Hagg Leys Farm

Month: July 2013 (Page 3 of 6)

Home automation: Too many choices

July 20, 2013 /

I am feeling pretty overwhelmed by the number of choices in technology for home automation.  Just take a look at this page which provides a list of the main options – http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/home-automation-technology-choices

Given that I am a geek, I do wonder how members of the public manage.  I think the answer is that they don’t.  This might explain why this technology isn’t really mainstream yet.  Even I have had moments where I have wondered if this home automation stuff should really be put in the “too hard” box for now.

There are a number of solutions around that seem to proprietary or “turn key” – why would anyone want to buy a system for flexibility and then have to go back to the installer every time that they want to make a change?

From what  I can make out there seem to be two choices that might work for us:

  • Loxone: (www.loxone.co.uk) This is central server based solution connecting to KNX based devices.  (Thanks to the pointer from Chris Hampele)
  • Fibaro Home Centre 2: (www.fibaro.co.uk) Similar to Loxone, but based on using Z wave devices.

Next step is to find some time to look into this further.  I am under pressure to get the first fix wiring sorted.  However, the wiring seems to be fairly standard and the kit can be fitted lated to the server.

More of the barn being demolished

July 20, 2013 /

In the hot weather, the builders carried on demolishing the barn.  With the temperatures reaching 30C, this was a horrible and dusty job.

The stone on the front of the barn is going to be re-used. It is pretty black from 200 years of soot and grime. The new extension will need to be sandblasted when finished/

The stone on the front of the barn is going to be re-used. It is pretty black from 200 years of soot and grime. The new extension will need to be sandblasted when finished/

Despite the hot weather, the barn is almost gone.

Despite the hot weather, the barn is almost gone.

Finishing off the corner of the wall along Hagg Wood

July 20, 2013 /

Although much of the day today was taken up with briefing a kitchen designer (I have high hopes!!), I did manage to spend a couple of hours on the dry stone wall along Hagg Wood today.  The corner of the wall is not in the best of shapes.  While I have managed to get away with just repairing the top 2-3 courses, this part of the wall needs to be rebuilt. While some of the wall has a bit of a “wiggle”, this part of the wall is just lost to the under growth.

I have tried to keep the amount of rebuilding to a minimum and concentrate more on “repairing”.  But with the corner, I have no choice.  Yesterday, I spent some time digging out this part of the wall.  Today will be spent rebuilding a 4m section.  This is in comparison to spending a day repairing a wall when I can do 10-15m in a day.

The yellow string shows where the wall should be. Mmm...there is a bit of work to do here.

The yellow string shows where the wall should be. Mmm…there is a bit of work to do here.

There is little option but to dissamble the corner of the wall and re-building. I tried to keep the amount of rebuilding to a minimum, but it had to be done.

There is little option but to dissamble the corner of the wall and re-building. I tried to keep the amount of rebuilding to a minimum, but it had to be done.

At least it is now straight. It is amazing how much stone goes into the wall when it is rebuilt.

At least it is now straight. It is amazing how much stone goes into the wall when it is rebuilt.

I have to admit that I did take the coping stones off and had a second go as the first attempt had a bit of a "wave" in it. This is not perfect, but better.

I have to admit that I did take the coping stones off and had a second go as the first attempt had a bit of a “wave” in it. This is not perfect, but better.

Demolishing the barn

July 18, 2013 /

Much of the stone from the barn is going to be used to build the new extension, so it is being taken down very careful (well, as carefully as 200-year-old walls will allow).  This is the start of Phase 2.  We are going on with the demolition work and possibly the concrete floor base while the architects are finalising the design details.

With the temperature touching 30C, this is hot and dirty work.  Which is why I am building the dry stone wall in the bottom field!

This is where the kitchen is going to be. Can you see it yet?

This is where the kitchen is going to be. Can you see it yet?

The barn is being taken down very carefully as we intend to re-use as much of this stone as possible when building the new extension.

The barn is being taken down very carefully as we intend to re-use as much of this stone as possible when building the new extension.

Zep on "Pasty Patrol". No luck today. Better luck tomorrow.

Zep on “Pasty Patrol”. No luck today. Better luck tomorrow.

Life in the polytunnel

July 18, 2013 /

We started planting out in the polytunnel at the end of May and now things are starting to spring into life. 

In the current weather, I leave both of the end doors open during the day.  If nothing else, it lets the bees in to pollinate the flowers.  However, the heat in there is pretty unbearable.  I tend to water it twice a day.

Nowhere near to be red yet, but it is a start!

Tomatoes. Nowhere near to be red yet, but it is a start!

Starting to look more like a marrow. Not my favourite vegetable.

Courgette. Starting to look more like a marrow. Not my favourite vegetable.

5 out of 6 have survived. The caterpillars had the 6th.

Cabbage. 5 out of 6 have survived. The caterpillars had the 6th.

Things seem to be surviving in the polytunnel - even flowers!

Pansies and stuff. Things seem to be surviving in the polytunnel – even flowers!

These plants have started to take over the place. There are some parsnips under there, but I haven't seen them for a while!

Potatoes. These plants have started to take over the place. There are some parsnips under there, but I haven’t seen them for a while!

Four sunflowers grown from seed. These need potting on (again) as the root are well out of these pots.

Four sunflowers grown from seed. These need potting on (again) as the roots are well out of these pots.

Dry stone walling – the wall along Hagg Wood

July 18, 2013 /

I have been working on the wall that lines Hagg Wood today.  Down in the bottom corner by the gate.  Unfortunately, this wall is in pretty bad shape and the small wall that backs onto the road is pretty precarious.

It took me a while to trim back all of the holly just to be able to get to the road.  The soil is much higher here, but a bit of investigation with a pick axe revealed that it was a pile of stones – presumably fallen off the wall – rather than soil.  You can see from the picture below that there was a lot of stone hidden under the grass.  Clearing the holly and finding the stones took most of the day.  The heat (around 30C) was pretty intense and even in the shade it was hard work.

I spent an hour or so at the end of the day and rebuilt the top section on the smaller wall that runs along the road.  Although it still bows a bit, it is a lot more solid than before. I did look back through my archive photos and managed to find a picture of the wall before I “fiddled” with it!

There is a little more to dig out tomorrow and then hopefully I can finish this bottom section of wall and move up to the other end of the bottom field.

The wall is in pretty bad shape here, but most of the stone seemed to be buried in the grass!

The wall is in pretty bad shape here, but most of the stone seemed to be buried in the grass!

Apparently, Lurchers don't do dry stone walling. That is for Jack Russells!

Apparently, Lurchers don’t do dry stone walling. That is for Jack Russells!

This section of wall was looking pretty precarious. There is still a bit of a bow in it, but the large dodgey stones on the top have been sorted out. Note to self: Make sure you put your steel toe cap boots on before playing with a wall in this state.

This section of wall was looking pretty precarious. There is still a bit of a bow in it, but the large dodgey stones on the top have been sorted out. Note to self: Make sure you put your steel toe cap boots on before playing with a wall in this state.

I managed to find this photo in my archive and it shows what the wall used to look like.

I managed to find this photo in my archive and it shows what the wall used to look like.

Pointing

July 18, 2013 /

After pointing the chimneys last week, we haven’t been able to do any more pointing.  We have been hampered by the fine weather – if the weather is too hot, the pointing dries out too quickly, cracks and falls off.  Not exactly what you want!

The front of the building is in the shade much of the day, so today we have made a start here.  The rear of the building which is South facing is in direct sunlight for most of the day.  We had been waiting for the current hot spell to come to an end but I suspect that we are going to have to put up some tarpaulins on the scaffold to get some shade.

After doing a couple of test panels we have decided to repoint the property using a traditional lime mortar rather than a cement based mortar.

Re-poininting the stone work makes a huge difference to the external appearance.

We are using a lime mortar to repoint the property. The front of the house can be repointed in this fine weather as it is in the shade for most of the day.

We are using a lime mortar to repoint the property. The front of the house can be repointed in this fine weather as it is in the shade for most of the day.

Upstairs floor installed

July 17, 2013 /

Although there are no stairs, the upstairs floor has been installed and it is possible to have a wander around this space.  It is amazing how different the building now feels with the floor put back in.  The upstairs for some reason feels a whole lot bigger.  It is certainly starting to look more like a house you could live in.

Who needs stairs when you have two ladders! This is Jo's office looking down the hall way to the other bedrooms and the family bathroom.

Who needs stairs when you have two ladders! This is Jo’s office looking down the hall way to the other bedrooms and the family bathroom.

This is the upstairs in number 8 and will be a bedroom and a family bathroom.

This is the upstairs in number 8 and will be a bedroom and a family bathroom.

The floors have been put in upstairs. Still no stairs, but there is always a ladder!

The floors have been put in upstairs. Still no stairs, but there is always a ladder!

Repairing the dry stone wall along Hagg Wood

July 16, 2013 /

The dry stone wall in the orchard is all but finished and with the fine weather I have been looking out for a spot to work in out of the sun.  The dry stone that runs along the edge of Hagg Wood is a perfect spot. It is also the other end of the property from where the builders are working.  So it is pretty quiet and dust free.

I had forgotten how much quicker it is to repair rather than rebuild a dry stone wall.  It only took me a couple of hours to get this 7m section of wall back into decent shape.  The trick here is not to let the wall deteriorate to a point where it has to be rebuilt.

Most of the stone had simply fallen off the wall, so it was just lurking in the long grass and nettles.  I did have to use a little bit of extra stone, but stone is not something that we are short of at the moment!  You can see it in the photos as the slightly lighter colour due to the amount of dust clinging to the stone.  It will soon blend in.

Before the repair

Before the repair

And after the repair....

And after the repair….

Not exactly perfect, but better than it was. After all, dry stone walling is an abudance of imperfections.

Not exactly perfect, but better than it was. After all, dry stone walling is an abudance of imperfections.

Home automation: Requirements

July 16, 2013 /

One of the things that we haven’t thought very much about yet is home autmation.  Ironic really given my work background. 

As always the starting point with this sort of project is a set of requirements.  Let’s see if this list makes sense……

Lighting

  • Control of indoor and outdoor lighting including dimming
  • Timed e.g. outside lights might come on at dusk for 4 hours and then turn off 
  • Preset “scenes” that might control multiple lights e.g. “Welcome” turns on the outside lights at the front, the porch lights and the hall lights, “Good night” that turns off all the internal lights
  • An “away” mode that simulates normal patterns of usage while on holidays or working away

Remote control

  • Ideally via a browser that would allow remote access
  • Web pages that could be integrated into other sites

Door bell

  • Programmable intercom that connects to mobile phone when in “away” mode

Gate control

  • Programmable intercom that connects to mobile phone when in “away” mode
  • Remote opening and closing of the gate via SMS

Remote viewing

  • Web access to remote camera

Heating/Hot water

  • Programming via browser
  • Zoned (temperature control and timed)
  • Remote control

Music

  • Zoned music
  • Moisture proof speakers in bathrooms

User programmable

  • Relatively easy to program
  • Does not require supplier to program the system

Networked

  • Cat 6 to be used throughout the build
  • No real requirement for a media server, although “connected devices” will be used
  • Private and guest wifi

 

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