The builders fit the soleplate

It’s been a quiet week. The concrete is curing in readiness for the delivery of the soleplate on Friday so there’s a bit of a break in construction.

I’ve been able to use this time to arrange delivery of the scaffolding, as well as just take a small breather. Both Jan and I work full time, so project managing a self build takes quite some effort.

However, as much as it is hard work, it is also proving to be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. So I am happy I made the decision to manage it myself rather than looking to hire a project manager – although can certainly see the reasons why that would be the route some others may wish to go.

We also used this opportunity to look further in to MVHR systems and have decided it is something we would like to proceed with.

The great thing abut making this decision early on in the build is that it can be taken into consideration when designing the floors etc, ensuring there is enough room in the roof void to contain it. This avoids wasting valuable cupboard/storage space.

The Posi Joists we chose to go with will also be beneficial here, as the MVHR ducting can run though the metal webs, therefore concealing them in the flooring rather than having it boxed in and on show.

1 & 2: Towards the end of this week the soleplate arrived on site. This was fixed to the base using hammer fixings – holes are drilled in to both the soleplate and the blocks and the fixing is then hammered in and tightened.

I’ve been very impressed with the builders – their attention to detail has been first class. If you take a look at the main image for this blog you can see that the base is accurate to within a couple of mm, and the soleplate fits perfectly on it.

A background in construction means I know just how important this is – if the base is accurate that sets the tone for an accurate timber frame erection.

Next week is due to be fairly busy with the scaffolding going up and the timber frame kit arriving!