Hagg Leys Farm

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Dry stone walling – Day 19

April 6, 2013 /

It is difficult to believe but it has been over a month since we have done any dry stone walling.  The weather has been a major issue (you can’t find the stones under the snow!) as well as turning our attentions to stripping out the cottages ahead of the building work starting.

Today was a great day weather wise – the temperature hit a positively barmy 13C.  Although the wind was still cold, it was great to be working outside and only having to wear a t-shirt.  Hopefully, we have many more of these days to come. 

We spent most of the day building up the section of wall where we had already sorted out the foundations.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be get to the top of the wall ready of the coping stones (which seem in very short supply).

Some of the material that has come out of the cottages during the stripping out will be used in the walls.  Either in the foundations of the wall where they are out of sight (always a good place to lose the odd bricks) or in the wall itself (making sure no machined faces are on the outward face). 

There were two 70’s type stone fireplaces in both of the cottages and much of this material will end up in the wall.  I am spreading it throughout the wall so that it is not too noticeable.  However, we got a surprise today when we turned one of the pieces over – it turned out to be part of a gravestone.  I have no idea if this is a real gravestone or just a waste piece of stone. Either way, not quite what I was expecting to see a 70’s fireplace made out of!

  Reverse side of the 70's fireplace Dry stone walling - Day 19

A year off!

April 5, 2013 /

Me - April 2013Well, I have decided to take a year off work starting from 30th April 2013.  This will give me time to concentrate on the renovation.  The plan is that I will pick up the project management instead of having to pay someone else to do it.

It is a big decision.  I am very grateful to CSC for giving me the sabbatical.  The decision to take the time off is made a lot easier as I know that my team will be in safe hands (thanks Brian).  But for me, this is  the once in a lifetime opportunity to get involved with something that I have always wanted to do.  It is never easy to leave something that has been such a big part of my life for the last couple of years, but I feel that it is something that I need to do.

So I have just 3 weeks left before I take off for the year.  There is a lot to tidy up at work before I go.  However, with the work progressing well with the building regulation details.  There are a lot of decisions to be made around a number of things – most notably: Windows (plastic or wood), underfloor heating (type and supplier), ground source heat pump (type and supplier).  All of this takes time to research properly and it will be good to be able to spend more effort on this.

The current plan is that the tender for Phase 1 should be ready to go out around the 12th April.  By the time we have reviewed the responses and appointed a contractor, it is unlikely that the Phase 1 will start before mid May.

U-values

April 4, 2013 /

U values are an indication of the thermal conductivity of building materials.  You will need these if try to calculate the amount of energy required to heat a building to a certain level.  While these values are well understood for standard building materials, renovations can be more of a challenge.  In our case, the U values for the new build extension are relatively straightforward, however calculating the U values in the existing buildings is more of a challenge.  The walls are solid stone around 500mm thick and will be insulated using a new Gyproc system.  The roof is also going to be revamped in terms of insulation (at the moment, there isn’t even roofing felt under the stone slates).  Even so the figures below show a significant performance difference between the new and the old parts of the building.

U values for the new build:

Roof: 0.2 W/m2K
Walls: 0.17 W/m2K
Floor: 0.15 W/m2K
Sliding Doors 1.6 W/m2K
Windows 1.5 W/m2K
Rooflights 1.8 W/m2K

Existing cottage conversion u-values/fabric upgrades:
 
Walls 0.34 W/m2K
Roof 0.24 W/m2K
Floor 0.22 W/m2K

Working with architects

April 2, 2013 /

I am getting the distinct impression that I am irritating the architect. Now I come to think about it, I think I have probably been irritating both of them (as there are two – Mark and Stuart) for quite some time. It isn’t much of an insight as my other half has been telling me this for sometime. I am just choosing to acknowledge now!

I am not doing it on purpose, you understand. It is just happening that way – it seems to be happening without me even really trying too hard – a sort of natural by product of the interaction between us.

What I am finding frustrating is that I can’t work out why this is happening! Irritating other people is all part of life (it has certainly been a large part of mine!). It is a natural consequence of opposing views or different styles of getting things done. But in this instance, I think we are all pretty much aligned in what we are trying to achieve, so the source of the irritation must be a difference in approach.

As I think about this further (as well as running the risk of sounding too corporate), it occurs to me that we have never defined the roles and responsibilities between the parties.

While much of what an architect does is very clear – producing designs for planning permission, sorting out building regulations – there are a number of other activities that aren’t quite so black and white. I think it is these activities that are the source of irritation.

For example, who decides on the internal wall colours? who chooses the type of windows? or the window supplier? who selects the type of central heating? or where the control unit goes? Some of the answers are simple. Some more complex as they can only be answered by working together. For example, the type of central heating will be impacted by level of insulation (U values), type of wall/ceiling construction, or how the services run throughout the building. And we haven’t even talked about personal preferences.

So if we take the lack of clarity over roles and responsbilities, then add in a certain amount of confusion (on my behalf around the process) and the occasional curved ball (“Well, I didn’t expect to find that under the floor!”), it is no wonder there is irritation.

Flagstone floors

April 1, 2013 /

All three cottages have flagstone floors.  At some point, all of the cottages have had a layer of asphalt laid over the flagstones.  Presumably, this was to prevent the damp coming through the flagstones – the stone itself is porous.  Although the asphalt is still in place in number 8 and (what was) number 9, the asphalt had been lifted in number 10.  There were remnants of the asphalt floor under the kitchen units and under the stairs.

We are still working out what to do with the floors.  There are two main issues to be dealt with:

  • The flagstones are porous and are laid directly onto the earth below.  This means that the floor is prone to be damp;
  • There are cellars in number 8 and (what used to be) number 9.  The ceiling of the cellars is made up of 6ft x 4ft stone slabs.  Normally, the damp would be treated by digging up the floor and laying a waterproof concrete floor.  However, this isn’t possible because of the stone slabs over the cellar.

Following the architect’s advice,  I pulled up one of the smaller stone flagstones and had a look underneath.  I took up one of the flagstones that was against the wall, so that we can see the extent of the foundations.  The flagstone is laid directly onto the soil.  The soil is about 12 inches deep on top of (what looks like) bedrock.

Looking on the outside of the wall, the foundation stones are exposed at the base of the wall.  Originally, the ground level outside of the kitchen was just below the level of the current window cill, however, it was dug out when the garden was landscaped and the conservatory (now removed) was built.

Pulling up the flagstone confirms what we thought – they are laid directly onto the earth below.  This explains the dampness coming through the flagstones.  However, it also seems to indicate (at least in this part of the building) that the foundation stones are laid directly onto the bedrock below.

Let’s see what the architect has to say later in the week.

I took up one of the flagstones next to the wall. While the stone is laid directly onto the earth below, it is only 6 inches deep as there is bedrock below.

I took up one of the flagstones next to the wall. While the stone is laid directly onto the earth below, it is only 6 inches deep as there is bedrock below.

The ground level used to be just underneath the window cill, but was dug out when the back garden was revamped. You can see the foundation stones at the base of the wall. The flagstone that we have pulled up is directly the other side of the wall.

The ground level used to be just underneath the window cill, but was dug out when the back garden was revamped. You can see the foundation stones at the base of the wall. The flagstone that we have pulled up is directly the other side of the wall.

Victorian fireplace tile

March 31, 2013 /

When we removed the fireplace from No. 10, the fireplace was full of a lot of rubble – about 10 wheelbarrows of it!  Amongst the rubble were some lovely rich blue Victorian hearth tiles – a sort of long oblong shape.  Most of them were smashed and all of them were painted over.  Presumably, the rich peacock blue colour had fallen out of fashion at some point and it was then fashionably to paint them over with beige paint – yuck! 

I saved some pieces and scanned one in (see below).  I then thought I would do a quick search on the internet and see if I could find an image of a similar tile in situ with it’s original cast iron fire surround.  Well, imagine my surprise when I found the EXACT same tiles on sale London Mosaic Restoration– the image is identical (see below). What an amazing coincidence!

I did manage to find some images showing similar tiles in situ.  I think the ones in the cottage are not going to be quite as fancy as these, but you get the idea.

In the rubble behind the fireplace in No. 10, there were a number of peacock blue tiles. They orignially would have been in a Victorian fireplace surround.

In the rubble behind the fireplace in No. 10, there were a number of peacock blue tiles. They orignially would have been in a Victorian fireplace surround.

Tile from London Mosaic Restoration - it is identical (apart from mine is only a bit of a tile!).

Tile from London Mosaic Restoration – it is identical (apart from mine is only a bit of a tile!).

Workshop space in the outbuilding

March 31, 2013 /

We saved some of the kitchen units from No. 10 and have installed them in the outbuilding.  We have put the units along one of the drier walls leaving the back wall to fully dry out over time.  It is a bit of snug fit, but it does mean that there will be somewhere to store tools etc once the main building work starts.  It is also a fairly good place to settle from the elements, although a tad drafty!

We saved some of the kitchen units and have moved them to the outbuilding. Once building work starts in the main cottages we will need somewhere to store tools etc.

We saved some of the kitchen units and have moved them to the outbuilding. Once building work starts in the main cottages we will need somewhere to store tools etc.

Conservatory – completely removed

March 31, 2013 /

The conservatory has now completely gone, just leaving a concrete based.  The lino went in the skip and the ply wood floor went on the bonfire.  There is a manhole set into the concrete for the drain, although goodness knows how you would have got to it without cutting a hole in the lino!

The stone from the outer wall has been stacked in the field out of the way and the pea shingle reused on the outbuilding.  There was a surprising amount of work in clearing up what was left of the conservatory once the uPVC frame and glass had been removed.

There was a lot of work involved in removing the brick base.

There was a lot of work involved in removing the brick base.

Stacking these stones neatly in a pile uses less space.

Stacking these stones neatly in a pile uses less space.

Damp on the back wall of the outbuilding

March 30, 2013 /

Now the outbuilding has a new roof, our intention is to use it as a log store and a sort of site office.  The main problem with it is that it is a single skin building that has been built directly onto the earth.  It was probably the way everything was done back when it was built around 200 years ago.

In order to reduce the amount of damp coming in through the back wall, we have dug along the edge of the wall and filled it with pea shingle.  This means that there will not be damp earth up against the wall.  We will also fit a rain water gutter and down pipe.  For now, we will put up a plastic gutter and down pipe.  We may well change it later to something that matches the rest of the building, but for now our first priority is to try and get the outbuilding a little bit drier.

The fascia board has had a coat of black gloss paint, before the rainwater gutter is fitted tomorrow (weather permitting).

The fascia board has had a coat of black gloss paint, before the rainwater gutter is fitted tomorrow (weather permitting).

We have dug along the back wall on the building and filled it with pea shingle. This should help reduce the damp penetration. The pea shingle was originally around the conservatory and has been re-used.

We have dug along the back wall on the building and filled it with pea shingle. This should help reduce the damp penetration. The pea shingle was originally around the conservatory and has been re-used.

Removing the base of the conservatory

March 30, 2013 /

This took a bit more effort than we expected.  The wall base was very well constructed – cinder blocks and bricks on the inside and stone on the outside.  Rockwool had been inserted into the cavity for insulation.  We reversed the pickup onto the rear garden and used it to remove all of the rubble. 

The stone used on the outside of the conservatory wall has been kept. We have taken off the sand and cement on the blocks and stacked them in the field. The cinder blocks and bricks used on the inside have been put in the skip.

The stone used on the outside of the conservatory wall has been kept. We have taken off the sand and cement on the blocks and stacked them in the field. The cinder blocks and bricks used on the inside have been put in the skip.

We reversed the pickup onto the back garden and used it to remove the rubble from the base of the conservatory. We stacked the old stone (shown in the back of the truck), but the material from the inside wall went into the skip. We simply reversed the truck up to the skip and threw it in. Simples.

We reversed the pickup onto the back garden and used it to remove the rubble from the base of the conservatory. We stacked the old stone (shown in the back of the truck), but the material from the inside wall went into the skip. We simply reversed the truck up to the skip and threw it in. Simples.

Even in the snow it is easy to drive this around. In fact, there is slightly more traction with the weight over the rear wheels.

Even in the snow it is easy to drive this around. In fact, there is slightly more traction with the weight over the rear wheels.

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