Agricultural Fencing for Cladding

We are now rushing to get the outside of the barn finished so that it can be sealed up from the rain allowing us to lay the underfloor heating, insulation and floor screed. First fix electrics are nearly complete. Upstairs has been plaster-boarded ready for plastering and the bathroom fixtures and fittings have been delivered. Glazing and doors will be fitted some time between now and next Friday.

Office cladding on the left

Patio doors and main entrance area

The back door

Timber Cladding

Big digger in the garden

Sheep's wool insulation : )

No more scaffolding... Very revealing

The scaffolding has gone so the building has been revealed properly for the first time.

It's a good time to reflect on the changes that we've made. We started off with the rectangular barn and planning permission for a small lean-to extension on the SE facing gable end. We took a gamble to re-apply for planning permission requesting a larger building that would take advantage of fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and benefit from improved solar gain thus less demanding heating requirements. We took our inspiration from a working barn in the Quantock Hills, Somerset.

Approved by planning at the time of purchase

Inspiration from the Quantock Hills, Somerset

Windows soak up the morning sun

Room with a View

The gable end window in the master bedroom must have been bricked up for years... It's not anymore. We now have a beautiful view towards the south east with a cedar tree and a church tower on the horizon. The window starts at floor level and is around six feet tall so it adds tons of light to the master bedroom. The picture below doesn't do the view justice but you get the idea.

Some of the view!

Monday saw a flurry of activity with timber window frames being fitted throughout the building ready for the glazing that arrives on Wednesday. We have some sliding timber framed doors for the office and a couple of custom made tilt & turn doors one for the bathroom and a big one for the bedroom.

Fixed window in the lounge

Most of Tuesday was spent repairing brickwork around lintels to the rear of the building. I think we're happy with the finish. You can't argue that the repairs add a certain amount of character, we've used reclaimed bricks from the local area and you can see differences in the mortar but it i believe it keeps the building honest. After all, this is a relatively modern agricultural building, not much more than 100 years old. It has been patched up, filled in and tweaked here and there. The changes to the structure over the years mean its always been fit for purpose and therefore maintained. The scars and blemishes although tidied up in places still remain and help the building to reveal glimpses of its recent history.

Bricks slipping a little

A building with holes

A building with character

Microgeneration Hmmm

Microgeneration is the company that we are using for the micro-renewables. These guys are not entirely in favour at the moment. I will try not to go into too much detail. The latest problem is that they have sent a thermal store that does not fit the space created for it. It is about 50cm taller than the one we were told we were going to get. 

A thermal store that does not fit in the building it is supposed to heat is a little pointless. A fairly fundamental design error i would think???!! For a system that is costing me such a lot of money even i could get that bit right. Maybe i should start a new business?

Little Extension

We've started on the roof of the little extension. This is the one with the bat house in it. We need to put an opening in the slates so that the bats can get in and use the space as a day roost to sleep. Zzzz

You might also see the new black aluminium guttering on the main roof.

Looking Good

I really like the following photo as it goes a long way to showing what the finished building will look like. We're currently working on insulating the bedrooms & fitting windows. In this photo you can see that the brick arch for the office window has been re-instated and repaired, it looks really good up close. 

Looking out from the office window

The insulation is very thick, there is roughly a 4" skin followed by another 40mm layer, lambs wool in the floor joists and more insulation in the walls.

Insulation in the roof

Vaulted ceiling within the lounge

Below you can see the timber windows, double glazed panels are being fitted this week. Having an air tight building will make a large difference to the site. We also have aluminium guttering on site and ready for fitting. Hopefully we'll be opening up the large window in the master bedroom some time next week. This will expose a fantastic view and flood the room with light.

Timber windows

A 'green' table... made from the old hay loft door

The view through what will be a zinc oriel window

Catch-up

So loads of stuff happened while i was away and I'm eternally indebted and grateful to Sally. I'll quickly try and show you the developments.

The roof work started so that the main extension now joins on to the existing barn making the building look much more as one and we're pleased to say that we really like it. We're starting to like the building more and more and any fears that we have about making a wrong decision with the design or concerns over the size of the internal space are rapidly evaporating.

Roof over the main extension (lounge area)

Structural timbers, this will be our view out!

Womble & Stuart doing the stud-walls upstairs

The Brazilian slates

Bad Blogger

February was a month with loads of building activity. Sally kindly took lots of photos while i was away surfing in Costa Rica so unfortunately not much has happened with the blog. Yes, yes, i agree, it does sound a little unfair but the itchy jellyfish stings have helped in some way as payback for leaving Sally in a cold caravan on a building site while i'm off on a lads jolly.

The surfmobile! How could I turn that opportunity down?