Compared to a traditionally built houses we have made great progress over the last 4+ months but over the last couple of weeks we have experienced a few hic-cups.  The most testing issue (in true Grand Designs style 🙂) is the installation of the windows. The bespoke, triple-glazed windows for our rear glazed gable end are lovely, and just what we wanted, but are very heavy.  Even manually off-loading the glass takes a five man team. The next step is to find a way of lifting the glass into position 3+m above the ground (NB the frames are already).  The most likely solution is to use a spider crane - unfortunately this wasn't budgeted for, nor were the costs of operators (apparently you need three people to guard against the risk of something going wrong).

One thing we have come to learn during our build is that the level of detail contained in architectural plans is not the same as what is needed to construct a house.  A set of detailed drawings are needed to precisely communicate how the "lego kit" fits together. The key areas to get right are the interfaces eg where the roof meets the guttering, which in turn meets the top of the timber cladding.

Caveat: Blog written by a construction novice for dummies! The designers, fabricators and craftsmen who all play a hand in the processor building a SIP wall are NOT dummies 😊

Wednesday 16th July was a big day for us - after a lot of hard work and six truck loads of eco-cement (more on that below) we are now officially "out of the ground". The day started well, no rain forecast and the temperature was ideal - around 18C at 8am. The pump lorry arrived on time and was in position to pump the cement across our foundation footprint BUT where were the trucks which were promised to arrive from 8:45?!

We finally broke ground on Monday 16th June and a hot dry week has allowed progress to be rapid (at least through the eyes of novices who have never seen a house being built before!) We have a great team on the groundworks, skilful and hard working. It’s amazing what Graham our digger driver can do with his multi-tonne digger - sprinkling a one stone layer of chippings to raise the sub-base level by 25mm is a sight to behold. 

As a child growing up in the sixties we didn't watch much TV but there was BBC's Play School (look it up if you're under 45!) and a part of each programme was to "go through" one of the three windows (arch, circle and square) and hear a story or watch a short film about the "real world". My favourite episodes were when the film was about visiting a factory and earlier this week I recaptured that excited childhood feeling when we visited the factory in Merseyside where our SIPs (Structural Integrated Panels) are being manufactured.