We need a name for the house.
I am not sure what else to say. How do you come up with a house name?
Anagrams? Local features? Holiday destinations? Welsh?
Anagram.
Based on just my name we could have "Nice Arse", it would be fun filling in forms and over the phone, but we should probably rule it out.
More realistically, we could take our initial letters, from our first names and see what happens.
Sean
Rhian
Caitlin
Ellie
You could make CRoESo, which could work.
This ticks the Welsh box as well.
Local features
Blue bells
Forest
Bus shelters
Pub
Maybe something in the first two.
Holiday destinations
This works for pets better, possibly. Ask Coney and Columbus the cats named after New York locations. Central Park, too coffee shop. Upper West Side, too pimped. Soho, too seedy. There maybe something in this, needs more thought.
What do you think?
Saturday 25 October 2014
Lily the pink
The dynamics have changed a little in terms of blogging on the house and seeing progress. Like I said in a previous post, the nights have drawn in, so we are really only seeing progress each weekend, not each evening. This has its pros and cons.
Driving up to the site today, Caitlin and myself agreed that when the scaffold is taken away we will get a real idea of how the house will look. It will be a day to look forward to and a day to remember. As we approached the turn for Nicholls Road we agreed not to look across at the back of the house so as not to spoil the surprise, it's also a dangerous thing to do on a main road. Anyway, we avoided looking at the house as we drove through Coytrahen. As usual we turned left at the pub, which is up for sale incidentally, and drew up to the front of the house.
As it happened, the day had come. The scaffold had been taken down and the house could be seen in all its (unfinished) glory.
Wonderful.
Right hand side of the house, a lot of the features that I have blogged about previously can now be seen together, as a house. The stone wall will be brought up to cover the two block pillars you can see.
The left hand side of the house. The drive way will stretch from the edge of the garage to the top of the steps.
The side of the house. The rendered finish is a thing of beauty. It will look better when there is no plastic flapping about in the wind.
When stood above the garage, in the rafters, you can see out of the window. This is that view. It will probably be a better view when the builders take their toilet away.
This photo is captivating, I am not sure why. The different materials that meet and work with each other, the angles and the lines. The architects vision is possibly captured in this photo. Or maybe it is just a photo of the roof and the sky. Up to you.
Finally, our house, no scaffold.
This post could well end up being the one that gives me the second most amount of pleasure. Thanks for reading.
Sean "McCloud" Rice.
Driving up to the site today, Caitlin and myself agreed that when the scaffold is taken away we will get a real idea of how the house will look. It will be a day to look forward to and a day to remember. As we approached the turn for Nicholls Road we agreed not to look across at the back of the house so as not to spoil the surprise, it's also a dangerous thing to do on a main road. Anyway, we avoided looking at the house as we drove through Coytrahen. As usual we turned left at the pub, which is up for sale incidentally, and drew up to the front of the house.
As it happened, the day had come. The scaffold had been taken down and the house could be seen in all its (unfinished) glory.
Wonderful.
Right hand side of the house, a lot of the features that I have blogged about previously can now be seen together, as a house. The stone wall will be brought up to cover the two block pillars you can see.
The left hand side of the house. The drive way will stretch from the edge of the garage to the top of the steps.
The side of the house. The rendered finish is a thing of beauty. It will look better when there is no plastic flapping about in the wind.
When stood above the garage, in the rafters, you can see out of the window. This is that view. It will probably be a better view when the builders take their toilet away.
This photo is captivating, I am not sure why. The different materials that meet and work with each other, the angles and the lines. The architects vision is possibly captured in this photo. Or maybe it is just a photo of the roof and the sky. Up to you.
Finally, our house, no scaffold.
This post could well end up being the one that gives me the second most amount of pleasure. Thanks for reading.
Sean "McCloud" Rice.
Pipes of peace
Some good stuff happening now, not least being able to see the first fix wiring and plumbing drawing to an end. The amount of wire and pipework to be seen is baffling. Source of wire/cable/pipe are:
I might have missed something.
In terms of cable colour:
The photos below give an idea of how much cable is hidden inside a house.
Above you can see some of the wiring running above the garage in the rafters.
Above the kitchen more cabling supplying power for the lighting/
Some of the above is for the kitchen appliances, this is the site of the fridge and the over. Some of this cable is headed downstairs.
Caitlin volunteered to be in the picture so the scale could be appreciated. The kitchen and dining room ceilings are spectacular and it will take some doing to work out what to do with them. The photo is taken from the cantilever room looking back in, the opening at the far end is the door from the kitchen out to the garage.
Wiring in the cantilever room, you can also see where the builders are trying to keep the weather out in order to carry on working.
Caitlin again demonstrating the scale of the walls supporting the middle of the house. This is the front living room, fire place and chimney breast can be seen. Power, arial and ethernet are on the chimney breast ready for the tv.
The red bricks are reclaimed and will be the inside of the fire place.
There will be no satellite dish, so no cables need for satellite. They are a blot, I don't like Murdoch and the streaming is the future. All that said, I might have to eat my words if the internet connection is poor.
Another snap of the living room taken from the hallway. Again, the height of the ceilings becomes clear.
From right to left - the toilet, node zero (or less interestingly the coat cupboard) where the network meets the internet, the living room door and the kitchen door. All taken from the top stairs.
Again, because my gast is still flabbered, another shot of the ceiling. This time in the hallway. So much wall space and so little inspiration.
Moving downstairs, more cabling that will disappear when the ceiling is done.
Ellie's bathroom taking shape.
Above, Caitlins bathoom.
It's amazing how much lighter downstairs is becoming as the plasterboard starts get put up.
Above, the cabling and wiring for the laundry room.
A maze of pipes feeding the downstairs bathrooms. Once the floors are in place this lot will never be seen again.
Standing in the master bedroom looking through the dressing room in to the en suite. Again, cabling for a wall mounted tv can be seen. Also, the blocks on the floor are actually off cuts from the insulation being used in the ceiling (deck above this room) and will be used in the floor.
The master en suite, specifically where the shower will be sited.
Today may have been the best visit for some time for 2 reasons. Firstly it looked like a house and secondly....you will need to read the next blog post.
- Underfloor heating - cable for thermostats
- Underfloor heating - water supply
- Piping for 1 bath, 3 showers, 3 towel radiators, 4 sinks, 4 toilets
- Lighting inside and outside
- A laundry room
- A utility room
- Ethernet for wired network/internet in most rooms
- Electric sockets inside and outside
- Deck lights
- Water supply from the rain water harvesting
- Electric supply for cooker
I might have missed something.
In terms of cable colour:
- White is for the thermostats for the under floor heating
- Grey is electric
- Black is TV
- Purple is ethernet
The photos below give an idea of how much cable is hidden inside a house.
Above you can see some of the wiring running above the garage in the rafters.
Above the kitchen more cabling supplying power for the lighting/
Some of the above is for the kitchen appliances, this is the site of the fridge and the over. Some of this cable is headed downstairs.
Caitlin volunteered to be in the picture so the scale could be appreciated. The kitchen and dining room ceilings are spectacular and it will take some doing to work out what to do with them. The photo is taken from the cantilever room looking back in, the opening at the far end is the door from the kitchen out to the garage.
Wiring in the cantilever room, you can also see where the builders are trying to keep the weather out in order to carry on working.
Caitlin again demonstrating the scale of the walls supporting the middle of the house. This is the front living room, fire place and chimney breast can be seen. Power, arial and ethernet are on the chimney breast ready for the tv.
The red bricks are reclaimed and will be the inside of the fire place.
There will be no satellite dish, so no cables need for satellite. They are a blot, I don't like Murdoch and the streaming is the future. All that said, I might have to eat my words if the internet connection is poor.
Another snap of the living room taken from the hallway. Again, the height of the ceilings becomes clear.
From right to left - the toilet, node zero (or less interestingly the coat cupboard) where the network meets the internet, the living room door and the kitchen door. All taken from the top stairs.
Again, because my gast is still flabbered, another shot of the ceiling. This time in the hallway. So much wall space and so little inspiration.
Moving downstairs, more cabling that will disappear when the ceiling is done.
Ellie's bathroom taking shape.
Above, Caitlins bathoom.
It's amazing how much lighter downstairs is becoming as the plasterboard starts get put up.
Above, the cabling and wiring for the laundry room.
A maze of pipes feeding the downstairs bathrooms. Once the floors are in place this lot will never be seen again.
Standing in the master bedroom looking through the dressing room in to the en suite. Again, cabling for a wall mounted tv can be seen. Also, the blocks on the floor are actually off cuts from the insulation being used in the ceiling (deck above this room) and will be used in the floor.
The master en suite, specifically where the shower will be sited.
Today may have been the best visit for some time for 2 reasons. Firstly it looked like a house and secondly....you will need to read the next blog post.
Tuesday 21 October 2014
Back in black
The nights are drawing in, there is not much light available to us after we finished work.
The best we can do on the photo front during the week is:
Outside the house after work....
In other news we should have had out electric meter installed today but the guy has a non life threatening car issue. He is coming Saturday now. Then - more AC current than we can shake a wet stick at.
Finally, we may have a moving in date...hope to find out for sure tomorrow.
The best we can do on the photo front during the week is:
Outside the house after work....
In other news we should have had out electric meter installed today but the guy has a non life threatening car issue. He is coming Saturday now. Then - more AC current than we can shake a wet stick at.
Finally, we may have a moving in date...hope to find out for sure tomorrow.
Wild wood
More pictures than words...
We love our cedar cladding. Cedar has some attributes that make it very popular for cladding on houses. It does not have many knots, it has a natural resistance to decay and water absorption, and it i also very stable, i.e. it doesn't move much when installed.
For us, it's also a nod to the forest and in keeping with where we are.
Cedar is used where the front and rear roof meet each other.
This continues across to the window over the garage. It's not quite completed yet as can be seen under the window,
Finally, on the front face of the cantilever room is a cedar clad wall. Glass will be either side.
We love our cedar cladding. Cedar has some attributes that make it very popular for cladding on houses. It does not have many knots, it has a natural resistance to decay and water absorption, and it i also very stable, i.e. it doesn't move much when installed.
For us, it's also a nod to the forest and in keeping with where we are.
Cedar is used where the front and rear roof meet each other.
This continues across to the window over the garage. It's not quite completed yet as can be seen under the window,
Finally, on the front face of the cantilever room is a cedar clad wall. Glass will be either side.
Sunday 19 October 2014
Waterloo
There are signs of both at the moment (water and loo!). The first fix electric is all but done and the first fix plumbing has started.
It always motivating when a new "thing" starts, plumbing in this case, and plaster boarding as well actually. What is even more motivating is being able to show friends around the site, this weekend we had the pleasure of Steve, Heulwen, George and Fred.
Let's start with the most important room in the house, the upstairs toilet.
The electricians and the plumbers have are running as much of the infrastructure as they can so it will be out of site. Above we can see the workings of the toilet taking shape. The pipe runs downstairs through the Caitlins bedroom.
Above is an indication of the work that is needed to drive all the waterworks. The pipes above are routed through bedroom 4 to feed the master en suite. Once tested these pipes will disappear forever under the concrete screed for the floor.
The master en suite can be seen above. This is the pipe work necessary for a shower, 2 sinks and a radiator. There are also pipes running up to the garage to feed the utility room. All the pipe work on the wall will be boxed in and not visible. Floor level will be above the damp proor course running around the room a couple of bricks above the current floor.
It always motivating when a new "thing" starts, plumbing in this case, and plaster boarding as well actually. What is even more motivating is being able to show friends around the site, this weekend we had the pleasure of Steve, Heulwen, George and Fred.
Let's start with the most important room in the house, the upstairs toilet.
The electricians and the plumbers have are running as much of the infrastructure as they can so it will be out of site. Above we can see the workings of the toilet taking shape. The pipe runs downstairs through the Caitlins bedroom.
Above is an indication of the work that is needed to drive all the waterworks. The pipes above are routed through bedroom 4 to feed the master en suite. Once tested these pipes will disappear forever under the concrete screed for the floor.
The master en suite can be seen above. This is the pipe work necessary for a shower, 2 sinks and a radiator. There are also pipes running up to the garage to feed the utility room. All the pipe work on the wall will be boxed in and not visible. Floor level will be above the damp proor course running around the room a couple of bricks above the current floor.
The bathrooms won't be plaster boarded, so a rough render has been applied ready for plastering.
We are a long way from having a plastered house, but seeing the master bedroom dressing room boarded up was a sign of how close we are getting to that work starting.
Finally, thanks for visiting gang!
Saturday 11 October 2014
I surrender
I'm giving up the role of pretender......
Still no schedule but let's not worry about that. We are starting to see more external finishes now, which is great. Below are some photos of the external walls that will be rendered and painted.
Above, the back of the utility room, smooth beautiful render.
Above, outside the front living room above the cantilever some more render.
Next to the stone wall, the first render can be seen, the rough render. This is applied then scratched to make the final coat adhere.
Back of the house, the opening for the dining room doors can be seen between the two newly rendered walls. Smooth.
Final render shot, the wall of the master bedroom. Nice.
In other news the electrician has started the first fix, he is laying cables for electric, tv and ethernet. With the advent of smart tv's we are taking the opportunity to run a wired network through the house on CAT6 cable. So a lot of rooms will have a cluster of sockets comprising tv, power and ethernet sited where we plan to hang the tv's.
The master bedroom. Left to right we have tv, ethernet and power.
The hallway downstairs. Wires for lights and boxes to house switches can be seen. Plasterboards will be fixed to the walls once all the cables are run.
In any room downstairs you can see how the cables are being run through the house. Grey for power, purple for ethernet and black for tv.
Last power shot, the cables and detail for the power being run into the utility room.
And.....
finally.....
well done to Rhian for completing the Diff. The Cardiff Half Marathon last week - we are all very proud. And, Rhian raised over £200 for charity. Well done to the Dando family as well.
Still no schedule but let's not worry about that. We are starting to see more external finishes now, which is great. Below are some photos of the external walls that will be rendered and painted.
Above, the back of the utility room, smooth beautiful render.
Above, outside the front living room above the cantilever some more render.
Next to the stone wall, the first render can be seen, the rough render. This is applied then scratched to make the final coat adhere.
Back of the house, the opening for the dining room doors can be seen between the two newly rendered walls. Smooth.
Final render shot, the wall of the master bedroom. Nice.
In other news the electrician has started the first fix, he is laying cables for electric, tv and ethernet. With the advent of smart tv's we are taking the opportunity to run a wired network through the house on CAT6 cable. So a lot of rooms will have a cluster of sockets comprising tv, power and ethernet sited where we plan to hang the tv's.
The master bedroom. Left to right we have tv, ethernet and power.
The hallway downstairs. Wires for lights and boxes to house switches can be seen. Plasterboards will be fixed to the walls once all the cables are run.
In any room downstairs you can see how the cables are being run through the house. Grey for power, purple for ethernet and black for tv.
Last power shot, the cables and detail for the power being run into the utility room.
And.....
finally.....
well done to Rhian for completing the Diff. The Cardiff Half Marathon last week - we are all very proud. And, Rhian raised over £200 for charity. Well done to the Dando family as well.
Thursday 2 October 2014
She's electric
Roller coaster is not the word. We will not be in by the start of November, we might be in by Christmas, the house should be finished by the end of January. No one said it was going to be easy. Anyway, since the last blog we have been trying to get to a point where we have a schedule, tricky but we are getting there.
Putting that to one side, here is what has changed....
The stone wall, above, that will cover the front left hand corner is coming on, still our favourite feature so far if only because this is really the first past of the house that is finished.
The view from the other side of the stone wall, Caitlins window looking out.
And the corner wall as it looks now. As high as it can go without removing the scaffolding.
Above, from the inside, the roof has the felt and batton on,
The soffits are starting appear, painted, the soffits are above the windows below the roof.
Above the master bedroom we have a fibre glass flat roof. This is necessary because above this will be decking, Decking is not waterproof, therefor below it needs to be.
The back is now tiled...
Downstairs there are batons on the roof ready to support the plasterboards that will form the ceiling.
Tiling started on the front, and...
Now completed together with 2 ceiling windows,
And finally...
Putting that to one side, here is what has changed....
The stone wall, above, that will cover the front left hand corner is coming on, still our favourite feature so far if only because this is really the first past of the house that is finished.
The view from the other side of the stone wall, Caitlins window looking out.
And the corner wall as it looks now. As high as it can go without removing the scaffolding.
Above, from the inside, the roof has the felt and batton on,
The soffits are starting appear, painted, the soffits are above the windows below the roof.
Above the master bedroom we have a fibre glass flat roof. This is necessary because above this will be decking, Decking is not waterproof, therefor below it needs to be.
The back is now tiled...
Downstairs there are batons on the roof ready to support the plasterboards that will form the ceiling.
Tiling started on the front, and...
Now completed together with 2 ceiling windows,
And finally...
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