Walls and roofs progress rapidly but slope stabilisation remains at a standstill

Scaffolding going up on terrace C as the blockwork gets going

Terrace B roof trusses to the rear.  No more progress on the slope stabilisation though as the material is still too wet

The gabions need to be built up at the same rate as the slope so that it all ties together 

The Common House is being roofed ready for its sedum covering

Inside unit 6u, an upstairs flat

Upstairs windows are now being fixed - doors are coming from the factory in Latvia next week, and then  Terrace A can be made weathertight.  Rendering and interior works can then progress.

The Common House roof from Terrace A

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Its all about the roofs - and the orchard

Here are some photos of the Terrace A roof going on... first the blue liner, then the tiles are placed in handy piles, and finally on Wednesday 29th Feb it looked like the final tiles were being put in place.

Meanwhile the solar panels are going on to the mill roof...

... and Terrace F is rising above the ground at the upper carpark level, with one storey completed at ground level on the other side.

See the St Valentine's Day and St David's Day updates for much more detail on the build.

But while the contractors struggled with the weather, and walking about on site required boots against the deep mud, cohousers took the opportunity on a Sunday in February to work and socialise on site.

This area is a former piece of field that we are going to turn into a small orchard. The trees will not be planted until next autumn, but putting a weed suppressing barrier down now will make planting easier and give the trees a better chance. Our apple trees have been grafted locally at Middlewood Farm, and most are northern varieties.

We used reclaimed bricks to hold the barrier down, but pushing a laden wheelbarrow of bricks up a steep plank is an acquired art, and some did not acquire it....

We also had to clear a few hawthorn bushes. Shifting the trunk of the largest took 2 people, but the smaller branches were cut up and used to create a windrow - a temporary shelter for small birds and animals, but which will gradually rot down and produce a mulch to be used around trees or hedges.

But in fact, although we do like to contribute towards our long term goals, these work sessions are also a great opportunity to get to know each other better, and having a break and a chat now and again is a very good idea.

Kate

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Progress on site - St David's Day 2012

The first of our triple glazed windows have been installed in terrace A

Chris considers how to enable wheelchair users to open the windows - a key requirement  of the Lifetime Homes standard.  Some modifications to handles may be required

The Common House roof is on

The kitchen will be in the far corner

The south facing window looks out over the river

This is terrace B.  The roof trusses were lifted up by crane earlier in the week.  The first two houses are two-beds, the more distant ones larger three-beds

Blockwork has started on Terrace C - whilst the wind post (the vertical object in the middle of the wall) still needs redesigning to reduce thermal bridging

The main gabion wall is progressing.  The stairs will go up to the left where the digger is.

But the roller sits idle.  The clay is still to wet from the rain earlier in the week  to be successfully compacted.  Meanwhile this is holding back the start of Terrace D as the material is stored there.

The site for the electricity substations was excavated today

The clay roof tiles look good on the north side of Terrace A

Jon
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Progress report from site - St Valentines Day 2012

The roof structure on Terrace A is now virtually complete, ready for tiling to start next week

This close up shows the progress on the timber framed south elevations.  Almost ready to start fitting windows.

There have been some difficulties with compacting the clay which is being put back into the slope below terrace E.  If it is compressed too much the water gets driven to the surface and the lop layer becomes to wet.  But as of today we think these problems have been resolved, and filling can continue, until it rains!

We have nearly finished shifting the subsoil that is required to complete the "butterfly bank" at the far end of the site.  It is important for that area to have subsoil and not topsoil at the surface.  Top soil contains too many nutrients and would support vigorous grasses, whereas what we want is a wide diversity of plant species and patches of bare ground, which will benefit invertebrates.

A few days of warmer dry weather has allowed the block work on Terrace F to get moving again

Unfortunately we are nowhere near being able to reopen the top public footpath, the weather related delays having taken their toll.

This is Terrace F from the top.  Plot 28, to the right is still available.

The roof is now being installed on the Common House

Note the different colours of blocks on the upstairs flat bed loft walls.  The paler thermal blocks transmit less heat and will prevent an unacceptable thermal bridge through the roof. 

Inside the Mill building, work is well underway to create the showers and toilets

...although the discovery of a couple of unexpected windows means that a few minor changes to the works specification have been required.

Jon
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It's February! We have railings, roof trusses and unexpected windows...



The railings along the riverside have been completed - nice industrial look, and will not clog up with debris if the water ever does come this high...



The builders have finished excavating the cliff face by Terrace D. I was interested in the various markings indicating where the finished pedestrian level will be, as they have had to dig down to put underground services in. I was also wondering how terrace D people will want to use the protruding wall nails - hanging baskets perhaps? or attachments for wires for climbing plants?

Trusses have appeared on houses 2-5 in terrace A, but the builders are frustrated by the lovely sunny but freezing weather, which means they cannot lay anymore blocks as the mortar would freeze. So they are unable to finish block laying to install the roof timbers for the flats at each end.

I do admire the scaffolding, so much more efficient and safe than the sort of scaffolding I used when I was a builder in the 1980s...

A similar delay on building up the walls for the guest rooms etc.

Shock arrival of the windows on Monday. The builders are not quite ready to install them.

Our neighbour Ralph from Out of the Woods, who is one of the contractors bidding for installing the common house kitchen. He is showing the range of eco-samples for the surfaces. Despite the happy smile, he is dismayed by the high price of eco materials in comparison with non-eco. My understanding is that is all to do with lack of demand, and if only more people would buy, the price would come down.

Kate

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