Hagg Leys Farm

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Clearing out the cottages

May 22, 2013 /

HD9 Construction, the Phase 1 builders, have started to arrive.  Some materials and a cement mixer are now stacked in the rear field. 

The final bit of fencing has been removed from the rear garden.  There was some old corrugated steel sheets leaning up against the fence, but that went to the scrapyard yesterday. 

The gas log fire was removed yesterday as well.  Although it uses a stainless steel flue, it would appear that the chimney was not swept before the gas fire was fitted.  As a result, I got covered in soot when I removed the fire.  I had a bit of a “sense of humour failure”.  We will put the fire on Ebay in due course.  It is better than putting it in the skip.

Later in the day, I went to see our neighbour to let her know that the building work is going to start next week.  Top tip – look in the mirror after you have been removing a gas fire – it was covered in soot and I only realised when I got home at the end of the day. Goodness what our neighbour thought!

Dovre 500 gas log fire. It needs a bit of a clean before it goes on Ebay, but it has to be better than putting it in the skip.

Dovre 500 gas log fire. It needs a bit of a clean before it goes on Ebay, but it has to be better than putting it in the skip.

Preparing for the builders…..

May 20, 2013 /

With any luck, the builders are due to start next week, so this week it is all about getting ready and finishing off those last-minute jobs.  And there are a lot of them!

First job today is to collect up all the scrap and take it to the scrapyard.  I had been waiting to take down the porch so that we can add the lead to the haul.  With the porch having been demolished this weekend, it is time to go to the scrap yard.  Our haul today came to £125.  Of which, £30 was the lead flashing from the porch roof.

The temporary orange fencing is becuase some of the corrugated steel sheets are longer than the pickup - even with the tailgate down.

The temporary orange fencing is becuase some of the corrugated steel sheets are longer than the pickup – even with the tailgate down.

The porch

May 19, 2013 /

Ever since we have owned the property, we have wanted to get rid of the porch.  It is a later (much later) addition and has never really fitted in with the rest of the property – white uPVC windows and Welsh slate on the roof doesn’t really help.  We have resisted demolishing it until now as it will make the site look like a building site, but with the builders due to start next week, it is time for it to go!

The first job is to remove the gutters and the rainwater pipes to allow access to the roof.  Then it is time for the plaster board inside the porch to be removed together with the polystyrene slabs of insulation inside the roof space.

The most difficult job is to remove the slates off the roof.  The slates are pretty green and slippery, so climbing on the roof isn’t a great idea.  So we removed the slates from the edge of the roof while standing on a set of ladders, then it was a case of climbing on the roof and working from right to left removing the slates as we go while standing on the battens.  The slates were pretty damaged and with a small roof like this, there is little point in trying to save them – you might end up with a dozen or so good slates.

With the slates removed, the battens and the felt come off next.  Then the underlying timbers are removed.

The double glazed units were a little more of a challenge since they were screwed together before the glass was put in.  This means to take it apart requires removing the glass units first.  Alternatively, you can prize the units apart and use an angle grinder to cut through the retaining screws.

 

Here's the porch before being removed. The dates that we found on the double glazed units when demolitioning it stated that they were manufactured in 1999. I suspect that these were a later addition so this porch has been here for a while. I don't really understand the two bricks at the base of the retaining wall (next to the steps).

Here’s the porch before being removed. The dates that we found on the double glazed units when demolitioning it stated that they were manufactured in 1999. I suspect that these were a later addition so this porch has been here for a while. I don’t really understand the two bricks at the base of the retaining wall (next to the steps).

The inside of the porch with the plasterboard ceiling removed. Various bits of polystrene had been put into the roof space to insulate it (in a bit of a half hearted sort of way).

The inside of the porch with the plasterboard ceiling removed. Various bits of polystrene had been put into the roof space to insulate it (in a bit of a half hearted sort of way).

Apparently, it isn't fair to let an 80 year old climb on the roof. Oh well, I guess, I'll have to do it. Jo's dad looks on.

Apparently, it isn’t fair to let an 80 year old climb on the roof. Oh well, I guess, I’ll have to do it. Jo’s dad looks on.

Slates and felt removed from the porch

The slates, felt and timber removed. The lead flashing is still attached to the main wall. This will be removed to go to the scrapyard next week.

The slates, felt and timber removed. The lead flashing is still attached to the main wall. This will be removed to go to the scrapyard next week.

Slates, felt and timbers have now been removed from the roof of the porch leaving just the double glazed units.

Slates, felt and timbers have now been removed from the roof of the porch leaving just the double glazed units.

Just the small retaining wall left with the rendering on the inside of the porch. This will get removed before the property is sand blasted.

Just the small retaining wall left with the rendering on the inside of the porch. This will get removed before the property is sand blasted.

Update on the tender process

May 18, 2013 /

We have let the contract to the Phase 1 build to HD9 Construction – a local construction company based in Shepley.  HD9 Construction have completed a number of projects similar to ours, so they were a good choice for us.  More information on HD9 Construction and their projects will be found here.

With any luck the building work will commence before the end of the month which means that the Phase 1 build should complete at the end of July.  Exciting times!

Rain and manhole covers

May 16, 2013 /

Yesterday was a terrible day, weatherwise.  It rained for most of the day – according to my weather station around 10% of the rainfall that has fallen this year so far, fell yesterday.  It stopped (briefly) around 2pm.  This gave me an opportunity to pick up some exterior plywood to make up new covers for the manholes on the septic tank.

The existing manholes covers were made of wood and pretty rotten.  The one manhole cover protects a drop of around 11ft!  This is where the water from the septic target drains into the bottom field.  The hole is made up of reinforced concrete rings, but there aren’t any leg irons (metal foot hoops used for climbing out), so if you fell in, it would be difficult to get out.  The new covers are made of 18mm exterior ply, so should last a bit longer than the existing covers.  A coat of primer and gloss paint will also help.

Given the state of the existing wooden manhole covers, I have put some temporary fencing around the area.

Given the state of the existing wooden manhole covers, I have put some temporary fencing around the area.

This is the final tank in the system and this is where the waste water drains away into the bottom field.

This is the final tank in the system and this is where the waste water drains away into the bottom field. It is around 11ft deep!

Demolishing the lean-to: Day 5

May 14, 2013 /

All done.  But it was a real slog.  Don’t know why, maybe it was the showery weather.  Zep and I had to retreat to the pickup a couple of times when the weather took a turn for the worse.  Zep had more sense and stayed in his bed in the cab, even when the rain stopped.

Most of the bricks from the outbuilding are now down in the orchard ready to go into the base of the dry stone wall.  However, I cleaned up a few more and have stacked these on the base of the lean-to.  I am not sure what these are going to be used for, but there are enough already in the orchard.

The old store-room appears to have flagstones on the floor.  A number of them appear to be broken – some no doubt happened when we took down the brick walls, but many of them look like they have been broken for some time.  I have removed one of them and they appear to have been laid directly onto an ash floor (which was the standard approach at the time).  I will take up a couple of the broken ones this week and have a go with the metal detector.  Anything that is under the floor has probably been there for a couple of hundred years.

The bases of the three toilets are now exposed.  They appear to have been built with a smooth cement concave floor.  There were hinged wooden doors at the back of each of the toilets.  I can only imagine that the doors were used to scoop out the contents. Yuck!

Just the base of the store-room and the toilet block left. There is one large upright stone left that is too big for me to move on my own.

Just the base of the store-room and the toilet block left. There is one large upright stone left that is too big for me to move on my own.

One of the flagstones was broken - it probably got damaged when we took down the brick wall - so I have removed it. As expected, it is laid directly onto an ash base - the standard approach in the old days.

One of the flagstones was broken – it probably got damaged when we took down the brick wall – so I have removed it. As expected, it is laid directly onto an ash base – the standard approach in the old days.

No idea how these are meant to work, but with a wooden hinged door at the back, I can only guess that this was used to scoop out the contents.

No idea how these toilets were meant to work, but with a wooden hinged door at the back, I can only guess that this was used to scoop out the contents. Yuck!

These large weight was on the roof. 56lb is a standard weight for potato bags (in the old days anyway!).

This large Avery weight was on the roof. 56lb is a standard weight for potato bags (in the old days anyway!).  It is heavy!

Renewable Heat Incentive

May 13, 2013 /

The situation with the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a little confusing.  Mainly because the details will not be finalised until this Summer (when exactly, who knows!).  If you are interested, you can sign up for email alerts on the Dept of Energy and Climate Change here for details once they are released.

The principle is pretty straightforward – for ground source heat pumps the incentive is between 12.5-17.3p/kWh for each kWh of energy produced by the heat pump.  The incentives are different for other forms of heat pumps.  The rates will be confirmed when the RHI is finalised later on this year.  The incentive is payable over a 7 year period.

There are some criteria attached to receiving the payments, so do make sure that you have a good look at the material that is currently available.  You will also need to ensure that your installation is fully certified.  Most reputable heat pump suppliers/installers will handle the certification for you.

So what is the bottom line for us?  Well, we know the annual kWh as this was calculated when the suppliers worked out the sizing of the heat pump.  From the calculations, it looks as if our installation will produced around 15,000kWh per year.  At the higher rate, the RHI would be around £2,500 per year.  So over a 7 year period, this is equivalent of £17,500.  This almost covers the cost of the installation in the first place.

You will find more information here…….

UK Government website
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-use-of-low-carbon-technologies/supporting-pages/renewable-heat-incentive-rhi

Energy savings trust
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generating-energy/Getting-money-back/Renewable-Heat-Incentive-RHI
I rang them to get some more information on RHI and they couldn’t tell me anything more that what was on their website.  Maybe things will improve once the details are finalised.

Ground source heat pump

May 13, 2013 /

Heat pumps work on the same principle as fridges and freezers – but in reverse.  They cool a refrigerator to a low temperature and then circulate it through a set of coils that are either buried in the ground (ground source heat pump) or have  a fan that circulates air over them (air source heat pump).  The refrigerant warms up, picking up the heat from either the ground or the air.  The heat is then extracted from the refrigerant and the cycle starts again.  The heat from the refrigerant is used to drive a central heating system as well as domestic hot water.

Ground source heat pumps tend to be more effective (as the ground temperature does not vary as much as the air temperature), but they tend to be more expensive as they need coils to be buried in the ground.

Because of the way these pumps work, you need to put energy in (to reduce the temperature of the refrigerant), but you get energy back from the ground/air.  For every unit of energy put in, ground source heat pumps will generate 3-5 units of energy.  This ratio is called “Coefficient of performance” (COP) and you will find it quoted on most of the ground source heat pumps on the market.  For example, for the NIBE F1345 unit that we are considering has a COP of 4.79.

To calculate the size of heat pump required, you need to provide the size of the rooms, the use of the rooms (bedrooms tend to be cooler than other rooms) and insulation levels.  Where you live in the UK will also affect the amount of energy that these pumps will be able to extract. You don’t need to worry about all of this as the ground source heat pump suppliers will do the calculations for you.

The calculations for our property indicate that we need a pump capable of generating around 22Kw.  The nearest size heat pump is 24Kw.  This is fairly large heat pump and unfortunately this requires a 3 phase electricity supply as the load is too great for a single phase supply (which is the “normal” electricity supply in most domestic properties).  I have had to get a quote from our electricity power supplier (Northern Power Grid) for installing a 3 phase supply.  I will cover this elsewhere on the blog.

Heat pumps are not cheap.  A ground source heat pump tends to be more expensive that air source, if only because of the coils that need to be buried into the ground.  A 24Kw unit is going to be around £10K and all the additional bits and pieces will roughly double that cost.  However, there is some good news as there is a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) available from the Government.  RHI is intended to encourage people to install renewable heat sources and from the calculations that I have done, I suspect that the RHI will cover the cost of the ground source heat pump over a 7 year period.  I will cover RHI in more detail elsewhere on this blog.

 

Heat recovery systems

May 13, 2013 /

One of the issues with modern buildings that are well insulated is air circulation.  There is a simple answer – open a window.  The only problem with this approach is that the heat from inside the building escapes with the air.

The solution is to install a heat recovery system that extracts the heat from the air in the building and uses this heat to warm up the incoming fresh air.  The system relies on a set of ducts to each of the rooms.  The level of air circulation can be varied room by room (for example, increased in bathrooms and kitchen).  One of the other advantages of a heat recovery is that it reduces internal condensation – even in shower rooms.

Usually, the ducting for the extraction and fresh air is installed in the loft space.  This may cause us an issue as there is no loft space in the new design building – the roof space is left opened up to reveal the king-post truss. 

The cost appears to be around £6,000 for the kit and the installation.

Villavent are one of the biggest vendors and you will find a useful video here on Youtube.

Demolishing the lean-to: Day 4

May 12, 2013 /

Almost there.  The timber from the roof was cut up using a chainsaw and went on the bonfire (together with odd ends of timber left in the store room).

The brick partitions were demolished using a sledgehammer – we will use the bricks in the foundations of the dry stone wall in the orchard.  We moved them using the pickup.

The brick partitions between the old toilet stalls still to be removed.

The brick partitions between the old toilet stalls still to be removed.

Just an odd few bricks left!

Just an odd few bricks left!

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