Sunday 29 January 2012

Putting up the last bit of the air barrier


... and battens fitted

Saturday 28 January 2012

Air barrier on the landing


The last area to put the air barrier up is in the landing...

Thursday 26 January 2012

Master bed air barrier complete


The completed air barrier in the master bedroom.  Now only the landing to go!

Tuesday 24 January 2012

More proclima air barrier


The bit the other side of the ridge beam now completed to finish off this room.



And bedroom 2 completed as well.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Air barrier


The majority of the air barrier is now complete in the next bedroom...

Saturday 21 January 2012

Fixings things to straw bales


This is where the toilet and cistern will go in the ensuite bathroom.  The cistern (propped up at the moment) needs to be fixed into the straw wall.


One way to do this is to use hazel stakes about 250-300mm long, with one end pointed.



Firstly we marked the location we wanted to fix into the straw by screwing the piece of plywood we want to fix to the clay. (Interestingly it actually fixed quite well into just the clay!)

With a hand spray we wetted the clay plaster around the area we are going to bang in the hazel to make the clay soft.  Clay always remains volatile, it is not like lime or cement where a chemical reaction takes place when it dries.  This means clay is ultimately recyclable and can always be returned to its wet state.  The hazel stake was then very easy to bang into the clay.


We could then smooth the clay around the stake.  Clay really is amazing - how many materials can you seal a hole so easily in?!!



The four hazel stakes to fix the plywood to.


The plywood fixed to the straw...


...and the cistern hung.

Sunday 15 January 2012

Fitting the shower tray


We fitted the shower tray today - it took a long time!  It is bedded on a lime mortar.  We thought laying the floor tiles was tricky but getting this perfectly level and in the right place was really not easy!


We had some of the lime mortar left over so we used it to screed in the matwell to get it to the right level for the recessed door mat by the back door.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Setting up the bathrooms


Getting the bath in position in the family bathroom and setting up the waste.

This was a second hand bath we bought and went to collect.



Finishing off the first fix plumbing to the shower.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Lagging the pipework


Fitting all the pipelagging.

Sunday 8 January 2012

Proclima breathable membrane


Still going with the membrane - bedroom 4 now complete...

Saturday 7 January 2012

More membrane



Air barrier membrane fitted in the family bathroom.


Wednesday 4 January 2012

Magnesium board in family bathroom


...and then laying the mangnesium board on top.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Progressing the floor in the family bathroom


Doing the same in the general bathroom.  Starting with the acousitc underlay...

Sunday 1 January 2012

Magnesium board down on the ensuite floor


The magnesium board on the floor of the ensuite bathroom.