New stove position

New stove position
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

Were considering how best to solve the issue of where to place the stove. This is the latest iteration and it's leaning more towards what we find acceptable.The main problem in all of this is that this is the only practical place for the stove to go and it's so hard to visualise.

Out with the collars and braces

DSC_3548
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

We visited the site after a lay-off of a few days. It's the half-term holidays and we don't find ourselves near the site as much.
We didn't expect to find much in the way of progress because the weather has been really bad - icy cold, gale force winds and heavy rain.
When we got there we were happy to find that the wooden perlins had been replaced by steel ones. As promised, once that had happened the collars and braces that ran across the roof void were removed to reveal the roof space in half it's glory (we have to wait for the roof structure to go in over the extension to get the full picture). So now we can pretty much see the size of the bedroom and bathroom. Rihoys had also cut out the rafters around where the first rear facing velux window goes.
In other news, a brickwork consultant has been round to view the outer skin of the extension and the order subsequently came in to remove the new brickwork (again) in order for it to meet the required standard. We can only imagine that it must be a little demoralising for the brickies as this is the second time this has happened. Hopefully it's third time lucky.

Tile by tile...

DSC_3472
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

Click here to see how far I've got. This is a detail of the bits which have been done.

mosaic in progress

mosaic in progress
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

Not quite half way through - but not bad going as I only have a small amount of evening time to spend on it.

I'm really glad to be moving out of the blues and greens - I feel the need for some warmth.

D'you like the sexy glasses?

The first roof steels go in

Roof steels braced with ratchet straps
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

They're just held in place temporarily. Once the perlins and other roof steels are added, the structure will be self-supporting and presumeably indestructible. It's just starting to hit home exactly how much steel is being used in this development - lots.

Upstairs...

20060214-upstairslivingarea
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

Or rather clamber up - there are no stairs.

Partition walls starting to go in

Partition walls starting to go in
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

We can start to see the room shapes now. This is Cara's room with the guest bedroom and wetroom in the background. Don't worry - a spot of paint will work wonders.

New veg patch taking shape

New veg patch taking shape
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

A couple of hours digging in the sunshine today - We now have 5 of our 12 veg beds. Next they'll have weed proof membrane between them and boards put on the edges to hold it in place. I've got about 6 weeks to get them done.
Then I can plant asparagus, strawberries, courgettes, sweetcorn, runner beans, sprouts, purple sprouting, potatoes, beetroot, carrots, mizuna, Pak Choi, squashes, spinach.... Mmmmm yum.

Getting ready for the upstairs steels

037 Saint's View, getting ready for the A frame
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

Catching up with the happenings at the house:

Rihoys are preparing for the arival of the steels for the upstairs. I nthis picture they've cut a swathe through the house to allow a large 'A' frame steel to be slotted in (or so we believe). All the padstones are in place in the extension and Rihoys have laid old plt sheets on the first floor joists so that they can walk on them to guide the steels into place.

One wierd thing has been the windows in the extension. After we mentioned that the sills looked far too low to match the existing windows, Rihoys pulled down the brickwork to the level of theexisting sills. We assumed that this was to allow them to build up the brickwork to the right height. But yesterday we went down and saw that the brickies had laid more bricks in exactly the same way as before they were removed. Wierd. I'm sure they have their reasons. Not.

In other news the floor has been ordered and is being fitted just before the kitchen installation.

Kitchen ordered

This is a piece specially for Martyn at La Salle. We have ordered the kitchen today. The island unit was stretching and shrinking right up until the last minute. We finished on a reduced version after marking it out at the site on saturday. I'll never understand how the island gets smaller but the price never goes down. We're happy with the design and cannot wait to start cooking in it.

Casting the hearthstone

Casting the hearthstone
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

They're casting the hearthstone in the upstairs living room today. Hope we've put it in the right place.
In other news, we've chosen a wood flooring for the living area and hallway. It's expensive, but it is beautiful. It's reclaimed French railway wood, hope it measures up to expectation, because we've pushed the boat out for it, financially speaking.
Meriel is progressing with the mosaic, religiously doing a couple of hours a night - not that she doesn't enjoy it.

Joisted

Joisted
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

The joisting in the floor of the first floor of the extension is finished and there's alot of joists. Padstones are cast to receive the steels for the roof of the extension, but we're not sure when they're due on site. Cerainly in the next two weeks.

Mosaic tiles for the bathroom

Mosaic tiles for the bathroom
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

The line up of tile colours for the bathroom mosaic. See the design here.

Where the house and the garden meet

externalbuffer space
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

One more set of drawings to be done by the architects so that they can get the steps detail right. This is the information we've sent to them so that they understand what we want. The builders won't do all this - but heh - you need a plan right?!

No more window shopping...

We ordered the kitchen appliances today - Finally after months of choosing we can actually stop thinking about them (and move onto the next thing).
Sometime around mid March they'll arrive in Portsmouth and be put on a boat to get here. We don't need them until mid april so that's just fine. Not sure where they'll live for that month yet.

Steels for the downstairs' ceiling/upstairs floor

Downstairs' ceiling/upstairs floor
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

The steels for the floor of the upstairs in the extension went in yesterday, but we were advised not to turn up to witness. Fair enough, looked like alot of very heavy steelwork. It's been placed on pre-formed concrete pads and packed out to the correct height with flat, square, steel spacers so that it's all level. Weather permitting the joist between the steels will start to go in tomorrow. In fact I've just checked with the weather and it looks very good for both Thursday and Friday. What luck.
Meanwhile we are busy agreeing prices and choices for flooring, tiles, lighting, power and other wiring. There's alot of it, by crikey.

Veg

Dig it
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

We dug the vegetable patch over and marked out where the new beds will be. We might not be living there, but we can definately still benefit from free veg.