Building a house -- DIARY

Goll Mac Morna · 11-06-2005 12:24am #1

A Diary of building a house is going to be different for everyone with regard to construction timeframes as seen from the scenarios below
e.g.
Self-Build (i.e. you actually build the lion’s share yourself),
Direct Labour (paying a builder or a company to build (or assemble) but organising all the materials and extras yourself).
Contract (employ a contractor to do everything)

I have decided to go the DIRECT LABOUR route and have been very fortunate to employ a very experienced builder (40+ years experience) who ‘…takes pride in his work…’ and learned his trade with an exceptional building company who operated close to where I live. This man is also very genuine and decent. :cool:

This man used to be a ‘One man Show’ he would build a house on his own; foundations, dead building, walls, roof (cut if needed), plastering and finish carpentry- only thing he didn’t do = plumbing and electrics.

Anyway, the idea I had was that if people that are building their own houses were to list a type of building diary that it would be extremely useful to others who were following in their footsteps.
This diary need not be formal + Chronological- but would be great if it was.

The idea I have is that if and when something of interest happens that you could post a comment e.g.

Took Delivery of BIO TREATMENT SYSTEM TODAY – cost €3,900 :eek:

(BELIEVE ME A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THE LEAST INTERESTING THING WOULD BE A BIO-TREATMENT SYSTEM, but such is life!!!!!)

For what it’s worth here is some of my DIARY so far:

May 24th SITE OPENED and cleared (ditch torn out --top soil scraped off )

MAY 25th 15M or 20M of roadway into site (GRIZLEY –mad name- stone dumped from quarry) –cost approx €5.00 ? per tonne (each lorry is 20 tonne ) Foundations _ started digging

MAY 26th Foundations poured €57 per M3 cost of concrete.

FOUNDATIONS must be left for about 5 days at least before building on them (leave them for 1 month before they cure fully)

WEEKEND
MAY 30th

JUNE 10th Took delivery of Bio system all site work to be finished in next couple pf days i.e I will be mowing my lawn before I have full wals, but this is how our builder works-- does all site work before bulding house (allows me to put in lawn etc.)

Goll Mac Morna · 15-06-2005 9:40pm

That opening post was very long winded,

the idea is that if you do something with your own house or have a useful experience or advice, you could post it here.

For example in the house we are building we have had to order about 30 lorry loads of stones for the foundation roadway etc. (even though it's a fairly level site) cost = approx €5,000 :eek:

patrido · 15-06-2005 11:23pm

i think it's a great idea.

i'm regretting not doing a blog/diary of my self build from the very beginning. but now that i'm half way through, there hardly seems any point...

best of luck with it, and looking forward to hearing how your project goes

Goll Mac Morna · 16-06-2005 12:17am

Thanks Patrido for the encouragement, it will be handy for all who are in the middle of building like yourself, starting out like myself or maybe just thinking about it.

Patrido why don't you leave some comments on what stage you are at and what you have left to do.

At the minute we are getting the foundations finished insulation was delivered this evening.

The Digger man has spent the day levelling more of the site and putting in concrete pipes into an open drain that we are going to fill in.

patrido · 16-06-2005 6:14pm

Goll Mac Morna wrote:

Patrido why don't you leave some comments on what stage you are at and what you have left to do.

Don't depress me by making me think about what's left to do

My house looks like this at the moment (or about 4 weeks ago). At the moment I'm ...
- putting the lead on the dormers
- choosing a front door. I've just ordered the windows and rear/side external doors
- choosing veluxes/keylites.
- planning the electrical first fix.
- choosing an underfloor heating system.

I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing other things that I've forgotten too

kadman · 16-06-2005 7:28pm

Nice link, Patrido. :cool:

kadman

allnight_2002 · 16-06-2005 9:18pm

Hi,
I am ten months in to my self build / direct labour project. here are some of the latest pic of me house. There is just so much left I don't know where to begin

Goll Mac Morna · 16-06-2005 10:31pm

Patrido you say you have a long way to go, we are only putting in the insulation today!!

subfloor will be poured tomorrow.
Digger driver has been clearing up and levelling site to leave ready for sowing grass (starting to look like the shape of gardens).

All foundation work should be finished by tomorrow evening

Goll Mac Morna · 16-06-2005 10:37pm

Patrido and allnight the pictures look great, keep them coming.
I'll try and post some of my own pictures soon, I have just tried to but dial-up is v. slow to upload.

some costs for comparison
concrete floor (hollowcore slabs) €32 per m2
Concrete 25Newton for foundations €57 per m3
4" blocks €48 per 100 = €480 per 1000

Fredser · 17-06-2005 10:44am

Excellent Thread folks. Great pictures and info.

Keep it up

Fredser

tinofapples · 17-06-2005 11:52am

I agree with Fredser , excellent thread lads.

Please keep posting info/experiences and of course pictures.

We've been waiting for PP since last December and won't have it now until Sept 30 but hopefully we'll get it in the end and I'm sure if and when we do we'll find this thread a valuable source of info.

Keep em coming !!

patrido · 17-06-2005 12:53pm

best of luck with the PP.

we waited a whole year and 3 seperate applications for ours, so I know how you feel

. we had rock solid local need, and no problem with the plans - the 3rd application was identical to the first

stupid planners.

Cushtie · 17-06-2005 1:09pm

our PP decision is due next week. fingers crossed. we have heard nothing since the application went in (apart from the standard acknowledgement letter). I'm checking the council website about 10 times a day, don't know why as I know we will probably be informed (good news or bad news) before it goes on the website anyway. I have a gut feeling (deep dread) they will come back next week with a further information request just to buy some time!!

tinofapples · 17-06-2005 2:19pm

stupid planners.

Affirmative !!

yop · 17-06-2005 3:06pm

Lads

I have been doing a blog of our build, to be honest I am short on time but hope to update it as soon as I can and put in prices etc when I get the time.

The layout of the blog is a bit daft as it is in reverse chronological form so navigate from the right hand side.

http://selfbuildireland.blogspot.com/

patrido · 17-06-2005 3:23pm

yop wrote:

Lads

I have been doing a blog of our build, to be honest I am short on time but hope to update it as soon as I can and put in prices etc when I get the time.

The layout of the blog is a bit daft as it is in reverse chronological form so navigate from the right hand side.

http://selfbuildireland.blogspot.com/

f******** deadly !!

haven't got time to read it all now, but it looks great. reminds of how much time and effort we went to before a sod was turned or block laid.

good man yop

.

Goll Mac Morna · 17-06-2005 9:20pm

Sub floor for house and garage was poured today, the concrete firm I am dealing with let the builder down during the day i.e. the dropped of a couple of loads and then didn't come back for a couple of hours :mad: even though they had been booked.
They are mad busy but I would not get them again (I suppose I won't have to!) nor would I recommend them to anyone locally as they are always mad to get away from the site when delivering loads and are impatient- the drivers are being paid on the no. of loads.

The builder I have is not to keen on them, worth bearing in mind when organising concrete or delivery of any materials find someone who is tried and trusted and find out how patient or impatient their drivers are.

Anyway Foundations are finished! El VINO will flow !!
Great link to your diary YOP!!! keep it up

yop · 22-06-2005 2:42pm

Lads

I am linking my picts for the site from Photobox.ie, obviously I have a cookie on my PC so that when I view the blog it shows the house pics, but for others they cannot see the pics, so is there some free site where I can upload my pics and link them from the diary.

thanks

tinofapples · 22-06-2005 4:28pm

www.picturetrail.com ??

qazxsw · 22-06-2005 4:36pm

picasa from google www.google.com/downloads - can be used with "hello" to upload pics to bloggs

have started my own building blogg - will publish details when I have pics, etc, fully sorted out...
http://www.picasa.com/index.php?tid=Y2NpZD0zNjcy

yop · 22-06-2005 5:39pm

Tried hello, but the pics dont upload

Goll Mac Morna · 22-06-2005 8:27pm

Site work has been going on all this week. Just been down to the site and the builder is still there (at 8pm since 8am this morning)

They are putting in all the stormwater drains and levelling out the topsoil all over the site, after that they are off to finish roofing a house they started before Christmas and they will be back to start building ours from the foundations upo.

I will add all the costs of the foundations when all the lovely bills come through the letter box
concrete
digger work
blocks
insulation
radon barrier
WAjs and all the drainage pipes
Waste water treatment system
Stones (how could I forget!!! €5,000 plus at the last count on a pretty level site!!!!)

Goll Mac Morna · 07-07-2005 4:46pm

Last Tuesday the digger man was finished at the site. He has all the site drainage , waste water treatment system and alll site work finished. He has also levelled the site and spread some 3/4 inch finished stone around the driveway.

The site looks funny all the groundwork and drive and paths are there, but no house!

Next came the stones! although the site is fairly level, we obviously have to start gathering stones to lay the lawn.

Some of the 'stones' are the size of footballs but most (100s) are fist sized.
I have spent a good amount of time since last week gathering them.

I first raked them into rows about 2 metres apart form the back to the front of the site, then I went around gathering them with a tractor.

Building a house -- DIARY

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