Quick Comparison

A peaceful derelict barn...

Digger, digger, digger, mud, mud, mud

Mud

So much seems to have happened since we started building unfortunately most of the work is hidden under concrete. I'll try and show you how things have progressed with a few photos (which is code for 'I'd better write this down for myself or I'm going to forget all the work that has been done before the first invoice arrives').

Earth from the areas where the two extensions are being built was excavated and then the foundations dug and filled with concrete

Digging the levels for the smaller extension

Stone has been poured into the barn as a sub-base to the floor, this was leveled using a laser level ready for the next process.

Layer of stone throughout the floor

 Blockwork has been built up on top of the foundation, this essentially forms a large tray for reinforced concrete to be poured onto the damp proof course.

Blockwork for the larger extension

So after the stone was leveled (are you asleep yet?) sand was added and leveled then the DPC was put in place with steel rods on top to give the floor plenty of strength.

Grey sand, red DPC and steel, the blue pipe is where the mains water comes into the building, the brown pipe is where the sewerage leaves the building

 Concrete was poured over the steel reinforcements, it involved 3 loads to get the entire area poured.

A big cement mixer pouring the concrete

Kev getting the concrete levels just right

Our lovely new floor ready for insulation, underfloor heating, screed, then tiles.

So that is the internal groundworks completed, (and by my calculations you should be just about to nod off) all that's left for the groundworks is to run some drainage around the building, install a rainwater harvesting tank and a sewerage treatment plant with a discharge pipe that will run treated water 300m to a nearby stream. Some of this work will be done in Spring when conditions should be more favourable.

We anticipate the actual building work to begin after Christmas, hopefully the worst of the mess and mud will be over by then. As you can imagine caravans and muddy shoes are a bit of a pain. Speaking of caravans, the wood burner is cranking out some lovely heat and we're still enjoying the scenery...

Just before sunrise

Always sunny in Kernow

Just before sunset

Multimedia Magic

Wow, now we're getting technical... here is a short tour of the barn so far!

Rapid Progress

The ground-works guys from Michael Vanstone's are doing a good job. We now have a temporary driveway so that we can receive deliveries and drive cars across the garden to our caravan. The location of the drive is pretty much where the finished drive will be built.

New Driveway

Underpinning has gone as well as anyone could hope, a solid clay base is ideal for the walls to sit on but it's fairly easy to excavate with a mini digger. The mini digger conveniently fits inside the barn so this saves a lot of time and energy and creates a nice dry site for the builders to work within.

Shuttering securing concrete below the barn wall

 

Concrete underpinning completed in sections, eventually most of the earth sections will be excavated and replaced with concrete. It takes four days for the concrete to set.

Part of the barn wall has been demolished, this will allow the floor in the extension to be poured at the same time as the barn floor creating one solid slab of concrete.

A rather large hole in the barn. The foundations for the extension (lounge area) are being dug out by the digger on the left of picture.

This gable end will have a small extension too. It will accommodate a small shower room and utility area

Looking straight into the office / 3rd bedroom

Groundworks begin

The barn is looking somewhat sorry for itself, you could say it looks gutted.... Most of the doors have been removed as well as the main interior wall making it much more open and exposed to the elements.

So that's what's behind the green door!?

Below the red line = danger

The red line indicates the base floor level, as you can see it's below the depth of the wall itself. In short this means that the structural engineer has to provide the ground workers with new drawings (£) so that they can calculate the cost (££) to underpin to the building inspectors satisfaction (£££).

It looks massive!

The first floor has also been removed so its possible to see from the ground floor right up through to the full height of the ceiling. With everything stripped bare the barn feels way bigger.

 

Timber from the 1st floor

After input from the building inspector unsuitable spacing and rot within the floor joists means that it's cost effective to replace old with new.

   

Rubble, diggers and mud... lovely jubbly 

Our garden is starting to look like a building site... which is obviously a good thing! We'll crush the waste bricks and stone to form a temporary road so that deliveries can be dropped in the yard without lorries getting stuck in mud.

Groundworks

Groundworks are scheduled to begin on 11th October. This largely includes: -
- Laying a temporary drive to the site
- Filling in the milking pit
- Removing timbers making up the first floor
- Demolishing stone wall to one side of barn
- Laying drainage pipes
- Pouring concrete floors
- Install a sewerage treatment plant
- Install a rain collection tank
- Lay discharge pipes, 250m to stream

I'm Still Standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!

It's not a game is it...  So before ruining the hard earned reputation of a our nice builders i ought to mention that the precariousness of the roof was the result of an unprofessional assessment (my own) and a natural nervousness mixed with a little artistic license to make this blog more readable. Upon request the said builders came out immediately to allay my fears... Apparently the roof it 'weighs a fricken ton and ain't goin nowhere'. To be fair this assessment is correct as it it still standing despite the weather on Friday.

Speaking of the weather we have now resorted to lighting the log burner in the caravan due to the cold northerly winds. Morning surfs are getting harder and i might even have to dig out my winter wetsuit. That said, a late morning of stick picking (after the hedges were flailed) with Sally was lovely warm sunshine, pretty hot work.