Take Two
Page 3 of 9
Looking really good!
Thanks Algernon - I think so too!
The straw bales are doing their sound-absorbing thing too - the builder said he had to go see where the dog was, as he can no longer hear her moving around.
The straw bales are doing their sound-absorbing thing too - the builder said he had to go see where the dog was, as he can no longer hear her moving around.
I hadn't even considered the acoustic qualities of the straw bales. Was that a feature for you or just a side-effect?
Acoustic effects are definitely a feature for me. You can 'hear' the silence in a straw bale building - it's quite difficult to describe, but it does exist.
In the good news department, the builder tells me that rendering of the walls should happen next week.
In the not-so-good news, he has sent a revised schedule which shows final completion date to be 21 October, which by my calculations is 11 weeks over the 30 weeks of the contract. Most definitely not happy.
In the good news department, the builder tells me that rendering of the walls should happen next week.
In the not-so-good news, he has sent a revised schedule which shows final completion date to be 21 October, which by my calculations is 11 weeks over the 30 weeks of the contract. Most definitely not happy.
My regular Friday site visit was worthwhile - there were four people working!
The electrician was doing the rough-in, and I had the opportunity to talk with him about trenching to allow Telstra lead-in for internet access. He was quite amenable to the idea, and has offered to have a conduit with string line laid in at the same time he is doing his bit to connect the power.
The non-strawbale walls were getting their wrapping.
The under eave sheeting has been completed.
And the rest of the block has been mowed, and is looking nice and tidy!
Hoping for the right weather for rendering next week.
The electrician was doing the rough-in, and I had the opportunity to talk with him about trenching to allow Telstra lead-in for internet access. He was quite amenable to the idea, and has offered to have a conduit with string line laid in at the same time he is doing his bit to connect the power.
The non-strawbale walls were getting their wrapping.
The under eave sheeting has been completed.
And the rest of the block has been mowed, and is looking nice and tidy!
Hoping for the right weather for rendering next week.
Well, no rendering this week - it is promised for this coming week.
Walls have been trimmed, stitched together and tensioned, and it seems that power and data cabling has been completed. The under eave area, and the living room and studio floors are covered with plastic to protect them from what I am warned is a very messy rendering process. The south side of the house has received it's external wrapping too.
Walls have been trimmed, stitched together and tensioned, and it seems that power and data cabling has been completed. The under eave area, and the living room and studio floors are covered with plastic to protect them from what I am warned is a very messy rendering process. The south side of the house has received it's external wrapping too.
Long conversation with the builder on site this afternoon, getting a number of choices locked in, and discussions about what happens next.
Bales have now been covered with a steel mesh, and the first coat of lime render is on. Lots of wonderful texture, and some unevenness in places, but there are two further coats to go, so some of it will be smoothed a bit. Even the electrical cabling has received a coat of render! They were certainly correct that rendering would be a messy process.
Upstairs in the attic some very thick gold batts are now lining the roof, and were being covered with particle board.
Another two coats of render to go, install windows and weathertex cladding are next on the list.
Even though the finish line is a bit further away than I want, feeling very happy with how this is going.
Bales have now been covered with a steel mesh, and the first coat of lime render is on. Lots of wonderful texture, and some unevenness in places, but there are two further coats to go, so some of it will be smoothed a bit. Even the electrical cabling has received a coat of render! They were certainly correct that rendering would be a messy process.
Upstairs in the attic some very thick gold batts are now lining the roof, and were being covered with particle board.
Another two coats of render to go, install windows and weathertex cladding are next on the list.
Even though the finish line is a bit further away than I want, feeling very happy with how this is going.
I've had a couple of weeks away sorting out some things with my Dad, so I haven't been on site for 3 weeks.
Whilst there is quite a number of little items of progress, it doesn't feel anything like enough for the time that has passed.
Frustration level is very high, and I cannot see how this is going to be finished in the time frame sent by the Builder a few weeks back, as the next three "deadlines" are now missed.
It is nice that the excess strawbales have been removed, and the study is now visible as a room - it even has wall insulation.
A number of the cavity sliding door frames have been installed.
An internal wall has been installed between the ensuite and the living room, as well as between the ensuite walls and the roof, so it is much easier to see the size of the shower and loo as it looks like a room now, instead of a space.
The plumbers were on site finishing the drainage from the ensuite and there is now a drain hole in the shower
And the back yard has grown a sand hill and a large pile of lime - I presume for the next render coats.
We had some decent rainfall in the past couple of days, and it is very sloppy around the site. I took my gardening shoes, and thought it didn't look too bad, so didn't put them on. Now having to clean up my ordinary shoes will hopefully teach me a lesson!
Whilst there is quite a number of little items of progress, it doesn't feel anything like enough for the time that has passed.
Frustration level is very high, and I cannot see how this is going to be finished in the time frame sent by the Builder a few weeks back, as the next three "deadlines" are now missed.
It is nice that the excess strawbales have been removed, and the study is now visible as a room - it even has wall insulation.
A number of the cavity sliding door frames have been installed.
An internal wall has been installed between the ensuite and the living room, as well as between the ensuite walls and the roof, so it is much easier to see the size of the shower and loo as it looks like a room now, instead of a space.
The plumbers were on site finishing the drainage from the ensuite and there is now a drain hole in the shower
And the back yard has grown a sand hill and a large pile of lime - I presume for the next render coats.
We had some decent rainfall in the past couple of days, and it is very sloppy around the site. I took my gardening shoes, and thought it didn't look too bad, so didn't put them on. Now having to clean up my ordinary shoes will hopefully teach me a lesson!
Definitely starting to get a better idea of the finished product, although from your photos it doesn't look like that much has been achieved recently, especially considering your rough-in was over a month ago. It's been wet recently, but prior to this past week weather has been pretty good for building. What was your expected completion date?
Algernon,
The builder sent a revised completion/payment schedule on 21 June. PCI is noted as being 3 October, with full completion 21 October. Considering that gyprock was supposed to be completed by 31 July, and it hasn't been started, those dates are now quite suspect.
Just wish they would get on with it!
The builder sent a revised completion/payment schedule on 21 June. PCI is noted as being 3 October, with full completion 21 October. Considering that gyprock was supposed to be completed by 31 July, and it hasn't been started, those dates are now quite suspect.
Just wish they would get on with it!
Algernon,
The builder sent a revised completion/payment schedule on 21 June. PCI is noted as being 3 October, with full completion 21 October. Considering that gyprock was supposed to be completed by 31 July, and it hasn't been started, those dates are now quite suspect.
Just wish they would get on with it!
The builder sent a revised completion/payment schedule on 21 June. PCI is noted as being 3 October, with full completion 21 October. Considering that gyprock was supposed to be completed by 31 July, and it hasn't been started, those dates are now quite suspect.
Just wish they would get on with it!
I feel your pain! What an amazing house you are building it looks great and I love the size of the block too. Can't wait to see when it's finished!! At least you should be in by Christmas but I completely understand the frustrations when you expect a certain amount of work to be done and it's not, I never imagined my emotions would be such a rollercoaster!!
Our Acacia build - http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=86619
Your build is just fascinating variegated, can't wait to follow the remainder and see how it all turns out. I feel for you on the timeframe too, we're looking at finishing six weeks over our 30 week timeframe and the end can't come quickly enough!
Follow our build with Express Two Storey (Ventura Group): http://tinyurl.com/jlykgph
Follow our build with Express Two Storey (Ventura Group): http://tinyurl.com/jlykgph
How thick are the walls?
Trimum - I thought you might - we are pretty much in the same boat, aren't we? Having built before (the builder went bankrupt in the middle), I was expecting some ups and downs, and I think I've been coping reasonably well up to now. The closer the finish comes, the more frustrating it is not to be there yet!
Your build is just fascinating variegated, can't wait to follow the remainder
mrsdoe, thank you I'm hoping it will work for me in the way I want it to.
The final stages are the most difficult, aren't they?
mrsdoe, thank you I'm hoping it will work for me in the way I want it to.
The final stages are the most difficult, aren't they?
JB1
The strawbale walls are the width of a standard strawbale - minus a bit of trimming to keep them even - plus the thickness of the render. That thickness varies a bit over the wall - the first coat is pretty rough, and there are another two coats to be applied. Whilst I haven't measured them, they are about 400mm thick at the moment, and will a bit more when completed.
.
The windows will be installed to align with the external skin, meaning that I will have lovely wide windowsills.
The strawbale walls are the width of a standard strawbale - minus a bit of trimming to keep them even - plus the thickness of the render. That thickness varies a bit over the wall - the first coat is pretty rough, and there are another two coats to be applied. Whilst I haven't measured them, they are about 400mm thick at the moment, and will a bit more when completed.
.
The windows will be installed to align with the external skin, meaning that I will have lovely wide windowsills.
Trimum - I thought you might - we are pretty much in the same boat, aren't we? Having built before (the builder went bankrupt in the middle), I was expecting some ups and downs, and I think I've been coping reasonably well up to now. The closer the finish comes, the more frustrating it is not to be there yet!
Yes we are but we have no internals done yet at all apart from Plumbing rough in. I am just going to switch off from it all stop getting stressed and leave it to Burbank to get on with it, I've had a better weekend for it. We had problems just before we started as Sekisui (who we signed the contract with) sold their home building business to Burbank so we are stuck with a builder we didn't choose, they don't know the house style as they have never built it and won't be building any more so we have felt a bit of an inconvenience to them, we have corrected so many mistakes (wrong frame positions, wrong bricks, red bricked a pillar by mistake etc) and they have barely started. Anyhow will leave them alone to build, it's not worth the stress!
Our Acacia build - http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=86619
JB1
The strawbale walls are the width of a standard strawbale - minus a bit of trimming to keep them even - plus the thickness of the render. That thickness varies a bit over the wall - the first coat is pretty rough, and there are another two coats to be applied. Whilst I haven't measured them, they are about 400mm thick at the moment, and will a bit more when completed.
.
The windows will be installed to align with the external skin, meaning that I will have lovely wide windowsills.
The strawbale walls are the width of a standard strawbale - minus a bit of trimming to keep them even - plus the thickness of the render. That thickness varies a bit over the wall - the first coat is pretty rough, and there are another two coats to be applied. Whilst I haven't measured them, they are about 400mm thick at the moment, and will a bit more when completed.
.
The windows will be installed to align with the external skin, meaning that I will have lovely wide windowsills.
Great insulation.
I'd love to do something like this one day. Perhaps not straw bale but ICF. Did you consider ICF?
How thick is the render?
I'm wondering for the life of me how windows are installed.
It looks like a timber frame is mounted ready for the windows but I'm wondering how the gaps between the window and frame is sealed.
JB1,
Sorry for the rather delayed reply - I have been away for a few day with some family issues.
I didn't consider building in anything other than strawbale because:
it makes good use of what is usually otherwise a waste product, which is often burned, so it's a way of reducing waste;
great insulation;
the acoustic qualities talked about a bit earlier in this thread;
the "solidity" of the walls
I like them!
The render thickness varies quite a bit at the moment - in some places it is quite thick, and in others you can still see the texture of the straw. The next two coats will even it out a bit. I expect that it will be somewhere between 50 to 75mm on each side when it is finished.
Not being a builder, I don't really know much about how they will install the windows. No-one has ever talked about it being difficult, so hopefully we'll find out very shortly.
Sorry for the rather delayed reply - I have been away for a few day with some family issues.
I didn't consider building in anything other than strawbale because:
it makes good use of what is usually otherwise a waste product, which is often burned, so it's a way of reducing waste;
great insulation;
the acoustic qualities talked about a bit earlier in this thread;
the "solidity" of the walls
I like them!
The render thickness varies quite a bit at the moment - in some places it is quite thick, and in others you can still see the texture of the straw. The next two coats will even it out a bit. I expect that it will be somewhere between 50 to 75mm on each side when it is finished.
Not being a builder, I don't really know much about how they will install the windows. No-one has ever talked about it being difficult, so hopefully we'll find out very shortly.
Well, it’s been a pretty rough couple of months – there has been lots going on at work – not much of it good. My sister has been very kind to allow me to store a quantity of goods and chattels in her spare room and garage, but is now moving, so I have to find somewhere else to keep the stuff, and move it, and my lovely 89 year old Dad passed away on 17 August.
There has been little progress on the house, which just adds to the frustration, but now that I know that is due to injury (not on my job) and illness of workmen, it is a little easier to cope with.
There are some changes now thank goodness – the second coat of render has been completed, and it is much more refined that the first coat. The rendering was delayed by the inability of suppliers to provide the mesh needed to line the walls, which was eventually sourced from another builder of strawbale homes – thank you Viva Homes!. The third coat needed hasn’t happened as the renderer has been in hospital with pneumonia! Why do builders not pass this information on to owners?
Most of the window frames have been delivered and are now installed – they just slot into the frame built for them in the wall, and have been sealed with expanding foam.
Joe the carpenter explained to me that they will seal off the window and the final render coat will extend to the window frame itself, and fill in any small gaps, making an airtight seal.
Joe is expecting to start the outside cladding once the rendering has been done, and I guess the glass will be installed in the window frames too.
We had a chat about noggins for grab rails in the bathroom, and these have been marked onto the new nib wall frame, so there will be plenty of support for the rails to be installed.
The external walls that aren’t strawbale have been lined with aircell – this is over the top of the insulation and the air and water barrier – there is a lot going on in those walls!
The posts to hold up the roof in the kitchen and the studio have arrived – they are large pieces of timber!
The other workman on site this afternoon turned out to be the builder’s eldest son, who has just started to work with his father. He said he had been working for a scaffolding company, and had put together the scaffolding for the house, and was very pleased to see it now. He was kind enough to say he really liked the house and was looking forward to be able to working on it. They both seemed very keen to get on and complete it, which helps.
Hoping that next week we are closer to not having the wind racing through the house as it was today.
There has been little progress on the house, which just adds to the frustration, but now that I know that is due to injury (not on my job) and illness of workmen, it is a little easier to cope with.
There are some changes now thank goodness – the second coat of render has been completed, and it is much more refined that the first coat. The rendering was delayed by the inability of suppliers to provide the mesh needed to line the walls, which was eventually sourced from another builder of strawbale homes – thank you Viva Homes!. The third coat needed hasn’t happened as the renderer has been in hospital with pneumonia! Why do builders not pass this information on to owners?
Most of the window frames have been delivered and are now installed – they just slot into the frame built for them in the wall, and have been sealed with expanding foam.
Joe the carpenter explained to me that they will seal off the window and the final render coat will extend to the window frame itself, and fill in any small gaps, making an airtight seal.
Joe is expecting to start the outside cladding once the rendering has been done, and I guess the glass will be installed in the window frames too.
We had a chat about noggins for grab rails in the bathroom, and these have been marked onto the new nib wall frame, so there will be plenty of support for the rails to be installed.
The external walls that aren’t strawbale have been lined with aircell – this is over the top of the insulation and the air and water barrier – there is a lot going on in those walls!
The posts to hold up the roof in the kitchen and the studio have arrived – they are large pieces of timber!
The other workman on site this afternoon turned out to be the builder’s eldest son, who has just started to work with his father. He said he had been working for a scaffolding company, and had put together the scaffolding for the house, and was very pleased to see it now. He was kind enough to say he really liked the house and was looking forward to be able to working on it. They both seemed very keen to get on and complete it, which helps.
Hoping that next week we are closer to not having the wind racing through the house as it was today.
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What is the distance between the island and the bench please?