Category: extension (Page 3 of 4)

Getting the new stonework into position

November 12, 2013 / stephen

There is a large square picture window in the new extension. It is big. Very picture. You step up into it to get from the lounge into the master bedroom.

The ashlar blocks (three of them) that form the window will were heavy enough. But the ashlar jambs (the bits that go up the sides) are enormous and weigh in at 640kgs – far too heavy to be lifted by hand. But to use a crane, you have to be able to attach (safely) the stone to the lifting hook. The builders had a metal plate made with an eyelet. This was then bolted and glued to the back of the stone work. This allowed the stone to be attached without leaving any marks on the outside faces.

There were smiles around once these pieces reach their final resting place.

The large pieces of ashlar are on the telehandler lying on their backs. The crane will lift these up one by one using the metal plate that has been fixed to the back of the stone.

A metal plate with an eyelet has been bolted and glued to the back of the stone. This will be left in place as it is behind all the stonework and will not be seen.

Once roughly in position, the column is nudged into it’s final location while most of the weight is still being held by the crane. No one wants this to topple over as they will be no stopping it once it starts to go.

This peices of ashlar weigh in at around 640kgs (according to the crane operator). They are far too heavy to be lifted by hand and they are still a challenge even with a crane to get into exact position.

The head is fairly easy to get into position with a couple of straps around it.

Roof truss detail

November 9, 2013 / stephen

Most of the oak beams are now in place in the roof of the extension. There is still some work to be done on the valleys (where the two roofs of the extension meet). However, there was a bit of confusion about how this was meant to be built. The upshot was that a piece of oak timber was missed off the order and we now need to wait for it to be delivered next week.

In the meantime, we have pushed ahead with adding the spars to the rest of the roof.

Just in case you thought it was easy to build a roof! All of these peices of oak are cut by hand and manhandled into position. This drawing makes it look too easy!

There is a temporary prop in place, but this is looking very similar to the 3D roof truss detail. The purlins for the valleys are currently missing.

All the main beams are now in place and work has started on installing the spars. Hopefully, by the middle of next week, the roof will be on.

Progress on the roof

November 7, 2013 / stephen

I have been on a course this week (the Loxone training course – more later) which has meant that I haven’t been on site much. With so much going on, it is a meant of a shame not to be here, but the training course has been a welcome break. I do go first thing in the morning (once it is light!). There is little point in going in the evenings as it is dark by the time I get back.

This week the builders have been concentrating on getting the roof up with the hope that we can get it covered over early next week. However, it is a constant battle with the weather at the moment. Even so, they are making good progress.

The roof is relatively complex as you can see from the architects diagram and notes. However, it all seems to be going according to plan.

All three trusses are now in position. The purlins between the trusses have been installed and the “free ends” have been propped up in position while the blockwork is built up to support them. Hopefully all the major woodwork for the roof will be in place by the end of the week.

Just in case you thought it was easy to build a roof! All of these peices of oak are cut by hand and manhandled into position. This drawing makes it look too easy!

This is first thing in the morning before I go off to my Loxone training course. You can see all of the three trusses are now in position – 2 running one way and a third (in the kitchen) running at 90 degrees.

The majority of the beams went in yesterday. Today the builders have been concentrating on building up the blockwork to support the ends of the beams. You can see in this photo that some of the beams (look to camera right) are propped up at the moment waiting for the blockwork to be built up around them.

Ashlar blocks

November 3, 2013 / stephen

We tried to install one of the large ashlar blocks in the new extension on Friday. Although we could get it fairly close by using the telehandler, we couldn’t then get it off the telehandler and into position. It was simply too heavy.

That was Friday. On Saturday, following some advice from the quarry, the builders used some lifting straps around the blocks and lifted them into position.

There are some even larger blocks of ashlar to be moved later in the build, but I suspect that the builders were relieved when these three stones went in undamaged.

There are three large pieces of ashlar that make up the base of the custom window in the extension. This one peice must weigh 300 – 400 kg. Getting it into position is not easy, particularly without damanging it. In the end we had to give up. We could get it so far on the telehandler, but then we couldn’t get it off and into position. It needs a re-think.

The ashlar blocks and the oak trusses are now in position in the new extension.

This took 2 attempts, but the builders finally worked out how to get these three large blocks of ashlar into positioin. There are steps butting up to this part of the building, hence, the use of blocks to the rifht. The six inch plastic pipe is for the air intake for the log burning stove in the lounge.

Steelwork installed

October 30, 2013 / stephen

The steel work that bridges that gap above the bi-folding doors and the large oak window in the extension has finally been installed. The poor weather yesterday meant that there were a couple of attempts to get the welding done, but with no luck.

Today, the weather improved and we got the steels welded in place. These are needed so that we can install the oak roof trusses later in the week. Many thanks to the folks at Bridge Fabrications (http://www.bridgefabrications.co.uk/) for being so flexible about getting this work done.

There are two sets of bifolding doors in the extension with a large square oak window in the middle. Two large steel beams span this gap and are welded in the middle. The steel won’t be seen when finished, but the oak trusses for the new roof rest on it.

Steelwork in the extension

October 27, 2013 / stephen

There are a number of large openings in the extension and we are using steel to bridge these openings. When finished, you will not be able to see the steel as it be covered with stone work.

Despite the bad weather, the first of the steels (the one across the top of the large custom oak window) was installed. The other steelwork is now on the ground in the right location. We will get this into position next week.

All in all, this week was one of the wettest in the build so far. Let’s hope for better weather over the next 2-3 weeks as the roof goes on.

The first of the steels has been installed. Due to the poor weather, this was the only steel to go in today. It was another wash out. Even Zep decided that it was time to put a coat on!

More ashlar

October 24, 2013 / stephen

Yesterday it rained, so we made the best of it and took the opportunity to pick up more of the remaining bits of ashlar from the quarry. Some of these peices are seriously big and will need a crane to be able to lift in them into position.

These are amongst the largest pieces of ashlar that are going into the extension. Some of the larger peices are over 3/4 tonne and will require a crane to lift into position.

This is the last batch of ashlar and some of these pieces are seriously big. Far too big to manhandle. We will need to use a crane to lift some of these.

Wet weather

October 23, 2013 / stephen

The wet weather has really affected us this week. Although you can build blockwork in the rain (it doesn’t matter if the sand and cement was down the front of the blocks), the same is not true for stone work. Even with blockwork, if it gets too wet the sand and cement starts to slump and the blocks move.

It is Wednesday and we haven’t been able to do much work outside – despite trying! But sometimes it is just better to give in to the weather.

The steel has arrived for the spans above the bi-folding doors. These are going to be manhandled into position and we won’t be doing that until the mud subsides.

Much of the ashlar stone surrounds are now on site. These are for the cills, heads and sides (called jambs) of the doors and windows. Every door and window has a number on the architects plans. These are marked up on the ends of each piece of ashlar.

Parts of the site are now very wet and muddy. This makes getting around difficult unless you have a 4x4. More wet weather is forecast this week. Ho hum.

Parts of the site are now very wet and muddy. This makes getting around difficult unless you have a 4×4. More wet weather is forecast this week. Ho hum.

Although the weather has been wet, we have been able to get some stone work up. Because the stones are large, each course really makes a difference. You can see one of the ashlar window cills has been installed.

The steelwork that will bridge the across the bi-folding doors has arrived. Later this week, it will be manhandled into place.

All of these bits of ashlar are for the door and window surrounds. There is a lot of it!

These pieces of ashlar are for the heads, cills and sides (jambs) of the windows in the extension. As the stone work goes up on the outside of the extension, these surrounds are built in.

Each piece of ashlar is marked up according to whether it is for a door or window. These two peices are for the head and cill for window 43.

Progress on the external work on the extension

October 16, 2013 / stephen

I have been away from site for the past couple of days and it is great to get back to see that some real progress has been made on the extension. A lot of progress has been made on building up the external walls. This can be slow as it involves reclaimed stone rather than concrete blocks.

Unfortunately, when I arrived on site today, so too did the rain. This means that the stone work is all covered up with hessian to prevent the sand and cement getting too wet.

We will have to wait until another day to see what lurks beneath.

The new stonework is hidden under the hessian, but the external wall to the front of the kitchen and the porch is starting to take shape.

This is the side wall of the new porch and we are starting to get a sneak preview at the stone work that lies beneath the hessian.

Blockwork complete on the extension

October 10, 2013 / stephen

Well, complete – more or less.

The waterproofing (called “tanking”) of the portions of the walls that will be below ground level is now complete. The subsoil is being reinstated alongside the walls, so that the builders have a level surface to work off.

If the weather is ok tomorrow, we will start on the stone exterior of the extension. We will start at the front and work our way around to bring all the sides of the extension up to the same level. The the exterior wall will be built in courses right around the building. If it rains, we will have to find other things to do!

The blockwork is more or less complete and the tanking to the rear of the property has been completed. We are now already to start on the stone work.

The blockwork is more or less complete. The insulation boards have been added (held in place by red round plastic clips). The pink boards at the base of the wall are to protect the damp proofing when the soil is put back in place. The large black pipe is the conduit that will carry the main electricity supply (hence the yellow warning tape you can see next to it).

We are ready to start building the exterior stone wall at the front of the extension. The stone is being kept dry under the plastic in the foreground.

With the tanking complete, the subsoil has been reinstated. You can see here that the ground level outside is higher than the floor level inside the master bedroom.