Woodburning stoves and more foundation work

I used the weekend to research woodburning stoves for my new home.

I realise it may sound a little premature to be looking at internal fittings, but my wife and I wanted to take advantage of a price promotion going on at a local supplier.

We’ve ended up with exactly the woodburner we had wanted (the Harmony 23 by Euroheat, pictured left, if you’re interested) with a 20% discount.

Not only that, we’ve got an agreement that the supplier will store it for us until we are ready to install it – bargain!

Back to the construction of the house, and we’ve been busy getting the foundation slab in place. Here’s some progress shots for you:

1 & 2: The sand went down first, followed by a layer of DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) in preparation for the pouring on of the concrete.

3 & 4: The concrete is poured on top of the DPM and raked out to fill the area. Our dog, Buster is on the scene (you can just make out his little fluorescent jacket) ensuring this is all done to a very high standard and that there’s no slacking from the workforce…

5 & 6: Once spread out a tamping beam is used to compact the concrete and give it a smooth finish. And that’s pretty much it for this week.

I predict next week will be fairly quiet as the concrete needs time to dry in readiness for the erecting of the timber frame panels.

However, that does allow some time for making the necessary arrangements for the scaffolding, checking on the timber frame details and also considering and researching the possibility of installing an MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) system in the house – amongst other things!