Hagg Leys Farm

Month: February 2014 (Page 3 of 4)

Problems with the heat pump

February 9, 2014 /

The ground source heat pump worked well for about 2 weeks and then started shutting down with a low pressure alarm.  This is normally due to an issue with circulation of fluid in the ground loops.  Last Friday, we had to give up and turn the unit off altogether.  We have now been without heating and hot water for the last week.

Initially, it was thought that it was dirt in the system, but there was no dirt in any of the strainers and the system was flushed to prove the point.  Then it was thought that it was the pump that pumps the antifreeze around the ground loops.  This was replaced, but the fault still persisted.

Neither the installer or NuHeat have been able to resolve the problem despite their best efforts.  This issue now resides with Nibe who are the manufacturer of the ground source heat pump unit itself.  Unfortunately, this means further delays as we have to wait for an appointment for the engineer to come out.

When the heat pump is back up and working, it will take 2-3 days at least for the property to get back up to full temperature.  We are just gratefully that it hasn’t been too cold yet this winter!

The first of the internal doors is fitted

February 6, 2014 /

There are 16 internal doors in the property.  The first of them was installed today.

This is a major milestone for us and now we might stand half a chance of keeping (at least part of) the house clean and dust-free.

The doors are made of oak and have been supplied by Oakwood Doors in Huddersfield.  We purchased a one of door as a prototype a few months ago.  The door handles are from Zoo Architectural hardware and supplied via the door handle company (who also supplied all of the latches and hinges).

The first of the internal doors was installed this afternoon. This is a major milestone for us. And now we might stand a chance of keeping dust out of some of the rooms. The rest of the doors will be fitted upstairs tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

The first of the internal doors was installed this afternoon. This is a major milestone for us. And now we might stand a chance of keeping dust out of some of the rooms. The rest of the doors will be fitted upstairs tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Front wall

February 6, 2014 /

The front wall outside the property is now complete and we are focussing on getting the flagstones down behind it.  All of the flagstones used here were recovered when we renovated the old part of the property.  Some were on the kitchen floor, some were in the barn.

We have laid cables underneath the flagstones so that we can install some external uplighters into the flagstones.  We have marked where they need to be installed and will cut holes in the flagstones once the mortar has set.

About half of the flagstones have been laid at the front of the property. The white conduit carries the cables for the external lights. The black corrugated plastic pipe is poking up through the original stone drain that we found when we demolished the barn. We are reusing it together with the cast iron grate that fits it.

About half of the flagstones have been laid at the front of the property. The white conduit carries the cables for the external lights. The black corrugated plastic pipe is poking up through the original stone drain that we found when we demolished the barn. We are reusing it together with the cast iron grate that fits it.

The flagstones have only just be laid and no one should be standing on them. However, this doesn't apply to Lurchers (apparently!). The tarpaulins are to protect the wet mortar from the impeding rain. It arrived about 30 mins after this photo was taken.

The flagstones have only just be laid and no one should be standing on them. However, this doesn’t apply to Lurchers (apparently!). The tarpaulins are to protect the wet mortar from the impeding rain. It arrived about 30 mins after this photo was taken.

LED bulbs

February 6, 2014 /

From the outset we decided to use LED bulbs throughout the property.  Their longevity combined with lower power consumption made them a no brainer.  We have used the same bulbs inside and out.

We also decided to standardise on the same fitting (GU10) and the same colour (warm white) as well as the same wattage (5W).  This will hopefully mean that we don’t end up with a drawer full of light bulbs, but never the one that you want.

We have already installed around 20 LED bulbs and yesterday we purchased another 30.  At around £10 each, this mounts up.  I never thought that we were spend £500 on bulbs!

On a positive note, the 5W bulbs are very bright and in some of the rooms, particularly the bathrooms, they are probably a bit too bright.  We picked a brand that had a decent guaranteed lifetime and standardised on them.  These are also available locally.

These were purchased locally for around £10 each. To be honest, even at 5W some of them are a bit bright, particularly when in smaller rooms. Unfortunately, they don't make a 1W version. Shame.

These were purchased locally for around £10 each. To be honest, even at 5W some of them are a bit bright, particularly when in smaller rooms. Unfortunately, they don’t make a 1W version. Shame.

 

Door liners

February 5, 2014 /

With any luck, we will start installing some internal doors tomorrow.  I can’t wait.  This will give us the opportunity to clean up some of the rooms and keep them clean.  With the decorators due at the end of the week, this is going to be really important.

The width of all of the internal doors are slightly different. This means that we have to make all of the internal door frames by hand. The good news is that at least we know they are all going to fit.

The width of all of the internal doors are slightly different. This means that we have to make all of the internal door frames by hand. The good news is that at least we know they are all going to fit.

Plastering in the lounge

February 5, 2014 /

We have just finished plastering in the lounge – including the new fireplace and the ceilings.  All of the plastering was completed in two days.  All fuelled by Lucozade and coffee!

The guys have done an amazing job and I can’t wait to see it when the plaster has dried out completely.  This should only take a couple of days once we have the dehumidifier running.

With the aid of copious amounts of Lucozade and coffee (with milk and 2 sugars), the plasterers have managed to plaster all of the lounge (including the ceilings) in just two days. The days have been long, but their work has been outstanding!

With the aid of copious amounts of Lucozade and coffee (with milk and 2 sugars), the plasterers have managed to plaster all of the lounge (including the ceilings) in just two days. The days have been long, but their work has been outstanding!

It will take a couple of days for the plaster to dry out completely, but this process can be speeded up a bit by using a dehumidifier. With all the rain we had to do, everyone has been glad to be indoors!

It will take a couple of days for the plaster to dry out completely, but this process can be speeded up a bit by using a dehumidifier. With all the rain we had to do, everyone has been glad to be indoors!

External lights

February 4, 2014 /

While we have been sorting out the small wall at the front of the property, we are also sorting out the uplighters that will light up the front wall at night.  This has been a little more involved that I first imagined.

There seems little point in shining light onto the wall directly underneath a window – it isn’t going to show any texture on the wall and it is only going to shine light inside. So we have decided to place the lights evenly under the parts of the wall without windows.  I think this should work, but I am worried that the lights are not evenly spaced.

The next concern was how far do the uplighters have to be from the wall to illuminate the wall.  This obviously depends on a number of factors – type of light, type of lamp, distance between the wall and the lamp etc.  The only really way of finding out what it might look like is to try it!  With that in mind, we put a plug on one of the lights and experimented with how far away it should be from the wall.

This shows the effect of one external light positioned about 50cms from the base of the way. This is using a 5W LED lamp with a 45 degree spread. We will position 5 lights along this wall to show up the texture of the stone. We are using Robus uplighters.

This shows the effect of one external light positioned about 50cms from the base of the way. This is using a 5W LED lamp with a 45 degree spread. We will position 5 lights along this wall to show up the texture of the stone. We are using Robus uplighters.

Clearing up after the storm damage

February 4, 2014 /

We cleared as much of the tree that was damaged in the weekend storms as we could, however, our chainsaw wasn’t really up to the job.

Chris LeRoy kindly dropped by today to sort out the bigger parts of the tree that were still standing.

My 14 inch chainsaw just wasn't man enough to deal with this tree. Chris LeRoy - our local tree surgeon - happily (and very carefully) dealt with what was left. He logged all of the big wood for us so that it can be easily chopped into logs for the fire.

My 14 inch chainsaw just wasn’t man enough to deal with this tree. Chris LeRoy – our local tree surgeon – happily (and very carefully) dealt with what was left. He logged all of the big wood for us so that it can be easily chopped into logs for the fire.

This just needs to be split and stored for the next 9-12 months before we can burn it on the log fires! It looks as if it was an old apple tree. However, in the last couple of years we have seen no fruit on it.

This just needs to be split and stored for the next 9-12 months before we can burn it on the log fires! It looks as if it was an old apple tree. However, in the last couple of years we have seen no fruit on it.

Plastering in lounge

February 4, 2014 /

We had made some good progress plastering in the lounge over the last couple of days.  With any luck, we should be finished in the lounge by close of play tomorrow.  This is amazingly quick and the plasterers are doing a great job.

The new chimney breast is really taking shape and it is starting to look like something now!

The pink plasterboard is fireline board. This is more resistant to heat than normal plasterboard and makes it ideal for using around a fireplace.

The pink plasterboard is fireline board. This is more resistant to heat than normal plasterboard and makes it ideal for using around a fireplace.

It is difficult to see with all the scaffolding in the way, but we have plastered about half of the fireplace. The remaining bits of the lounge (including the ceiling) will be finished off tomorrow.

It is difficult to see with all the scaffolding in the way, but we have plastered about half of the fireplace. The remaining bits of the lounge (including the ceiling) will be finished off tomorrow.

Clear Cladding

February 4, 2014 /

The gable nearest the roadside is South West facing and as a result tends to get a lot of bad weather.  This has obviously been a long term problem since the interior of this gable end had been dry lined previously.

We have put a waterproof membrane on the inside of the all, but decided that a coat of a silicone sealant would do not harm.  We decided to use Clear Cladding from Belzona as this is a micro porous silicone product and as such allows the wall to continue to breathe.  This is an alternative to Sovereign that seems to be popular with many builders.

Clear cladding is expense – it is around £100 for a 1 litre tin – however, this concentrate is diluted before it is applied and a small amount seems to go a long way.  The product dries clear and it is difficult to tell where (or not) it has been applied to the wall.

Clear cladding is a silicone based product that is used to seal stonework and mortar. This concentrate is mixed 1:9 with water. As a result a small amount goes a very lond way. It is important to make sure that you don't get any of the solution on glass as it is nearly impossible to get off!

Clear cladding is a silicone based product that is used to seal stonework and mortar. This concentrate is mixed 1:9 with water. As a result a small amount goes a very lond way. It is important to make sure that you don’t get any of the solution on glass as it is nearly impossible to get off!

This has now been treated with clear cladding. It was done the previous day and you can tell the bits that have (and haven't) been coated. Let's see if it works!

This has now been treated with clear cladding. It was done the previous day and you can tell the bits that have (and haven’t) been coated. Let’s see if it works!

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