Almost forgotten

And here you were thinking I'd forgotten about the blog.  Well, in my last post I said things had been quiet and now that the frames have arrived, things should pick up.  That was an understatement.  Things certainly picked up.  So much so that I've been too busy/tired to update things here. So I will hope to bring things up to date in one summary of the goings on over the last month!  As a bit off a preview, here is a before and after for the last month...

Before:

The extension just before the frames went up. The slab at Luke's feet is where the fireplace is going to end up.

During:

The frame is up and the boys are putting the reclaimed weatherboards back on the extension. All nicely sanded by Eb (the apprentice) and I.

After(ish):

Wall is up, sub deck is down, the new roof is on, and the scaffolding is gone.

Bored with boards

When ever I've had a bit of time lately, I've been sanding weatherboards. The old paint job is at least 20 years old and showing every year if it so sanding is a big job.

Up until today I've been concentrating on the boards that have been removed from the house (ie the big hole at the back). I've tried a variety of methods to get the job done as efficiently as possible. The best so far seems to be a combo of a small disk sander to do the curves and edges of the weatherboard, and a belt sander or larger disk sander to rip into the flat parts. Given that the paint's in pretty bad shape, it's a fairly slow process.  However, the done pile is finally starting to grow a bit.

While I've been grinding through these boards, I've been trying not to look at the vast walls on the house that are yet to be done. Of course, with the removed boards, I have the advantage of bring able to move them about to make the sanding easier for myself. I don't have this luxury on the rest if the house. An industrial solution is in order or otherwise I'd be here sanding the house until 2015.

Thumping big pressure cleaner

The solution, it turns out, is water - and a thumping big pump to spay it at very high pressure. We got hold of a high pressure cleaner from a plumber mate if Owens. It's proving to be very useful.

The pressure cleaner is pretty quick at taking off any lose paint. And it's a hell of a lot faster than sanding. I'll still have to go over it with the sander to finish, but the job seems a little more doable now. I've managed to do from the back wall around to the other side of the study in one morning. Mind you, it's not all plain sailing.

Before (top) and after (below)

Drying out - definitely after!

First off, I realized pretty quickly that my boots weren't going to keep the water out for long. In fact, they lasted about an hour and a half, before I squelched off to the hardware to get a pair of wellies. However, I think what I really news is a pair of waders because by lunch, one leg (the one nearest the spray) was soaked and water was running into my boot. Luckily i have another pair of jeans with me. So it's now off to storage to see if I can find my waterproof overpants before I drown my left foot!

Picasso checking out the paint I'd blasted off - I don't think he's impressed with my job!

I bin framed

The frames and trusses finally arrived today. So, after a couple of quietish weeks, things will pick up tomorrow. With all the prefab bits now on site, it shouldn't take too long to put the big jigsaw together.

Under done

With the floor joists down today was the last chance for me to install underfloor insulation under the old kitchen and laundry.

The extension has to be insulated for Basix requirements, but not the existing building. Since the old kitchen/laundry and the extension will be all one room, there's not much point in insulating the new section and not the old, so under the house I went.

Luckily I already had two thirds of a roll of insulation under the house from when I put it under the study. I was intending to continue and do the rest if the house, but never finished as I ran into wiring and wasn't sure how to get around it without electrocuting myself. I thought about it for a while and then forgot about the whole thing as the weather warmed up. As it turns out, I had just the right amount to do the old kitchen and laundry which will become the new kitchen.

Retrofit insulation under kitchen

The insulation consists of a thin layer of foam between two sheets of foil. The whole thing resembles a large foul roll. Laying it involves stapling the sheet to the underside of the joists. Any joins need to be taped with foil darling tape.

The whole process involves me laying in my back in the dirt and struggling with the roll attempting to keep it straight and stapling it in place. I'm glad I wasn't borne a mole is all I can say!

Anyway, the job is pretty much done now. I just need to go under and seal up the last little bit after the plumber has finished his stuff.

As you can see in this pic, laying the insulation in the new part is somewhat easier!

Insulation and sub-floor in the extension