Week 8/20 & Site Meeting

So a week and a half has come and gone since my last posting and today is the date for our next monthly site meeting.

With the programme still behind schedule, I'm hoping for a revised schedule today from JG Matthews and some ideas about how they're planning on making the time back.  To be fair the builder worked on Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday to make more inroads and the structure is starting to take shape, the bricks are a great match and you can see the patterns appearing too

Here are a few photos from last week, that Emma took

.

H1983 Waterford Lodge

Notes of Site Meeting No.2
Wednesday 29 August 2012 at 2.00pm

Present: Gavin Howell  - Client Cl
Emma Howell - Client Cl
Brian Livesey - JG Matthews JGM
Roland Tissiman - JG Matthews JGM
Simon Cove - Kirby Cove Architects KCA
Lee Jenkins - Kirby Cove Architects KCA
Previous Minutes

Minutes of Site Mtg No.1, 30 July 2012 were taken as read and accepted as an accurate record.

Matters Arising

Contract

KCA issued JCT Minor Works Contract documents pack for signature.
JGM are to appraise documents, initial ALL documents and sign the main document by hand and
return to KCA for same by Cl. JGM

Materials/Construction

JGM are to propose a roof tile sample for KCA/EHDC consideration. Additional sample types to those
already on site are required, such that options are available for EHDC (manufacturers names/types
selected required also). JGM
The facing b/w panel has been approved by EHDC (sample panel to remain in place)
Cl confirmed floor finish – Engineered timber board, 20mm (no stonework internally to glazed end).
JGM to speak with Hertford Flooring. JGM
A car flap is to be inserted into the fixed side-light window – glazed end. KCA
Velux window is to be opening type (bathroom windows to be opening types).

Contractors Report & Programme

JGM reported to be 2 weeks o/a in arrears
Aiming to complete blockwork mid September – to enable wall plates and joists in.
KCA acknowledged and thanked JGM for their overtime working in order to improve progress at no
additional Contract cost. JGM are to maintain efforts to ‘catch-up’ lost time.
Based upon current progress the ‘break-through’ to the existing house (Cl to vacate) will occur w/c 19
Nov. KCA noted that this would be based upon no further slippage and that it may be prudent to have
in mind a mid to late November date and a just prior to Christmas o/a completion.
JGM are to copy Cl with the ID doors quotation to assist their visit to ID showroom and confirmation of
finishes/complete order. Note the o/a door opening data is available from current drawings and detail.
JGM/Cl
KCA will liaise with DRA to resolve surface water soakaway detail. KCA
Following discussion upon stonework drawings, KCA are to review detail to allow fitting tolerance.
(Note Harvey lintel setting out dimension adjusted and issued after mtg by KCA) KCA

Health and Safety

KCA issued their project risk assessments to JGM.

Any Other Business

Discussion took place upon various items of possible additional works:
Built in cupborads – KCA sketches/JGM joinery shop
Extending areas of new timber flooring
Re-configuring kitchen – attain kitchen supplier sketch/JGM build out
Making good driveway to garage
Repair of guttering/down-pipe blockage to front – JGM to investigate
KCA urged firm quotations attained and works agreed prior to additional activity (Contract procedure
maintained).

Date of Next Meeting

Site Meeting No.3, Wednesday 26th September at 2pm
Distribution
Those present plus Rose Associates (David Rose) – all by e mail
S Cove
3 Sept 2012

End of week 6/20 - Block and Beam Flooring

The blocks and beams arrived at midday yesterday (Thursday) and they managed to get through half of the floor.

The Architect and the Conservation Officer also visited yesterday and approved the brick and mortar sample wall that the guys put up last week.

One interesting observation with the groundworkers is that there is a hierarchy - even amongst the 4 guys on site today - if you look back at all the photos, only 1 person gets to play with the cool equipment whether it's driving the diggers or cutting the beams with the angle grinder it's always the same guy - the others just get to lift and dig stuff.

By 2pm their work was done and the floor was down, they boys knocked on the door to say goodbye - then packed the digger on the back of the truck and rode off into the sunset.

Builders due back on Monday...by which time I'll be in New York, so I'm hoping that Mrs H can keep the photo log going - otherwise the next photos could (hopefully) show a dramatic change after a week's solid building without faffing around underground.

more ground work...scorched earth

Well at least the groundworkers are consistent, they didn't put in an appearance on Monday this week.

On Tuesday 4 guys showed up and they started to level off the ground inside the extension, filled in the trenches next to the walls and generally totally churned up the garden with their digger.

Today they've had a load of concrete delivered and they've levelled off and filled in the area inside the walls, this is to prevent plants growing inside the void space under the floor and to allow any water to run off through the weep holes.

The block and beam flooring is due to be delivered tomorrow.  They think that the floor can be laid in one day.  The boss groundworker was very critical of the Architect since he felt that he had been left to design the floor because the Architect hadn't anticipated the basement encroaching on the area under the extension. "What was he doing when he did the f'ing survey?"

I got more bricks.....

The facing bricks have arrived these are imperial soft red bricks and slightly different dimensions to the modern engineering brick.

Preparations for the block and beam floor are completed they've hacked out holes for the block and beam to rest in

I walked around the site with the supervisor today and asked him to ensure that the site is cleared up a bit.

We're going to need to have the plumber in to re-route the fuel oil line, last night I noticed a strong smell of oil when I got in which didn't bode well - looks like the builders uncovered a previously punctured line and the smell of oil is permeating the bricks.

The brick layer made up a sample wall for the architect and conservation officer to approve

End of week 5

£10 bricks!!!

Well things are not going very fast at all this week....

The facing bricks that were due to be delivered yesterday will not be delivered until tomorrow so more delays, I'm afraid.

So I did get in touch with the architect to express my concerns about the and got a patronising "calm down dear" -like reply - remember the Michael Winner advert?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39f_vkViOpI

Anyway he called me today and we're both going to apply some pressure.

Some bricks did arrive today like these ones below

There's over £300 worth of bricks here!

The ones with just 1 edge are £10 each, the corners are even more!

These bricks are for the chimney and are hand-made - crazy price, so they're being stored somewhere safe.

Blue Monday - no builders today

As we approach the end of month 1 of our extension project, progress came to a grinding halt today.  At 7.50am I received a  phone call from the builders explaining that my two guys were needed to finish off another job, but they'll be back tomorrow for the rest of the week.

So should I have flipped my lid or kept calm?  Well, I bit my lip and took the second approach on the basis that it's relatively early days with the build and after 15+ years of managing the delivery of  IT solutions I've learned that individual projects ebb and flow based on competing priorities in your portfolio.  To date my relationship with the builders has been very good and I decided to keep my powder dry for when I really need to escalate. I suspect Emma may have adopted the Ghengis Khan meet Vlad the Impaler approach and asked for their firstborn as hostages until the work was completed - that's HR for you though :)

There is also the age old conflicting interests of what everyone wants Quick, Cheap and Good Quality - it's almost impossible to achieve all 3.  So my logic is that we love our house, which has stood for almost150 years, a week here or there won't kill us but a poor quality rush job or an expensive money-pit are distinctly less attractive options.

Rather annoyingly the weather has been  fabulous for building today (like I'm an expert) but it's warm, sunny and dry.

The walls are approaching the height where they will put down the block and beam floor and where they'll be using the imperial-sized soft red bricks, apparently the brickwork will really speed up after that stage and the chaos will really kick in with scaffold etc..  The bricklayer said that the chimney was the thing that was going to be the  most taxing, what with the patterning in the brickwork and the turn halfway up.

Slow but steady progress

The wall below ground floor is nearing completion.  The guys had to battle with 'elf and safety training on Weds (sure it was riveting) so we lost a half day there.

We've been blessed with the presence of the Architects twice this week, I think they could be called "Pelicans" given the association of a large bill with their appearance.

The white tubes allow condensation or water to escape via "weep holes"

4 blokes trying to look intelligent while peering into a hole

2 Architects and 2 buiders working out how to build around the basement brickwork

The perimeter is taking shape

Master bricklayer at work "setting out"

Looks pretty straight

You can see the footings for the fireplace and chimney, they're going to fill the hole with concete