Back of the roof tiled - bar the hips (too cold for the mortar) and ridges (tiles aren’t here yet).

The back door and window frames installed.

The structure of the roof (SIP’s) finished (at last) and upstairs windows in.

The solar panel installed.

14/01/06 - The back (stable) door and first floor windows...

The front door...

The valley rafters in place...

The valley rafter to dormer ridge beam connection...

25/12/05 - Tiling of the back roof coming along nicely (The gap is for the solar panel).

16/12/05 - The back of the main roof SIPs in place, thanks to the indefatigable Peakie.

My attractive assistant, Peakie demonstrating the marvellous ‘Winlow SIP Rapid Installation System’! (Right click on picture and click ‘Play’).

The beginning of the tiles - Are there supposed to be big tapering gaps down the side of the bonnet tiles? Yes and I have to cut the plain tile either side to match!  Derves me right for using hand-made tiles.

Once ‘upstairs’, a batten is attached to the bottom face of the SIP at the right level.  A metal attachment plate is also attached so that using the B&T again the SIP is hoisted up beteen the top and bottom purlin, manouvered around so that the bottom of the panel is over the lower purlin and then the SIP is lowered down untill the batten butts up against the top edge of the purlin.  It is then slid along till it meets the one already fixed in place.

14/12/05 - The SIPs start to go in - quite a malarkey doing this a/ on my own (Peakie’s coming to give me a hand tomorrow, thank goodness) and b/ without a crane.  Hoorah! for the block and tackle!

Each panel is attached to the bottom of the block and tackle B&T), hoisted up as far as it can go, then hauled in towards the house along the rather bendy scaffold pole, through the window opening and then let down on the B&T to the 1st floor floor.

08/12/05 - In go those beams - all to support the main roof.  Nearly a tonne of steel and over a tonne of oak.  All went quite well and thanks go to Peakie, John and Ewan.

251105, 1200 hrs - The Frame revealed. Can’t do the rendering to the in-fill panels as it’s too flamin’ cold. Besides, the tanin from the oak is still coming out and it would just stain the render anyway. So, a job for next year I expect.

The RSJ’s on the ground in front of the house are to support the main roof. Both are 12m long. There is a big one a foot high which goes right at the top and a not so big one 6” high which goes at the bottom of the back plane of the main roof - just above the flat roof level. All the steel beams have a fillet of would fixed to them. The huge nails the SIP’s are attached with will be nailed into these fillets.

The oak beams under the make-shift gantry are for the main roof support structure and consist of:- a principle rafter 8” x 6” which will run from main ridge beam down to the top of the wall plate to the right of the jettied dormer cheek, two purlins 8” x 8” running from the principle rafter to the north wall, a ridge beam running from the apex of the jettied dormer gable back to the main ridge beam and another purlin for the left bay. There is only one on this side (South) as there will be a ceiling just above it so the other purlin higher will not be seen and up is a RSJ which is already in placed. It can be seen in the photo above just behind the left dormer apex.

The photo below shows one of the north purlin tennons cut and the beam planed ready for installation (due for the 8th December).

29/08/08 -  Wall footings rebared and ready for concrete.  Looking North.  This will have a brick and concrete block retianing wall on it.  Further up it changes to brick and brick, non-retaining...