On Cabin bed build ~ part 2 by Cabin bed build ~ part 1 | my barn conversion [...] Cabin bed build ~ part 2 [...]
On Damn the architect by Planning and control tools – Remember the milk | my barn conversion [...] to focus on my fumbling attempts at labouring, carpentry,...
Obviously with nasty old Christmas getting in the way (!) progress has slowed a little, but not to the extent I would have expected.
The beams are looking great and have been completely embedded in the wall – the walls have been rebuilt where the holes where pushed through to allow the beams to be put into place. Apparently, each beam weighs around three quarters of a tonne, enough to make the machine that was used to lift them lean alarmingly before getting the job done!
The two windows that we’re putting through on the ground floor gable-end have been measured up and partially cut through. I was worried that they’d be too big, but the size looks about right. The damp problems in the wall have been further confirmed by the builder when cutting the windows out and I’m currently figuring out what to do – I have an idea or two of which more in the future…
Major progress has been made in starting construction of the first floor in the main part of the barn. Last I saw of it, the joists that run lengthwise through the barn, supported by the oak beams had begun to be put into place and the feel of the new building has begun to establish itself – exciting times.
Finally, the opening between the two ground floor rooms of the barn has been fully established and the retaining walls strengthened. There have been a couple of difficulties in getting the levels of the reclaimed oak lintels correct as there are two steps up into the kitchen and a conundrum to be solved in getting the various ceiling, lintel and floor levels correct, but I think we’ve got there, hopefully without the opportunity of me banging my head.
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Building Progress ~ November 2007, week 1 and 2 Let the games begin.
The first phase of building involves excavation of the exterior ground levels all around the building to provide drainage trenches and ensure that exterior floor levels are...
Building Progress ~ February 2008, week 4 We have walls.
Well at least partially, the partition walls have started to be built in the kitchen, to form a utility / services room & a small WC and upstairs,...
Attention to detail... April 2008 update Being a fan of lists, we've been using one to keep track of those items that we need to specify and decisions we need to make in regard to the...
Organic architecture more or less means organic society. An architecture inspired by this ideal cannot acknowledge the laws imposed by aestheticism or mere taste, just as an organic society should reject any external imposition on life that contrast with nature and the character of the man who has found his work and the place where he can be happy and useful in a form of existence suited to him.
In short, architecture should follow the needs of society and the individuals within that society; that any awkward imposition caused by aestheticism or mere taste should be rejected. This struck me as a powerful quote that pretty much sums up my own personal approach to architecture. Whilst architectural styles and movements can entice with their aesthetic beauty, discipline and rigour, my personal needs for an attractive and yet functional environment drive me down a more pragmatic route.
Form follows function…
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What is Thermal Mass? One of those frequently occurring eco-building terms, thermal mass is often mentioned but rarely defined.
Passive Solar Heating Systems - ideas As I've posted previously:
A direct gain system is one where the main means of thermal gain is through direct heating of the thermal mass by solar radiation entering the building...
PassivHaus One of the cornerstones of energy efficient, healthy, sustainable building design, the PassivHaus standard aims to provide comfortable year round living conditions through minimal energy expenditure.
I’m always looking for new ways to get the message of this site across, so I’m happy to announce that I’m going to start adding video content via YouTube.
The first video is on the interior of the barn as it begins to take shape. The floor is partially finished, oaks beams are in place and work has started on the first floor. It’s a little dark and gloomy, but not too bad for a first attempt…
Enjoy…
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Oak Beam ~ The Movie Inspired by my first outing onto YouTube and dazzled by the 143 people who've so far taken the time to watch the minute long tour of the ground floor of...
Early Interior Video I'm a little late in posting this as it was taken a couple of months ago, but I think it's worth adding as it gives a feeling of the internal...
Design Patterns @ architypes As should be pretty obvious to any regular reader of this site, I'm pretty keen on the use of design patterns to ensure the goodness-of-fit between building plans and specifications...
Rather strangely, I’ve we’ve discovered stalactites in our walls.
Whilst the photograph is not that clear, that downward dribble to the right of the centre of the picture is a lime stalactite that has formed within the south facing wall of the barn. Whilst the wall is not very damp at the surface, internally it is quite wet and obviously sometimes runs with water. Whilst lime is supposed to breathe, this amount of moisture would take colossal lungs to exhale! That aspect of the building has been recently (over the last 10 years) repointed with what I thought was lime mortar so this comes as something of a blow and an unexpected piece of work. On close inspection the pointing is cracked, even rotten in places and some of the smaller joints have not been pointed at all. All in all it seems a bit of a botched job with plenty of opportunities for rain to get into the wall – that wall is pretty exposed and likely to suffer driving rain over the winter.
We’ll need to hack out the mortar and repoint the wall in an attempt to remedy the problem. We can officially claim this to be Hiccup #1 …
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Lime Pointing Update So I've managed to go an get myself a new hobby, which is really the last thing I need at the moment as I have more than enough to fill...
Building Progress ~ March 2008, week 1 & 2 We've now arrived at the stage where I need to get start getting services installed into the fabric of the building - first fix electrics and plumbing.
The first of the structural elements that will form a finished part of the building have been installed. Our much debated oak beams, that were selected over steel beams as a key element of our healthy house design have been delivered and put into place.
As the walls that will support the beams are already built (being the original barn walls), they have been installed by cutting holes right through the wall at one end of the beam and a recess into the wall at the other end, then being fed through the hole and back into the recess. Shame I wasn’t there to see all the action as it must have been quite a struggle to get such large, heavy pieces of timber into place. Aesthetically, they look great – a definite improvement over steal beams.
The other major piece of work has been the creation of the opening in the wall between the kitchen and the main area of the barn. This gives a completely new flow to the building and brings about a whole new perspective to the main room. Of particular note, the two ventilation (arrow) slits at the kitchen side of the room are far more visible and provide beautiful shafts of light when passing through the core of the building.
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Building Progress ~ New Year 2007/2008 The feel of the barn has moved on again as now the openings for the two windows that we're adding to the gable end of the barn have been completely...
Our 
Shame I wasn’t there to see all the action as it must have been quite a struggle to get such large, heavy pieces of timber into place. Aesthetically, they look great – a definite improvement over steal beams.
Of particular note, the two ventilation (arrow) slits at the kitchen side of the room are far more visible and provide beautiful shafts of light when passing through the core of the building.