The plant room is starting to be kitted out. We now have an electricity meter which means we can get some imported power connected up and in a fortnight the solar panels will be generating our first (free) electricity. We’ve signed up with Octopus Energy which offers a tariff that “understands” our set-up of PV … More 13th March 2022
Happy birthday, Henry! We had a rare break from the site for lunch with the birthday boy in Bournemouth. Things have been progressing on all fronts and all roofs. Dave, Ewan and Mark have been working indoors – ceilings, boxing in, pattresses (a new word to us) – and outside to finish the detailing on … More 8th March 2022
A big step forward. The bigger roof over the dayroom has lost its plastic and is now wrapped in a water-proof membrane ahead of Andy installing the zinc.
Ollie came on Saturday, and Henry on Sunday to help move 250 sheets of plasterboard inside – over 7 tonnes we think! Thank you, boys! And I (Bev) helped with the last 24! The pile of 3metre boards made a perfect tea table when Russ and Sue popped in with Billy and Sootie.
Power came back on by Tuesday morning. We had some dislodged plastic, a broken seat and bin but otherwise escaped any damage from the gales. After three comfortable nights with Henry and Erica, and also a night away with Bev and Nigel in Lymington, we’ve come to our senses and decided to ditch our dreadful … More 24th February 2022
Well, Eunice proved to be a very unwelcome visitor! By Friday lunchtime she’d brought down trees and power cables, and by the evening she’d removed some of Chris’ precious plastic, sent the workers home, blown rubbish and containers around the site, and blown over the toilet. Fallen trees missed the garden wall thankfully but the … More 20th February 2022
As the winds get up, focus has switched to the inside for Dave and co, putting in ceiling frames and also two big beams in the garage to hold the up-and-over garage door. Dudley’s been to visit with no issues but Eunice is threatening 75mph winds after moving further south …
All the talk is of storms Dudley and Eunice blowing in over the next few days. There’s less plastic on the roof now that the zinc is going on the garage/games room roof but still plenty to get Chris stressed.
Today we reached an important milestone as we had the house’s airtightness test. This is an indicator of how much heat will be lost through draughts and gaps in the building’s fabric. It only took an hour or so and involved a fan creating differential pressure between the inside and outside, some clever computer wizardry, … More 15th February 2022
Chris and Bev - Heads in the Clouds 