Tuesday, 7 September 2010 / 18:32
Trench blocks are used to build up the foundations under ground level. They’ve got hand holes to make them easier to lay.
Foundations 24
Tuesday, 7 September 2010 / 18:32
Most of the first course of trench blocks has been laid. Wooden stakes and various bits of metal have been hammered into the ground so that the top of each one is level with the existing damp course level.
The new walls must conform to the latest standard which means that there must be 50 mm of insulation and 50 mm of air gap in the cavity, so they’re 50 mm thicker than the existing walls, making them 300 mm thick.
Foundations 25
Friday, 17 September 2010 / 07:17
Concrete blocks are laid on top of the trench blocks. The inner leaf will be made of these blocks up to the floor beams. The outer leaf will is concrete blocks under the ground, changing to normal house bricks where they will show above ground.
Foundations 26
Saturday, 18 September 2010 / 11:49
A hole for the rainwater drainage pipe to go through. The pipe will be removed eventually.
Foundations 27
Saturday, 18 September 2010 / 10:00
The outer skin is being built up to damp course level for this phase. The diminsions are adjusted slightly (40 mm wider) so that a whole number of bricks fits exactly. The bricks match the ones that were used to build the house. They’re just common cheap bricks. It would have been nice to have used some hand made bricks from Michelmarsh, but then they wouldn’t have matched.
Foundations 28
Sunday 26 September 2010 / 15:33
Foundations 31
Saturday, 2 October 2010 / 10:38
Existing brickwork has been removed ready for the new brick work to join to.
Foundations 32
Saturday, 2 October 2010 / 10:40
We’re pretty much ready for the concrete floor beams to be laid now.