future simple passive

2 May 2015

The Cowls

The cowls, the cowls, the cowls! What a palaver. This became the black hole of time and energy for the project. We worked on this part of the build for months!!! Had we known then what we know now, work on this should have begun months earlier - the beauty of hindsight!

Dimitri's favourite part of the original design were the metal window cowls. Early on in the design process we reviewed the designs with and without them and they gave the building such character. Not only do they look fantastic but they play a functional role in solar shading during the summer months when the sun is high. It is critically important to prevent overheating in our highly insulated and airtight home.

Without the cowls - an early design

Easy, we all thought, we'll make them from inexpensive Galvanised Steel sheet, fix them to the walls and then slate on top. We were SO wrong!

As soon as the metal manufacturers were drafted in to consult on designs the issues became all too clear. Galvanising is done normally by hot dipping steel in a zinc bath. The zinc coating then protects the steel from rust, and even if the zinc coating is scratched then the remaining zinc will still prevent rusting.

The design of the cowls meant that sheets of metal would be the most straightforward thing to use, and cost effective. However sheet metal is the worst material to hot-dip. It has a high surface area to mass ratio and the heat related expansion during hot-dips results in warps, twists and buckles. Oh no!

But luckily we discovered that it is possible to galvanise using another method where the zinc is sprayed on after the metal has been fabricated to the shape required. There are obviously considerably higher costs associated with this - as always!

Steel is very heavy, so aluminium was also considered as it is 1/3 of the density. But aluminium is more expensive. Believe me when I say this has not been easy and it wasn't inexpensive at all.

It took weeks and weeks to get through all the decisions and get the final drawing package produced as all the windows had to be surveyed on site, checked, and checked again. Then when we finally had the package we sent them out for prices and it took at least another month before we were finally in a position to be able to place the order. The fabricators also had their own drawings to produce which then had to be checked by Team Luxton. A complete headache for everyone.

I was promised a 3 week fabrication time and unfortunately 4 weeks later the company had still not obtained the raw sheet metal. It would be another few weeks before we took delivery and then it was found that a couple of items were incorrect and so we had to wait for these to be collected and then re-fabricated...are you starting to feel the pain yet? Drivers were ill, people were on holiday, workshops were busy, etc., etc.

Cowl parts waiting to be installed

This created a real traffic jam

- without the cowls the slates couldn't go on
- the scaffolding couldn't be taken down until the slates were on
- all rainwater goods, hoppers and downpipes couldn't be fixed until the slates were on
- the parapet cover couldn't be installed until the slating was completed

It also almost left us homeless as we had given notice to our old home to move out in the last weeks of August, but with scaffolding surrounding the house we wouldn't be able to get the removals firm to enter the building! In the end Andrew and I made a strategic decision to adjust the scaffolding and focus attention internally so that we could move in regardless, they would move outside at a later date when we knew everything needed would be on site. Enough with the delays!

Cool after-school viewing better than TV!

We decided to leave the metal work raw and undressed, including the weld marks. I love the honesty and character - very Wabi-Sabi!

Our scaffolding costs went through the roof as it had to be hired for another 6 months being no use in the meantime. Had we known the extent of the delays it would have been cheaper to take the scaffolding down and re-erect at a later date.

Once the metal work was mounted around the windows we had planned to get a welder to come and weld the separate pieces together. Another new trade about which I know nothing. My builder, Andrew, and my Structural Engineer, Charles, both expressed concerns about the wisdom of welding so close to our beautiful and expensive triple glazed windows. These are powder coated aluminium and we don't want their coating to run off nor the glass to melt. Another week or two of investigation and we solved the issue by only welding the outer edges.

God bless my ever patient slaters, P.L. Allard, they had originally been organised for March, then delayed to May, then told that they would be able to start mid-August and finally got on site in September!

What can I say? Condensed like this it seems like a small hiccup but it ground everyone down and had negative consequences for the relationships and morale of everyone involved. We got there in the end though!

28 Apr 2015

Kitchen Reveal

We are the "Kitchen of the Week" in Houzz this week, so click through to see lots of lovely pictures of our kitchen. Sam and Nicky from Sustainable Kitchens came along with their photographer Brett to do a photoshoot of the kitchen and got these amazing shots. There are loads more on their website Sustainable Kitchens- Contemporary Eco Kitchen so do have a look.

The kitchen is simply stunning and more than I could have hoped for. All credit goes to Sam, Charlie and their team at Sustainable Kitchens. There is a delicious daily pleasure from using this beautiful hand-crafted kitchen. Everything has solidity and weight and will last a lifetime. I always show visitors the beautiful dovetailed joints within the kitchen drawers (I'm not sure they are always as enthused as I am!) The whole design process was an absolute pleasure and no detail was too small, we worked and re-worked the design until we got a design that made me tingle with excitement. They are good, good people at Sustainable Kitchens with good hearts and a thoughtful and considered approach to business. Thank you.

18 Mar 2015

Bathroom installation

With 2nd fix now fully underway we had moved from the 'fabric' part of the build into the decorative part of the build and I was now in charge of subcontracting.

I approached four different tilers for a quotation. The prices varied by quite a considerable degree and in the end I choose Stewart who is SWC Flooring. He came in with a competitive price, had provided two good references for me to speak to and could start within the timeframe allocated (not a lot, as schedules were out the window and Andrew never gave me much notice!) and seemed a friendly and helpful bloke.

It was herringbone pattern all the way, and Stewart reported dreaming about herringbone whilst on our job!

First was the bathroom tiles (for more info see Bathroom tiles - sourcing). Stuart was brilliant about drawing up a template first so that we could check the position of the tiles around the corners and when they met edges, this gave us a cleaner final look. In the main bathroom we have a window above the bath which lets in loads of light but needed consideration for water protection. Tiling around the corners would spoil the look and make it too fussy so we decided to tile up to the edge and then line the window walls with metal sheet instead.

I also decided that I didn't want the tiles to go up to the ceiling - water was never going to get up there. I preferred the more restrained and simple look of just keeping in line with top of the window- all these tiny details!

Andrew and Stuart made sure that my attention was drawn to the edge of the tiles. Our Fired Earth Forecast tiles are quite thick and made of terracota this left quite a visible raw edge. They wisely advised me to use an angle at the edge and we found a nice non-shiny brushed steel profile. It was a good call, and one aspect I had totally missed, and makes the whole thing look more finished and elegant.

Simpson's Ten Hinged Bath Screen

Once the tiles were in place our plumbers, Cotswold Green Energy could install all the Crosswater brassware - beautiful!

Simple lines - Crosswater Central Shower valve

The grout colour chosen was a gentle grey, a tone or two lighter than the tiles. Too dark a grey looked like public toilets and a cream colour just looked too cottage-like. Detail, detail, detail.

Crosswater's Central Shower Kit

I've got plenty of extra tiles left over - perhaps too many, but one at least came in handy when the drill cracked the tile during the installation of the shower screen.

For more info about the bathroom fittings we chose see Bathroom love.

9 Mar 2015

painting

The painters/decorators arrived.

We had chosen Little Greene paints - see my earlier post Choosing Paint. So all paint colours mentioned below are from their range.

I was so excited to see the colours go on - they were absolutely beautiful.

A 'Juniper Ash' colour block in the sitting room on a elegantly soft and warm 'Tusk' wall wash.

More 'Juniper Ash' in the downstairs hallway.

I was so pleased to see how a last minute colour choice worked out so perfectly. 'Gentle sky' ceiling and colour panel on a 'limestone' wall wash. The 'gentle sky' colour goes up all the way to the top of the skylight to meet the sky.

Kitchen installation

Sustainable Kitchens were ready and waiting to install the kitchen. Charlie O'B (so identified due to the extraordinary amount of Charlies we have had on this project!) arrived and set to work. The units had all been made in the workshop but the countertop had to be measured and templated onsite. Only then would we have the exact dimensions needed to fabricate the stainless steel countertop.

Charlie was supposed to have had the place to himself but with the plumbers and electricians busy with other jobs and trying to squeeze us in where they could, it meant that everyone was on site at once. It was very noisy and busy and meant that everyone had to do a little more jiggling and juggling to not be other's way. NOT ideal, but there was a lot of jolly camaraderie.

It took only three days to install the units and then it was immediately covered in board to protect it while all the other trades continued.

By now we were in the first week of August, and had been planning to move in at the end of this month!!! Doubts were beginning to seed... My presence on site was really limited due to the fact that we were full swing in the middle of school summer holidays and site was really not safe to bring the children to visit.

A few weeks later the steel was ready and Joseph came along with Charlie to install. This was far from a straightforward task. But Sustainable Kitchens handled it with a cool and professional head.

Steel, unlike wood, is an unforgiving material. Wood can be planed and eased to fit like a glove. I had also asked for an experimental aspect which concerned the edge detailing- normally the steel wraps around the ply base so that you see a metal edge (we have since discovered why, as it hides a multitude of sins). I had asked for the edge to be exposed so that the steel just looked like another layer in the ply. I wanted the lighter feel that this would give to the metal countertop.

This meant that the front edges had align perfectly or be cut/sanded so that they would be. It also meant that the bonding of the metal to the ply base had to be perfect as the edge would expose any gaps in adhesion. This aspect would normally be disguised by the wrapped edge.

A bit of head-scratching but Charlie figured it out calmly and with a smile, always up for a challenge with my experimental kitchen design! The wires you can see in the wall are the for the LED lights which have been recessed into the Dinesen Douglas shelf which wraps around the kitchen. The moveable island was finished in the workshop and wrapped in the wobble-sanded steel. It was kept out of the way and delivered the day we moved in. It is so beautiful. I'll share finished photos soon.

12 Feb 2015

2nd Fix

With the floor installed and then protected with a floor covering re-cycled from another site, it meant that 2nd fix could begin in earnest!

2nd fix is when all the final finishes are installed, everything above the plaster layer; switches and light fittings, sanitary ware, flooring, paint, tiling etc. etc. It's busy, busy, busy and seems to go on forever!

The house was filled with trades - plumbers, electricians, tiler and kitchen fitter. Andrew and Paul focused on making all the internal joinery.

Stairs...!

There is a lot of internal joinery as most walls are actually bookcases.

I had designed these door handles so we experimented with where to position them.

Interestingly rather than taking turns to be on site everyone seemed to prefer to be there while the other trades were there too. There was a LOT of banter - all good, so good in fact neighbouring builders were known to pop-in for lunch. Not sure how to feel about that, I'm choosing to believe it's because we've got such great group of people who are working hard in a really productive and creative atmosphere and who wouldn't want to be part of that group...!?

The basin and sink are from Bathstore, the tap and waste from Crosswater. For bathroom info see here.

The elegant Bauhaus Edge Towel Rail in Anthracite.

Simpsons Frameless Ten Bath Screen and Crosswater Shower is installed.

It goes without saying that it has not been all plain sailing. But mostly it has been fine. This has also meant that I have needed to get to site a lot more often as lots of decisions still have to made and things checked. Mistakes have been made and most people are on day rates so ultimately those mistakes hit my pocket! It becomes a case of coming to terms to living with the mistakes, because to redo would cost too much and take too much time. Must remember to channel Wabi-Sabi (the Japanese philosophy of embracing imperfection) and remember that everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes, including myself!

The plant room comes to life! Our gas boiler is installed. As we have minimal space heating demands it doesn't make sense for us to go for a more eco alternative here as the payback would take exponentially longer for us. Our largest demand will be hot water and the plan is to eventually install photovoltaic panels to address this demand.

We have a boiler!

Charlie, the plumber, was bemused by my excitement at unwrapping the taps - it was like Christmas!

This is the point in the project where it was always going to be an issue about being a mother to 3 young children and building a house at the same time. Dimitri always said that he would go on site at this stage of the build to supervise however it rapidly became clear that interiors and detailing was just not something that he was confident with. So we've done the best we can and hopefully the majority is good and we will soon not notice those small issues...! The problem is that I've very tuned into detail and notice things without even wanting to and so even though no one else notices I do and they BUG me everytime I see them!

Andrew created oak cases to house T5 light fittings, then we figured out how it would work, more on lighting here.

These T5s will be hidden by a false ceiling panel so the lights should just give a glow at the edges.

Just one foot in front of the other...

5 Feb 2015

Choosing the colours

In Stroud we are lucky to have Bailey Paints - a wonderful cornucopia of all things paint-related. It was to them that I turned for everything to do with paint. As I was quite overwhelmed about choosing colours I took advantage of their Colour Consultation Service. Jane Peckitt, an experienced professional furniture painter and decorator, came for 2hr site visit and I couldn't have done it without her.

Little Greene's Colours of England & Colour Scales, and Grey Collection

Jane arrived into the chaos of the building site, with about 8 or 9 contractors also on site. Her secret weapon was a file of nearly A4 size colour samples of the entire Little Greene colour library (for more info about why I chose Little Greene see here). What a difference they made to job of looking at colours. At that size it was so much easier to see what the colours looked like in situ and to see how they related to other colours.

My tester pot samples

We started upstairs, peeled back the protective floor coverings and took a look at how different colours worked with the floor. Jane listened carefully to what I what I wanted to achieve and used her amazing knowledge of colours to guide me through the options. She was great at knowing which colours looked complementary together, moving expertly between different shades completely. Jane was also able to flick quickly between the samples to lay her hands on samples that would offer me a brighter or more sombre option of any colour combo.

We ended up choosing one of the colour scales from Little Greene's Grey Collection; flint, tusk and limestone. These gave a lovely soft graduated background and then chose accent colours for my colour blocks. I wanted to do something interesting with paint and between Pinterest and Remodelista I had been really inspired by painting just a block of colour which doesn't go up to the ceiling and also wraps around corners.

I have fallen in love with Little Greene's Juniper Ash, a gorgeous rich warm blue, which will be used upstairs and downstairs. And for our bedroom I've chosen the beautiful Bone China Blue which manages to be both blue and grey and ever so calm and elegant.

I felt really excited as I was delighted with the colours and my design rules (see here) were all being ticked!

Pages