Sky Digital

The installer finally came on Saturday to put up a dish for Sky. We had cancelled on the phone because the viewing card hadn't arrived - but it turns out the card was sent to the installer! We have managed without satellite for years and I have always thought that the dozens of channels would just cause arguments and ovedosing on TV for the kids. The plan is to get the free installation by signing up to the cheapest subscription for 12 months - and then just use the dish and digibox to view the free to air channels. I know Sky hope you can't do without the extra channels after a year - but I think even our kids will be sick of Malcolm in the Middle and the Simpsons by then.
With all the mix up with Sky - who originally had us down as living in the UK - we got an extra viewing card - a UK one. It is deactivated but can still be used to get the UK free channels - BBC1 2 3 4 ITV 1 2 3 Cbeebies - which is what we were hoping to try and get anyway. So it all worked out OK in the end. The only problem now is how to stop the kids from arguing about what to watch next.
Th emajority of the channels are just complete rubbish.

Stonemason still working

The boundary wall at the front of the house is still in progress. Bad weather delayed it a bit - bit it's more than half finished now. It's on;y stone on the front - with a concrete block wall behind the limestone. (Cheaper that way) We are thinking maybe we should have gone for stone on both sides - but hopefuly when the garden gets going any shrubs and trees will hide the blocks a bit.
We need to get the driveway sorted soon - we will need some more "804" - crushed limestone to put down - another lorry load or 2 should be enough.
I planted 6 more trees last week - but there's still 10 more left to put in.

Sky Digital - still waiting

Supposed to have Sky instaled this week - originaly it was Monday but no one came. I rang and they said it was booked for Tuesday - which was not convenient so I rebooked for Thur - yesterday. No one came and I rang several times but gave up hanging on waiting to talk to someone. Finally got through this morning and was told that they had no trace of my Thursday booking and then was told I would have to reapply for another installation because they had set me up wrong on the system (with a UK postcode!) I feel like not bothering - but the rest of the family reckon they need the extra channels. The plan is to cancel the subscription after 12 months min contract is up - then use the dish and box to get the free to air channels. Hopefully the kids won't get to used to the extra channels during the 12 months. I might give them a ring later today and see how it goes.


www.sky.com

Fitted Wardrobes

The fitted wardrobes were done yesterday - by the same people who did the kitchen.We only had them in 2 rooms - but might do one more later. Excellent stuff - reasonable price and well fitted by tidy workers. Now we can stop living out of suitcases and tidy up all the clothes.

Planting Trees

I've been planting a few trees this week - probably doing it too soon because the rst of the garden still needs levelling - but I thought I needed to get something in! Hopefully they will live and won't need digging up again.
We got a landscape plan done last year - before the house was built and before the site was levelled at all. The trees are all native species - Ash, Birch , Beech , Rowan, Alder,Lime (not sure if they are really Native Irish). I probably went a bit over the top and got thirty! There are still at least half of them to plant - but they might have to wait a while till the lawn area is dug and levelled and the kerbs for the driveway put in. The soil is pretty much like gravel - and is very stony and hard to dig - so I hope the tree can cope!
The front wall should be started on Friday - blocks with a natural stone facing (Limestone).

The kitchen - solid maple with stanley solid fuel range and gas hob and electric oven. 

The painting started - still some more to do. 

It's not over yet...

Still plenty to do in the house - even though we have been living here for 4 weeks now.
The outside painting is almost done - just the black trim to do - but that takes longer than the walls.
The garden is still a bit of a state - I got a price from a landscaper to rotovate and rake it and sow lawn seed - I might go for it because if I don't do something soon it will have to wait till spring.
A garage door is coming today - so that will stop the birds from nesting in the garage! Not sure how to get the ones that are living there out though!
Insulation of the loft space is still waiting to be done - but it will have to be done soon - winter is on the way.
We finally got the gas hob connected - but not by the man that we were waiting and waiting for - we called another "Colgan gas" based near Castlebar - and he did it that evening.

Painting the outside of the house

I started painting the outside of the house on Monday. All the walls are finished with plaster and I'm painting them white (Dulux Weathershield). The sills and "reveals" around the window will be black. (Keeping it traditional) I like the clean plain look of black and white . I only got the front wall done - 2 coats. There's plenty to be done yet - but the weather as a bit damp for painting the last 2 days.
I did a bit of insulation in the loft space today - the glass wool type. It's a horrible job and I only stuck it for an hour or so. The fibres get into your skin and eyes and nose even with a mask and goggles. Hopefully a bit at a time will get it done in time for the cold weather...
The immersion was finally connected today - but we probably won't be using it much.
Still no gas hob connection - although we did find out that there is no leak in the pipe after all. The plumber checked the pressure and found that the gas fitter must have tested the wrong pipe - good news but still waiting for the gas fitter to come back . In the meantime making use of the solid fuel range for hob - might not need the gas as much?

Change of Address

There are loads of agencies and companies to inform when you move house.
Child Benefit
Tax
Driving Licence
ESb
Prize Bonds
Pensions
Banks
Vehicle Registration
Electoral register
Library
Schools
Work
Probably more - but that's enough for now - better get writing those notes...

House Insurance

We had a "building under construction" policy for the last 5 or six months - but e now have taken out full buildings and contents cover. I tried a few online insurance sites but ended up going through a local broker and getting it slightly cheaper and quicker! The policy is with Allianz - and is 405 euro.
The online quotes that I had were slightly higher than that.

Been in a week

Can't believe it's a week since we started living in the house.
Still a few bits to do inside - insulate the attic space, varnish the stairs and some of the skirting.
The gas still hasn't been connected - turns out the pipe under the floor has a leak - so it's a bit of a bigger job. Sowe have been making more use of the solid fuel range - which is probably a good thing. I cooked a couple of full meals on it - and it is heating the water at the same time. We are using peat briquettes mixed with bits of left over timber from the house building.
It's like the calm after the storm now it's all over. Months of chasing and deciding and shopping and decorating - now I feel like there's something I should be doing - or someone to chase - but the urgency has gone. Maybe we should start another one !!
It was a challenge for someone with no experience of DIY or anything - to take on the project of building a house. But that i swhat I did - project manage the building - controlled the budget and timescale where possible.
Would I recommend it ? Probably not. If I was to advise someone going down the same path - I think I would say to get a reputable local contractor to take on the full job. (Make sure you have detailed specifications before you start of all things like insulation etc. Make sure you have plenty of quotes and see the work of the builder before selecting them. Try - if possible - to build in a penalty clause for late completion.
My main reason for giving this advise would be that a good builder will be able to call on a pool of tradesmen who will probably try to do agood job on time - if they want to work for him again. The sole self builder is not important to these tradesmen - he is just a fill in job for many of them - and they wren't too concerned about getting further jobs from you - so they have no incentive to do the job cheap or on time or to a good quality.
I don't think we fared too badly - but all along I felt that I had no power when trying to get people to turn up on time.
The hassle and chasing would be handled by the contractor - you would be paying for the privelige - but the overall price would be fixed from the start - so there would be no surprises along the way.
So my advice would be to get a good price from a reputable builder and keep an eye on the job. (That's what I'll do for the next one !!!)

Moved In!

It's been a busy week - we finally moved in last Thursday! We left our rented house (glad to see the back of it) - and 10 months after starting the build - we were in our new house There were still a few minor things to do - like the towel rails and kitchen wall tiles. We still have no fitted wardrobes and are making do with boxes or suitcases for now. The only other thing not done is the immersion heater wiring and the gas hob connection - we are still waiting for those.
It's great not having to flit back and forwards from one house to another. The exterior painting and patio and garden wall are the next major jobs to be done - so it's not over yet but at least we are living in it.
The broadband here is back on the dial up - pay as you go - so I'm not spending too much time online. We hope to have an "anytime" package sorted ina few days.

Almost Ready

It's getting close to the target move in day - and things are going fairly well.
The kitchen is fitted - just expecting the gas fitter to come on Thurday to connect the hob to the gas (cylinder).
The electrical work is almost complete - just the immersion to connect - but that isn't vital.
The plumber just has to give the heating a final test and balance if required - there are a few rads not working.
The stairs are 80% complete - they arrived yesterday after havng to arrange delivery myself! The joiners knocked a bit off the price beacause of that. he carpenter called round soon after the stairs arrived - and finally got the spindles etc fitted by 6pm today. We went for metal spindles from Richard Burbidge - but they are not as easy as they appear! the distance between the hand rail and base rail meant that we had to cut each spindle!! - This neede an angle grinder . The leaflet said a hacksaw would do - but that would have aken ages. Some of the spindles didn't fit into the brackets very well and needed a good bit of banging and 1 or 2 were just wasted. The final result looks great - but if you choose these - don't expect an easy job. The carpenter was fed up by the end of the day.
The TV aerial was fitted today - which is the most important thing as far as the kids are concerned!! We can get BBC and ITV - as well as the Irish channels but the picture isn't too good on the UK channels. We might get Sky Digital - mainly for the free to air channels. f you pay for a years subscription you get the equipment installed free - and after a year you can use the dish to get the free channels. (as long as the kids don't get hooked on the sky stuff)

Furniture tomorrow and blinds being fitted.
Curtain poles are turning out to be a pain to fit and I am hinting to the carpenter to give me a hand ) the blind fitter didn't want to know)
Most of the boxes of all the bits and bobs - books cds etc etc etc have been moved in to the house. The rest of the stuff will be moved tomorrow and Thursday.

So - 10 months since we turned the first sod - we will be living in out new home in Ireland.
I will getr some pictures soon when all the mess is cleared up

Some Irish Wood suppliers - briquettes and pellets

www.czechdirect.ie
www.greenheat.ie
www.premiercastings.com
www.balcas.com
www.celticflame.ie
www.nps.ie

Wood for Fuel

Greenheat - home

This web site sells wood pellets and logs online - we might make use of them soon - for someting to burn in the range. If the oil prices keep rising we wil be making more use of the range.

Kitchen Finished

The kitchen fitters finished yesterday - thay just have a few units in the utility room to do. It's looking very good - I'll get some pictures soon.
The plumber and electrician are due back today to finish off taps , oven , fans, balance the heating system etc. Then its just the stairs - which should be delivered on Friday - and should be fitted Monday or Tuesday if I can get the carpenter back for a day.

Fitting the Kitchen

The kitchen is being fitted today and should be finished by tomorrow.
The electrician has promised yet again to be here today. (Last excuse was an injury on Sunday playing football.)
The stairs are now expected this Friday - or possibly Monday.
The plumber has to come back to connect the kitchen and utility sinks and sort out a couple of problems like a cracked cistern and another one not filling up so it won't flush.
We then will need to have a good clean up and varnish the skirting and architrave, fit the curtain poles and hang the curtains. Still planning to be in on or before the 18th - but it's all dependent on the stairs now.

Latest Progress

Well - it's geting close to our target date for moving in - the 18th August.
The plumbers have been back and fitted the bathroom stuff - showers and shower doors. There was one cracked cistern which I had to take back but it was replaced free of charge.
The electrician came back yesterday and finished off the downstairs lights and put in one fan in an en suite. He still has some work to do - mainly power for the waste treatment plant and a couple more fans in bathrooms - which he has promised to do today .
The kitchen fitting is due next Tuesday . The only job that could delay things now is the stairs. They have been on holiday for 2 weeks - and are open again on Monday. They have all the measurements etc. - so I hope our stairs will be one of the first jobs they start when they come back!
The furniture is due for delivery anytime after Aug 15th.
The blinds and curtains are all ordered or bought - just need to be hung.
All the floors and doors and skirting is fitted - but I have a fair bit of varnishing to be doing in the next few evenings.
The fitted wardrobes (only getting 2 ) won't be ready till September - we left it a bit late to order them - so we might be living out of suitcases for a few weeks.

Still looking for patio blocks

Acheson & Glover :: Construction Products :: Paving Brick Ireland

Will probably be getting "country cobble" from this company - if I can get anyone to sell them to me!
Tried getting them at a garden centre - but they said I had to talk to a specific person who was off that day! He has called back but seems to know less about it than the other staff did.
I might try calling the head office direct and see what they can do.

Paving for the Patio

Originpaving

This site looks interesting - we will hopefully be getting a patio laid in August so we need to choose some slabs or paving stones. This company have some good ones.

Outdoor play equipment

I might give tis company a call to see about prices of play equipment if there is enough left in the budget!

An exciting range of skateramps, public playgrounds and street furniture, custom-made to your specification.

Twenty Three Days

... until we hope to move in.
The tiler has finished today - just the kitchen wall to do after the kitchen units are fitted.
The plumber and kitchen fitter are due next Tuesday (it's a bank holiday weekend here in Ireland).
The carpenter just has some skirting and architrave to fit - and he is due back Tuesday too - so it could get crowded that day?
The electrician has promised to be back the following Thursday - to finish off his bits. SO - if all goes well - by August 8th we should be clearing up and moving some stuff into the house - hanging curtains and putting up lampshades.
The stairs are due to be delivered around Aug 9th - and we can't really get any furniture for upstairs till they are fitted.
The fireplace needs ordering this weekend - it might not be fitted in time for us moving in - but that won't be a major problem.

I'm just waiting for something to go wrong!!

Countdown to Moving in

Hopefully just 4 weeks to go now before we move in. It could be sooner - but it's the date we are aiming for now - Aug 18th. Tiling is progressing - the kitchen and dining area and utility room floors are all done and the downstairs bathroom and en-suite are almost finished.
The upstairs doors floors and skirting are all fitted as are the doors downstairs. The floors (laminate) are laid downstairs - just the semi solid to be done inthe living room.
The appliances were delivered today - Bosch fridge freezer, washing machine and dishwasher and tumble drier . But as I am writing this I am thiking that I didn't notice the tumble drier today!!! Maybe I missed it - but he didn't hang around for me to sign anything!! I'll have to nip over and check again.
The kitchen fitter is due Aug 2nd and the stairs Aug 8th (ish!) .

Landscaping the garden

Heyne's Garden Centre - Landscaping your garden

It would be nice to have an instant garden instead of the soil and stones that are there now. This Australian site has useful info about starting a new garden. Looks like we have a fair bit to do - it probably won't look like a garden for a year or more!
Getting the inside finished is top priority now - the tiler is doing the kitchen and dining area and the chippie is doing the ground floor laminate. The doors are all hung - just a few handles and door stops to be done.
We are still aiming for Aug 18th to move in.
The kitchen is due to be fitted on Aug 2nd and the stairs around Aug 8th. There's not much room for delays and it will be tight - but we need to have a date to aim for or else it could drag on for weeks.

Things to avoid when designing your garden

Things to avoid when designing your garden
Article from the Farmers Journal - pdf format

Irish Online Electrical Shop

Home

Found this site by accident today - a bit late for us we have got most of our appliances. TV prices look OK though and they deliver all over Ireland for about 12 euro.

growing wildflowers in the garden

wildflowers home

Lookng at Trees for the Garden

Treecare > Broadleaf > Carpinus betulus 'Frans Fontaine'

We had a landscape plan done for us back in April 2004 - and this tree was supposed to go inthe front garden close to the entrance. I wonder how much a semi mature one will cost.
This compant Tree World isn't far from us. Might be worth a visit soon?

Glass for Doors

Tara Studios, Stained Glass,

This stained glass studio is too far from us - it's in Limerick - but there are some good ideas that we might base our designs on. We are looking for glass for a kitchen cabinet and for 2 internal doors.

Will need to do some varnishing soon

Ronseal Ireland - Welcome to Ronseal Ireland for all your woodcare needs

Ronseal semms to be the "leader" in the varnish world. Their website has useful info on varnishing. I'm getting pre finished doors - I couldn't face doing 14 doors! But the skirting and architrave will need doing - about 800 feet by 5 inches - according to the website I only need 4 litres to do 2 coats !! We'll see!

Lawn - Turf or seed?

Martyn Grass Lawns Laying Process

Thinking about getting at least some of the lawn supplied "ready grown" - just to get the garden looking better quicker. I rang for a price and it's about €3.50 a metre sq...... !

Curtains

We were in Galway getting curtains on Monday - we got all the curtains we needed in Harry Corry and Hickeys. All readymade - also the poles which were only 25 euro each (reduced from 50). Just some blinds to get now for the kitchen and bathroom and maybe the upstairs bedrooms - the dormer windows might get venetian blinds for there.

Buy velux and Fakro blinds online

B4i Blinds

Just found this Irish site selling blinds online - prices include delivery.
We need 4 blinds for the Fakro roof windows - so I might give these a try.

Busy Busy Busy

The house is a hive of activity today - the tiler (2) and the carpenter are all there - plus the builder and 2 men finishing off the paths around the house and the downpipes. The tiler was a day and a half late - not too bad I suppose. I have been in and out of town (about a 5 mile drive) getting things that they needed or that didn't arrive on time etc.. The day soon goes quickly when you are driving all day .

Painting nearly finished

After what feels like weeks of painting at weekends and evenings - the inside of the house is nearly finished. Another 2 hours should do it.
I had conflicting advice from people about using PVA diluted or a special plaster sealer - but I just used watered down emulsion (about 10:1) for the first coat. I used mainly Crown paints - mixed in the shop. Some walls were very patchy after 1 or 2 coats - but a bit of touching up and a third coat did the trick. I'll let you know if it all starts peeling off in a few weeks.
I got through a few roller refills - I was treating them as disposables because geting them clean enough for a new colour was a long job. (Lazy or what?)
The majority of the house is a neutral colour called "snowdrop" by Crown.
The kitchen and dining room is a pale green (botanic by crown). The hall is a pale yellow .

The tiler is due tomorrow and the carpenter Tuesday - so it is going to be busy here next week!

Curtains , lampshades, bed clothes, towel rails, doors and door handles - all still to be finalised and ordered.

Our House - July 2005 nearly ready now...

Latest picture of the house - July 2005

Thinking about the garden...

::: www.gaelicgardens.com | ::::::

The garden is bare soil right now - and it's going to be a job to get it looking nice. A fair bit of it will be grass - and this website has some good advice about seeding lawns and lots of other things on gardens.

Bath and Range fitted

The bath and solid fuel range (Stanley Donard) were fitted on Tuesday by the plumbers.
The hole for the flue was in the wrong place in the wall - so they had knock out a new one - so theres a bit of a mess to tidy up now. It will be tiled around there - so it doesnt need to be 100% smooth.
The tiles were all delivered yesterday - and the tiler is expected on Monday.
The carpenter is due next Tuesday to start doing the floors and doors upstairs. He said he would also d the doors downstairs too - he doesn't think the moisture will affect them.
The laminate flooring came too - and the underlay. I ordered soundproof underlay for upstairs -
Painting is nearly done - the hall has had one coat and there are 2 bedrooms that need a final coat and the landing needs one more too.

Dehumidifier

I bought a dehumidifier yesterday - it will probably work out cheaper than hiring oneif I sell it later. I got it to help finish out the drying out of the plaster and floor screed before we fit any doors in the house. The heating is back on again - I kept it off over the weekend because the boiler was giving off lots of thick black smoke. Turns out it was only an oil pressure adjustment that was needed - the service engineer called round yesterday (no charge).
The tiles are due to be delivered today and the plumber is due to fit the range and the bath today too. The tiler is expected next Monday and so is the carpenter. He will start laying the laminate flooring upstairs and then do the skirting , architrave and doors upstairs. With a bit of luck and if everyone arrives when they promised - we could be moving in during August!
Painting is going well - the hall and landing are still to be done and there is another coat to go on two of the bedrooms - so I should be finished that by the weekend.

Solid Fuel Range delivered

The Waterford Stanley Range came yesterday - it too an hour for the delivery nmen to get it in the house! It's our way of not been over reliant on oil.

Painting Progressing

With a bit of paid help - the painting is getting done. All the ceilings have had 2 coats now and the kitchen and dining room walls have also had 2 coats. One of the boys bedrooms upstairs is about two thirds done. As I write this - the downstairs bedroom andliving room walls should be getting a first coat from a friend's son (home from college for the summer). I'll have to nip over and see how he's doing soon.
The kitchen walls are "botanic" - a pale green from Crown.We have to start thinking about curtains very soon - something we haven't done yet! Eight big rooms and the ensuites and bathroom to sort out. We need blinds for the roof windows. The window makers FAKRO - do their own - but they seem fairly expensive.

Painting Panic

While I'm writing this and keeping an eye on the kids and doing a few loads of washing - a painter is up at the house. He is just finishing off the ceilings and doing the walls in the kitchen and dining room - just enough to hopefuly give me a chance of getting most of the rest of it done before the tiler comes. He's fast - maybe too fast?? But it looks OK - at least as good as me - and probably better.
I'll know more this evening when I see the walls done.
Must go and pay a few bill snow and order some steel for the front wall foundation.

Percolation pipes for the waste treatment plant -

The percolation area for the waste treatment plant.

One of my helpers!

The house at mid June 2005

Back in October 2004 this is how the site looked.

Cost of the Build

Here is a fairly accurate breakdown of the costs of the build in 2005

 Five bedroomed dormer bungalow  2200 square feet floor area, Detached Garage. 3 Ensuites

Initial house build cost  - (excluding garage, finished floors , tiling, kitchen, landscaping ) = €126k


Garage - about €11k
Site prep plus rough landscaping and water and electricity connection fees , legal fees and engineers fees - brings the cost to about  €148k.
Outdoors:   tarmac drive, kerbing, lawns, trees, front wall and block paved patio cost another 20k €

The fitted kitchen , fitted wardrobes , flooring , tiling, painting,  sanitary ware and the solid fuel range bought the total finished  price to approx   €202 k

We had a rough budget for everything - and most were exceeded a bit - but the biggest areas of "overspend" or under budgeting were the tiling and the site clearance and landscaping.

Some other rough cost breakdowns:
Blocks - €4.5k
Foundation materials - house and garage €9k
Plastering - inside and out incl materials - €14k
Concrete floor screed €1200
Labour for laying floor screed (ground floor only) €1k
Windows and external doors - €6600
Sanitary ware and showers and shower pump - €4200 ( 1 bathroom + 3 ensuites and 1 cloakroom)
Waste treatment plant €3200
Electrics - €5k
Plumbing €9k includes oil boiler and rads and all heating etc -  excludes showers and sanitary ware.
Labour for foundation + walls + roof = €32k (garage included)
Tarmac Drive €8000 (it's big)

Total for other materials not mentioned above - i.e all 1st fix timber , slates, stairs , guttering, insulation drains - approx €26k

Painting Ceilings

I started paintingthe downstairs ceiings yesterday evening - after getting a couple of prices from painters. The first one was for 2500 to paint downstairs inside and to varnish the doors skirting architrave in the house (15 doors). I thought that was high enough - then another one came in with 5000 !!!. I wasn't too happy with the first one - he has only been doing it 3 months and he didn't seem to sure about what he would use in terms of paint. I looked at a house he had done and I wouldn't be happy paying 2500 for his work. So - I having a go myself and am off to do some now.

Eight months since we began

It is 8 months now since the digger arrived and started clearing the site. SOme people say we have made good progress - it could have been faster - but it could also have been a lot slower.
We applied for planing permission in March 2004 and it was granted it the end of Aug 2004. We had to wait for the electricity cables overhead to be moved - which delayed the start till Oct 2005 - which might have been a blessing in disguise - because if we had been ready to start earlier we may well have not got the builder that we did - and I don't think we would have been as happy with the house as we are now.
The waste treatment plant and the percolation area and the drains are all nearly done now and the paths and preparation for the driveway are underway too.
The inside of the house is ready for painting - which I was thinking of doing myself - but now realise that that could go on for weeks - which would delay everything. We are on the final leg now and hope to be moved in by September.
I must go now and track down another painter who has been recommended to me but isn't in the phone book.

We have Heat

I forgot to mention that the electrician and plumber finally got everything working on Thursday evening - so we have had the central heating working since then. It is on a timer - coming on 3 times a day to help dry out the floors and walls.
It's not fully finished - there is still some wiring to do for the controls - so we can have heat and/or hot water together or one at a time. Also the soild fuel range isn't here yet - that will be "plumbed" in to help with the hot water. It is due - hopefully next week along with all the toilets and sinks. They won't be fitted yet - but the bath will.

Painting - fresh plaster

Surface Preparation

This site has some useful tips that I might need to follow when I start painting the house.
I am contacting some painters and decorators for quotes today. One I rang yesterday is booked till September !! I could try and do it myself - but it will probably take me too long and that will hold up the tiling and kitchen etc. - so it is probably best to let someone else do it. It's probably the only job that i think i could do myself - but it could end up costing more in extra rent if it delays us moving in.

Sheep Wool Underlay for Laminate flooring

Sheep Wool Insulation .:Product Details:.

We arehaving laminate flooring upstairs - and are looking for more than the basic thin foam underlay you get with most laminates. This sheeps wool acoustic underlay looks intersting and cheaper than rubber equivalents. (Local supplier quoting 50 euro for about 12m2 of rubber based stuff). Just need to compare the noise reduction figures if there are any...

Digging Drains

The digger and driver are on site today along with the builder - and the sewage pipes and stormwater drains are going in.
The heating still isn't on . An oil delivery should be there as I write this but the electrician and the plumber still ahve work to do to get the heating working. They both seem to want to delay coming till the other one has been - so it ends up that neither of them have been. The elctrician is due this evening - but I won't hold my breath - going by previous experience with him!

Some Furniture Ordered

We ordered some furniture yesterday - beds , 3 piece suite, wardrobe, bedside cabinets , coffee table. All pine - fairly basic stuff but well made and strong. We got them from Carowkeel Furniture - and they will be delivered and put together for free.

Digger Delayed

A digger was supposed to be on site today - but when he hadn't turned up by 9am I rang him. He was held up on another job and wouldn't be here til tomorrow! Nice of him to let me know! I had a couple of other men lined up waiting on him - so they have been put off for another day.
At the time of writing this (evening) - the digger has turned up and is ready for action in the morning. It is forecast to rain tomorrow - so that might put a stop to things anyway!
I hope to get started on the drains and sewage connections tomorrow (not me - the workers!) - and then get the waste treatment plant installed the day after.

Painting

I did a bit of painting yesterday - the upstairs ceilings. As it's a dormer bungalow - there is quite a lot of sloping ceiling - so the walls are probably only about one third of the surface area upstairs. I only did one coat of watered down emulsion - and it took about 5 hours. At this rate I reckon the whole house will take 10 full days of work - which I won't be able to fit in with a 2 year old and 3 other kids on school holidays. I will get a couple of quotes ffom painters this week - at least for the downstairs. It needs to be done idealy before the finished floors go down - so that is in about 4 weeks. Not much hope of ne finding 10 full days in the next 4 weeks with my wife out working 5 or 6 days a week.

Waste Treatment Plant

The Envirocare waste treatment plant was delivered last Tuesday (at 8.00 am!) . A digger and driver are booked for Tuesday and Wednesday this week to install it and the associated pipework. The builder is coming back too to help and to organise things - also he'll lay footpaths around the house and do a foundation for the front boundary wall .
The plumber is coming back on Monday / Tuesday to sort out the heating so I can get it going to dry out the floors and walls fully before we lay tiles etc. I noticed a small leak in one of the radiators upstairs yesterday - so I'll have to let him know about that too.
Better order some oil too - or the boiler won't have any fuel!

Electricity Connected

The electricity was connected on Friday. We haven't actually got power yet though - because the electrician has to come back and connect the mains cable to the house wiring. I was ringing the ESB all morning on Friday to see when they were coming - I even sent an email to customer services because I couldn't get a reply. Turns out they were at the house all the time!
I realised this morning that I forgot to leave a cable above the floor scred in the kitchen!! It could just mean that we won't have sockets on the Island in the kitchen - but it might mean that the Range cooker won't have power for the thermostat that will control how it feeds into the hot water system. I am trying to contact the electrician all morning - but his mobile isn't working.
We can manage without the supply to the Island - but if the range is affected then it might mean some hacking into the new floor or into the walls!

Floor Screed Finally Down

The floor screed was laid today. We had been waiting for the previous man to do it for a couple of weeks - but finally asked another man to do it. He stuck to his times and dates and kept me informed and ordered the cement too. I asked for the Range and the toilets and bath that we ordered a couple of months ago to be delivered in two weeks time.
The next thing now is to get the Waste Treatment plant in the ground (that came on Tuesday) - a digger is expected (with driver) in the middle of next week - but that could mean Thursday!
I have someone lined up to do all the connections of the sewage and the drains and also to do the paths around the house at the same time.
Sorry about the lack of pictures - but form the outside not much has changed in a few weeks now and the inside just looks strange with my small camera.

Our kitchen Units will be very similar to this one - same handles and very similar worktop too. I don't think we'l be having the red walls - but I do like them too!

Oil fired boiler

Gerkros Heating Technology

This is the website (recently updated) of the manufacturer of our oil boiler.

Looking for glass for doors

Winged Heart UK New Hill House Blue

We need some glass for the doors from the hall into the kitchen and living room. We plan to have the same design on the kitchen unit.
This site has some nice ideas.

Things to do List

Finish laying floor Insulation
Start painting Ceilings upstairs
Confirm floor screed to be done next Thursday
Get delivery of Waste treatment plant from Envirocare
Book digger for a few days to dig for waste treatment and drains.
Order percolation pipe (60m) and sewage pipes .
Order cement for floors
Order cement for paths around house.
Think about patio
Finalise tiles and confirm tiler.
Chase Electricity supply board for connection.
Get Solid fuel Range delivered and Bath (these get fitted soon after floor screed is put in)
Organise fencing between us and neighbouring fields before cattle are put in them.
See about getting broadband in the new house.
Check out prices for getting satellite TV (for Freeview channels)

Any more and it will just put my blood pressure up.

We are hoping that we might be in before the end of Sept (this year!) That's if there are no delays with anything else.

Floor Insulation

I spent some of yesterday and a bit of today laying floor insulation in the house. It is rigid foam sheets 5cm thick and about 8 foot by 4 foot. It is foil backed on both sides. The time consumng bit is cutting it to fit around the water and heating pipes that are laid on the floor. I've done what Kingspan recommend - and used 20mm thick stuff around the edge of the outside walls (on the inside of course) This is cut 4 inches high. Most people - including the builders merchant and the floor screed man tell me that no-one hardly bothers doing this - but it's the only chance I'll get to do it right so I might as well.
I've still got about 2 fifts of the house to do - most of the fiddly bits are done apart form the utility room which is full of pipes so there isn't much floor space left to insulate!

Floors Delayed again

The floor screeding was held up last week - but we were promised it would be done this week - but another promise broken.
The "floor man" promised to do it next Wednesday or Thursday - a bit too vague for my liking - so I have gone and asked someone else to do it. The same price - and he can't do it till next Thursday either - but this one seems a bit more organised and he rings me instead of me having to ring him all the time. So - a bit more time to possibly lay the floor insulation or paint the upstairs - or update this blog or .....

Floor Screed delayed.

The floor screed was due to be layed tomorrow - but the local suppliers are not open tomorrow because one of their drivers died yesterday. There were other suppliers - but they were too busy. It put things into context - at least we're still alive and the floor can wait another week if it has to. It's nice that a firm here will close out of respect when an employee dies.
We're in England for a few days from Friday - so I need to get in touch with the "screeder" when we get back and arrange for it to be done another day. It's a bit frustrating that he can't give me a definite date now - but like I said it's not a big problem compared to the death of a partner or parent.

Certified - at last!

We got the certificate of completion from the electrician yesterday - so we can now apply to the ESB (Elec Supply Board) to connect us up to the grid. The electrics aren't actually fully complete - just in a good enough state to connect. There are lights etc to fit still - but it means we can get the boiler powered up soon and get the house dried out fully before laying floors or painting.
Eircom also sent a couple of men today to put up a pole on the site - the first stage towards getting the phone line connected. As far as I know we won't be able to get broadband in the new house - too far out - so that is one thing I'll miss.
The floor screed is due to be laid on Thursday - day after tomorrow - so things are progressing OK now after a bit of a slow down in the past 2 weeks.
The tiler who we have been recommended has cancelled twice this week - but is due tomorrow to check it out. The staircase is ordered, the second fix joiner (doors - skirting ) is booked (date to be confirmed).
It all seems to be coming together now - after lots of chasing of people and messages left. Everyone here seems to be busy - working 6 or 7 days a week.

Where's the Electrician?!

The plumbers have been and gone - only aday later than they promised. The wet patches they assure me were only caused by small leaks from radiator valves.
Th electrician had promised to be ready to give me a certificate for the ESB last Monday - 8 days ago. He has not been back here for days now - the excuse is he's waiting for materials. It's no excuse really - he should have ordered them in time. He is supposed to be here today - at 2pm - so I'll wait and see what happens.
The floor screed man can't do the floor this week - but he has said he will do his best to get to me next week. It's only a days work - but he seems to be booked up.

Tried to get hold of the stair makers - but the phone is engaged all the time. I managed to get through yesterday and they promised to get back to me today - no sign of that so far today.
Ah well - it's a lovely day here and the grass and trees are green. There are lambs and calves and foals in the fields. A few extra days or weeks before we move in shouldn't be a problem.

Wet Wet Wet

There was a bit of a panic yesterday - the plumber was in finishing off the radiators and the heating pipes. When I went round after hey had gone home - there were damp patches on the ceilings in three of the rooms and the floor in one of the upstairs bedrooms was very wet. I rang the owner of the plumbing firm who came right round - it was about 8pm. He knew there had been a few leaks from radiators when they were pressure testing the system - but he hadn't seen all these damp patches. He agreed to check it all out in the morning. The final verdict was that it was just the water from the rads that had got in under the floor - he is sure no pipes are leaking.
The plumber has done his bit now - and the floor screed can be laid. The screeder is calling round on Monday to check things out again and see how much screed we need to order etc.
The electrician still hasn't finished - but has promised yet again to get it enough done by Monday evening so that I can apply for an electricity supply. He made that promise a week ago too - so I'll wait and see what happens on Monday.
The floor insulation has arrived - more money for Kingspan.

Reasons to be Cheerful

1. A lovely day here in the West of Ireland today
2. The plumber has almost finished - as he promised - ready for the floors to be screeded .
3. The electricain turned up yesterday and today for a few hours and made some progress. He's not as quick as I hoped - but is looking like he will be ready before the end of the week.
4. I finally made contact with the man who will be doing the floor screed - it took a few days to get hold of him. He won't be able to do it till at least the end of next week. He is calling round on Monday to finalise what is needed .
5. Have agreed with the man who did the main build of the house to come back and do the sewage and rainwater drainage and footpaths and the connection of the waste treatment plant. He will be ready in about 4 weeks to do that .
6 Spoke to a tiler who will be available in about 4 weeks - which should fit in with our plans. He has been recommended by a couple of people . He is calling round next week.
7. A local carpenter has also been recommended for the doors and skirting - his prices seem OK even though I haven't had any others yet. Need to book him soon.

Plumbing Progress

The plumber has been in today and yesterday - laying all the pipes for the heating and water. The radiators are all in place now and the boiler will be put in tomorrow (it's going outside). The oil pipe from the tank to the boiler has to be buried - a digger is coming tomorrow morning to do that. I will need to be on hand to do a bit f digging by hand near the walls. The electrician has promised to have the house ready for connecting by Monday next. Then we will have to wait for the ESB to do their bit - which could take weeks! .

Inside Plastering Finished

The plasterer finished the inside of the house last Friday - so now the electrician and plumber can come back to do the next stages. The electrician had two lads in the house on Saturday - fitting all the final bits of the sockets and the phone points and TV points and switches. The plumber has promised to be here on Tuesday (Monday is a bank Holiday) - to fit the radiators and oil boiler and the water pipes. As soon as he has done that - we will be getting the floor screed laid (concrete) . We will then have to wait a couple of weeks before any floor tiles can be laid. We could begin painting upstairs and then tiling and flooring upstairs too while we are waiting for the downstairs floor to set.
The drains/sewage pipes outside will also need sorting out in the next couple of weeks.
Before the plumber comes back on Tuesday we have a bit of clearing up to to - to sweep the floors and get rid of any rubble etc - so that will be a few more blisters on these hands that have hardly being used!

Once again - the view from the back of the house. Hopefully in a couple of months or 3 we will have moved in and be be looking out onto this every day.

A side view of the house taken around April 19th 2005 - six months after the photo below.

This is how the house looked on 30th October 2004

Getting my hands dirty

Today was one of those rare days that I actually did some work on the house. Not a lot - but I have a few blisters on my hands to show for it. We had to put in a plastic pipe underground which will carry the electricity supply from the pole to the house. A JCB did most of the work - I was just helping with the fiddly bits. While we were at it it seemed a good idea to do the same for the telephone cable - even though there is no pole yet. That meant a last minute dash to the builders supplier to get 15m of piping and some rope. While the JCB driver was waiting he had plenty of work to keep him busy - shifting soil (rocks mostly) from the boundary with the neighboring field - in preparation for a fence.
We finally got it all sorted by about 3pm (9am start) . Now I've got to get onto Eircom about connecting a phone.

Electricity - phase one

The ESB (Electricity Supply Board) came yesterday and put up a pole on the site that will provide the mains supply .
I now have to organise the digging of a trench to the house from this pole - and lay some plastic pipe in it with a length of rope in it that will be used to pull the mains cable through to the meter box.
Had a bit of fun this morning trying to get 15m of thin rope into the pipe - which is fairly rigid. I eventually managed it by tying some lead on to the end of the rope (left over from the roofing) - and then shaking it through the pipe.
The plasterer and his labourer are there again today and making steady progress.
A lovely sunny day here in the West of Ireland.
Sorry about the lack of pictures - I will remedy that soon.

Still Getting Plastered!

Plastering inside the house continues on a daily basis. Progress is steady and sure. There are only 2 workers - but the work is very good. They expect to be finished inside 2 weeks today. Then we can get the plumber back to install the heating pipes that will go under the floor - and to fix the radiators to the walls. We also need to get the electrician back to finish off so we can get some power and get the heating on to dry out the plaster.
We had a quote for the supply of all the tiles ,grout , adhesive and it was a bit more than I expected - mainly because I didn't realise how expensive adhesive and grout are. Also the extras like border tiles soon add up to a lot. We have been to several tile suppliers - but will probably go with the local one - they have the best tiles in our price range and will be nearer if we need a few extra at short notice.

Lighting for the House

Bright Ideas - Home

This shop is a good distance from us - but there aren't that many lighting shops near here.
We might have a look one day soon - but we need to make sure we see any other shops on the same day - tiles , paint , flooring etc.

Stone Mason needed

We need a natural stone wall (limestone) building at the front boundary of the site. I was just browsing the web and found this site - he's not exactly local - about 40 miles away but is work looks really good.

http://www.authenticmasonry.com/index.html

Things to Do Soon

I always have a list of things to do - which never seems to get smaller. The current list -

Organise digger for clearing some more of the site
Organise fencing materials and labour
Arrange for digging of drains and sewage
Order pipes etc for drains andany stone/gravel too
Choose and buy some downlights for kitchen.
But wall lights for living room
Decide on tiles for the house
Finalise choices and buy furniture for whole house
Try and decide on garden layout - maybe some decking?
Get quotes for doing driveway - (not tarmac)
Get quotes for building of natural stone wall at front of house (between us and the road)
Get quotes from tilers
Get quotes/choose carpenter to fit doors and skirting and other odd bits.
Choose staircase maker and type of spindles/ wood
Insulate loft
Buy shower cubicles
Buy 1 electric shower
Buy pump for the other 3 showers.
Choose someone to do the floor screed on ground floor
Lay floor insulation before floor screed.

I think that's enough for now!!

Things to Do Today

1. Contact ESB (Electricity Supply Board) about digging for the cable to the house.
2. Measure the distance from the meter box to the electricity pole
3. Buy some ducting and rope for the cable
4. See a local supplier of tiles at the house to get the rooms measured for tiles and wooden flooring quote.
5. Take 2 year old to Toddlers group - along with 11 year old who is off school because it's an "in service" day ( teacher training).
6. Do some grocery shopping
7. Cook dinner for myself and family of 5
8. Update this blog

Today is Tuesday

Another day over - and the electrician finally came to finish off his "first fix" . He had the garage to wire up and the main power cable to get into the space between ground and first floor. He arrived late in the day and I left him working - so hopefully he will have finished.
The plasterer is preparing downstairs now - ready to start plastering tomorrow hopefully.
We need to sort out fencing very soon. The site is open on 2 sides - and the neigbouring farmer may well be putting cattle back on the field soon. So that's one job for tomorrow.

A self build in the UK

These self builders at the Eddystone Self Build are a bit more "hands on" than we are. I don't expect to do much more than a bit of clearing up, painting and maybe some laminate floor laying. For me "self builder" is a bit of a contradiction - it just means that I am organising the building of our own house . Some self builders do a lot of the work themselves - blocklaying, digging, carpentry etc.

Stairway to Heaven?

This website from Kilgallon Stairs has some good pictures of stairs they have made. We will probably be having a staircae that isn't closed in underneath - if you know what I mean? It will be possible to walk underneath the stairs. We haven't chosen a stair maker yet - might give these a call tomorrow but they might be a bit too far away.

More on Waste Treatment

We had another visit from a waste treatment plant supplier today - Klargester this time. They supply a thing called Biodisc - which is different from most of the others on the market. Most of the others operate by pumping compressed air into the sewage to get bacteria to grow and break down the waste. The biodisc has a rotating disc which is supposed to expose the bacteria to the air - and allowing them to "breathe " that way.
It's 3500 euro plus VAT and that doesn't include any help with fitting. A firm will supply and fit for an extra 1500 euro !!. I will probably go with Envirocare. The crazy thing is - they are both owned by Kingspan anyway - so either way it will be more profit for them. I really will think about buying shares in Kingspan. If the house building in Ireland and the UK carries on at the rate it is now - then Kingspan will be making loads of profit.

Staircase Construction

We got in touch with a few staircase makers today. The stairs we want are fairly basic and functional . It's just a straight stairs - no landing. We will probably go for Red Deal - which is a type of Pine - it's not the cheapest but it's well away from being the dearest wood. The doors inthe house are all going to be pine - so the stairs may as well match. Most (all but one) of the stair makers we rang will not fit the stairs. That seemed a bit strange to me - I thought that they would do a better job if they had to fit them? The prices ranged from 750 euro to 1000 euro - excluding fitting. The one company that would fit too - quoted 800 euro for that.
We will make a final decision in a week or two - because they need a few weeks notice anf if everything carries on well - we should be needing them in about 4 or 5 weeks.
If the price isn't to prohibitive we might have metal spindles instead of wood - but most of the companies want you to supply those. I will be googling for stair parts tonight!

Birds in the house.

Day 166.
Sunday - no work today (unless the electrician decided to nip in and finish his final bit of his first fix)
The Pope died yesterday - so it's been on the TV and radio a lot here in Ireland - which is predominantly a Catholic country. The newsreaders have all been wearing black since yesterday evening.
We all called up to the house yesterday - to find there were two birds (maybe more) flying about upstairs. One got out a window that we opened - but the other one went into the open loft. I suppose they could be getting in anywhere - but probably the wall vents which are still fully open pipes . I need to get the vent seals or whatever they are called - tomorrow.
The plasterer has almost finished "skim coating" the upstairs rooms now - just the landing and the stairwell to do. The en-suites are being left -because tiles will stick better apparently to the plasterboard. After a bit of discussion we decided to fully tile both the ensuites upstairs. They are fairly small and the walls aren't full height all the way around - so it won't be much extra tiling. I am thinking of starting painting the upstairs ceilings soon after the plastering is done - but I need to check out how long to leave the skim coat to dry before painting.
We will probably be going looking for furniture again tomorrow when the older kids are back at school after the Easter break.

Day 162

I calculated the number of days using this site - timeanddate.com

Plastering has started inside now - after a short break for Easter. I hope you didn't eat too much chocolate?
The electrican promised to come and do his final bits - but no sign as yet. He still has a couple of weeks I suppose before the plasterer gets to the room he hasn't done.
I've been ringing a couple more Waste Treatment plant suppliers . Someone from Envirocare is calling round tomorrow (yet another company owned by Kingspan !) I also rang Klargester (also owned by Kingspan !!) who should be calling round early next week.

We have been looking at flooring options - tiles and wood in all rooms - no carpets. I've been reading that solid wood layed on concrete is not a good idea- and that the engineered "semi solid" flooring is best on concrete.
The dampness can ruin a solid wood floor.
I bought a wheelbarrow and a spade today - to do a bit more clearing up of all the dust and rubble that is inside the house. Everyone leaves a mess - but no one cleans up !

We need to start thinking about flooring soon. I found this site today - no prices mentioned though.

Five months since building began.

It is about 5 months since the first bit of digging began on the site.
The house building has progressed quite well considering we did it all through the winter.
The weather and Christmas caused a few delays - so we have been quite lucky to get this far in 5 months.
The next important stage is the internal plastering . Then the electrician and plumber will be coming back to do their second fixes. The concrete ground floor will then be layed - followed by the outside drains and paths. We still haven't chosen a waster treatment plant - the man from Bord Na Mona had to be put off for a day - and he never got back to arrange another date.
I was looking at these sewage treatment plants months ago - and had a few leaflets and a couple of site visits. I am not impressed with most of them - they just want to give everyone the same - but they should be advising on the suitable system and percolation area for each unique site.
I will have to make a choice after Easter.

The slates al on the roof - taken 2 days ago. Just a bit more to do to finish off the roof - and the gutters to be fixed.

The dormer windows were plastered at last - so the final roof slates can now be put on.

Upstairs plasterboard fixed - taken last week

Floor Screed

Natal Portland Cement :: Sand-Cement Floor Screeds

A detailed document on floor screeds - the next job after the plasterer has finished - which will be 3 or 4 weeks yet.

Latest progress

Not much new to report. I got my hands dirty - one of the few times I do - doing a bit of cleaning up at the weekend. Rubble and insulation and bits of plasterboard - all moved from upstairs. Upstairs is ready for the plasterer now - but he wants to finish outside I think before he goes inside.
The electrician still han't quite finished the first fix yet - he has one bit left to to - the mains cable from the meter box. Should be finished this week.
Once the plasterer starts downstairs it won't be long before we will get the plumber and electrician back to do their second fixing . Then the concrete can go in for the floors downstairs. After that we can start tiling and painting upstairs . If we keep on top of things it might be June of July when we can move in - but it could be August or September.

Oil Storage Tank Regulations Ireland

Taken from the Dept of Environment leaflet-


Note 1 . An oil storage tank not exceeding 2500 litres capacity which serves a dwelling house does not require a bund. An oil
storage tank which is not provided with a bund should be installed on or above a non combustible base which extends out at
least 300 mm from all sides of the tank.

A bund is a cavity to catch leakages. - Must be able to hold all of tank contents.

I might be able to put it beside the garage - the wall is concrete so no danger of fire there. Not sure about the overhanging guttering though?

Advice for self builders

This guide is aimed at house designers in County Clare - but there are lots of good points for anyone thinking of building in rural areas. It's a large pdf file - so you might have to wait a while for it to download.

Moving on..

The house is progressing quite well at the moment. The plasterboarding is complete inside now - so the plasterer can start inside in the next couple of days once it is tidied up a bit. The electrical first fix is almost done - just some tidying up to be done. I now have the job of putting in some insulation in the roof space - glass wool type. I have never done it before - so that should be fun!
St PAtricks day on Thursday - so that will be a quiet day as will Friday.
I'm meeting a rep from Bord NA Mona tomorrow to see about a waste treatment plant . I still haven't chosen one. Basically I want the one that is the least hassle to install and reliable .
Also need to order an oil storage tank so that the builder can build a little stand for it to rest on from concrete blocks.

Furniture Shopping

Visited Carrowkeel Furniture today (about 35 miles away) to look at furniture obviously.
Their website is really good - you can see almost everything they stock on the site - with prices and sizes too. But you still need to visit to see and feel the quality. We got a quote for a load of studd - beds, 3 peice suite - leather, dining table and chairs , chest of drawers and stools , They deliver free within 50 miles and any assembly needed is done for you.
The boys went to see SpongeBob Squarepants while we looked.

Upstairs plasterboarding nearly done.

The upstairs plasterboarding has almost been finished now. It's been slow going - with loads of angled cutting of the boards and the insulation beng needed. The builders don't normally do this job - but they gave me a price for doing it and I told them to go ahead. They should be starting on fixing the plasterboard to the ground floor ceilings on Monday. That should be easier because it's all straight cuts. They are running out of plasterboard - I left it to the builders merchants to work out how much would be needed from the plans. They must have miscalculated by a long way. I had to order 36 more sheets today too.
The electrician called today - twice. He should have finished the "first fix" by Monday.
The plasterer also called today - he wants some better sand for the final finish on the outside of the house. I ordered 15 tons for him. He has done the 2 dormer windows now - so the final bit of slating can be done next week too. I had to order 600 extra "slates" today too.

We had a look at some furniture shops yesterday - sofas and dining tables and beds. Nothing bought yet - just looking for now.

Plasterers Progress

Plastering was underway at full speed again today. The dormer windows have had a coat each - but need another tomorrow. The outside of the whole house and the garage have had the "scratch coat" applied now.
The interior ceilings and stud walls will be plasterboarded tomorrow and Saturday - following on close behind the electrician who is back from his trip to see Man Utd lose in Milan.

The plasterer can start inside as soon as all the plasterboard has been fixed in place - this should be Monday - we hope. I like to see something being done every day now.
We need to get going with things like the drains and sewage works outside soon. Also need to organise digging of a trench for the electricity supply.
The waste treatment plant also needs organising - I am ringing an agent from Bord Na Mona to talk about their Puraflo system tomorrow. It's basically a peat based filter system with a controlled pump from a septic tank.

Buying Kitchen Appliances

We were out ordering kitchen appliances today. The nearest "Currys" is about 40 miles away. We went there last week to check prices - but we ended up buying from a more "old fashioned" type furniture and electrical store - where you can expect a bit knocked off if you buy a few things. Joyces of Headford - also stock the solid fuel Range we are getting - so we thought if we are getting something that expensive they will knock a few Euros off the total.
We ordered the bathroom sanitary stuff here too (five toilets and five basins and 1 bath!).
The prices were quite competitive to start with - and they did knock of about 150 euro or so .
We ended up spending just over 8 grand (euro) there - with the Range clocking up nearly half the total.
We got lots of Bosch stuff - Washing MAchine, Drier, Dishwasher, Fridge. They are not the cheapest make - but we had a Bosch washing machine inEngland for about 7 years and had no trouble with it.
They will deliver for free (over 30 miles away) and will hold it all till we need it - which won't be for at least 6 weeks. Ten percent deposit - rest after delivery.

Must go and check the bank account now!!

Getting Plastered Again

The plasterer came back today after a few days absence due to frost and cows calfing - and a child's confirmation to celebrate. A quick visit this evening - and it looks like he ha sstarted on one of the dormer windows. We need these doing soon - so the builder can finish the tiling of the roof.
The electrician has nipped over to see Man Utd lose to Inter Milan - and he is due back tomorrow.
The roof insulation is almost finished (it should be done as I write this). The fixing of the plasterboard to the ceilings will be starting tomorrow and should be done before Friday.

Some Figures for the build.

Over a year ago when we started thinking about getting a house built - we were encouraged by a price from a builder of 100,000 euro for a similar house to ours. This excluded finished floors, kitchen, tiling, fireplace(s).
We had a few more quotes for contractors to build the whole house - these ranged from 127000 euro to 201,000 euro !!. A big price range for the same house plan and basic materials.

We then got a price for labour only from a builder who would build it to roof level and then leave us to organise tradespeople to do the elecs, plumbing, plastering, carpentry, floors, kitchen.
We checked out the other potential costs on a few websites and with a local man who had just built a similar sized house. As late as August 2004 - we decided that this was the route to take. It looked like it would work out cheaper than all but the lowest priced builder - and this way we would be more involved with the quality of materials and the finer details of the house.

What actually happened?

We are still a fair bit from completion - but we have a much better idea of the expected final cost.
The house is a dormer bungalow with a hip roof. Constructed in concrete block cavity walls on a raft foundation. The roof is covered with concrete "slates" . The windows are UPVC double glazed Pilkington K glass. There are 4 bedrooms, (3 en suite), a bathroom, a kitchen and adjoining dining room, utility room, wc, a living room and a study /office room. There is a separate garage with a storeroom . The heating will be by oil fired boiler backed up with a solid fuel range cooker. (No mains gas where we are)
The bathroom suites will not be anything fancy.
The waste water will be treated by a waste treatment plant in the back garden (the house is miles from the nearest sewage system)

We are on target to get the actual house built (excl garage, gardens, driveway,kitchen, tiling, flooring) for 123000 euro. This is the "base" cost which we can compare like for like with the original builders quotes. This cost is fairly unlikely to rise - since we have had quotes for most of the outstanding jobs.
This is not the final price yet though - so don't get too excited!
We have to add on tility connections, legal and planning fees, Garage, Fitted Kitchen, Range Cooker, fencing, driveway, landscaping, tiling, flooring - to arrive at something liveable. Then we have to furnish it. The total estimate at the moment is close to 180000 euro - and that is with nothing fancy in the line of furniture .

More detailed breakdowns of costs in the next few days when I get time.

State of Confusion

A bit of organised chaos this morning - but it all worked out OK. The electrician ws on site by 9.00 - not sure when he arrived though? He didn't have his mate with him though - so things will take a bit longer. The builder turned up just after 9 with his 3 workers ready for putting in the insulation - but they had to wait a while for the electrician to finish one room .
The kitchen fitter also arrived around 9.00 to check if the plumbers had left enough room for the built in oven. The electrician got me worried yesterday - saying it wouldn't fit.
I was a bit confused about exactly where all the insulation and plasterboard were going to be fitted - so I had to make a quick visit to the builders merchant to check what his plans were for the stuff he sent. We had discussed it - but it seems a long time ago now. Also there were some nails missing form the delivery yesterday that I had to pick up.
So - the final plan is - Kingsan TP10 between rafters (80mm) , TW52 under rafters (38mm), 200mm glass wool above the ceiling in the loft bedrooms with foil backed plasterboard underneath. Then - 150mm glass wool in the stud dwarf walls with normal plasterboard. All the stud walls between the upper rooms will just be plasterboard - no insulation.
The roof void outside the livable space upstairs wil have 200mm glass wool between joists. I might put another layer of it on later.

Hopefully this will proove to be more than enough insulation. It is one of the most expensive materials for the house. There is still some more to go in - under the ground floor screed in a few weeks. (I still have to sort out someone to do that.)

One Two Three O'Clock Four O'Clock - Rock?

The electrician - still hadn't turned up by 2.30pm - so I rang him and he was still at another job and wouldn't be here till 4.00pm. I was getting worried that he wouldn't have the upstairs done before the builders come back to fix the insulation.
Eventually he arrived at 4.30 and said he will be back in the morning at 8.00 am.
He gave me his word that he wouldn't delay the "slabbing". I'll be up there myself early to sort out with the builder what insulation goes where.

The insulation and plasterboard arrived this evening too. it filled the lorry.
In the roof - in the bedroom area - I am using Kingspan Thermapitch 80mm betwen the rafters along with Kingspan insulated plasterboard (37.5 mm thick) below the rafters.
I am using 200mm thick Glass Wool in the stud walls in the attic living space - with foil lined plasterboard. I am also puting insulation between the two floors - it is probably not needed under the bedrooms - but it will help with sound insulaton.

Electrician delayed.

The electrician just called to say he won't be here till lunchtime! It's going to be a rush if he has to get upstairs done before tomorrow morning. Either that - or it isn't a big a job as he made out?

The insulation for inside the roof is arriving today too. More money for Kingspan . I should get some shares in that company. The house will have about 5000 euro worth of Kinspan insulation in it!

Latest Progress

The Plasterer started work on Tuesday. Frost has delayed him a bit because the frost can damage the plaster. He has done a thin "scratch coat" to 3 sides of the house and 2 sides of the garage. The first fix plumbing is complete - that is all the pipework installed upstairs and any pipes running in the walls have been done downstairs. The wall chasing for the electrics has been done and the electrician is coming tomorrow to do his "first fix". He was expected yesterday - but rang to say he was busy. Things are getting tight - because the builder is hoping to come back on Saturday to do the insulation and the plasterboard or "slabbing" all through the house. But he needs the electrician to have done his bit first.
The electrician has promised to have finished upstairs by Saturday morning.
If the builder can't get his work done next week - he is busy on another job for a few weeks. We need to get the inside plasterboarded so the plasterer can start inside. Hopefully it will all work out this weekend??

Self Build Cost Estimator

This site has some useful estimating software that allows you to work out the cost of building your own house. The prices are in sterling - and it is a Northern Ireland based company. It has lots of elements that you need to consider when working out your self building budget.
It is free at the time of writing this - but they may charge for it n the future.
I put my measurments in - and the figures are fairly close to ours. I will reveal our costs so far in the next few days.

Kitchen Appliances

We went looking for kitchen appliances on Friday - oven , hobs. dishwasher, washing machine, fridge-freezer. We are still deciding on integrated or not. If we have integrated they cost a bit more - and the kitchen will end up costing more too. We only got to see one shop - because the second shop we went to closed for lunch from 1 to 2. There is still a lot of businesses in Ireland that close at lunch. Most banks and solicitors etc close for an hour as do many shops. It doesn't make sense to me - surely the time people want to use these places is when they are on their lunch break? But then again - it's one of those things that make Ireland different.

Picture of Windows

Picture of the house taken 24th Feb. The windows and doors are all in now. The top ones are there - just covered up still by felt.


The plumber started work on Friday on the "first fix" - getting all the pipework in place before plastering can begin. Also on Saturday someone came to grind out the channels for the wiring downstairs (chasing) - so it's all ready for the electrician who should be coming on Wednesday. The weather is still a bit cold for plastering - but he might make a start on Monday.

Free Sand?

When I turned up at the site yesterday there was a lorry load of sand sittig on what will be the front garden. I assumed it was the plasterer who had ordered it- but soon found out it wasn't him. I checked with Tom the builder - who knew nothing either! I guess someone has dropped it off at the wrong house. There is another house ready for plastering about half a mile away. I rang the peole who are building there - and they were expecting sand that day too - but it had arrived!
I guess the delivery lorry just went to the wrong place - I'll wait and see if I get a bill! In the meantime the plasterer looked at it and said it wasn't the sand he would have chosen and he won't need all of it - but he will make use of it.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Found a Plumber

We finally decided on a plumber. The lad who we thought might do it during weekends and evenings told us he was too busy. We asked his boss for a quote and even though it is more expensive - we have gone with him. He has a few plumbers working for him and as promised to get the first fix pipework in before the end of next week.
He measured up all the rooms and has sized up the boiler and radiators properly. We have to buy the bath, sinks and toilets as well as the Range Cooker - and he will fit them all. Around 9000 euro for the lot and he will put in the gas pipes for the hob and fire too. (Not connect them though). It is above what we were budgeting for - but it might mean things get done quicker and we can move in sooner.

Windows Fitted

The windows are just being fitted as I write this - the fitters arrived before 9.00 and a day earlier than expected. At 12.00 they just had the garage to finish. It's a lot quicker putting in new windows than replacing old ones. (And a lot cheaper)
The black door is looking good. There is a plastic coating on all the windows to protect them - so they look a bit strange.
TJ Grady Windows - Highly recommended - and I'm not getting any commission .

How To: Calculate Radiator Sizes

A local plumber came to the site today (Sunday) and gave me a quick price for installing all the plumbing and heating - excluding the sanitary ware and the showers . He said he would install rads that were 1.5 times that needed - "because the rooms will heat up quicker". I suppose it makes sense in one way - the thermostat will hopefully turn off the heating when it gets hot enough - bit a bit more investigation is needed. No written quote or anything like that - just a price!

Here's a guide to sizing radiators for a house

The size of radiator required for each room can vary. The first factor to consider is the temperature that you want to maintain in the room, a rough guide of the ideal temperatures is listed below.

• Lounge - 21°C
• Dining Room - 21°C
• Kitchen – 16°C
• Bedrooms - 15°C
• Bathroom -23°C
• Stairs/ Hallways - 18°C

The second thing that needs to be considered is the heat that you are going to loose from each room, the calculations for this are quite complicated. If you get this wrong and choose a radiator that is too big then it will be costly and it will overshoot its temperature. If the radiator is too small then it won’t reach its desired temperature.

An easy way to calculate the size of radiator required for each room is to use a BTU calculator which will give you the exact size radiator by amount of heat required. However there is an even easier way to do get the right size radiators and this is by measuring the room in cubic feet and then doing the following:

• In lounges and dining rooms- Multiply cubic feet by 5
• In Bedrooms – Multiply cubic feet by 4
• In common areas and kitchens – Multiply cubic feet by 3
• For rooms facing North – Add 15%
• For rooms with French windows – Add 20%
• For rooms with double glazing – Take away 10%

This should give you the output of any radiator in BTU’s (British Thermal Units). Adding all the totals should give you the total BTU’s for the whole house. If the house contains a hot water tank then add 20% and a further 10% for general losses. This will then give you the approximate size of the boiler you need for your home, it is however advised to get the calculations double checked by a qualified installer.

Sheep wool Insulation

This stuff sounds good - and ecologically sound and all that - but just wondering what the price is? More investigation needed.

Slabbing Contractor

I was recommended a man for doing the slabbing (plasterboarding) - by the plasterer. He came out to see the job on Wednesday and I haven't heard from him since. The builder - who didn't include the slabbing or insulation in his price - has given me a price for doing both. The "professional" slabber did say he wouldn't fit the insulation. If he doesn't get back to me before Monday - I'll probably tell the builder to goa ahead and do it. I could possibly fit the insulation myself -but with a 2 year old boy to look after - it might not get done very quickly.

Slabbing

The walls of the loft and al the ceilings have to be slabbed - i.e plasterboard fitted to them - before a thin skim of plasetr is added . Insulation also needs to be fitted between the roof rafters and in the stud walls upstairs - especially the walls that face out to the roof space. We will aslo need some insulation in the first floor- mainly for sound and fire proofing - same for the stud walls between the upstairs rooms.

Plasterer also booked

We were recommended a plasterer about a year ago - and we had a chat with him to let him know we were thinking of using him - about 5 months ago. He has agreed to do the job - but only the plastering - not the plasterboard (or slabbing) on the ceilings or inthe upstairs at roof level. Inside and out and the outside of the garage will take him about 5 weeeks. He could start the outside as soon as the windows are fitted - but he might want to do inside first? I still need to have a chat with him when we know when the elctrician and plumbing first fixes will be done.

Electrician Booked

We have booked an electrician - he has already been and marked out where all the ground floor switches and plugs will be - as well as TV and telephone points. I am now waiting for a man who specialises in wall chasing - i.e cutting channels in the blocks for the cables to slot into. He should be coming to have alook at the job later today or early tomorrow . If he can get the walls chased next week - then the wiring (first fix) should be started in about 10 to 12 days from today.
The electrician was driving a 2005 Audi - so there's money to be made in that job!

Window Installation date

We have been given a date of Feb 24th for the installation of the windows and external doors. Less than a week away. Once the dormer windows are in - then the plastering around them can be done and the roof slating can be finished off.

Still looking for a plumber!

Not a great start to the search for a plumber. The man who asked me to call him today so he could come and see the house - was on the way to Dublin! - I have to try him again tomorrow. I have another one to ring on Monday too. I wish I had done this earlier.

Finding Plumbers

We had a plumber in mind that we had spoken to months ago - but ha now tells us he is busy till the summer! So it's back to the phone and asking around to find a plumber who is free to do the work soon. I am ringing one in a few minutes. The next job on the house is really the first fix of the plumbing pipework - which needs to be done before any plastering or partition walls can be completed. I will hopefully have founf a plumber before long.

Kitchen Planning

We have finally chosen a local Kitchen maker/fitter to install our Kitchen. He was round to measure up and do the final plans last Monday. We are hoping to have a solid fel range cooker which will also help with the heating and hot water. We plan to hav a gas (lpg) hob and also lpg oven if we can get one. To use up some floor space and provide a bit more storage and a seating area for stools we are having a small island in the kitchen. The price ranges for similar layouts were from 4500 euro to 13500 euro - and I am sure there are plenty of dearer options out there.
Kitchen design is probably one of the most important part of the house - and I wish we had started earlier - even before the house planning. If I was doing it again (building a house) I would plan the ideal kitchen -and then plan the walls and windows around the kitchen. It is the only way to be sure you get exactly the kitchen layout you want.

Feb 9th - closer view from the front.

Feb 10th - from the front. (The pile of soil you see in front of the house will eventually be spread over the garden). Chimney finished and plastered now.

The roof windows at the back were added today - they are made by Fakro - see the website for more details.

Getting an Electrician in Ireland

RECI - About Us

RECI is one of the independent electricians "registration" organisations in Ireland. They are recognised by the electro technical council of Ireland .
Your wiring has to be certified by a registered electrician before ESB will give you a supply.
The other registration group is the ecssa Electrical Contractors Safety & Standards Association Limited
Basically you must get your house wiring certified by a member of these organisations. (Not neccesarily done by one though - the RECI will send out an inspector for a fee of €360 euro if you have it done by a non registered electrician) It is probably safer to make sure your electrician is registered first. Both websites have search facilities to find members.

Windows - Pilkington K Glass

Pilkington K Glass�
We ordered all the windows and external doors today. The windows will have Pilkington K glass . We ordered from TJ Grady Ltd - based in Charlestown County Mayo.
All the windows and doors come to 6600 euro. That includes a door and 2 windows in the garage , a back door, french doors, and 13 windows.
The rep , Paul, was really helpful. I think they operate all over Ireland. I will update you on progress - but so far so good with the windows.

Looking at Range Cookers

About Us

We are still getting prices for kitchens - and the only thing we are certain about (for now !!) is that there will be a range cooker (solid fuel) . This wasn't our original plan - we were going to have a wood berning stove originally - but changed our minds a few months ago.
We have had the hole for the flue made in the kitchen wall - bt now realise that the range might be too far over to one side - which will mes up the kitchen unit design. So now we are looking at other ranges that might have the flue outlet on the left hand side ! There are only really 2 brands - Stanley or Rayburn. I think the Rayburn are a bit more expensive - but we will find out soon hopefully. (No prices on the website)

Phase 2 getting near.

The first phase of the house build wil soon be over. The roof slates will go on next week (weather permitting) and the first floor partition walls will be put up.
We hired one builder to do the foundations, walls and roof. Once these are finished - we have to organise electician, plumber, plasterer, tiling, flooring, sewage, drains, painting, kitchen (have I forgoten anything?) So up to now it has been fairly easy going. It might get a bit more stressful during the next few weeks.
We have had a couple of Kitchen prices - nearly 80% difference in them. We are seeing another one on Monday. I am talking to an electrician on Sunday. We might have a temporary supply of electricity in soon. The man from the ESB (Elec Supply Board) was over last week checking out the best way to bring the supply to the house, There is a transformer in the next field - so they are going to run a cable underground from there.
We need to start thinking about internal doors, bathroom suites, and loads of other things soon. Should be fun.

Jan 30th - view of the roof from the side of the house. (Bad photo - sorry)

Jan 30th - both dormer windows are done now and most of the felt is on.

Jan 28th - the first of the 2 dormer windows in the roof is almost finished and the felt laying has started.

Windows and Doors

The salesman from TJ Grady called round yesterday to talk about windows and doors for the house. Grady's have been recommended to us by a few people.
The salesman just advised us on the types of windows and openers we could have and the colours . Unlike some of our experiences in th UK - there was no hard sell or pressure at all. He is going to get a price and email the design details early next week. If we agree to go ahead - they could be made and fitted in 2 to 3 weeks.
We have gone for white pvc windows with a BLACK front door. (also PVC)

Deciding on the Windows

Main

A rep from TJ Grady - Windows is calling on Saturday to show us the variou stypes of windows. We will probably go for standard UPVC white ones - but the idea of black still appeals to me. They look good on larger houses . We have been recommended this firm by a few people. We will probably get the doors off them too.
Pity about their website - not much on it really.

Another picture of the roof taking shape. It's a "hip" roof and there will be 2 dormer windows at the front. Sorry it's a bit dark.

Work on the roof has begun - 25-1-05

Constructing the Staircase

Staircase Calculator

We need to get the staircase measured up and worked out soon. This site has a handy calculator that works out the number of steps you need etc.
A local joiner is coming out to the house on Saturday to measure up. We won't be gettng anything fancy with bends in - just a simple straight starcase - one rail up against an internal wall.

Builders back on the job.

I drove past the site this morning and there were three builders ready to start work for the day. The weather forecast is good but cold - for the rest of the week - so we should see the roof taking shape very soon now.

Floor Joists in place

In between the rain and storms the builders managed to put in the wall plates and the floor joists.
This hasn't been completed yet - but hopefully better weather will allow work to get back to normal speed this week.

Joists definition "A small rectangular sectional member arranged parallel from wall to wall in a building, or resting on beams or girders. They support a floor or the laths or furring strips of a ceiling."

Wall plate definition : "A horizontal timber member placed along the top of a wall to support joists and to spread their load."

Now - I didn't know what a wall plate was until a couple of weeks ago!

No work due to storms

Living in Ireland : "Cold Blow and the rainy night"
THE most severe Atlantic storm to hit Ireland in over a quarter of a century is expected to pass over the country later today with warnings that it could result in major structural damage in all regions and flooding along the west coast.

Gusts of up to 100mph have been forecast for later tonight with the north-west likely to bear the brunt of the bad weather.

Following Sunday night?s storm which claimed the lives of 13 people across Europe, the country is bracing itself for another period of extreme weather over the next 24 hours.

Met ?ireann yesterday issued a severe weather warning to alert the public to dangerous conditions likely to be caused by extreme gales and driving rain.

Weather forecasters claimed there was an increased risk of flooding in all areas, particularly along the Atlantic coast, due to a combination of storm force winds, heavy rain and spring tides. They have also warned the public that the force of the gales could bring down ESB power lines in many areas as well as causing structural damage to trees and buildings.



Motorists are being advised to avoid unnecessary journeys from this afternoon when the storm will reach the south-west coast before passing over the rest of the country.

A Met ?ireann spokesperson, Pat Clarke, said violent winds up to Force-11 could be reached in exposed parts of the west and north later tonight with a high risk of structural damage. All parts are likely to have gusts of 70-80 mph during the storm which will last until the early hours of tomorrow morning. South to south-west winds will reach 30-40mph this morning with gusts of 50-70mph in some coastal areas.

The storm will intensify later this afternoon with wind speeds reaching an a"

White Christmas

Not much Progress

The builders had to finish off another job this week - so we haven't seen them since Tuesday. The rain we have had would probably have stopped them anyway.
The garage is ready for windows and doors now - and electrics and external plastering.


Christmas is on the way so I don't expect too much progress. The timber for the roof has been delivered and it's getting a good soaking. Hope that doesn't harm it?

More to come soon.

House progress pictures below

A few more pictures are shown below - taken on Friday 9th December.
The garage roof has nearly been finished. The internal walls in the house are well underway too. The roof materials for the house should arrive before Christmas and may well start going up after Christmas.
The kitchen planning will be the next thing we need to get sorted out - so we can then get positions for sockets and lights for the electrician (who we haven't booked yet either.) The plumber will have to be called in fairly soon too and the window fitters. We haven't finalised any of these yet - so plenty more to do....
Come back soon for more pictures before Christmas.

The garage - with most of the roof completed now. We will be the first house round here to have the garage done first !

A closer view of the front of the house showing the door space and two bedroom windows.

View from the front as as at 9/12/04. It's not a great picture because of all the cars and vans in the way. The outside walls are full height now and the internal ground floor walls are being built. It's a dormer bungalow - by the way.