Welcome to our blog.

This blog will follow the ultimate in home improvement: demolish and rebuild!

This is our starting point: a 1930s bungalow. While not a bad house; it is too small for us with three teenage children so what should we do? A full storey extension versus complete rebuild - ultimately the stronger eco-credentials and more certain finances of a new-build helped to guide our choice.

For a number of years we've been trying to find the right route for us to build an eco-friendly, low energy home. We tried various architects and building companies and have eventually settled with a German prefabricated build. The new house will be nearly to passivhaus standards (but not quite due to budget constraints). In any case, the house will be heavily insulated and airtight.

As a family, we have not built a house before so everything is new and exciting but the risk of making a mess of things is quite high!

This blog aims to outline the day to day steps involved in our build.

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Rain nearly stops play

The rain came down in torrents today and nearly stopped play. Fortunately, Christoph, Benjamin and Mike had large plastic sheets to cover the house. At the back of the house here they were covering the 'belt' section. If you look carefully you may spot Christoph at work.


Here is Benjamin at work behind the protective sheeting.

Meanwhile, side the ensuite bathroom Paul, Joss and Bob the plumbers had been hard at work connecting the pipes for the water supply, that was when they hit the snag. Where is the vent pipe going to go for the foul water? Here we come up with a difference between the German and UK ways of doing things.

Paul and Joss think of creative solutions. Unfortunately, the obvious holes in the wall are for the ventilation ducts and can't be used by the pipes. Finally, we have a solution; move the vent pipe and make a new hole in the roof! 
Here you can see the difference between the two layers. The whiter layer is covering the factory applied render. Fortunately, it is now a bit better weather so progress has been made.

Neil, Josh and Matt are busy with the cables for the aerial, taking them up to a hub in the attic. Meanwhile the cat 6 cables are going the opposite way to a hub in the study downstairs!

Here we can see Josh pulling the wires through the ducts.
It has been a grim weather day but everyone worked hard despite it. We look like we're on schedule for first fix plumbing and rendering to be done by the end of the week, fingers crossed.

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