View from the Drive

 

This photo shows the view of the new building from the drive, as you approach the stud.

Sun Pipes

 

The photo shows the sun pipes, which bring the light into the centre of the building.

Lighting the New Building

 

I didn't want the building to be lit up too brightly. This picture shows how it is lit by discrete LED ropelights under the eaves.


The light is soft and subtle and only uses a few watts. It's also angled downwards so that there is no light pollution.

Inside we've used high-energy fluorescent lights that give thirty percent more light and a 20,000 hour life.

The Clock is now Set

 

The clock now shows the right time.

Almost Complete

 

The outside of the building is now almost complete. The roof is on and it is starting to look finished. Inside it's a bit different though.


The next two pictures show the building avoiding the skip and the electrician's Land-Rover.

Slating the Roof

 

This is obviously not the roof of the new building, but the roof of my office.


It was done by the same company, Knappett, and the same man. He was rather proud of the job he did nearly twenty years ago, when he roofed the office. He has every right to be so.

Note that the office roof has no guttering. The water flows into a moat that surrounds the office.


The slates were actually Spanish. I'm not sure why, but the roofers say that they are better and cheaper than any Welsh equivalent. I would have preferred Welsh.


This picture shows the lead being fixed to make sure that the roof is water-tight. Seeing the roofer cut and bend it, he would probably be using the same tools and methods that stretched back two or three thousand years at least.

Lead may be a metal that is slightly poisonous, but we've never really found anything better.


Here, the slates are all placed ready to be fixed by the clock.


This is a general view of the almost complete roof.


The roof is now complete.

The slate roof matches the house. Except that the house roof is nearly two hundred years old.

View from the Other Side of the Road

 

This picture shows the stud from the other side of the road.


The new and uncompleted buildings are at the top of the drive, with the house to the left behind the trees.

There is a stream in front by the trees, which flows to the left (i.e. west) to join the River Stour.

This picture shows the stud from a different angle.


I suspect that when I took this picture I was almost exactly due south of the new buildings of the stud.

A Fairy Ring

 

I photographed this "fairy ring" on the stud this morning. Note how it is centred on an oak tree.

Inside the New Building

 

This is a couple of views inside the new building, before the slates go on the roof, starting on Monday.



In the second view, the front of the building is to the left.

Weatherproof!

 

Bob Knappett and his gang of roofers started at about nine o'clock this morning and within a few minutes there was a lot of progress.



By four o'oclock in the afternoon the building was completely weatherproof. Another very good days work!


Note that the weather was so good today, that at one point the roofers had their shirts off! And it's late October.

The Clock Close Up

 

This picture shows a close-up of the clock.


This picture was taken from the scaffolding that is being used to put up the felt and tiles for the roof.

On Goes the Clock

 

Progress has been swift this week, and considering they only started on Tuesday, to have the clock up by Friday is very good.



The clock has not been set to the correct time yet!

On Go the Roof Trusses

 

The roof trusses actually arrived on the Wednesday in pouring rain.


As you don't work at heights in the rain unless you have to, the roof only started in earnest on the Thursday in the sunshine.




The next two pictures show the structure of the roof from the inside.




They are now preparing to put the facia and soffits up.

All in a Day's Work

 

The men from Scotts of Thrapston arrived before nine, with the walls of the building on two small trucks.


The unloading was by means of man power. This was probably best, even if some pieces were heavy.


What puzzled me, was that they appeared to layout the building on the ground without any reference to any drawings. I assume it was because everything was properly marked. Very professional!


The walls started to rise after lunch, after fitting the damp course and other small but essential works.


It was then swift process throughout what was a very cold and blowly afternoon.






By three o'clock everything was ready for the last piece of the walls.


And here it goes.


It fits well too!


The last two pictures show complete views of the building.




Obviously, we need a roof. The trusses will be delivered tomorrow.

Drainage Pipes

 

This picture is only here to show where the drainage pipes are, in case someone needs to know, when I'm long gone.


The landscaping of the site has started too.