21st June 2011 - First cut of the front lawn

From a distance the front lawn is beginning to look pretty good. Up close, it's monstrously patchy, but it's getting there...

12th April 2011 - Grass seed for the front lawn

As promised, now that spring is here, the groundworkers have come back for a day and made good the front lawn and the part of the back that wasn't finished. They broke up the biggest lumps, raked everything reasonably level and applied grass seed. I have covered what I can with some nettings and the sprinkler is now in action.

4th Feb 2011 - Larger ASHP installed

They installed a larger air source heat pump today (Mitsubishi ZubaDan). Previously, the smaller ASHP didn't have the capacity to heat the required throughput of water to the required temperature, and therefore, amongst other things, wasn't able to get sufficient heat over to the sunroom. Also, since it was running at 100% load permanently, that is a recipe for breakdowns.

Early indications are that the ZubaDan is up to the job. The sunroom is getting heat, the restrictor on the flow rate has been removed, and the pump in the garage is making considerably less noise.

We'll know for sure after running it for a few days.

The cost of this change were borne by the plumbing contractor.

1st Jan 2011 - Getting used to it all now!

Well, we've mostly unpacked and have begun to make a home out of Fairways. Builders will be back on 4th January to work through the snagging list, and finish up here and there.

But, in the meantime, here are some photos:

KITCHEN:

FAMILY BATHROOM:
THE HUB ROOM:

THE LOFT ROOM:

THE FRONT:

THE PLAYROOM:

THE LANDING LIGHTS (18L):

THE DOWNSTAIRS LOO (no mirror yet...):

THE SUNROOM (aka The Extension):

23rd Dec 2010 - Snag, snag, snaggity snag

Well we're in. We've been living here 5 days so far, and life is good.

Snagging continues:
- paint needs touching up and finishing off in practically all the rooms

- some light bulbs not working

- TV now works in 7 out of 11 sockets

- the electric gates now fully work

- no thresholds yet on the tiled floors

- 1 floor tile still cracked

- no mirror in downstairs WC

- no curtains up yet

- 1 pane of glass broken

- 1 pane of glass is opaque and needs to be transparent

- no intumescent strip around the lobby doors

- back panel on walk-in wardrobes needs replacing

- some scratches on fitted kitchen, and 1 drawer not working

- ASHP needs upgrading

- plus a couple of outdoor bits that can't be done yet due to snow (rubbish & tools in drive, few bits of driveway not laid yet where cabels run, etc.)

etc. etc.

Nothing major - but just the normal bits 'n' pieces that need to be fixed and finished. Need to make sure that the builders (who we are actually very happy with) don't take their foot off the gas.

Christmas in 2 days!

18th December 2010 - We live in Fairways!

We moved in during Thursday 16th & Friday 17th December, and spent our first night in the house last night (Friday)! I was still driving the van at 10pm on the Friday night to get in just ahead of the blizzard.

We culminated a "self-build" with a "self-move". Well it saved £3000 and Ken & I almost passed out with exhaustion!

Will update the blog soon...

9th Dec 2010 - Carpets finished, Internet on

The excellent carpet guys finished late last night - it is really beginning to look like a home now.

The internet is now on in the house - BT finally delivered the hub, and it is up and running.

A new, larger pump for the UFH circuit has been installed today. Early indications are that it does seem to have the required oomph to run the UFH in the nether regions of the house, and not just the parts closest to the pump. We'll hopefully know in the morning

7th Dec 2010 - The neighbour's lawn

Oops. The delivery truck from the carpet manufacturer (not the fitters - they were great) made a mess of the neighbour's lawn (not immediate neighbour but 3 houses along). Not good. I am told they had to get a massive tow-truck with snow-chains up to pull him out. Apparently the driver put his insurance details through their letterbox - they don't seem to be in today, so I can't 100% check.

But at least the carpet was delivered ;-)

7th Dec 2010 - Underlay

The painters were in all day Saturday & Sunday (about 4 or 5 guys).

The underlay for the carpet has been delivered:

... and the chippies have finished re-hanging most of the doors and rebating the double doors.

Meanwhile, the UFH guys are still fiddling around trying to get the UFH fully working throughout the downstairs.

3rd December 2010 - Men at work

Well, we lost 2 days with zero work because of the snow, but today we have 6 on site doing the necessary.

- 1st pass clean of the 1st floor
- final skirtings
- letter box
- wet room mirror
- window board in sun room
- this and that

1st Dec - looks pretty, but no work is happening today

Snow. It looks very pretty. But note in the photos that no vans are parked outside - meaning that no work is happening today at all. Yikes. I am told that trades will all be back on site tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

30th November 2010 - Snow

Oh bu**er. We have about 12cm of snow - that is sure to hold up proceedings, if nothing else because contractors are going to find it tricky to get on site, even though the majority of the remaining work is internal stuff.

29th Nov 2010 - Triangle window FINALLY arrives

The triangular window for the sunroom has finally arrived and has been fitted this morning. Hoorah! Of course, they haven't brought the cladding pieces for the middle, but it's sufficient for now - the plasterers were already plastering the returns inside literally within minutes of the triangle being fitted.

The side fences are part done now (although going up a bit slower than expected...)

25th Nov 2010 - Steadily finishing off

Well, currently it's just a question of finishing up all the loose ends. Apart from the minor matter of the triangular window in the sunroom STILL not having arrived from the cr*ppy window company, the rest is just tickling along now.

Things like:

- the painters are steadily finishing

- the Celotex insulation in the loft is now all netted in, to stop bits falling out

- the door bell is fitted

- the UFH is now working in all but one room (need to get it blown through to the study still, somehow)

- chippies have fitted the IKEA stuff in the walk-in wardrobe

- the patch panel for the internet cabling has been fitted

- the smoke alarms are now live

- the sockets are now on the wall for TV, phone & internet

- the garden fencing has been started

- the name plate for the front gates has arrived (fabulous piece of Cornish slate)

- the PIR lights for the porch & lobby are working

- the internal glass has arrived for the little windows from hall into lobby

- the labourer guy has squirted expandable foam stuff into various little holes all over the place to get things sealed up for the air test, which may be next week (if we have a triangular window by then)

- the CCTV for the drains has been done

- the various bits of drainpipe and guttering that needed to be finished off are done

- some of the bathroom mirrors have been fitted

etc. etc. etc.

15th Nov 2010 - Front doors

The beautiful front doors are now installed. Since they are simply from some joinery guy in Cheshire who I found on the interweb, then we are well chuffed. They are awesome, and about £1000 cheaper than doors made in Surrey....

Highly recommended, Mr J Elwell http://www.jonathanelwellinteriors.co.uk/