Day 79 - Tidy up for tapers

The tapers are expected any day now, so a lot of time was spent today tidying things up in the house to get ready for them. Some walls were still put up though, and now the entrance to the guest room has been completed, which evens the hallway up around about where the stair is going.
The plumber has also been busy sorting the pipes out for the bathrooms & for the central heating - pipework has now reached the garage.

Day 78 - First windowsill goes in

The lads have started on the window sills upstairs - they're MDF type material with a wood veneer which can be stained. Look fine so far, and seem to be glued in place rather than nailed (so quite neat). Also a lot of work done out at the workshop - the partition is in place, insulation in & most of the plaster board in place. Wood strapping has been put on the outside wall near the heating pipes too & the sink drain hole bored through the wall.
Plumber has been carrying on with the bathroom pipework. Looks like all the water feed pipes are now in - shame that the plasterboard has had to go up & down a few times to achieve this....
Clean up planned for tomorrow, and apparently we'll see the first of the tapers on Saturday.

Day 77 - Shower pipework going in

The plumber was back today & has installed the shower valve boxes & associated pipework into both the wetrooms. In addition to that the water pipes & basin drains have also been installed to match roughly where the bathroom furniture will go.
The wetroom shower trays had a further skim of concrete onto them, which has removed the dogs paw prints !
Plaster board has continued to be installed - this time in the outer workroom - looks like another bit of the house now ! In addition the fire proof board has been completed & most of the roof sections are now done.
The lads have also been out with the cement & brinks & begun patching up the workshop wall & join to the main house. In addition the path at the rear of the house has been repaired (where it was dug up for the drains).
The stairs were measured up today as well, and Doug brought round some sample spindles. Think we'll go for the simple oak design, which will be nicely understated. Not sure how long this will take to make, but it can't go in until the plaster board is finished off.

Day 76 - Roof starts again !

The slaters returned today - and at least the rain cleared up for them as the day went on. They've got most of the dormer at the South side completed now, and have also stitched together the old & new roofs on the south too. Looks good ! Hopefully they'll be here all week, and we should see the roof completed in that time.
Inside the joiners carried on sorting the partitions & more work was done in the 2 bathrooms. Shower trays were sunk into the concrete & the basin wastes fully hidden into the walls. Once the concrete is set, there's a wee bit more skimming to do, but that should be it.
Work was also going on in the outside workshop. Insulation has gone into some of the roof space * the corridor wall. The fire proof board has also been started in the wooden section of the roof between the 2 areas.

Day 74 & 75: Many partitions

The lads were here all day Saturday which helped push things along quite a bit. Progress has been made on the ground floor & all the partitions are now up & most of the plaster boarding is complete. There was some additional fiddling required to move the bathroom (x2) partitions out a bit, but this has now been completed & the rooms are better for it (at least all the furniture etc will go in !).
Insulation has also been getting installed in the ground floor partitions - we've gone for the denser stuff so we'll get a bit of sound insulation as well as heat.
Doug was round on Saturday too for an update session & took the opportunity to go on the roof to see what the finial will look like - just great ! Expecting the slaters here this week to finish the roof off & fit the finial (no sign yet though, and that's Monday gone by !).
All going well we should have the tapers here on Monday, which will be a couple of weeks work. In that time the rest of the team will be doing the garage/workshop areas, external cladding & the dreaded 2 x entries into the existing house !

Day 73 - Partitions go in

Really pleased to see that the partitions have mostly all been fitted now, and you can get a much better sense of how the house goes together & the room that we'll have. There are a few issues to sort out though with the 2 bathrooms as the partitions need to be moved out (and turned around in the case of one), but we can address this easily enough.
The sparks were also back today & have marked up the cables as necessary & have also run the room stats for the heating engineer.
Some things for me to get on with this weekend in terms of moving some cables about, but best to get after it at this stage rather than wait.

Day 72 - Wiring & boarding

Not too much to report for today as we're still installing the plasterboard on the ground floor. Going pretty well, and the lads have also spent some time sorting out the wiring runs ready for the partitions going in. Hopefully see the partitions install happening early next week (I think).

Day 71 - More plaster board

Quite a few things happening today. The plaster board continued to go in downstairs, with most of the East wall and ceiling now completed (though there are still cables to be dropped down in some places).
Doug was also here today & sorted out the 2 x shower recesses in the floor to accept the GRP wet room trays that have now arrived. A bit of jiggery pokery and they should be fine in terms of getting the waste pipe to line up properly.
The slaters also made a brief return to site today (but didn't really do anything !). However the copper finial arrived, so they were able to check that out. Hopefully be seeing that installed by early next week.

Day 70 - Insulating downstairs

The insulation & most of the plaster board is now completed upstairs, which let the lads move downstairs to make a start with insulating the outside walls & ceiling. There's also been some ceiling & wall plaster board installed around the study & guest room areas.
No painter today, which was just as well as it was a bit wet again.
Tomorrow we might see the slaters coming back to get on with the roof (and with any luck the copper finial will arrive too). The plumber is also intending to be here along with his sparkie to install the heating thermostats etc.

Day 69 - Lounge radiator pipes

As the title suggests, the radiator pipework was run through to where the lounge rad will be (the plaster board had to come off again - saw that coming !). Looks like there's still a wee bit more to do there before it can be boxed off again.
Beams were also installed above the new back door, which will give us a double height ceiling, which will look good with the extra glass to go above the door. Will maximise light in what could be a darker area otherwise.
The painter was also back & has done some of the windows on the first floor. Not convinced with the neatness of this job, so one that needs looking at !

Day 68 - First window frame painted

Painter has done the frame of the small window in the connecting hallway - looks good against the larch background. Further coats required on this & the soffits & facings though, and the upstairs window frames need to be done before the scaffolding is removed.
Joiners continued on with boarding out upstairs, and we're almost there now (the roof fix done a few days ago is holding up fine).
Plumber has also been back & forward and has run the radiator pipes & also some of the hot & cold feeds to the bathrooms in the extension.

Day 67 - Plumbing work starts

Plumber arrived on site this morning & has started to run the central heating pipes for upstairs (we didn't bother going for under floor heating up there). So far the pipes have been spotted for the 3 radiators required, and work has also started on running water pipework to the ensuite bathroom. A fair way to go yet, but good to see things starting.
The painter was also back today, and with the (slightly) more settled weather he managed to get round all the soffits & facings again. Starting to look very nice.
The joiners carried on with the plaster board work on the 1st floor. The family room is now mostly complete, and a lot more was done in the lounge around the windows. We also managed to get the leak in the roof solved (I think), so if that's ok the plaster board can be completed at the top of the stairs.
Other work that I've been doing today has been to carry on with removing all the moss & crud off the existing roof tiles. Almost there & another day should see it all done. Then the moss cleaner can be applied to the roof to keep the stuff away.

Day 66 - Further boarding on 1st floor

Busy upstairs today and about 75% of the 1st floor has now been fitted with plaster board - though 3 sections of wall have had to be left for now as there will be radiators spotted there (plumber coming tomorrow to fit the pipes etc).
The sparkies finished today (for now) and have left all the tie in cables in the existing attic, including the telephone line. The joiners have pulled the relevant cables through the new plaster board upstairs.
Down stairs the final 2 windows were fitted to the work room at the front of the house, so that's looking a bit better. Just the external workshop/garage areas plus the main doors to go in now.
The weather today has been dreadful & it's rained pretty much all day. Not only has this delayed the painting (the painter went away in the morning), but it's also a real hassle as the slaters haven't completed the roof, and we're suffering from a couple of water leaks. This means we can't insulate & board those areas, which is a pain.

Day 63-65 - Painting & plaster boarding

Haven't posted for a day or two due to the amount of work that's going on just now (I'm also on holiday so able to get after some things too !).
The sparkies have been working well the past few days and have completed upstairs and most of downstairs now. Work that's left for them to do is the outside lighting (soffits & at the doors) and some final bits tying into the existing house. They'll probably be finished tomorrow & we won't see them again until the sockets etc are installed (about 3 weeks away).
The joiners have now fitted most of the windows - only 2 at the front, the rear door & the garage are outstanding. Looks great ! Insulation has also started to go in & is about complete upstairs. Plaster boarding has also started & most of the first floor is now boarded out. Amazing how much better it feels & sounds up there now !
The painter has also been on site the last couple of days & has made a start to painting the softwood facings & soffits. The colour looks pretty good against the stone & the larch.
As well as all the above I managed to get time at the weekend to install all the media cables (satellite & Cat6a network). The hub will be in the new workshop being built at the back of the garage, so all cables have been fed out from there. As well as the cabling, I've been up on the existing roof & scraping off the lumps of moss etc to try & get it looking a bit better. Will never fully match the new bits for colour, but it's an improvement.

Day 62 - The electricians started today

Most of the windows were installed over today, and looking really great. They also have a slightly mirrored effect to them from a distance, which looks pretty good. Only a few more to install (and the outside doors haven't yet arrived).
The sparkies also arrived today & completed the wiring on the 1st floor. Probably another day and a half to do in order to get downstairs wired up. Looking to tie into the existing consumer unit, as there's plenty of free space left on the bars.
With the wiring starting now I've also been in & put up the brackets for the media cables. I'll get the cables installed over the weekend, with them all tying back to the garage workshop area.
Weather hasn't been the best, but now that the house is (mostly) waterproof we can still get one with things.

Day 61 - The windows arrive

The windows have all arrived, with the exception of the ones that have been specially measured (the triangular ones at the South dormer & the ones above the front entrance). Some of them have been initially fitted (still to be properly fixed & sealed), and they look great. Really starting to look like a house now !
As well as the windows, a load of insulation & plasterboard also arrived, though this is being stored mainly in the garage for now as the priority is the windows.
Things are certainly moving one, and when the slaters return next week we should be well on the way to a properly water tight house.

Day 60 - Flooring finished upstairs

As the title says, the floor upstairs is now down, and we'll be getting measured up for the staircase shortly. As well as the floor there was further work done to straighten out the larch in front of the workshop, and quite a few batons installed ready for larch outside & internal plasterboard.
The facings & soffits were further progressed at the front entrance, which is now looking ready good (and huge !). Clamps/clips were also installed on quite a few of the joists under the 1st floor - still a few to do yet.
No sparkies yet, but still plenty time for that. Some of my cables arrived today though, so ready to get cracking with media infrastructure soon :-)

Day 59 - Flooring going in upstairs

Most of the flooring way laid upstairs today, so now everyone has managed to get up to see the great views! Still some boards to lay at the South end of the family room, but mostly there. The lads have also used PVA glue between & under the boards to ensure that they don't squeak, which is really good.
Larch cladding was also installed on the hall running between the house & the garage, and also on the adjoining garage wall. There's still some work to do here to install flashing underneath the larch & also to level off the bottom edge, but you can start to see things coming together now.
The plan was to have the electricians here from tomorrow, which means that I can start to run some cables too for satellite & network - though it's still to be delivered....

Day 58 - First larch cladding on

Today marked the day that the first of the Scottish Larch cladding was fitted to the house. The garage East & West facings were first to get the treatment, and it looks fantastic. Doug and the lads have made a great job of it, and the final finishing touches to the soffits & facings really sets the building off. A proper garage with a proper roof.
Further work was also done at the new front entrance. The roof wood work was completed & the waterproof membrane applied over the whole lot (thankfully, as the weather has been so changeable of late).
Andrew our Architect was also round this afternoon to discuss the exterior colour schemes with Wendy, so now the decisions have been made on the external finishes. The painter will be round tomorrow to discuss further, and we should see the first of the paintwork tackled by the end of the week.
Things really are starting to move fast again, and the electricians are due his week, with the heating engineer & plumber next week (as well as the return of the slaters !).

Day 57 - The Entrance Roof Is Massive !

Well a fair bit of progress has been made on the new front entrance (and vestibule !). The pitch of the roof looks great, and we've now got a massive bit of plyboard to block off the inside of the attic until it's completely boxed up. Looks really good :-)
As well as the front door, the window in the connecting corridor to the garage has now been lowered down, and is much better (you can see out it now). Also some more finishing done on the facings & soffits. Only the garage roof ones to complete now by the look of it.

Day 56 - Porch continues

Work continued on the front porch, with more of the trusses being installed into the existing roof space. Now more of the existing roof opened up, but can start to see the shape of the entrance forming now (inside the attic is a state right now though !). Some discussions today over how the side window will effect the porch cupboard, but I think we have a resolution there by either tapering the top of the cupboard or simply making it shorter (or both).
Samples of the oak flooring & stair treads arrived today, and both look very good. Just need to confirm what the price will be !
Friday already tomorrow, and not sure if there's going to be some work done on Saturday too (hope so as it'll be good to get the roof boxed up as soon as possible).

Day 55 - Further work on front entrance

Weather held up quite well today & allowed things to progress on the new front entrance. Further beams installed into the existing roof space, and the start of the outside wall has commenced. This is going to block some of the natural light to Katy's bedroom, but don't think it will be too bad. Will have a better idea when the wall is more formed.
As well as the roof work, the lads progressed with installing the external wall batons ready for the cladding. Now the front of the extension is mostly done. Not sure yet when the cladding starts to go up, and whether the windows need to go in first...

Day 54 - Larch arrives and new hole in roof

Work started as planned outside Jenny's room today, with the existing roof taken back a bit & 2 new A-beam joists installed to take the load of the new front entrance to the house. Expecting to break through into the bedroom early next week, but roof will be on before then.
Further work also on installing the wall batons ready for accepting the larch cladding - the first batch arrived today too ! Looks very nice, and lets us have a check on the outside colour scheme.
Still no sign of the slaters, though I don't think they're far away given the other progress that's being made.

Day 53 - Work restarts after holidays !

Seems like ages since I've posted any progress updates (guess it has been ages really !!).
The lads came back from their holidays today, with a whole squad on site all day - great to be getting back into things. Joinery work progressed in the main, and now the soffits & facings have been completed along the South side & around the pyramid roof. Just some tidying up to complete around the garage roof, and the rear workshop.
Framework installation also commenced on the East walls in preparation for the larch cladding (which is still a wee bit off !). Good to see that starting though.
On the roof, finally the membrane has ben layed on the south side, which has been letting water in for ever - hopefully get the slaters back soon to complete the tiling job.

Day 50 - 52 - Roofing work in the rain

The slaters returned on Wednesday & have been working on the roof for the past 3 days. Of course up till Wednesday the weather had been really nice & dry, and then once work started the heavens opened pretty consistently. Give the lads their due though, they've worked on through the weather & have made some real headway.
The garage roof is now complete (the apex coping is all on), the workshop roof is now mostly complete front & rear (with the vee's tidied up too), and the East side of the main extension roof is also mostly done (which looks pretty impressive). There's still quite a way to go, and I think there's enough to keep the slaters busy until the joiners return in just over a week. It'll also be good to get some membrane fitted to the South side of the roof, as that's the only area of bare timber left.

Day 49 - Garage roof almost complete

More work on the roof tiles today. The garage roof is now mostly done, with only some of the apex to complete & lower areas of the South side where it meets the workshop roof. Must say that the angled joins at the pyramid & the vee to the workshop look pretty rough. I'm sure this will be neatened up over the next few days (but will be checking !).
Some further joinery done at the new back door to the extension. Roof there now boarded, though there are a few more planks to go in. Some more facings to complete, but can't see it all being done by COP tomorrow, before the joiners head off on holiday. We'll see though.

Day 48 - Roof tiling begins !

The tiles arrived today - quite a few pallets worth - and the slaters got to work on the roofs. The pyramid is now covered on 3 sides, and the tiles have been moved to the North side of the garage roof ready for laying down tomorrow. Really great progress here !
Joiners were also on site to assist, and the facings have been progressed on the pyramid (at the tricky interface areas). Only another couple of days for the joiners before they head off in holidays, which will leave the slaters to carry on.
Really good to see the roof getting to the final stages - especially with the weather becoming a bit more unpredictable.

Day 47 - Slaters arrived on site

Slaters & joiners on site today, so a hive of activity despite the windy & sometimes rainy conditions. Additional wooden batons have been fitted to the pyramid & garage roofs to allow the tiles to be fitted properly over the membrane layer. Hopefully get started to the tiling tomorrow (though they have yet to arrive on site).
As well as the batons, the joiners were busy installing facings & soffits to the North garage roof, which is now looking decent. In addition the roof line from the existing house back door along the South side of the extension has been completed (so now the roofs are connected properly there). The joists have also been trimmed ready to accept the facings.

Day 46 - Facings & soffits onto first floor

A few of the lads worked all day Saturday to progress the roof work ready for the slaters (also gets some overtime in before the holidays !). The steelwork installed on Friday was integrated more fully into the roof, and the soffits & facings also installed. Looking much more window like now !
As well as work around the South facing first floor window, further roof work at the facings by the rear workshop were progressed, so this is now looking much more part of the house.

Day 45 - Steelwork installed on first floor

The steel work arrived for the 1st floor South window (steel sections were made locally at the smithys). This will now support the roof beam at the apex & lets us get more glass area in there than would otherwise have been possible. Looks great with the bolted steel sections in red oxide primer (although I guess we'll need to cover it up !). Still some more joinery to do up there and the remaining part of the roof needs boarded up and the membrane fitted.
Work was also done on the soffits & facings, with the front of the garage being completed, and around the front of the workshop connecting hall. Rear of the extension has also had some work done.
The lads are coming back tomorrow to put a shift in, which will likely see round the garage completed & hopefully the upstairs roof done. Think the slaters are coming next week - though we'll be expecting them when we see them I think !

Day 44 - Almost ready for the slaters

The soft wood facings are about complete round the pyramid roof now, and things are about ready for the slaters (as long as the rain doesn't come to anything !). Continuing with fitting the ply board under the roof overhang (soffits ?), so that's starting take shape nicely.
A couple of the rafters have also been removed at the South facing upstairs window in order to fit the steel frame needed to support the roof (which gives us a wider window up there). The steel work has been done by the local smithy in Drumoak, so we're pretty pleased about that.

Day 43 - More roof facings go on

The warped plywood panels have ben replaced (or at least fixed !), and the softwood facings have started to go onto the pyramid roof. Looking good.
Further work completed on boarding out the rest of the roof, and the rear door roof (North) has now been completed, along with most of upstairs. Still some membrane to lay & facings to go on, but we should see it all completed before the Aberdeen fortnight.

Day 42 - Roof Continues

Although visually things don't look much different from yesterday, there's quite a lot happened ! The boards have been fixed along the South facing roof, ready for the membrane cover to go on, and there's been further work at the East side, with that area nearing completion. At the new rear doorway, the rafters have been installed (following re-shaping of the entrance, which had to be heightened).
Some more plywood facings were also installed, however I've a concern that a couple of these are visibly warped - may be due to the wet weather we've been having so may dry out ok, but to be checked further all the same.

Day 41 - More roof membrane fitted

The slaters didn't come today after all - apparently they are delayed until Wednesday as the facings have taken longer than expected (there's still a way to go with them). However progress made on the roof all the same with membrane now fitted over the rest of the garage roof & the workshop. Also most of the rear roof section has now been boarded over and membrane layed over.
Weather today has been great, so the frame dried out for working on today (after the monsoon that was Sunday evening !). Hopefully the weather will continue to hold to let the roof get done.

Day 40 - Workshop roof completed

A couple of the joiners were back this morning for a bit of overtime, and managed to completed the workshop roof - now fully boarded over. There was also some further work on the roof at the rear of the building, so now about 50% of the rear section is complete.
Still planned for the slaters to come on Monday, so whilst they're working on the pyramid, the joiners can complete the remaining roof sections. Looking favourable to getting the roof water tight before the Aberdeen fortnight (starts 9th July).

Day 39 - Rear workshop roof on

Today saw the rafters installed above the outside rear workshop, and the back boards fitted. Really great to see this being done as it joins the extension to the garage properly now.
As well as the workshop, wooden batons have been installed to the front of the garage roof to provide support for the facing boards, which will form the base for the larch when it goes on later.

Day 38 - Pyramid Part Boarded

Most of the pyramid section of the roof was boarded over today, and it looks really great ! Only a small section to go in this area, and things will move along to the larger section to the South side of the extension. Things are looking good for the slaters coming on Monday to get the pyramid tiled over & water tight. Following that some of the facings will be installed, and some painting done (which will let us check our paint colour).

Day 37 - Garage Roof Almost Done

Just as hoped, the wooden boards were fitted to the North side of the garage roof, and the membrane sheet has also been fitted. Once the sheeting is on the South side of the roof, that'll be it complete until the roof tilers get here next week - although we've still to tie in the roof above the workshop, so a wee bit more to do there.
Further work also done on the pyramid roof section, and it's getting bigger (and better) by the day.
Weather has been baking hot today, which is ok if you're not doing heavy manual work, so hats of the lads for what they got through !

Day 36 - Roof Work & Oil Tank Tie-In

Weather has been really hot today, which although great did make it hard going for the lads working on the roof. They've got on well today though, with the timber planks fitted to most of the South side of the garage roof. Should get the other side complete tomorrow, and look to get the membrane & batons installed Wednesday(ish). Still need to dovetail the workshop roof into this though.
Work also continued on the 'pyramid' roof above what will be the lounge. The rafters were completed pretty much at the front of the extension, but more work to do at the rear. Quite a bit involved here. Once completed, this too will be boarded up (though there's insulation to go in there first), then it'll get tiled next week (the first water-tight bit !).
Heating Eng was also round today & got the new oil tank hooked up & filled. There was quite a bit of kero to decant from the old tank, but was ready to go bay the back of lunchtime. Once a sizeable air lock was removed from the oil pipework we got the AGA re-lit & the boiler working again. That's it for the heating now until August, when the new boiler fitting begins (funs & games then !).

Day 35 - Scaffolding Up

Couple of the lads came out today to get the scaffolding erected in order to get a quick start on Monday for the roof building. Looking to get the slaters here a week Monday, so not long now till we're water proof ! The scaff is the click together stuff, so went up pretty fast.
The plinth for the oil tank was also completed and the empty tank landed safely on it. Heating engineer out on Monday to pipe things into the existing system, then we'll get the tank filled. Looks pretty massive mind!

Day 34 - The Garage Roof

Just as we hoped, the rafters were fitted to the garage today - it looks huge compared to previously !! Unfortunately the design of the rafters means there limited scope to get much use out the space above, but maybe we can do something about that later. Enough room to store junk at least ! Some of the roof boards have also been fitted across the rafters at the rear of the extension, so things moving on there fine.
Some further block work at the oil tank area too, so that it'll be raised off the ground enough to supply enough head to the AGA. We're going to need some fencing round this, as it won't look that great. Probably put some bamboo round there too along with some climbers....
Next week should see all the roof complete !

Day 33 - More rafters fitted

A lot of wood work done today, though it's not as obvious a leap as we've seen in the past few days ! Rafters have been fitted now right along the South side, and a start has been made to joining up the new extension roof with the existing house. There's also been a bit of work involved in matching up the lengths of the rafters with the existing house roof-line, so they match.
The base foundation has also been poured for the heating oil tank. Not sure what happens with the bunding on this, though I suspect that tank is double skinned. Will need to find out a bit more there I think.

Day 32 - More work on the 1st floor

Work continued on the roof & now the steel beam & roof trusses have been installed over the family room upstairs. Looking fine & big despite the roof sloping at either side. Also a better idea now of how large the window will be in the family room, which looks South over the garden & into the woods beyond.
Work was also done in the garage to level off the walls in preparation for setting the roof trusses there. We're going to get some decent storage space up there (as well as a proper roof at last that won't leak !).

Day 31 - We've got a 1st floor !

Just as we hoped yesterday, the lads made great progress today & the first floor is starting to take shape. We were up there 'on the rafters' this evening to take in the view & it's fantastic :-) Really think that the positions of the windows will work very well.
Work tomorrow will continue on the 1st floor & hopefully see the remaining rafters installed, and then the work will transfer over to the garage roof (though there's still some brickwork to complete there).

Day 30 - Rest of the kit arrives

Lots of work done today with the rest of the 'rafters' being installed and the steel beams secured. The final wall-panel was also fitted which joins the extension to the garage - although we'll need to get the height of the window dropped as it's too high (due to the change in the foundation brickwork last week).
As well as the joinery thats been done, the roof has been removed from the garage, and a start made to levelling off the garage walls before fitting the new roof. A fine handy scaffold was there to get a good view over the house from height - gives an idea of what it'll be like with a first floor !
Hopefully tomorrow we'll see a start to the 1st floor being formed :-)
Scottish Water were also back on site again today to increase the mains pressure a bit more. We're now registering 5 barg at the outside tap, so definitely enough for the pressurised heating & water system to operate without additional pumps.

Day 29 - Further ground floor work

Work today has centred around getting the 'I' beams installed properly, and setting the joists in place ready for the balance of the kit arriving on Monday (which will bring the first floor & the roof sections). House is really starting to take shape now, and it's great being able to walk through the rooms & get a feel for what it'll be like. Loving the red oxide primer too :-)
The foundation wall was also built between the extension & the garage - this wasn't the original design, but I think it's well worthwhile getting done. As well as matching in with the house, it also removes the worry that we could have got water ingress into the connecting hall/workshop area if the weather was poor.
The garage wall has also had the 'door shape' cut into it (although boarded up for now).
The new oil tank has arrived (GRP type rather than the rusty steel one that we've currently got). Intention is for this to sit at the side of the garage, and we'll put some sort of fence round it towards the end of the build.

Day 28 - The ground floor takes shape

Fantastic progress today, with the timber frame sections being put in place on the ground floor. We can now see the full form of the ground floor, with the load bearing partitions also installed (& 'I' beams also in place above to support the upper floor). Looks really good, and I was initially amazed at the large size of the windows - will look really good once glazed. Timber frame has also come with silver reflective insulation on the outside, which is a new thing and looks suitably space age !
Doug was round this evening too, which was handy for discussing a few things. Bathroom doorway needs to move a bit to the right (the frame hasn't accounted for the additional 250mm we claimed back from the existing house). In addition, the partition panel between Jenny's & the guest room is in the wrong way round, so this needs turned (so the wardrobes are on the expected side).

Day 27 - The timber frame starts to arrive

After what seems like an age, the first consignment of the timber frame arrived late this afternoon (a bit later than initially expected). Looks good quality (and smells great !). Different squad of lads for this bit of the job - armed with nail guns !
We've also got a big JCB forklift beast here too (like a Manitou), so that should be able to lift the panels in no problems.

Day 26 - Rendering & tidy up

The final render was completed on the external foundation walls. All looking pretty neat now. The area was also tidied up a fair bit, and all that's left to do before the kit arrives is to place some heavy duty polythene at the front before backfilling & forming the 'ramp' entrance. That should take about half a day tomorrow, then it'll be all stop until next Wednesday.
Seems like an age, but I'm sure it'll be pretty quick in passing.

Day 25 - Floor is complete

That's the concrete floor complete now & the heating pipes have been covered up (with the exception of the wet room tray areas - for later). The weather stayed pretty fair today so the lads managed to get all the concrete filled in fine & polished up by teatime. Drying off as I type.
As well as the floor, further rendering work was completed, including the front of the extension (which is unfortunately going to be obscured by the 'access ramp'). Need to see about that.
The kit delivery is now pegged at 9th June, so there's going to be a few days downtime unfortunately. Work to do tomorrow & Thursday to complete the rendering & to tidy the area up, then it will likely be a break until next Wednesday. Pity, but at least the timber frame has been made to fit & engineered, so it should go up pretty fast.