whole roof.

Chris’s calculations were supplied back to the architects and builders. The architects amended their plans and re-supplied the finished building plans.

 Foundations have been dug to Local Authority specifications. (up to 2 meters deep)

Once the foundations had been dug they were trenchfilled with concrete on agreement with the building inspectors.

So far I haven’t mentioned the total scope of work involved and what our budget is. Firstly the work scope, which falls broadly into three sections as, mentioned before.

1. Is to add an on suite bathroom and create a family bathroom together with extending the kitchen to create a kitchen diner.

2. Is to implement under floor heating for thermal mass, add thermal cladding to the outside walls and install both solar heating and solar photovoltaic panels.

3. To restore the house to modern standards.

To achieve this our budget needs to cover:

Roofing

Removing roof tiles from roof and saving to reuse. All of the roof to be strengthened to accommodate solar panels (under instructions from Local Authorities) felted and battened using untearable breathable felt compliant with new fire regulations. Roof cut into and modified to incorporate dinner extension.

Bathroom extension

Excavate out all foundations to agreed specification. To raise bathroom brickworks, internal block works tied to external skin with stainless steel wall ties. Roof and render.

Ground floor

To excavate the entire ground floor and fill in with hard core and insulation covered in a couple of inches of concrete. To then lay on electrical cabling and cover with an inch of concrete.

Diner extension

To pile drill support holes for raised diner and balconies and construction of dinner including Rhenzink standing seam roof. Steel works calculated by structural engineer and agreed with local authorities and then implemented.

Whole house to be thermal clad in 140mm thermal cladding. All windows to be replaced and in some case enlarged with UPVC double glazed frames. The whole house to be re-wired, fire alarms fitted, mains boards moved all worked carried out to new 17th amendment specifications.

All walls and ceilings to be plastered and painted. All carpentry work to be updated and replaced.

Solar and photovoltaic panels installed and log burners sourced and installed.

Bathroom and Kitchen to be fitted out. New flooring throughout.

Saving all hardcore to be crushed and placed into new foundations. All demolition to be saved and crushed on site. All wood saved and stacked for use in wood burning stoves.

I think that covers it. Budget to be discussed soon

The Sketch plans were submitted to the local District Council for approval. We only had to wait a couple of weeks and we received a letter giving full approval to go a head. With this conformation we decided to approach up to 10 building companies for quotes. About 3 companies approached us having seen the planning proposal posted on the District Council website. We spoke to companies of all sizes and capabilities and waited in anticipation for their replies.

It wasn’t long before the quotes came rolling in and they did vary considerably. Because of the unusual nature of the build we needed to give some additional clarification on some points mainly concerning the solar panels and electric under floor heating. It soon became apparent who the front-runners were and we then talked to the architects to short list and select our builder.

The company we finally opted for is Ablerow Construction Building and Roofing Contractors.