Plumbing begins!

The first pipework is fitted!

These pipes will be concealed behind the kitchen cupboards.  Hot and cold supplies will feed the ensuite and the kitchen.

The hot and cold supplies and drainage for the kitchen sink.

The hot and cold supplies for the shower, and the shower tray in position.

Ensuite studwork

Now we have had the shower tray delivered we are adjusting the shower enclosure to suit the tray.

Setting up the studwork at the end for the panel behind the WC.

A bit of extra tiling

A bit of extra tiling in the utility room near the external door (along the side of the door mat). This will give a bit more space to the hot water cylinder.

Heat pump delivery!

The heat pump, cylinder and buffer tank were all delivered today...!  They just about all fit in!

The solar cylinder.

The heat pump - with the front panel taken off.

More tiling...

Some of the tiles we laid didn't adhere very well because the mix was too dry when we laid it.  The lime screed also needs to be well wetted down before laying the mortar to bed the tiles (the screed sucks the moisture out of the mortar very fast).  As the heat pump has been delayed we decided to relay the tiles to make sure they are all well bedded.

Heat pump update

The heat pump was due to be delivered today but it has been delayed until the 9th December as the cylinder wasn't ready.

Overboarding bathroom

Back on the studwork this weekend.  Overboarding the straw walls in the family bathroom to provide something to fix pipework to and joinery, vanity tops etc.

Tiling!

A break from studwork this weekend to tile the utiity room ready for the heat pump and cylinder to arrive on 30th November.  First off setting out...

Then setting the aluminum angle which forms the edge of the mat well.

Starting laying, using a lime mortar (2:1).  We weren't sure how wet to make the mix, so we started with it quite dry.

The first bit complete!  It took us ages to do this tiny bit...!

Timber overboarding to kitchen wall

The clay plaster is now dry and so we started building the timber stud wall which sits infront of the clay.  We are only overboarding a few of the straw walls - this one will have all the kitchen units and cupboards fixed to it (it would have been difficult to fix into the straw).

The Self Builder

Our first article published in The Self Builder with Nu-Heat, who are supplying all our underfloor heating, ground source heat pump and solar thermal panels.  Check it out!

Designed to Breathe in The Self Builder

Studwork to the entrance lobby

We made a start on the studwork to the entrance lobby, there will be a built in cupboard against this wall for coats and shoes!

Plastering the kitchen wall

I forgot to say earlier that before we plaster onto the straw walls (with clay slip coat on them already) we wet them down.

We set ourselves a massive task today of plastering the whole kitchen / stair wall.  So we got busy...!

I am pleased to report we managed to plaster the whole wall...

... and in addition we also managed to plaster  the lobby wall!  Well done everyone!

Teasels

The garden is full of teasels at the moment!

Back on the clay

Some cracks have started to open up on the first section of wall we plastered on Tuesday.  We think this was to do with the straw substraight - it is very uneven and there are areas that are slightly more springy.

We are trying pushing the cracked area of clay in...

... and plastering over it.

The wall plastered today is in bedroom 4.

Break from the clay!

The flooring slate arrived today

It took us a long time to unload and store it.

Plastering the bathrooms

Next up is the ensuite...

Then the family bathroom.

First day of clay plastering

We have soaked the milled clay from Cambridgeshire Brick and Tile for over 24 hours.  This is the soaked clay.

Add water...

Mix into ...

... a clay slip...

add sand...

...mix...

lastly...

mix in chopped straw

buckets of clay ready to go!

The first wall to be plastered is in the master bedroom- this will be behind the wardrobe

The first wall complete!

Preparing for clay plastering

Some of the straw walls are going to be overboarded, for example behind the kitchen units, where we need to be able to fix cupboards etc.  The plan this week is to clay plaster the walls that will be overboarded.

One of the challenges is how to get the clay up to the first floor... so we built a hoist!  It is made of a timber frame, on which we fixed yacht pulleys...

We constructed a small platform which would fit up the stair void next to the ladder (without having to remove the ladder).  Chains fixed to the platform hooked onto the hook on the hoist.

Time for a test run...

The hoist in action!