Take Two 50Aug 05, 2017 4:37 pm 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! Variegated Re: Take Two 51Aug 05, 2017 9:38 pm Variegated 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! 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 Re: Take Two 52Aug 06, 2017 2:20 am 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): viewtopic.php?f=31&t=85122 Take Two 54Aug 06, 2017 12:28 pm 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! Variegated Take Two 55Aug 06, 2017 12:38 pm 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? Variegated Re: Take Two 56Aug 06, 2017 1:00 pm 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. . Window opening showing wall depthLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The windows will be installed to align with the external skin, meaning that I will have lovely wide windowsills. Variegated Re: Take Two 57Aug 06, 2017 4:47 pm Variegated 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 Re: Take Two 58Aug 08, 2017 9:54 pm Variegated 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. . Window opening showing wall depthLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 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. Take Two 59Aug 15, 2017 8:10 pm 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. Variegated Take Two 60Sep 15, 2017 8:00 pm 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? 2nd render coatLooking much more like proper wallsLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 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. Window framesLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ West window in situLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 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! Detail of air cell - obvious where it gets it's nameLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Air cell attached and joins tapedthe remaining mesh that caused considerable delay is standing in the cornerLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The posts to hold up the roof in the kitchen and the studio have arrived – they are large pieces of timber! Tall timberLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 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. Variegated Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 22104 2 22017 2 3579 |