Underneath The Eaves

Finished!

2009-03-04T12:54:00.003Z

We've been very lazy about updating the blog - we blame the fact that it's finished and we were desparate to move in! As you can see from the piccies, we are now in the bedroom, albeit without a door as we need to cut a lot more off it to allow for the thick pile carpet we have had laid.

The builders and plumbers were back the next day and finished off the bathroom. We now have to tile the shower area and and finish it off other bits and pieces before we can use it, but at the moment our priority are the children's bedrooms (4). We have now completed 2 of them and are currently working on the next 2.

For anyone reading this blog via the Elite Lofts website - choose Elite. Marcus and Simon were fabulous and did a wonderful job. We weren't sure exactly what to expect when they started, but they were like part of the family and treated our property as if it was theirs. Much coffee cup returning, hoovering and sweeping of the patio was carried out and the only mess left in the house was that of our own making (ie. we didn't bother to dust! and we have stuff in boxes everywhere). If we need any other work carried out, Elite will be our first choice. Once again, thank you to Marcus and Simon.

Day 38 - Bathroom and Clear Out

2009-02-18T09:26:00.002Z

Today the plumbers and builders worked together to fit the units into the bathroom and access hole to the floor so that we can reach one of the mascerators if needed. The other mascerator required the carcasses of the fitted units to be butchered. The plumbers will be back tomorrow to finish off and Marcus and Simon cleared out all their stuff from the loft and the garage and the scaffolding, with the exception of the circular saw and nail gun which will be needed when they pop back to finish off the skirting in the bathroom when the plumbers are done. Only one problem - when they cut the panel for under the basin, the manufacturer's template was followed - but it was wrong. So David picked up a new panel and that will be fitted when Marcus comes back.

Day 37 - The Plumbers and Snagging

2009-02-16T20:09:00.004Z

After a few hours of successful decorating over the weekend, we were ready for the plumbers today. By the end of the day the three radiators were on the walls and working, and issues regarding the plumbing in of the mascerators and fitted cupboards were discussed and ironed out. Marcus was still away on his long weekend, but Simon was here to do items on the snagging list, finish off the architrave on the stairs, clear off the scaffolding and again, tidy up with a view to being finished tomorrow. Marcus and Simon will both be here to clear everything out, finish any snagging and help with the installation of the bathroom (as there will be bits of carpentry to be done). The end is in sight - or rather the end of the building work and the beginning of the major redecoration programme for the whole house.

Day 36 - Bits and Pieces

2009-02-16T20:00:00.005Z

Both Marcus and Simon here today. The doors were finished off and then they were both out on to the roof to complete some more work out there including putting in some air vents. Marcus left early for a long family weekend which left Simon to do more bits and pieces and have a sort out and clean up. We had asked for all their stuff to be left in the middle of the room so that we can do some decorating over the weekend so that when the plumbers come on Monday the walls behind where the radiators will go will be already painted. We are also to do our snagging list over the weekend.

Day 35 - Fire Doors and Staircases

2009-02-13T11:31:00.003Z

Simon carried on with the fire doors today with only the heat strips to be stuck in them tomorrow. Marcus carried on with the new staircase handrails and spindles etc. and also cut out the old ones on the existing staircase and changed them to match. They will be back tomorrow to do a few bits and pieces but essentially their job is done. There will be a bit of skirting to put in once the plumber has finished his bits.

Day 34 - Fire Doors

2009-02-12T13:31:00.004Z

The order of the day was fire doors - nine of them to be fitted and handles on existing doors that are staying (3!) to be changed. No easy task as the old door frames are not square. One door in particular had to have the top chopped off at a very odd angle. No choice on having fire doors - building regulations. An amazingly time-consuming job which will have to be continued tomorrow.

Day 33 - More Woodwork

2009-02-11T11:10:00.004Z

Marcus was only here for half the day as he had to go and meet the man who would be doing his yearly electrician accreditation (NICEIC). However, Marcus was back with him in the afternoon as he has to show two of his jobs to be scrutinsed. After a while they left and Marcus will be back again tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Simon got on with more of the time-consuming jobs. We now have a bedroom door with handle! Oh, the smallest thing is so exciting! However, it now really feels like a room and we are much warmer in the hallways. He also worked on the staircase some more.

Day 32 - Woodwork

2009-02-10T15:46:00.003Z

Marcus and Simon spent today finishing off the skirting boards and making the cupboards in the study area and other bits and pieces, most notable of which were the handrail and spindles for the upper part of the new staircase. That part is still not finished though as more decorative bits of wood need to be added. We are now at the point where all the woodwork to be done is fiddly and time-consuming, especially all the fire doors that need to be fitted throughout the house.

We also had a visit from the plumber who has been away in New Zealand for a few weeks. As a result of this, he can't get to us till next Monday to fit our bathroom and the radiators in the study and bedroom. But for the radiators and the bedroom door, the loft area is no longer a loft but a study and bedroom ready for decorating.

T.V. Aerial Revisited

2009-02-08T17:52:00.002Z

Having spent a lot of time and money erecting a new telly aerial back in December, I've been rather disappointed by the results. My plan was to be able to receive transmissions from Crystal Palace rather than via the Bishop's Stortford relay. This has worked to some extent, but even with a big masthead amplifier the analogue signal is not really acceptable. I can get some of the digital channels with enough signal quality to watch, but until the switchover in three years I would like a better quality picture. With the scaffolding coming down in a week or so I've had to decide what to do - live with the set-up I've got now, or change it. I decided to keep what I've done so far - and add to it. The other transmitter I can use is Sudbury, so I bought a wideband aerial and pointed it over in that direction. This produces a half decent analogue picture, but due to the lower power on the digital side it doesn't give me enough signal to get a reliable picture on Freeview. I've diplexed the two aerials together so that I get channels 21-37 from Crystal Palace and 39-69 from Sudbury, put them through a variable masthead amplifier turned up full and then through a 4-way distributer to feed the loft, lounge, kitchen and the stereo. This gives the main four channels reasonably well from Sudbury, plus a variable channel 5 from Croydon (just behind Crystal Palace) and some of the digital from Crystal Palace. That should be OK up until the digital switchover - then I'll just have to hope that the increased power digital transissions will give me a useable signal from one side or the other. The fly in the ointment is the diplexer, which is not screened (apparantly no one makes a screened UHF+UHF diplexer). I noticed some interferance on the analogue channels, so I hope that won't lead to fatal crashes on the digital.

Day 31 - Plastering, Electrics, Woodwork

2009-02-07T16:29:00.004Z

As promised, Jim (and assistant) were back this morning at 7.30 followed a short time later by Marcus and Simon. Jim got stuck in with the last of the plastering and Marcus and Simon worked on the electrics - smoke alarm, sockets, lights, switches. Jim was gone by 11am and Marcus and Simon left at 2pm after testing all the aforementioned and having started on the skirting boards and the bedroom door frame. We then moved up some of the bathroom bits and pieces and put together the carcasses for the fitted units ready for the plumber next week. It's really feeling like a proper room now and we are so close, but of course so far, as there will be lots of decorating to do.

Day 30 - Let's Get Plastered!

2009-02-07T16:10:00.002Z

Bright and early this morning (7.15am), Jim (the plasterer) and his team of 3 turned up and within minutes were busy working on their designated section of the loft and landings. It was a long day for them and most of the areas they were working on were awkward. However, they did a fantastic job. A little bit still to do but Jim says he will come again tomorrow (Saturday) for a couple of hours and finish off.

Marcus and Simon drew the short straw with both of them having to be out of the way and therefore outside in the freezing wind and sleet. They finished off the cladding and guttering etc. to the outside of the dormer, tidied up various bits and then headed off early as there was nothing more they could do with the plasterers in the way inside. They will also come back tomorrow to finish off the electrics.

Day 29 - Cladding

2009-02-05T16:10:00.005Z

Last night Marcus and Simon cleared out the bedroom and office areas so that the plasterers would have easy access to the walls and ceilings (fortunately as the bathroom has been completely done, they put everything in there) but in the end the plasterers didn't come today. However, they will be back tomorrow (3 of them! plus assistant) and if necessary will come on Saturday morning to finish off. Simon started work on the electrics and the smoke alarms (which need to be run off the mains and connected to each other on each floor) while Marcus went to buy the cladding for the outside of the dormer. A little later, Marcus was out on the scaffolding in the rain/sleet putting it up. A very cold and wet job today for Marcus but a nice warm and dry one for Simon!

Day 28 - Last of the plasterboarding

2009-02-05T16:01:00.004Z

Marcus has already cut a channel in the wall of one of the bedrooms (for mains to go down to the fuse board in the outside cupboard) on the first floor which was plastered over yesterday, and today they finished the other plasterboarding that needed to be done. This included some on the wall by the stairs, part of the bedroom wall and also the whole of the first floor landing ceiling (covering over the loft hatch). Holes for the lights and sockets and switches were cut where the plaster has been done and ordering of other bits and pieces that are required for the project.

Day 27 - Plasterboarding and Plastering

2009-02-04T12:18:00.004Z

The doorbell went at 7.45am this morning and I thought that'll be Marcus, but in fact it was Jim the plasterer with his assistant Darren. They were unable to get to their Tuesday job because of the weather so had checked with Marcus that they could come and get started on our job. Nice surprise. We now have a fully plastered bathroom, bedroom ceiling and landing area. They'll be back on Thursday.

Marcus and Simon turned up just after the plasterers. They carried on with more plasterboarding and various other bits. The last bits of plasterboarding will be done tomorrow - including the first floor landing where the loft hatch is.

Today - Snow!

2009-02-02T16:42:00.003Z

Along with a lot of the country, we have woken up today to rather a lot of snow. Having called Marcus at home early this morning, it was decided that it wasn't really a good idea for him and Simon to venture out, so a day to enjoy the snow was agreed upon. As for tomorrow, we'll have to wait and see.

Day 26 - More plasterboarding

2009-01-30T17:31:00.002Z

Marcus and Sam spent today...............plasterboarding! What fun! More plasterboards were delivered and the skip was taken away and replaced with a smaller one. The plasterer, Jim, popped in during the afternoon to discuss his role in the conversion. He'll be coming on Wednesday next week with his workers and will be here for 3 days. Marcus and Simon should be cladding the dormer during that time.

Day 25 - More plasterboarding

2009-01-30T17:26:00.004Z

Marcus and Sam again today. Nothing more interesting than plasterboarding. Oh, except Marcus's father came for a quick look. Extremely dusty job - the floor looks like it's been carpeted in white!

Day 24 - Building Inspector Visit 3

2009-01-28T13:40:00.006Z

The building inspector came again today, this time to inspect the insulation (with a warning not to change it once he had gone!) and to inspect the staircase. He was very happy with it all so now Marcus could get on with putting up the plasterboard. Yet another very dusty job.

Day 23 - Insulation Finished

2009-01-28T13:32:00.007Z

Marcus and Sam today (Simon on holiday this week). The rest of the insulation was put in/up which all takes time because of the shapes of the roof etc. (I did try speaking to a higher up building control man to see if there was any way to lessen the depth of the insulation being put in so that our headroom was not compromised, but again, no luck. Well at least we have tried and, in fact, although David cannot stand up straight in the study part of the loft, he'll be sitting at his desk if he is in there and it doesn't feel too bad at all. Very glad we put in the extra Velux though). The plasterboard arrived and it took lots of trips up and down the stairs to get it all into the loft. A good tidy up at the end of the day as well ready for the building inspector again tomorrow.

Day 22 - Insulation and Windows

2009-01-26T12:21:00.003Z

Just Simon today. Marcus was out and about doing stuff and Simon got on with the insulation. (Tried talking the building inspector into letting us do something different with regards to insulation as the headroom in the front part of the loft is so low, but he was having none of it. "U Values" is the problem. The government have set out the rules and that's that. The fact that safety will be compromised with us banging our heads all the time is not as important as ensuring that our loft is warm enough and not letting heat out into the world. Why oh why can't be it be up to us to decide whether we want to be warm or cool. Simon has said that he has never put in so much insulation in a conversion before and reckons we won't even need the radiators that are being put in. Yet again, stupid rules made by people who haven't got a clue what goes on in the real world.) Then Marcus turned up late afternoon with the windows for the bathroom and bedroom, put them in and went again! It's getting there and now we're impatient for it to be finished. Will try a higher positioned building inspector on Monday and flash my eyelashes - you never know!

Day 21 - Staircase and Insulation

2009-01-22T17:56:00.002Z

Sam was here today so more of the insulation was completed. Marcus and Simon concentrated on the widening the staircase hole and working out exactly where the bedroom wall between bedroom and staircase hole could go. We have ended up with a slightly larger landing and also a little sort of cubby hole which will be useful. By the end of the day they had had a good tidy up and moved the rest of the insulation from outside into the loft. It was fab to be able to walk up and down the stairs with the coffees and now it is so much easier to see what they're up to.

Day 20 - Staircase

2009-01-22T17:40:00.004Z

Hurray! There've fitted the staircase. A time consuming job (and particularly dusty and dirty), especially as a hole had to be cut into the ceiling of the largest bedroom and its concrete wall. It has taken out just a little corner of that room so doesn't affect it at all - except of course it will need redecorating. However, we are going to be redecorating everywhere anyway! The staircase hole isn't completely finished as they need to take the ceiling back some more due to building regulations about headroom. At the end of today we were able to nip up, ducking down where necessary, and even the boys got to go up and have their first look at the loft rooms. Sam wasn't here today after all (not very well) so no more insulation was put in.

Day 19 - Insulation

2009-01-20T16:39:00.005Z

Today was going to be the installation of the stairs, but Marcus assures us that this will just create a chimney up to the loft for all our heat to go up and escape, so it would be better for him to concentrate on insulating the loft and putting the stairs in tomorrow. So, a very dusty day for the boys, cutting and fitting the insulation. Not completely finished yet but Sam is back tomorrow and he will carry on with the insulation while Marcus and Simon put in the stairs.

Day 18 - Floorboards

2009-01-20T16:32:00.006Z

A delivery of insulation, wood and floorboards arrived this morning followed by the delivery of the new stairs which are now cluttering up the hall until they are installed.

The main job for today was floorboards. These are now down everywhere (including in the eaves cupboards) but not secured down in the bathroom so that the plumbers can do the second fix later in the job. Not much else to say really!

Day 17 - Building Inspector Visit 2

2009-01-16T16:44:00.005Z

A lot of progress today. It started with the fourth and final Velux window being installed. The roofers also completed the roof, it being a mild day with no frost forecast tonight. (Cladding and gutters etc. still to be done by the builders.) The building inspector also attended to inspect the floor joists and main structure. He was very pleased with what had been done (his exact words to us "Where did you find him? You did very well there. He's very good.") and gave Marcus the specs for the insulation. This is a bit of a blow, since he wants the insulation to be continuous below the roof joists, rather than up between them. This brings the ceiling down anther 40 mm, which means we'll be just below 2 m. Apparently they can be more flexible on stairs height than they can on insulation, so the whole room will suffer. I asked him if there were any options, but apparantly that is all that East Herts allow.

With the building inspector and the roofers out of the way, Marcus and Simon got on with the electrical first fix, which includes dropping wires through the ceiling onto the landing. I had a chat with Marcus about when he's planning to finish. He says two more weeks, then the plasterer, then a few more days for the final fix and he'll be out by Friday 13th February.

Day 16 - Structure Complete

2009-01-16T07:43:00.005Z

The day started with a hasty meeting about the bathroom. Having spent most of the night considering our options we delivered our verdict to the plumbers, who straight away got down to moving the pipes they had already laid for the basin and shower. They were also able to complete the macerator discharge pipe now, which luckily didn't have to change (because they hadn't done that end of it yet). Then they came inside and connected up all the pipes in the airing cupboard.

Meanwhile, Marcus and Simon carried on with the remainder of the structural work. They completed the dwarf wall on top of the steel beam which will become the wall of the stairwell. They removed the purlin from above the stairs, where it will be in the way, and trimmed the joists for the last Velux window. They also installed a big chunk of timber to support the end of the front ridge beam.

By 15:30 they were taking bags of rubbish to the skip, so we got a quick progress update. The structure is now all complete, so the building inspector will be coming to inspect it tomorrow.

The next phase is electrical first fix before the chicken-wire goes down with insulation on top. The evening was spent finalising where the sockets and lights are going to go.

We Have a Problem

2009-01-15T12:10:00.004Z

Steve the plumber mentioned it first. As he measured up for where the pipes had to go, he said we were a bit tight between the wash basin and the shower. There wouldn't be room to stand in front of the basin, let alone bend over to wash your face.
We checked our plans and realised that we had drawn the wash basin smaller than it really is. So it was our planning error. And something has to be done about it - the bathroom will be unusable if we build it as planned. We have a few options:

Re-arrange the whole bathroom and put the shower on the opposite wall. This would require a different window (the original has already been ordered).
Get a smaller shower (we've already bought the big one).
Get a smaller basin - such as a counter-top one.
Move the walls to make the bathroom bigger - clearly not a cheap option at this stage.

After a sleepless night and a lot of thinking, we decided to go with a combination of a smaller shower and a minor re-arrangement of the furniture. This will lead to a bit of re-work by the plumbers, and we'll have to sell that big shower enclosure on ebay (what would we do without ebay?) At least now we will have a bathroom that works, even if our shower won't be quite the monster we had been expecting.

Day 15 - Roofers and Plumbers

2009-01-14T21:11:00.004Z

At 07:55 this morning we had a couple of roofers sitting in their van waiting for Marcus. At 09:00 two plumbers turned up. The plumber had a delay on another of his jobs, so he was shortly joined by a third plumber. So it's been busy up on the scaffolding today! The roofers have finished the dormer cheeks with very neat looking tiles. (The front will be uPVC cladding, so not their problem.) They stopped quite early, but they will be coming back soon to finish off. They couldn't finish today because they needed to use some mortar, which needs a temperature of at least 4 degrees to cure it - which was not available today. The plumbers ran flexible pipes up to the bathroom and spent a lot of time worrying about how they were going to do our macerators. We are using two macerators, one for the shower and one for the toilet. They need separate pipes all the way to the soil stack and use different diameter pipes. The upshot is that the two discharge pipes take completely different routes across the loft and individually required their own set of head-scratching and technical advice from the manufacturers. I'd agree with all advice I've had - if you can possibly avoid a macerator, do.

Meanwhile, Marcus and Simon quietly got on with the rest of the supporting walls in the study and under the East-facing slope of the main roof. This included the stud wall to separate the bedroom and study areas. This is almost complete, and they move on to the wall round the stairs tomorrow.

Day 14 - Two More Windows

2009-01-13T19:53:00.004Z

Today should have been the roofer again, but he was delayed on another job - he's coming tomorrow. Marcus and Simon spent most of the day putting two Velux windows in the North-facing slope of the study. There being two windows, they spent a lot of time cutting the tiles to fit the space between. A sharp shower in the afternoon tested the waterproofing. They also completed more work on the purlin wall on that side of the study. We can now see much better how the internal walls are going to be arranged, and the reason they're doing some things the way they are. Not all as we would have designed it had we started with a clean sheet - but of course we didn't - we started with a roof that we had to be supported safely.

Day 13 - Simon Alone

2009-01-13T11:21:00.003Z

Monday 12th January, only Simon was here. Marcus had to go out and order the windows and do other things that builders do when they're not on site. Simon worked away on the details. He erected the stud-work for the bathroom and the supports for the purlin walls across the centre of the house. He also did some other details, such as putting wooden chocks in the ridge steel beam to take the plasterboard, and noggins all over the place.

Day 12 - A Very Busy Day

2009-01-10T15:16:00.003Z

Just before 8am the skip man arrived with the skip. Unforunately we are at the end of a dead-end road which he didn't realise and he therefore had to reverse all the way out back on to the main road and then reverse down our road. Skip is now at the bottom of the garage ramp. Simon appreared just before the skip man left and then Marcus turned up with Sam the labourer, swiftly followed by the large lorry delivering the tiles for the sides of the dormer. (There was nothing else on the lorry and it looked rather ridiculous with just our few tiles!). Then the roofers appeared. So by the end of the day the dormer roof was completed and watertight but the cheeks will have to wait until they are back on Tuesday. Sam kept busy (and warm, it was freezing) filling the skip and carrying tiles up to the top of the scaffold while Marcus and Simon concentrated on removing the old roof joists. David and I had decided to go up and take a look over the weekend but then David rang to tell me he had done his back in (as of today, he can still hardly walk) so if I wanted to have a look I'd have to do it while M&S were there. So, braving the cold and the ladder, I climbed up to the top of the scaffolding. However, now that they have covered the framework, the only way into the loft is up another ladder and through the window hole. Not a very elegant way to enter my bedroom for the first time. Anyway, once inside I was very impressed. No floor yet (can't have one till all the plumbing and electrics are done) so it was a question of being very careful walking along the floor joists. There was a little bit of our old boarding around and of course as the head height is not much I was able to put my arms above my head and hold on to the new roof joists as well. I even made my way over to the Velux window and had a look outside.

Next week should be busy. The Building Inspector is due back, the roofers are coming on Tuesday to finish their work, more Velux windows should be put in (another 3 to go), the plumber is coming to do his first fix, Marcus may well do his first fix of the electrics (he's a qualified electrician) and with any luck the staircase could be in by the weekend. Fingers crossed.

Day 11 - More Dormer Work

2009-01-10T15:12:00.002Z

Today was spent putting the sides and front onto the dormer frame (and presumably other bits I don't know about). Not much else to say really, except got Marcus to take a photo of the inside as well.

Day 10 - We have a Dormer!

2009-01-07T17:23:00.008Z

Marcus was greeted this morning with Nicole informing him that we have changed our minds about the size of the bathroom window following a redesign of the layout. Now it's going to be 1500 and as they are building the dormer today, leaving the holes for the windows to the bathroom and bedroom, there is no going back. Well, we could change it again, but that would mean paying more money to have the work redone, so we had better be happy with what we have decided! And then they were off. Marcus was up onto the ridge and started taking the ridge tiles off. Unfortunately, they are old and were extremely well cemented on. He has to resort to the angle grinder to remove them. Then off with the tiles and felt - and we had a big hole where our roof should be. Then up with the new wood for the frame and then the beginnings of the new flat roof, the plywood. Unfortunately they lost time this morning with the ridge tile problem and so they couldn't quite get to where they would have liked to have finished for the day, despite working their ***** off. So they weatherproofed it all, cleared up and called it a day, especially since it was now dark. It looks fab. Can't wait to go into the loft and see how it really feels.

The other event of note today was that the plumber, Steve, turned up for a site meeting. Having spoken to Marcus and both of us, all is agreed and seems to be fine - and he wasn't even too shocked that we were going to have not one, but two macerators in the bathroom. Reason for this is that we can use one for the basin and toilet and another for the shower. This means that the one for the shower can be located beneath the floor, thereby keeping the shower tray on the floor and leaving plenty of headroom once we are in the shower. If the shower tray had to be raised it would be a tight squeeze, though not impossible. He will be back towards the end of next week for the first fix.

Day 9 - More of the Same and a Window!

2009-01-07T17:03:00.003Z

The rest of the floor joists were laid down today and then a nice surprise, there was time to do one of the Velux windows in the study. It really feels like it's taking shape now. Decisions were reached on the new bannisters and spindles. Also finalised the finishes of the dormer - white plastic cladding along the back (to match what's on the lower level) and tiles to the sides.

Day 8 - Off We Go Again!

2009-01-05T20:37:00.004Z

Well here we are in 2009 and the work starts again. Today another crane came and delivered more wood, windows and also the plywood for the dormer. M&S carried these through to the rear of the house and got very cold hands since it was snowing. They then worked on the floor joists for the dormer section. They will carry on with this tomorrow and, weather permitting, start to build the dormer on Wednesday. Marcus queried the size of the window we wanted in the bathroom, but we said this was dependent on where the stairs went - giving us what depth the bathroom could be - and from that measurement we could then decide on the layout of the bathroom and hence the size of the window. Fortunately the stairman (sorry I can't remember his name) was in the neighbourhood and he came and measured up and worked out what would work. Not completely straightforward as headrooms have to be allowed for and our new staircase was going up under a valley in the roof and then a 90 degree turn towards the back of the house and the ridge steel had to be taken into account. Anyway, he got there and now we have the depth of the bathroom and the design sorted and therefore the size of the window! (800mm in case you were wondering!) Will let Marcus know tomorrow.

Day 7 - Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T18:52:00.004Z

It's Christmas Eve 2008. Time to wrap up work for a week or so and take a well-earned break! Simon was here first, very early - just as I left for work - and they were down to work straight away. We haven't been up there today, but they took some photos for us to show progress. The uprights for the purlin wall in the study are in place, and the rafters are tied together at the top. That really brings down the ceiling height, and defines the width we're going to have there. They've taken out the temporary supports and the old piece of wood that used to span the loft at chest height, getting in the way. So it's all open, if a little low.

They tidied up well and knocked off at midday. They've left it so that I can get in fairly easily for my aerial project (and to take a look!), but they've put the tiles back more securely than normal so as to avoid an leaks while they're on holiday. I think they're going to be away, so there won't be an option to call them in if we start getting drips through the bedroom ceiling. I'd better be careful putting those tiles back again! Here are some of the pictures they took:

Day 6 - We Take a Peek

2008-12-24T18:38:00.004Z

Tuesday, and we couldn't hold our enthusiasm back any longer. Marcus turned up at normal time and I asked him to show me how to get in. He demonstrated which six tiles you need to remove and we were in! I'm going to need to get access to complete the telly aerial installation, so I'll be going in there after Christmas while the builders are taking a break. They've been making some steady progress - joists are down at the front of the house. They'd had to removed some of the support for the purlins, so there were various other props and a big piece of wood tying the two sides of the roof together. Apparantly they can bring the stairs out directly above the existing stairwell by the addition of a large Velux window, and he showed me exactly where the landing will be. I didn't think that was going to be possible, but we won't know for sure till the stair men come and measure up.

Nicole also went up there later in the day, despite of her fear of ladders. They needed to discuss where the Velux windows will go in the study end, so there really wasn't any option.

Other encouraging news - I've finally got all the paper-work sorted so that the insurance for the rest of the house is still valid. Also, the mortgage company have agreed that we do have permission to proceed. Good thing really! I was wondering what I would tell them if they said no!

Day 5 - More of the same

2008-12-23T08:34:00.003Z

M&S working again on the floor joists. Usually they would be taking the roof off and building the dormer, but there isn't enough time before Christmas to do that and make it secure, so the floor joists and insulation are being worked on instead. We discussed having another window in the study area as there is not a lot of headroom in there and having windows helps with this. So that would bring the number to 3. Noise levels are low, you know they're there but it's not particularly noisy. The wood is being cut on the scaffolding outside (scary!) so it looks like it's snowing when the wind blows the sawdust off! As we said yesterday, access is only via the scaffolding, so unless they happen to come down or are out on the scaffolding and I go outside, I don't see them - which means not much coffee making duties. I'll make up for it when the stairs are in.

Day 4 - Access Denied

2008-12-23T07:47:00.005Z

After all the excitement of the start of this project, Friday brought a shock withdrawal. The next phase of laying floor joists involved covering over the loft hatch with joists and fire-proof insulation. Now we have no access to our loft, and no way to see how it's progressing. The only way in is via the scaffolding and the hole in the roof. At the end of the day the builders left the roof carefully sealed and waterproof so as not to let it leak over the weekend. That was good, but it did mean that we had no way of inspecting progress. Oh the suspense! They did take a few pictures for us so we can see what's going on. It won't be until after the new year, when they take off the back slope to build the dormer that we can get in and see what's really going on.

Day 3 - Steel Beams

2008-12-18T22:07:00.006Z

M&S and Sam (labourer) arrive bright and early (07:40) to finish what they started on Day 2 before the steel beams arrive. However, the steel beam man arrived early too (07:45)! We then had fun trying to trace the owner of a car that was in the way of the very long lorry/crane turning the corner and getting down to our house. Eventually lorry/crane and building materials were parked outside. Andy (the crane driver) got himself sorted and the first beam was being lifted up towards the side of our house. David and I took loads of photos and the boys watched too. I took them in to school late as this was a bit of a special occasion! After the first beam, the second and third beams went in smoothly and then all the materials were unloaded (ie. timber, insulation, velux windows). The timber was also lifted up and right over the house to the scaffolding at the back. After bidding farewell and merry christmas to Andy, M&S&S had a break and then proceeded to carry on with such things as bricking up the holes and other stuff (I can see things have happened with bits of wood).

So far a very pleasant experience. They are very easy to have a chat with, will down tools to discuss the project whenever I appear with the coffee and questions, and again, cleared up beautifully at the end of the day (including sweeping the patio).

T.V. Aerial

2008-12-17T21:20:00.005Z

Another side-project that isn't strictly part of the loft conversion, but I'm doing it at the same time for a couple of reasons: firstly the old aerial downlead comes between the tiles and through the loft, so it's got to be re-wired at least; and secondly it's one of those jobs to do when the scaffolding's up. I thought it was going to be a simple case of getting up to the old aerial and putting up a decent new aerial and downlead. Then I started doing some research...

Bishop's Stortford is a real dead-spot for both radio and television signals. Our transmitter is Crystal Palace, over 50 km away, all the way across London. We've got high spots at Buckhurst Hill, Harlow and just up the road at Thorley getting in the way of the signal, not to mention all the sky-scrapers in between. There is a relay station in Stortford, but it on broadcasts at about 30 W, so even if you have a decent aerial you need a booster to make the picture work - and they're not planning to relay all the digital "muxes" even after the switch-over; they're not relaying any of them yet. So the solution is to get a really decent aerial, put it on a really long pole, point it at Crystal Palace and hope for the best. So that's what I've done. I bought the big 16 bay X-beam group A aerail from ATV - and what a monster it is! When I put it together it reached from the floor up to the ceiling - about 2.3 metres.

The problem with my original plan is that if I put it up on the old pole then it will blow down in the first strong wind, taking the UPVC facia with it, as that's where it's attached. So I've also bought a great big alloy pole, 3 m long and 48 mm in diameter. That will go up on a couple of brackets bolted to the wall. That's where the scaffolding comes in. Once the steels go in tomorrow and they've bricked it up again, I'll be able to get it up there. Then we'll see if it's worth the money I paid. Here's what it should look like when finished.

Incidentally, the ATV website is one of the most authoritative websites I've found on the subject of TV aerials, and I would recommend reading their site if you're replacing your aerial, especially with the digital switch-over looming. Their prices are pretty reasonable too, and with next-day delivery I would certainly recommend this supplier.

Day 2 - Building Inspector

2008-12-16T21:19:00.004Z

I'd asked Marcus for a site meeting on Tuesday morning, so he was here bright and early before 08:00 to discuss some details. They then got busy making more noise, completing the jobs that Simon had started the previous day.

The building inspector had booked a visit today. This is early in a job, but as he hasn't worked with Elite before, he wanted to meet Marcus. His main concern was the lack of a structural wall to support the new floor in one area - but Marcus was ahead of him and had already ordered an extra steel beam to take the load. Inspector was very happy with that - he's a very nice man. They also discussed insulation and agreed how it was going to be done (each council has their own preferences for insulating a loft conversion). There was, however, a slight fly in the ointment, so to speak. Our plans for a separate, closed off study seem to meet with disapproval under the fire safety regulations. The study would be classed as an "inner room" as you have to go through the bedroom to reach the stairs. That is not allowed in 2nd storey room as in the case of a fire in the bedroom, you could be trapped in the study. (Until last year a fire escape window would have overcome this problem, but the regulations have changed and it's no longer allowed.) Marcus is putting such a window in anyway, because he always does. The building inspector says he'll check if there's any other option, but we may have to leave the study area open-plan to the bedroom - i.e. make it all one room.

After the inspector left they went off to buy some spreader plates for the steels to rest on (which weren't strictly required, but Marcus seems to be a perfectionist) and came back and bedded them in. They then cut some more joists, which seems to have left them worried about the support for the roof - they put in some extra props (see picture above) before finishing for the day. This entails tidying up the loft, sweeping the stairs carpet and returning all coffee mugs to the kitchen. Very impressive! They're taking tomorrow off while they wait for the arrival of the steels on Thursday - there's no more that can be done until they're in.

Day 1

2008-12-16T21:07:00.004Z

Monday morning and Simon turned up before 08:00, just as expected. As they had been on Friday to leave tools, he didn't have to mess around setting up before he started. By 08:10 he was making holes in the party wall. We had been warned that this would be the noisy bit, but it's difficult to be prepared for exactly how noisy. As soon as he started, the whole house started to vibrate. There was nowhere in the building that we could go to get away from it. Every time he stopped using whatever tool it was, we could hear debris falling down inside the cavity walls. I had warned the neighbours that this was happening and they had decided to extend their weekend and stay with friends on Sunday night, so they weren't in. That was a very wise decision.

Having made three nice neat holes in the party wall, they then proceeded to do matching holes on the external wall on the other side of the loft. This time he didn't stop at the cavity. These holes go right through to the fresh air outside. That is how they will getting the steel beams into the loft. However, while we are waiting for those to be delivered, we have big holes in the wall - so they filled them up with the most abundant substance in the loft - insulation. He then proceeded to cut a channel through the ceiling joists so that the steel can sit lower and give us a lower floor and therefore more headroom. Having completed this, Simon left the loft looking like this for the night...

Builders Arrive

2008-12-13T19:35:00.004Z

Last week it was "We'll start on Wednesday afternoon, or defininitely on Thursday." This week it was "We'll ring you Thursday evening". Come Friday morning, I got bored waiting and gave Marcus a call. He was waiting for the building inspector at his last project to get the final sign off, then he was planning to come over to ours in the afternoon. Finally, around 15:00, they turned up to bring their tools and start measuring up. They marked out where the steels are going and sussed out how they were going to start the job, before leaving at 17:00. One of them (Simon) is coming on Monday to cut out the holes for the steel beams. Then Marcus will be here on Tuesday to get final measurements and order up materials and to meet with the building inspector. I've also requested a meeting to go over a few details with him first thing. There may be a day or two delay before they get the steels delivered, and then they'll be underway. Unfortunately they'll then be stopping for Chirstmas. I hope they can leave it weatherproof before taking a week and a half off. And I hope we don't get too much wind and rain during that time. We'll wait and see.

Scaffolding

2008-12-10T21:20:00.005Z

Today the scaffolders came and went. It took them just over 4 hours to put up what was required. It takes up the whole of the patio area and it is also down the side of the house. It even overhangs our neighbour's garden. I had to go round and ask for (retrospective) permission, but they were very understanding. David has been brave enough to go up and have a look - in the dark. I'm not so brave! And the boys have been strictly forbidden to go anywhere near it.

Final Weekend

2008-12-10T20:50:00.010Z

The weekend just gone was the last we had a loft of our own. This week the work starts on the conversion and it will belong to the builders for a couple of months. The weekend was spent clearing out the last of the things we had stored up there. It was incredible how much stuff was still in there. We’ve spent the last month gradually moving things down and storing them in one of our bedrooms, but the amount of rubbish still needing to go to the tip was quite incredible. However, it is now all done and we’re all ready for the builders to move in. Here are some pictures of how it looks empty – a view of our loft we haven’t seen since the day we moved in to this house.

Not So Nice Surprise

2008-10-26T07:14:00.002Z

A few weeks ago we received the "final" drawings for the conversion. However, for some reason the structural engineer didn't believe what the architect had told him about the measurements of the ridges to our roof, and the drawings were completely wrong! Just as well we know what we're talking about and have measured and remeasured everything ourselves. The way the drawings are laid out, we would lose our little seating area in the bedroom (and I've already bought the sofa!). So a phone call to the right man has put the drawings back on the drawing-board and we are awaiting the next "final" set.

The Not So Nice Surprise however is that having been told the conversion could start earlier than planned, now it can't. The last two jobs the loft converters have worked on have overrun by two weeks each! (The reasons for the delays are usually the client changing things as they go along.) That puts them a month behind. So, now we have a start date of 2nd week of December and therefore it will not be finished by Christmas. Oh well. We are getting ready anyway. We now have 3 children in one bedroom so that we have a spare room to put all the loft contents into. And, we have plenty of jobs to keep us going, such as putting up shelving in cupboards and, of course, Christmas to think about. Fingers crossed for the drawings.

The Gasman Cometh

2008-10-26T06:35:00.003Z

"Twas on a Monday morning the gasman came to call..."

Happily, not because the gas tap wasn't working. On Monday last week a couple of gas fitters came round to fit our new boiler. As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the largest (literally) obstacles to our loft conversion is the fact that our loft is home to a very large header tank which drives our hot water system. To be able to start the conversion we had to install a new heating system that doesn't need the header tank. We decided to have a "combi" system - one that heats the water on demand and works at mains pressure, removing the need for either a header tank or a water cylinder in the airing cupboard.

I did a bit of research into boilers and came to the conclusion that there are only two makes that are recommended by just about everyone, and one of those has an aluminium heat exchanger which could probably corrode. So I decided to get a Vaillant boiler with stainless steel heat exchangers. I also discovered that one of the Vaillant boilers - ecoTec 937 - comes with a small store of hot water built in, which allows it to deliver a bath-full much more quickly than a standard combi boiler. It is one of the most expensive combis on the market, but if you're paying a couple of thousand pounds to have something installed, you might as well spend an extra few hundred and get the best.

So I put in an order with Harpers Central Heating and Plumbing - they were actually the only people I could get to quote. The plumber recommended by the loft conversion company never sent us his quote, and another chap who I'd used before didn't even turn up to do the estimate. There was a 3-week waiting list, so I booked them in for the 20th October, and waited. The first thing that happened was that the old boiler broke down - 2 days after I'd spoken to Harpers. With only 3 weeks to go I wasn't going to spend hundreds of pounds on getting it fixed, so we made do with immersion heater and dimplex room heaters for the duration. When we got to the 20th I was expecting to be waiting around for the fitters to turn up - but not a bit of it. At 07:50 a van pulled up in front of the house, and before 08:00 I was showing them where I wanted everything.

It took them 3 days to complete the job. That included taking up floorboards in two bedrooms and the landing, digging up the screed floor in the kitchen to find the gas main, and removing the old hot water cylinder. After all that, I have to say that the new system is extremely good. There's high pressure, high volume hot water whenever you want it. The central heating is working fine and all I have to do now is work out how to use the controller. Vaillant boilers may have a reputation for quality, but their instruction manuals leave a lot to be desired.

I've now removed the central heating header tank, and pushed the water system tank out of the way into the corner. The loft is looking much bigger already.

A Nice Surprise

2008-09-24T11:07:00.002+01:00

The telephone rang on Monday evening and it was the loft man. He said that one of his jobs has decided not to go ahead until some time next year, which means that he could bring our job forward. Yes, yes, yes! Instead of a start date of possibly just before Christmas, but most likely the New Year, he can now start in November. If all goes well they should be finished by Christmas. Fortunately we have already been sorting out all the stuff in the loft (although loads still to do) and buying various bits and pieces that we are going to need so we are fairly on top of things (quite literally really - floor space is rapidly decreasing!). However, we are now going to have to get our skates on - time runs away from you really easily. Our main worry now is the boiler. We're still waiting for another quote before we settle on someone and then we have to wait for them to do it. One plumber has said he couldn't fit us in for four weeks. The boiler HAS to be done before the loft conversion starts. The water tank in the loft has to be gone. Fingers and toes are now firmly crossed. Can't wait for it all to happen. We are getting very excited now!

Water Softener

2008-08-05T18:47:00.004+01:00

Not strictly part of the loft conversion, but very closely related. Two of the biggest things in the loft currently, taking up our valuable space are the header tank for the hot water and the central heating. They have to go. We have two options: 1. we tuck them away under the eaves; 2. we change the central heating and hot water system to one that doesn't require header tanks - we've gone with option 2. We're going to get a combination boiler installed, which heats the hot water straight from the mains and uses a pressurised system for the radiators, removing the need for a tank. The only issue is that Stortford has extremely hard water - total hardness of 345 mg/l - which could cause problems for such a boiler. There are magnetic gismos that are supposed to prevent the limescale from sticking, but as this boiler is going to cost in the region of £1000 and another couple to have it fitted, I don't want to take any chances. So I've bought a water softener, which I installed last weekend. I have to say that I wasn't too proud of my work - I had to re-solder at least 4 joints, and it took me an entire weekend to get a satisfactory job - but I now have a working water softener under my sink and we are benefitting from lovely soft water everywhere except in the kitchen. Next task is to get the plumber round to tell me exactly what that boiler is going to cost and when he can fit it.

The Architect

2008-07-17T14:30:00.002+01:00

Well that was an interesting meeting. He rang to say he'd come on Sunday morning and turned up right on cue. He spent almost an hour measuring the whole house and funnily only spent a short time measuring the loft! He was all set to go - so I had to ask him to have a seat and discuss the ideas with him that we were planning. He seemed a little surprised. Bizarre - seeing as we are the client and paying him (albeit via the loft company). Anyway, thanks to some good advice from someone who has already had experience with an architect, I had to make it absolutely clear to him what we wanted as he was all set to do what he thought we wanted. He seemed surprised that I wanted to make the loft as big as possible! Considering how much money we are going to have to spend on it, it makes perfect sense to me to get the biggest we can. Anyway, he turned the plans around very quickly. We have a couple of adjustments we wish to make, but these will be down to the structural engineer to make the final decision on. All in all, a postive experience so far and hassle free. Let's hope this continues.

We Reach A Decision

2008-07-11T10:38:00.002+01:00

On Monday we went to visit our preferred choice of loft company at their current job. From what we could see it is excellent. Speaking to the owner of the house, she was very pleased with them. We then went to see the man's own loft conversion that he did to his house some years ago. Again, brilliant and those little extra touches that others would want extra money for, he does as standard (an example being swivel spot lights in the ceilings). David parted with the deposit money there and then and we are now booked in for sometime in December. If it gets a bit close to Christmas though, they'll start in the new year. Can't wait!
Of course, now I just want to get on and get things sorted. Currently we have a futon bed, very low to the ground and therefore no storage underneath. We decided that as we will need all the storage we can get, we would have to buy a divan bed with four drawers, hopefully off ebay and not spend too much. Well, as luck would have it, yesterday one came up on freecycle. Only 1 year old and they would throw in a headboard too! Spookily it was the headboard that I was eyeing up in Argos. I whacked an email off straight away and we got it! David picked it up last night and we had spent our first night on it. Will need single beds for the girls and again, as luck would have it, 2 came up on freecycle and we collect them on Saturday! Let's hope everything will be as easy as this.

Setting the Scene

2008-06-23T20:39:00.004+01:00

Well here goes - our Loft Conversion Blog.
Is a house with 4 bedrooms enough for 2 adults and 4 children? Of course NOT!!!!! Can't afford to move so the only option is UP. Currently our big T shaped loft is being used to store the usual stuff and the usual junk. But, with a bit of imagination, pots of money and lots of giving and throwing away, we can create a big master bedroom with ensuite and a study. So far we have had 6 companies come to do a survey with 1 more next week. They all seem to be saying the same thing but the last one thought there would be a problem with the stair headroom. However, no-one else does and nor does David! As this is a big decision money-wise, we have been doing an awful lot of talking about it and, in my case, drawing up possible layouts on the computer. I even found a free 3D drawing website and I can tell you that it will look fabulous. As far as benefits go, there are many. As far as drawbacks go, only the money. Apart from the staircase, we will need a dormer that runs the length of the back of the house (6 m) and velux windows in the front section (study). Today's photos show a very messy loft as I have started to sort out the stuff to get rid of.

View of back of house where the dormer will go.

Same view from the inside (looking back towards the garden).

Looking to front of house. This will be the study. Low ceiling height unfortunately here, but we would be sitting at our desks so it doesn't matter!

The right of this picture is part of the study again. This shows how the roof structure is currently.