Last push before Christmas

In the last week or so there is plenty going on.  The craftsmen are working towards a Christmas deadline (Ho-ho-ho) and have even been spotted on site at the weekend.

Yesterday the tiles were laid in the entry area and on the floor of the main upstairs bathroom.

Tiles inside front door

After I had wandered around looking for him, the tiler asked me not to step on the first two rows inside the front door.  Aha.

The fire/stove is much more complete now.  The engineers were installing some offset piping halfway up the chimney yesterday.

Fire/stove nearing completion with recess behind for sliding door

Outside, the wall builders are doing their best to carry on, but it is getting pretty cold.

Wall

I guess about 2/3 of the stone has been laid so far.

Things are hotting up (well, not too much)

The fire place has arrived.  There was a lot of cladding and heat-proofing to do because of the sliding door which disappears behind the fire. Yesterday the built-in seating was started around it but the final surface is not on yet.

Log fire prior to installation

Also, because the glazier has still not fitted the big window in the staircase, the heat pump has been having a bit of a struggle.  The engineers were round yesterday trying to coax a few more mega Watts from the national grid through my bank account and into the outside fan.

Engineer looking inside outside part of heating system

Plenty of progress - plenty of bills

In the last few weeks, the plasterers have finished all the walls (double layer Kalkputz upstairs and normal Putz in the cellar).  The ceilings have been done (with a thin layer of scraped plaster) and the floors are basically dry. The heat pump is running and the house is warm. It would be even better if the last huge window can be installed.

We have decided to have parkett floor upstairs as well as on the ground floor - that contract is signed and work should start quite soon.  The carpenter has been selected and the contract signed.  The kitchen equipment has been ordered (cooker, fridge, ...).  And the tiler should start soon as well.

It looks like things are rushing towards some kind of crescendo around early/mid January.  I hope we can move before the end of January.

More front wall and some underfloor/floor progress

The stone masons have been struggling away at the front wall for a couple of weeks now.  It is made of dark grey granite from Groß-Bieberau.  The granite is, apparently, a pig to work with.

Granite front wall

Inside the underfloor heating has been laid and now the screed/Estrich has been poured throughout.  We are not allowed inside until the weekend so that it has a chance to set nicely.

Upstairs underfloor heating manifold with circuits connected

Upstairs manifold after the screed/Estrich has been poured

A small scaffolding platform has appeared in the void at the end of the staircase.  I don't know why but at least it stops anyone falling though.

Looking down to the ground floor through the void

Allotment across the way

I was lucky enough to catch a photo' of my allotment neighbour just the other day.

She nearly always has something yummy to eat and drink and a garden full of visitors.  Lucky me.

Meanwhile, on the allotment ...

Back on the Rehberg the allotment is doing its thing.  There are a few plants doing well, mainly the chilis. Only yellow/green stuff seems to be producing.

The competition class for this year's show was sweetcorn.  Mine all got eaten in the ground my the voles - I don't mind because the voles are pretty cute.  A friend gave me some smallish plants at the plan swop party and I was able to grow them on.  I don't think I will be winning any prizes this year.

Ground floor front exterior wall

The stone masons are onsite and putting up the wall across the front of the ground floor of the house.  This will then curve away across the plot to form the inner yard.

Peering into the void (Luftraum)

For a moment today, the temporary covering of the Luftraum (void in the ceiling/floor) adjacent to the staircase was removed.  It was the first chance to see the interplay of the staircase shaft with the opening into the upstairs hallway.

View from inside the front door up through the ceiling/floor

It may not sound much. but it makes the whole thing feel much more 3-dimensional.  You can see right into KZM (Maren's room) from the front door.  In the end the banister/railing around the Luftraum/void will change things again, but I looks pretty good for now.

Hard-core brutalism and temporary mollification

Most of the brutalist concrete work is in place in the garden, along the edge of the brook.  The individual elements have now been put together along with the big steps/bench above the rain-water pool.

Three segments of retaining wall sequence with rain-water pool and steps/bench in place

We still need the steps between the wall sections to be placed, and the front/drop edge of the pool to have its camber inverted - don't ask.

Possible stone walls

We are looking at styles of rocks for the curving wall around the courtyard.  Two are left in the race, basalt from Roßdorf and granite from Groß Bieberau.

Roßdorf wall build with nice dark stone

Possible wall style, but not the right colour

Arrival of pool

After the lull of the summer holidays and the excitement of the Ortskernfest, there are some things happening at the building site again.

The window maker has started installing the frames.  Six are in and the rest should follow this week.  The glass parts will come next week.  Hopefully.

The electrician has been preparing light switch locations and sockets ... yesterday I had to say how high to put the switches for the bedside lights above the floor (60 cm).

Outside, the retaining walls have all been poured and the shuttering is off.

Three sections of the retaining wall

Other parts of the concrete for the garden have been delivered including the rain-water pool.  Maybe they will get installed this week.

Rain-water pool ready for deployment by retaining wall sequence

Roof getting thicker

After three weeks of dry weather, the roofer has made some real progress.

Edge of roof showing internal layers

On top of the concrete, there is a layer of some kind of bitumen/tar, which may or may not be bedded on some sort of insulation.  On top of that are two layers of polystyrene (about 10cm).  Then comes a layer of wood (about 1cm).  Next comes a sort of thick plastic sheeting like you can line ponds with.  That layer is just about finished.  Maybe the pebbels come next - let's wait and see.

Roof panorama

Manifold destiny

In an attempt to out boring the window diagram, here is a photo' of one of the (three) under-floor heating/cooling manifolds.  How crazy is that?

Progress on windows

Concrete(ish) evidence of activity on window constructions ...

Richtfest

Today we had the Richtfest (topping out party?) to celebrate the approaching end of the concrete and steel work (the house is complete, just additional walls to do) and the addition of the first waterproof layer to the (flat) roof.  Classically the last roof timbers going in would be the time to celebrate, but what with our flat roof ...

Decorated tree top on top of scaffolding

Decorations on tree

Among the festivities we decorated the end of a bit of tree with crepe ribbons and the builders put it up on the scaffolding.  The branch came from the tree just in front of the house.

The owner of the building firm and his colleague then read a traditional poem from the roof wishing us luck and thanking the builders for their hard work.  After a couple of toasts and some applause, they threw their wine glasses to the floor which duly smashed, thereby ensuring good luck, health, happiness, etc.

Spectators at the Richtfest

Then it was sausage in a bun, drinks and brownies time (thanks Tom for covering for me with the grill).  The rain stayed off until most people had left.  At least it is dry in the house now.

Concrete infrastructure nearing completion

On Thursday last week, the final concrete layer was poured on the roof.

Tidying up after pouring the roof

The surrounding raised rim (roof parapet or Attika) has the re-enforcing in place and should be poured very soon.

Most of the interior support structure will be taken down on the ground floor this week so that the window maker can get decent access to things.  We signed the contract with him on Thursday last week.  Some of the props and struts look a bit improvised.

Complex engineering holding up living room window frame

View from across the road

The roof panels are all on, but there isn't much to see from the outside.

Work on final ceiling started

As the first panels for the pre-ceiling on the top floor go in, the scaffolding has gone up another floor.  This gave us the chance to get a look inside the top floor of the house from roof level.



Looking through the ceiling of bedroom

  The ceiling will be the flat roof and will be build the same way as the other floor/ceiling ... first drop a load of roughly cut pre-reenforced thin concrete slabs on to of beams held up by poles, then patch the gaps from underneath with planks and things, then use this as a base to form the remaining 30 cm of concrete and steel work.


Ceiling not quite water tight yet.



Ring anchor interface

On the top floor, some of the lintels have been poured and other (external wall) ones are on their way.

View inside the lintel holding block

Remaining lintel forming blocks, waiting to be deployed

It looks like the top floor should be completed this week, making things ready for the roof.  Let's see how th the builders get on.

Upstairs rooms becoming better defined

Despite the weather, tehre has been a lot of visible progress in the last few days.

Clair standing in front of the top of the staircase - bathroom in background

Main bathroom with large saw already in place

View throught the doorway into child's bedroom.  It looks like he's moved in already

The scaffolders have also installed the provisional staircase which saves clambering around on ladders and through trap doors.

View from the bedroom window

There was a break in the rain over the weekend and I took the chance to climb up onto the upper scaffolding gantry. 

View from what will be our bedroom window

The view across the Riedsbach looks really pretty (apart from te uilding site rubbish in the corner).  I wonder how it will look if/when the houses get built in the new development over there.

Meanwhile, back at the allotment, I established that (i) damp apple tree branches don't burn very well, and (ii) the annoying couchgrass I pulled up was one f the two sweetcorn seend which had actually germinated.  At least all the potatoes (Laura) have made it above ground level now.

Colour scheme selection

Yesterday we made some progress working on colours of exterior surfaces.

The exterior sliding panels to cover the windows will be woven with willow to match the surroundings.  After looking at steamed, peeled, smoked, natural (coarse) and natural (fine) and keeping all five samples out in the rain, sun, snow and wind for the best part of a year, we have chose the peeled willow (I think).  In the picture it is the second one down.

Woven willow sampler for sliding window covers (Schiebeläden).  Colours are, from top to bottom, steamed, peeled, smoked, natural (coarse) and natural (fine)

We also chose the colour of the window frames (there were many [50-ish] shades of grey to choose from - we went for zeltgrau) and the type of wood.  We also made an initial selection for the upper floor plastering but it is hard to describe (pale handbag) and not a final choice yet.

The curved concrete wall has been revealed - basically it is lovely, but there are some bits of cosmetic adjustment to made in a couple of area.

Shuttering for curved wall in exposed concrete

On the ground floor there is a curved wall with a small window in the middle.  The curve is a complex shape and the wall will be made of exposed concrete (Sichtbeton), so the shuttering has taken a long time to design and build.

The inner sufraces of the shuttering are formed from a bendy plastic sheeting, which is held up against the faceted wooden infrastructure.

It should be poured this week.

Inner surface of shutering exposed

Exterior of curved shuttering

Ground floor panorama

Ground floor with shuttering prepared above windows

All the exterior grond floor walls are done and now the shuttering is being added abovethe windows.  Because there are no corner pillars in theliving and dining rooms, the shuttering needs some careful propping up.

First blocks for ground floor

First blocks in place

Now that the ground has been filled in a bit around the cellar, the work can start on the ground floor.  The first few bricks have been laid here and there; in one corner tey have already done several courses.

For anyone who cares, the bricks are 36.5 cm thick and have a lambda value of around 0.9 W/mK

Utilities going in ... rain water going out

The utilities have also been connected (maybe all, who can tell?), as well as half of the outgoing rainwater piping.  The road was dug up on Friday and left blocking things up all day.  Sorry neighbours.

Further development of retaining wall

The first part of the first section of retaining wall along the river bank has had its shuttering removed.  It looks big.  At the bottom a section has been cut out at the road end for some reason.

First part of first section of retaining wall

The second part of the first section could be poured today.  The shuttering is up and the steel work is all in place inside.

Shuttering for second part of first section of retaining wall

Its still really cold, though.  Poor builders.

Goji bush - top tip

The sun was shining and the allotment was calling.  But the first hours of the year at the allotment have been invested in hacking down and removing the goji bushes.

They grew really well and really fast.  In two years they were arount 8 feet tall.  And they cropped very well.  But ...

goji bushes are a nightmare.  They went wild taking over a huge area.  The roots go down forever and are almost impossible to dig out.  The berries are yucky.  And the plants are covered in giant thorns.

So, my tip for goji bushes: don't.

Panorama

Looking back towards the site from the corner opprosite Ring Str. and Blueten Weg

Thanks to some iPod magic, we captured this panorama yesterday.  Right in the centre is me taking a picture of something or other.

Views from the cellar roof

We were able to grab a few pictures yesterday during a sunny spell at the site.

First shuttering in place for main element of retaining wall

Entrance to cellar - just missing some stairs

Safety aware builders have put a coke bottle over one of the spikes