What do you do on the hottest day of the year? Install your log burner, of course!
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Author Archives: admin
May3
Turtles all the way down
We LOVE our fantastical contraptions. But they need to move easily and our double-sided bookcases could not be rotated or moved by me without help. Solution?
MoreJul6
50 Shades of Green
Oct25
It’s Uplifting
Unquestionably, the most OMG moment of our house build.
More
Jun17
And the two shall become one
Jun7
Making the Grade
Delays, delays, but we’ve not been idle! Thank goodness we have the lovely cabin which means we have the luxury to make the best and most considered choices.
Dec21
In by Christmas
Not us, but our books and furniture are coming out of storage and up to Easterdown. Why? Because we are finished with the floors!
Jul25
On the ceilings – Part 2, the sequel
I LOVE this look! More
Feb14
A Visible Difference
Dec16
Getting Plastered
Dec4
Flurry of Activity
Sep4
Back On Track
Getting back on track, or should I say ‘in’ track? Underfloor heating pipes now firmly placed in the Lithotherm tiles and connected up to Ruby the pellet cooker boiler. And also on track, an experiment in orderly queueing – my own milk train, thanks to the amazing Tara Wright!
Aug9
The Leading Edge
Some people dream of building a ‘Grand Design’ using ‘Leading Edge Eco materials’, but what they forget is that just beyond the leading edge lies a vast abyss of ignorance. The day you find yourself staring into it, you might just have to hope that an unexpected hero will suddenly emerge to save the day. Luckily for us, Chris Brookman and his products from Back to Earth appeared just in time. More
Jun5
What’s been Cooking?
I’m going to have to stop apologising for not updating this blog. We’ve been doing lots of boring, unphotogenic, slog repetitive stuff. Filling holes, mostly. But this week, warmest this year, we’ve been doing some new style cooking – getting ready for our future! More
Jan24
A Breakthrough!
Even if it looks more like a break-in than a breakthrough… More
Jan11
New Year’s Resolutions
To try to do EVERYTHING at once. Shame there are only 24 hours in a day and we need to sleep sometimes.
Jan4
A quiet Christmas, with Deadlines…
When I got the idea to milk other people’s sheep, I created a lot or problems for myself. One is that sheep get ill and when they are taking certain veterinary drugs (antibiotics, wormers, etc) they cannot be milked for a given ‘withdrawal period’. How to easily tell which sheep must not be milked without bothering the farmer? More
Aug15
And now a word from our Sponsor
May31
We have Closure
No, we haven’t finished the entire house while you weren’t looking! If only! But we have installed Lynne Knowlton’s gorgeous sliding barn door wooden wheels, and we now have an amazing sliding door in the cabin! More
Apr19
A Renewable Innovation
You would think that building a house off-grid using solar panels to make our own electricity would be renewable and innovative enough, but our latest renewable is probably the most innovative and possibly the closest to the leading edge we’ve come, to date.
Mar24
Now where have we got to…
We’ve had a long, self-indulgent period where we were hardly ‘self’ building. The amazing Mike Roberts with his able Whiteway Carpenters has been the real project manager (not me!) – every so often saying – ‘Time to order your insulation’ or ‘Better get the plumber in now’. He will still be coming in to help us with the ‘design and build’ – where he teaches us how to build something, then leaves us to get on with it. But Monday marked the end of an era.
Jan15
Let it Snow?
Dec19
Winter Sun
Our Solar PV is angled to optimise winter sun. It is fascinating to see how it performs, now that our daily cycle of sunlight is so short. Today was a great example. First day of sunlight, after 3 days of murky grey.
Dec3
A Curtain Raiser
Confession: We haven’t finished the interior of the Cabin. The main problem has been how to create a sliding ‘barn’ type door for the bathroom. But the arrival of a special package is going to be a ‘curtain raiser’ for us!
More
Nov16
Topping Out
Had intended to have a big party, but Steve, our roofer has finished two days early. More
Nov6
So nice to be here
Before… and during. Leftmost photo – the cabin before the house was started. Rightmost photo (and below), look closely, the single storey bit- away from the scaffolding to the left in the photo, that’s the Cabin that we are living in. I really want to share what an amazing experience it is to live in a micro version of the house you are building, while you are building it, but I’m struggling to explain.
Oct8
‘Closing In’ – it’s official
While I was taking this picture, Mike Roberts said “This is called ‘Closing In'”. So the title of my last entry was a bit premature, Sorry!
Sep27
Closing in
First equinox at Easterdown and nights are closing in. This is the phase we are at with our house – Roof, Doors and Window installation means we are closing in: More
Sep16
Looks like a house
Sep4
Very Special Deliveries
This week was always going to be tough because we are now on the first floor and need to move the blocks one by one onto the slab and then up onto the first floor. Yesterday we threw Manpower at it – Mike Roberts + 2 of his guys + me and it took us an hour and a half to get two pallets of blocks unloaded onto the first floor.
I had mentioned to the Wrights (who are helping me with the sheep and sheep milking), and this morning: More
Sep4
Up to the Eaves
My Nephew dropped in for a few days – first trip to the UK and what does this American Tourist get to see? Lots of clay blocks. More
Aug25
First Floor, Going Up
Aug16
Getting on top of things
Aug12
Next Generation
We have had generator problems for the last few months. The Hyundai generator died and I lost faith in the brand. Not in the people – Genpower and Just Generators have acted honourably and fairly – but I suspect I will never buy anything with a Chinese motor ever again. So skip forward to the next generation, our new generator looks very promising. More
Aug10
What I most feared
Roderick James Architects wanted us to build with Clay Blocks. An environmentally friendly material (clay), cleverly engineered with natural insulation and thermal mass, but very expensive. Mike Hope said that we could afford this system because it is so simple that we could lay the blocks ourselves. I could imagine that indeed, we could lay the blocks, but knowing when and how to stop seemed to be an entirely different and much more difficult problem. How to know when you’ve reached a door or a window and what you do when you get there, REALLY worried me. More
Aug9
Quick off the blocks
Unbelievably, we are pretty much on schedule! More
Jul30
Carpenter Oak Magic @ Easterdown
Now you might think that Carpenter Oak magic at Easterdown is something to do with magic’ing up this gorgeous timber frame. Yes that’s part of it. But it doesn’t stop there, I’ve always thought that the guys from Carpenter Oak are ‘super’ men, but read on – you’ll believe a Carpenter can fly! More
Jul29
Carpenter Oak, at the end of the day
Carpenter Oak were supposed to take three days to erect this frame. I reckon they will be ready to leave here at 11am tomorrow morning. They don’t hang around! More
Jul15
Onward and upward
Jul12
Getting off the ground
Jul9
Flora and Fauna
Jul3
Showing me the ropes
Ropes were the theme of yesterday. Started the day learning about rope halters for sheep milking and ended up rigging the bed platform!
Jun29
Up in the air
Jun26
Solid Foundations
Jun24
Things are really moving here
Jun22
Phase 2 begins!
Jun17
All Falling into place
Log store starting Friday and Solar Panels will follow. SO exciting – Carpenter Oak have kindly emailed photos of the framing! OUR HOUSE! So good to see:
Jun2
First Guest Drops in
It’s not ALL work at Easterdown. Our first visitor! More
May26
Bits of progress
Still struggling to get more done. Brilliant photogenic weather last week doesn’t help (no excuse!)
May14
Not without Niggles
So why is the dishwasher out of its built-in lair? You may be wondering if we’ve really had such a trouble-free, smooth time during this project, but things do go wrong and not to plan.
May4
Looking Up!
Apr24
We’re On!
Everything before Easter has been on a go slow, but there’s a very important light at the end of the tunnel
Apr6
How our Solar System was formed
Mar30
Can it get busier?
No days off for us, unlike our neighbours with the steam engine!
I keep asking myself the above question. Trying not to stumble under massive irony – We have phone and internet at Easterdown, but at the cottage where we are staying someone accidentally put a chainsaw through the telephone line, so no internet/email/voip in the evenings. Tough to arrange stuff, but we’re still progressing –
Mar21
Connections – Off Grid but Online
Telephone and Internet installed yesterday. Didn’t expect to feel quite so different, but now that the telephone is in and the place is warm and cosy, I want to start living there. RIGHT NOW!
Mar3
On Top of the World
We are now out of West Acres but not quite at Easterdown. Up on the Brendon Hills, half a mile away from Easterdown. More
Feb21
On the Ceilings
Feb10
First Light
Our first Zero Carbon system is in and IT WORKS!!!!
Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU Jamie Burnham for having the courage and the brains to design our brilliant wood range thermal store hot water system. It works perfectly and has already out-performed expectations. More
Feb2
It’s a Sign
Just a cheapie – to see if my slightly mad idea about old typefaces is legible enough. Other than that just pushing on with the fit out.
Jan28
New Skills
Are we building a house, or is this really just an excuse for getting an education? Both of us are really enjoying learning carpentry skills from Mike Roberts.
Jan17
Getting a move on
Flue in, floor and bathroom underway, all we need is a plumber….
We HAVE to move in soon, this Cabin is so lovely in the sunlight: More
Jan10
Outside In
What a Stunner! So nice to see the Cabin with no scaffolding (angle of photo hides Mike Roberts small scaffolding to the east….) Started Floor today, took admiring photos of Esse and Frame
Jan9
Esse Arrives
Arrival of the Esse Plus 1 which will provide heat, hot water and cooking. All in one very pretty package. Comments on the cabin from the installers “What an amazing place! Fantastic wood frame” (pointing to the Belfast Truss) to which the other answered ” I only take you to the best places”. Everyone who sees the Cabin, loves it.
Dec15
Hearth and Home
A few projects over the last few weeks. Cabin 99% water tight – trying to do inside work now. Held up by the non- appearance of our wood burning range. Building regulations require hearth 12.5mm above final floor level. I reckon we cracked it. Or damn close. More
Nov30
A Home
Dropped in to Easterdown today and suddenly it no longer looks a construction, it looks like a home More
Nov22
Opening the front door
Technically speaking, there is now an opening to what will be the front door to the Cabin. Roof nearly done and 4 of the 6 roof lights in.
Nov21
and 3 more days later…
Dropped in to Easterdown yesterday. Roof well underway and one roof light already installed. Really starting to look like a home. More
Nov18
Did this really take 3 days?
Yes, it did. Well, two and a half, actually. This has to be the future. Self builders living in micro cabins, well insulated, beautiful, sustainable construction, and this becomes part of the final house. Plus we get to try out lighting, heating, electricity and cooking off grid and see what works and what doesn’t before we commit to the whole house. A microcosm of our future lifestyle. More
Nov14
What a difference a week makes, 3 weeks and 3 days later
When I showed up this afternoon, Thursday, what did I see? More
Nov14
What a difference a week makes (3 weeks later)
3 weeks later and Carpenter Oak bring the cabin to Easterdown. This transformation in 3 days is astounding. More
Nov14
What a difference a week makes, (2 weeks later)
One week to go and Andrew Parkin has got the groundworks perfect. Less than 4mm height difference across those stones.
More
Nov14
What a difference a week makes
Or I probably should say, 3 weeks. This has been an incredibly busy time. Click for photo diary of just how quick the house came down and the Cabin goes up. More
Oct19
Why would you want to do that?
When we embarked on this project, to replace a house that is off grid and remain off grid, people close to us said, “Why would you want to do that?” They’ve been asking whether we will be living in a Victorian past. But we think that living “off grid”, or at least with some system of electricity generation and storage, is the future. More
Oct12
Got the Get Go
We have dates for the cabin!
Start date is 28th October and week commencing 11th November it will arrive on site to be assembled.
Busy weekend ahead, we have some catching up to do. Now, where are those wrecking bars?
Oct8
Last of the good weather
Last weekend we started recycling the house at Easterdown. I suspect we got the last nice day this year, but it was still an inspiring day. More
Oct8
By Popular Request
Someone asked to see a photo of Easterdown – This is 3/4 of a circular panorama we took last December (bit bleak and cold). Easterdown is a blank canvas, a flat field on top of a hill
Sep27
Fantastical Contraptions
Originally we approached Roderick James Architects asking if there was some way to get onto site quickly, but not have to make all of our decisions at once. Could we somehow build in phases? More
Sep26
Well Tested
After getting a few quotes to test the flow rate of our Well, the ‘mean gene’ kicked in and we did it ourselves. More
Sep23
We can do this!
2 weeks early and West Somerset have passed our scheme. Full permission and dare I say it, a decision notice that seems uncharacteristically enthusiastic about our design?!!
Sep18
Excessive Behaviour
Little rethink about off-grid electricity consumption. Dare we assume we can always ‘be good’? More
Sep15
Barking at the wrong tree
Sep15
The Beginning
This is what we will build at Easterdown if we get planning permission