Pre-cast exterior stairs

Here are some images of hte pre-cast stairs being offloaded from the lorry and lifted into place with a Maniscope.

 The steps are shaped to fit the gabions, which stagger back at an angle and with steps. to enable a slightly wider platform.

Roofs, walls looking finished

Here is the green roof, looking a bit patchy because they sent short by 6m2, so more is on the way. It has now been watered in, by rain and hose, so should settle in and establish itself over the next few months.

 The pink north wall with small windows

 and the front entrance wall with cladding complete

 Solar p anels installed on the studio roof, pumpoing out energy [well not much in winter months] but not yet grid connected.

 Tapoing of the plasterboard now in progress in the house

and the south wall cladding is now finished

Green roofing

Today it is all go with green roof being craned in and laid out inn all its multiple layers finshed with Sedum and pebbles around the perimeter.

Down below the plumbers are finishing the first fix, much delayed since mid December, and  builders are constructing the supporting boundary wall.

Whilst the joiners are working on the external cladding which is almost completed.

Stepoc boundary wall

 A view of the green roof

 The pink north wall

Cladding finished by front door

External finishing of render and cladding

 Here are some images of the finished lime render, taken in a rainstorm, but showing something of the tones. The garage/studio is in off-white, whereas the house is in pink, to match the stone that is widely used around and about.

 The external stairs will now be pre-cast in the Lochton cement factory, and will arrive in late January, but the structures to support them are now in place.

 And here there is plasterboarding in progress in the lounge

 and in the hall

 whilst outside the cladding is going on the walls to the south and west

Strengthening the overhang and cladding with Scottish larch

Here are some pictures of the overhang, a feature of the main house. The engineer required it to be strengthened to support weight above, so it has become quite busy.

The framework is sthen covered in mesh to keep the flies and wasps out.

And finally it is clad in Scottish larch, using Stainless steel nails and with airgaps between boards to allow the space and indeed the whole roof to breathe.

Ventilation system - MVHR 1st fix

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I have been busy this week putting in radial pipework for the ventilation system - Mechanical Ventilation and Hear Recovery = MVHR. The pipes go in the void between ceiling plasterboard and roof.

 See in the pics the long lengths of red 75mm pipe that either supply air to, or exhaust air from the house

 Some have double pipes to increase flow, esp if they are further from the machine that pumps air in/out. Bathroom and kitchen also have double pipes to enhance performance.

 It was quite tricky finding a place to run the pipes in some parts.
You may also see that Darren the sparkie has been in and run 1st fix cables everywhere, for electricity and data.

Here is an image of the large skylight bringing buckets of light into the centre of the house.

Wind and watertight

 Here the ply roof is completed and the large Fakro skylight is visible [1.2x2.4m].

 Bill excavated thetracks for the drains and other service ducts from the garage to the roadside, where the specialist contractor took over.

The drains were linked out to the road services - a specialist contractor dealt with the road connection for sewer, water, gas and electric. They had a permit to close the road for 2 weeks, tho actually managed to complete the work in a week. The postie was pleased to be able to walk peacefully up the road, but I am sure the rest of Banchory population was less excited.