October 31, 2005

Slow Day

We got home about 2am so not feeling the Fred west, we got over about 1pm with great intentions but -10% of motivation. Dad was over also, we put down the planks for the screeding next weekend. Keep the molly malones off the UFH.
We also took down the scaffolding from the front of the house, still a load of rubble out the front but will have to wait!

October 30, 2005

Scaffolding off

Arrived over at ten, got another 8 buckets of sand and got a screed mix together, I started the to finished the bathroom when I spotted movement outside, it was Vinny and his brother in law down for another load of scaffolding, gas men on a Sunday and no mass to go to!!

Off to Des Bishop tonite so once the screed was all gone I headed off home for dinner in Mam and Dads, only managed the wardrobe.
Out for a few pints with the brother in laws, good old night.

October 29, 2005

Hand Screeding + painting

I was working with Dad this morning, his first day back at work after been off for 3, so to take the pressure off and to try and repay the many hours of work he has done it was the least I could have done. So out of the cot for 5.30am!!
We got the papers out and then I had a cup of tea at home, Vinny rang me and said he was on his way down for a load of scaffolding, put a stop to my screeding and also the fact that it was pissing it down did not bode to well!
I got him with the 4 wheel drive to collect 12 bags of cement for me.
We put on the old wellies and glad rags and after 2 hours of rain and huffing and puffing and a bit of a laugh we got it filled. It is a great sight to see the scaffolding heading off!

Siobhan and Marie (her mam) arrived out to go painting, they set to and did get work.

I took a fit and decided to do a mix a load of screed. Great intentions and the minute I started the dry mix the arse feel out of the sky and I got drowned!
I mixed 8 buckets of sand and 3.5 buckets of cement to make it good and strong since there is only a 1" (25mm) of screed upstairs. The dry mix needed to be turned 3 times so as to get a good consistency.
It is a long time since I hand mixed concrete and it was a killer on the arms but with the hawling of it upstairs made it even more fun!!!
I managed to get about 3/4 of the main bathroom done upstairs, I expected 11 buckets of screed to chew up the floor space but far from it, this is going to be fun!!

October 28, 2005

UFH all done

I arrived on site after work, Dad and Damo were there and they had completed the UFH so it was great to get it finished! I headed off home, have a bit of a pain in my head the last few days, work in mental busy so wore out!
Still the door is not ready, what these guys are at god knows!!

October 27, 2005

Screeding Called Off

Brian was there when I arrived to the site about 8pm, he ran the piping outside, unusual as I have not seen a flexible copper piping before.
I then cut the insulation for the utility room, I rang Corcorans and Roadstone to get a delivery of screed but no dice, it seems that they do not work on the Saturday of a Bank Holiday, bit peed off with this but still loads to do anyway!!
Probably no harm as Dad is still unwell and Damien is off to Birmingham so there would have only been 2 of us.

October 26, 2005

More piping!

I rang Brian, he hopes to call down to put in the pipes, we hope to start screeding on Saturday so I need it down and UFH completed to do so.
I completed the zone in the kitchen and left the pipe loose to finish the utility room.

October 25, 2005

Down to one zone

Evenings are dark and not much motivation to work but it has to be done!! Got the UFH down in the hall, all that is left now is the final zone in the kitchen and Utility room

October 24, 2005

Another late arrival!

Arrived about 8pm, got down the insulation in the hall and the front and tried to cut out the bottom of the stairs to put down the insulation but a bit difficult on my own.

October 23, 2005

Zapping the Zones

Another day more pipe, getting to the end of it and the move towards screeding is pushed on. Dad was over and Siobhan was upstairs painting, getting used to it now at this stage!!

Myself and dad setout the sitting room, 2 separate zones with 2 different widths of separation between them so we had to make sure we got it right.

Next in line was the bathroom with the tight loops and missing sections for toilet and handbasin and that room was pulled in, another issue with the bathroom is that is shares a zone with the back of the hall.
So once we had that down it was a matter of measuring off the to-scale drawings and fitting the pipes in the hall, again different separation and back to the manifold.

Then onto the kitchen, there were gaps left for the island and kitchen units, another zone was to cover the top of the kitchen and looped into the utility room.
It has to be left until Brian Cooley from Climate Control arrives to install the feed and return pipes for the Geothermal collector bed.

October 22, 2005

UFH

Arrived ocver for eight, lovely day so I started to clear some of the rubble stone outside, a lot of stone scattered so to avoid someone breaking their necks so
an hour later there was a bit of a front to it!!

I started the UFH in the sun room , this is a different design compared to the rest of the house. The other rooms are similar to a kettle with the "U" loops
The sunroom is more circular, what you do is go around in loops and go to the middle, make a U bend then loop back around again back the same path again.
What this allows you to do is squeeze much more pipe into a smaller area, and seen that there are 3 external walls it needs this coverage.

I managed to loop in the sun room and dining room and headed off for the dinner!

October 21, 2005

Stone Masons Gone

Stone masons finsihed now, great to get it all done!

I started the UFH downstairs, started with the back bedroom and got it down, less zones to do now and definately getting quicker at this, great for the knees!!
Still it is all progress.
I also had to break out the sole plate and soap bars out between the dining room and kitchen to allow the UFH pipes through. Seems like a simple job but more of a pain
in the arse!

Pics of the stone now with the scaffolding gone. Door needs to be put in though


October 20, 2005

Nothing Done

Late at work did not manage to get any work done, only another 2 weeks of this ahead, systems will be out the door then!

October 19, 2005

Painting

I continued on with the painting upstairs, landing all undercoated now.

October 18, 2005

More Painting

Catherine arrived out with Siobhan to do some painting, I am sanding the walls in the big room and putting paper on the windows to avoid splashing!

Rang about door, give him a ring tomorrow to see if they have finished!

Plumber, we are not sure if he has finished or not, stuff is gone but he has a few things to do.

October 17, 2005

Plumber arrives, stone nearly finished

7pm when I arrived, plumber had pipe runs down, going to make laying the insulation harder,great!!
I started to give the bedroom, bathroom and landing a 2nd coat, got 2 buckets of cheapo emulsion in Albany in Claremorris for 39 euro.
Going to need a hell of a lot more that 2 buckets!!!
Rang Sean, he hopes to finish off the roof by end of week, stone masons hopefully finished Tuesday.

Getting Sean diggerman/neighbour to move in and dig the trench for the ESB piping is going to be another issue! Getting ESB into the house will be the stumbling block I forsee.
Again door is not ready, joiner also makes coffins and he keeps going on with this crap he will be making one for himself ;)

October 16, 2005

Out Of Paint

We both were on site today, Dad is still sick so he is going to take it easy. I had to measure each of the door opes so that a door schedule could be done up, a 3 week wait time of the doors, skirting, architrave.
I finished off the insulation on the dining room and moved into the sitting room, more angles again with the bay windown and semi circular hearth! Also had to chisel out four 4" solid blocks which were over hanging for the soleplate.

Herself ran out of paint about 5 but started to clean the windows in the sun room, great to get the cleaning done, pain in the arse job.

October 15, 2005

Downstair insulation & Painting

Siobhan came over today to get stuck into the painting, she got the front bedroom finished and started the toilet, we realised that she would not have a lot of paint left for tomorrow!
I started outside, cleared up the waste stone that the stone masons had left around, I then tidied up the scaffolding.
I had blocks to clear up also so that i could order sand.
I then moved inside and decided to put down the radon barrier on the dining room and sun room, each joint has to be taped and all this is very time consuming.
Rang Alpha kitchens and asked them to call so that we could measure up.
I got the radon down and then put down some of the 70mm sheets of XtraTherm insulation. 46 sheets to put down and tape, hours of fun especially around the bay windows!!
Pulled ship about 8, I got a couple of 40ft flexs to make up a few light in CT Electric, gas really that 100m of flex, 4 bulb holders, 4 bulbs and 4 plugs was 16 euro, cheap I thought!

October 14, 2005

De Vinci @ Work!

Peter the plumber called tonite about 10pm, just to go through what he had to do. I will be watching these guys like a hawk as the first fix they did was nothing
short of shabby and shite! We had to go back over it and lag the pipes and put in wedges to keep the wastes in place!
I started the painting, strange now to start this, way back I would have thought we would be nearly finished at this stage but there is still a hell of a lot needed to be done.

October 13, 2005

Sanding the walls!

I started to fix the issues with the plaster, got a hold of a smooth sand paper and sanded away, the upstairs to be fair is not to bad, donwstairs is brutal!
Dad and Damien were over all day and took down the scaffolding on the gable and back of house, another step forward!

October 12, 2005

Soccer Match

I did no work on the house today, Ireland were playing the Swiss, we drew and are out of World Cup!
The stone masons were there today, they are doing well, as long as the weather sticks!
Dad was over for a while to put the radon barrier down before the plumbers arrive.
Speaking of, they were due Monday, yesterday and today but hey no joy, shock horror!!

Door saga continues, rang them today, "it will be ready Friday", where have i heard this before!!

More pics of the UFH


October 11, 2005

Oh plumber where arth thou

Today was a day for trying to get hold of the plumber, must have made 10 calls, twat won't answer either! This guy is beginning to push me now but if you blow your top then they can fup up the work!
Dad was there today, he put down the radon barrier in the toilet downstairs and cleaned it out.
We went upstairs and finished off the main bedroom, wardrobe and ensuite with the piping, was late when I pulled out of the house but at least it is done now. The reel is a life saver!

Pics of UFH




October 10, 2005

Off To the city!

We headed off to Dublin to meet with Jonny and to get the voucher and to pick out our timber flooring.
Luckily I had measured it last nite, 145 sq yards, got the 12mm semi solid for 3300 all in, delighted to get it sorted!
Dad was on site with Damien and they started the main room and cleared it out.
No masons today, as the say "the rain in Spain fell mainly in Ireland" today!

October 09, 2005

Sore Work!!

Pulled onto site @ about 9,30am. Legs are busted with the bending down! Very windy and cold and does nothing to motivate me!
I managed to finish the bathroom, pain in the arse with all the small loops and trying to keep the spacing between 6".
Siobhan arrived with some fodder and she started to clean the windows, a big job that you don't really add into your schedule!!
I managed to get the back room also piped, I had a method and it started to work.
Dad arrived over and we completed the backroom, great days work.

When I got home I got the plans out and worked out the sq yardage for the floors.

October 08, 2005

UFH Begins

Was out last nite so with a trobbing head I did not make it until 3.30pm!! Dad, Damien and John were there!
The compelted the battens in the wardrobe and had insulated same and the ensuite, another job done!!
The lads pulled out and I worked on, well I watched the Ireland Cyprus match and then worked!!!
Brian from Climate control gave me a reel for the pipe and a gun for the clips, very handy, after much head scratching and after installing the manifold I began the landing.

I had a semi circular pipe bender head which was great for stopping the pipe from kinking. Worked away until 12am and my stomach started screaming at me!!

Pic Of final fireplace.

October 07, 2005

More Furniture!

We headed to the N17 to look at furniture, have a couple of beds which we liked,still no table or suite of furniture to beat Skye or Carrowkeel.
Dad was over doing the insulation on the floors.

October 06, 2005

Finished Battens

Rang again about the door, definately ready next week! Oh, Where I have heard this before!!
Dad was over doing the insulation of the floors, he manged to get the landing completed.
I started the battens and completed the bathroom and ensuite, have to avoid the toilets and shower areas.
I ordered another load of Lacken stone, 1100 euro more, stone is costings are rocketing!
Talked to Jonny, seems we are off to Dublin next Monday to seal the deal and pick out the floors.

Pics below:


October 05, 2005

Batten Landing

Late at the house, I only managed to batten the landing, Dad and Gerry gave me a hand.
Defiantely considering the flooring, all legit.

October 04, 2005

Insulation Of Floor

We insulated the main bedroomand battened the front bedroom. Fireplace is now finished, pics below, it looks well.
I took a spin to N17 to see if they had anything we might like, looks good. Will have to get Siobhan to visit.
Got an email from a lad on boards who is selling a voucher for wooden flooring he is selling. Worth 2500, looking for 1500. Sounds good but have to investigate.
His buyer feel through, so it is still open.

October 03, 2005

Plumber & Fireplace

Rang the plumber, he is due in next Monday.
Fireplace almost completed,keystone and mantle carriers in.
Dad was still cleaning the facia and soffit and windows, some pain in the ass!
Started the battens in the main room, had to work out exactly how they would fit to achieve a 6" gap between pipe runs, made our timber guides and set off. Of course this is a slow job and has to be done right.
We made the guide 270mm to get the gap, also have to leave a 75mm gap at the walls to get the loop and feed run around the room! Such fun!
Got the large room, Gerry stuck at it to give us a hand, many hands!

Anniversary today, 1 year married, flew by big time! Only seems like yesterday it happened!!

Pics of fireplace


October 02, 2005

Furniture

We left Donegal at about 20 past 10, arrived in Galway after 12.30p, no traffic so it was grand. We looked in about 6 shops at furniture, beds, paint, curtins etc, got some paint and brushes, rollers etc. Cannot believe we are at this stage already!

October 01, 2005

Bon Anniversaire

In Donegal, no work!! Dad was over alright cleaning.