Last week saw the really exciting part of the build begin: time for the timber frame kit!
As with the foundations, we’ve been looking at the various PH15 frame drawings for months, without really comprehending exactly how it all worked and everything slotted together. I don’t understand it all yet, but base plates, i-joists and wood fibre are slightly less mysterious than they were previously.
Just as no-one had seen such substantial insulation under a slab before, the base plates that are fixed to the (beautifully smooth and flat) slab are wider and thicker than any the builders have seen before. Once the i-joists are screwed to the base plates, it’s amazing how sturdy the structure is even without beams on top – just as well though!
As well as kit erection starting, the week also started with – finally – the electricity meter being installed and the final electricity connection being made. Hallelujah! I was only mildly discouraged when I heard that we will need to go through virtually the same process all over again when we move the metre and our whole connection inside the house… SSE, Octopus and an electrician… sigh. Can’t possibly be as stressful as this first time, can it?
You’re always told that this stage of the build goes really quickly – and it really does. I was there for the first few days last week, and was excited enough about progress, but when the photos came in last night it was amazing how much had gone up in one day. At this time of year, the faster the better though – apart from the odd day, the weather is looking reasonably dry over the next couple of weeks, which makes everything much more straightforward. Needless to say, we are now looking forward to the roof being on!
