Interested in one of our last few homes?

We expect to sell all our remaining homes this month!  All but two homes are bought or reserved and we have one application.  If you want to apply to join/buy a home please do so by Sunday 29^th July.  Info about joining is here.  If you do miss out this time don’t worry; we have an active waiting pool and potential rental opportunities. 

The homes that are available are

Plot 36; a 2 bed in Forgebank (the current owner wishes to move to plot 32)

This is a semi detached leasehold home with an elevated position, small private garden and great views, priced at £208,500.  Please contact us if you would like to know more details and they will be available on the website soon.

Plots 33 and 32; 3 bed Heron Bank homes

The details of these terraced freehold homes are available here.  They are on the edge of the site and have private gardens and car parking spaces. Buyers are welcome but not obliged to fully opt in to the community, details here.

Our events this month are

Sunday 22 July (and 4th Sunday every month)

• 11am Brunch at Whale Tail Café, 78a Penny Street, Lancaster, LA1 1XN

• 1.30pm site tour, Forge Bank, Halton (map), by request . Meet at the Mill building – follow the Whittle's signs (our building contractor) to get to the site

We hope to offer an integration meeting this month (provisionally 3.15pm after the site tour on 22 July) so please let us know if this would interest you.  Also if you’d like to meet us or see the site at another time get in touch.

Kathy
www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

The building site, halfway through 2012

No-one has posted any pictures for a bit, so with planned handover of the first homes just 4 weeks away I thought it was time for a bit of a photographic update

The common house roof is growing well, scaffolding was due to come down today or tomorrow

Inside, the wiring is still going on.  We've put in more lighting options to make the space more flexible.  The kitchen will go in this corner. 

Terrace D is well and truly out of the ground.  Back in the winter there were weeks when we wondered how on earth we were going to get to this point!

The homes at this end of the terrace will have upstairs living rooms with vaulted ceilings

The scaffolding poles provide a handy perch for the local Grey Wagtails

Here's Terrace A a month before  the handover date

Plot number 5 was the first to receive its cladding.  The bottom bit is being left to the last minute to avoid any damage by the ground workers.  The balconies are being fabricated in East Lancashire and will complete the effect.

The services seem to all fit in the street after all. 

The second fix electrics have been completed in this upstairs flat

Kitchens are ready for fitting once the flooring has gone down

 Jon

www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

Slow boat to Lancaster

Between us, the future residents of Lancaster Cohousing have many talents... which is one of the things that's got us this far. Alison knows how to tell a story -- since she joined she's been behind some of our best media coverage, and has been working with Frances on filming the project, and capturing our thoughts as we make this big transition.

She has a story of her own too of course, and she's turned the camera on herself to share a bit of her journey from London to Lancaster by narrowboat... what she's giving up, and what she's hoping for when she gets there.



Miles and I met up with Alison and Kevin on their way through Oxford, where we are still mainly based. Since we sold our house last year in preparation for the move, we've been living in what we fondly (and occasionally not so fondly) call our Interim Bungalow. Watching Alison's film made me realise what a special time this is, even with all its stresses and strains. I am inspired to try and capture a bit of my own journey on film too. So thanks Alison for sharing this and showing us what can be done!

jo

www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

Latest photos from site - end of May 2012

Foundations for terrace D are now progressing well

We now have the detailed engineering design for the gabion walls, which is much more involved that you might imagine.  The mini-digger is excavating where the gabion will be founded

Air tightness testing underway.  Note the balloons sealing the vents and the fan in the window.  See Luke's previous blog for more about this 

Terrace C has windows (and PV panels on the other side)

Terrace E is now coming on ahead of Terrace D.  Scaffolding about to arrive

Stairs are being installed to the top floor flats, which will make access much easier!

Finally, a close up of the common house roof...

www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

We passed the air-tightness test!

Excellent news from site - our first house passed the air tightness test by quite a large margin. Big sigh of relief from everyone! Passing this test is crucial for Passivhaus certification.

As can be seen on the photo, the PV panels have now been installed on Terrace C. Terraces B & E are also progressing well.

Not much can be seen of Terrace D from the other side of the river, but walls should start rising once the floor slabs have been completed.

The river is fairly low at the moment so I could take a picture from a slightly different angle to normal. It is not quite the same perspective as the artist's impression that we use for our marketing, but I was struck by how close to reality the artistic painting is likely to be.

Note: Apologies for the photo running off-screen, but it really needs to be seen on the larger setting, even if it breaks the page formatting!

Luke.

www.lancastercohousing.org.uk