8 July 2013

July 2013

It has been a strange 'summer' weather-wise. In spite of a protracted chilly spring we finally had some really hot days in June - reaching a stifling 37C  in sharp contrast to 8C at the beginning of the month. On the building site - obviously the cooler days were easier on Nicco and Boris, putting up the brick wall under the searing heat isn't a job I'd like to do. By the 4th of July the walls were up to the tops of the windows and they were ready for pour the reinforcing.  They are off for a few days and will be back to pour the reinforced belt around the house at the top of the windows next week.

 You can really see how 'tucked into' the bamboos the house is in this photo.  At  least along this stretch the bamboos wont be able to invade the lawn or garden.

 The bassin is looking a little over-grown and neglected at the moment - but is creates a great cool spot for relaxing at lunchtime.   I'm going to have to take one of the water-Lilly pots out at the end of the year - they have rather overtaken the pond.

One of my great finds this week was two pieces of a huge water pipe. They were in a big waste disposal bin on a building site. With Bernhard's help I managed to get them out and into his van! They are about 80cm in diameter and the larger piece 1.5m long, the other  about 70cm.  I'm not sure how they will 'fit together - but I'll find a way to connect them.  These will be ideal for the 'well' in the lower field.  The water table is so high you only need to go down 50 cm and you are in water. To buy either a water tank of 2m3 or 4 sections of concrete drains of 80cm in diameter (60cm high) would have cost over 500Euros.  I'll get the diggers to make a hole of 2.5 - 3.0m deep, put a bed of chippings wrapped in permeable membrane in the bottom - stand one of the pipes on top and get the bulldozer to fill in around - then add on the second section and continue back filling around it. At the top I'll do a concrete surround and place concrete slabs across it leaving a smaller square hole and on top of that a man-hole and cover. Perfect!

I dug out the collapsed drain taking water away from around the house and draining the springs arriving at the bottom of the slope on the 4th and 5th of July then put down the membrand, drainage pipe and chippings.  Hard, hot and heavy work - especially as I couldn't get close with the trailer and had to carry the chippings across in buckets.  Anyway now this is done it can be filled in and there wont be any more maintenance to keep the ditch open - I will be able to simply run the lawn mower over it!

18th July lintels are in and apparently solid enough to stand on!

The opening into my wing (bedroom/bathroom)

 Opposite this opening will be a built in wardrobe (wooden doors) and the door into my bedroom and en suite bathroom will be to the right - tucked around the corner out of sight from the living room.

View from the middle of the living room through window onto terrace

Standing in the living room space and looking out of the living room window through what will be the terrace - out into the garden is - great!!  The volumes, and window sizes etc look 'right'.

 The lintel has now been poured, it must have taken quite a substantial amount of concrete!  At one point I had wanted to have a superb wooden beam across this opening, however, even if it had been adequate for load bearing of the 3m wall above - they still would have had to pour a concrete lintel above to link the reinforced belt of the house.  So the wooden beam would have been for aesthetics only, a bit wasteful considering I want the house to be ecological. So - decided to just have the concrete lintel - and have it placed as high as possible - considering it has to support the beams of the mezzanine flooring.

 You can see the recesses ready to receive the mezzanine floor beams.  I had a quick check today to make sure the distance from the wall which will support the stairs too the first beam is correct. The 'tremmis', or well for the stairs should have been the breath of the stairs (75cm) plus 1 step (26cm) minimum, so - 1m. It is 83cm. Hmm.  I'll have to check all the calculations for head clearance if the first step rising is under the ceiling and not under the stair well.  It will be a bit tight because there will be a door and passage under the head end of the stairs - and there has to be 2.04 (minimum) clearance for the door to open inwards and under the stairs.  I'll put in a plan of the stairs in the house plan section.

Just to show you how incredibly green the area is!!

Checked at the SIVOM today - seems that all is fine for the plan to install reed beds for waste water treatment.  It isn't going to be easy to decide when this work should be done. In the summer would be the best while the ground is as dry as possible for the machines to move about. But - not much time left to organise this now. Also the area in the lower field is being used as a platform for building materials. The area wont be very accessible.