Well – further surprises emerged from the roof. Just as Adrian was going to arrange to put up the 24 roof extensions he quietly asked – which “way should the grain run on the wings?” In line with all the other grain I replied.

“I think it runs at right angles” came his reply. I could not believe it. In the gathering gloom I went to take a look. Sure enough it was going the wrong way. Cock-up gargantuana encore une fois!

“What do you want me to do” said Adrian – well that is a decision for your company. It was obvious that lifting them into position would make it very difficult to rectify the problem. Adrian tried calling Mark ****** but this was Friday 13th December in the afternoon and his phone was turned off. Adrian got no response throughout the weekend – finally on Monday Adrian said – can I use your phone Tom? The mobile signal in our area is poor you see but Adrian appeared to be agitated and unthrilled that no one in the company had been available for such an extended period of time. Having got through he was told everyone was in a Production meeting – this went into a management meeting – which for all we knew might go into a meeting about meetings. Adrian let rip and finally managed to communicate with Mark ******.

Having advised Mark of the issues at 8am he then waited an age for a response and eventually got one at 2.14pm. An email was sent to Phil shortly afterwards -

"We have been asked by Tom to stop work on the roof as he is stating that the plywood grain to the external wings is positioned the wrong way round. We have checked the specification and nowhere does it indicate the direction of the grain. We have constructed the panels in this manner to create a continuous circle pattern to the external view." [If anyone has any idea what the **** this means do let me know on a postcard best suggestion wins a bottle of Malvern water. - Tom]
"We need your authority to proceed with erection. I await your reply to this matter urgently as we have men stood on site awaiting the resolution of this matter. Any change to what we have produced would be chargeable, as would standing time for our men on site."

Phil’s reply:

Have got your e-mail regarding the external panels for the gull wing roof.

1. Tom has not instructed the men on site to stop work. It may be that they have chosen to stop work having realised there is a problem with the panels, but this is their choice.

2. The site team notified your office of the problem asking for your instructions at 8.00 am today. They were given a response at 2.14 pm.

3. The grain is clearly not correct and should follow the vertical lines. This is not in the specification as it is common sense. All persons involved in the scheme agree with this statement. You seem to be the exception. Should you have thought the grain ought to be a continuous circle, this should have been queried before fixing. I have to say, I believe you are using this as an excuse to cover up what, in my opinion, is an error at the factory.

4. Please provide us with your proposals to rectify the problem as a matter of urgency. In discussing this on site, it seems the most appropriate solution is to re-apply the plywood panels in your yard to ensure controlled conditions for glue setting etc. Whilst this is the advice emanating from site, the actual chosen method of rectifying the problem will be down to yourselves. We do not accept there is an extra cost in this respect.

5. A separate e-mail is being sent to you relating to other matters on site.

Well this business of it not being in the spec frankly just amazed me. We had specified long grain ply not cross grain – the nonsense of it not being included in the Spec reduces all specifications to farce.

Here is my suggestion sample spec for our roof fabricator:

----- Use Pasloe nails with epoxy resin “tips” to join the timbers. The “tips” are the pointy ends that need to enter the timber first. Hit the flat end of the nail with a hammer. If using a nail gun see separate manual. When using screws turn clockwise if desiring to penetrate timber – use a screwdriver that can vary in size. For No6 woodscrews of 2” or more use a battery operated drill with appropriate attachments (see Oxford English Dictionary for any words you do not understand – available from Smiths Bookshops. – take NVQ before starting – pass must be gained– do not pass go) sourced from Jewsons. Tel:No for local branch is 66776677 – manual for use of the telephone under separate attachment.

Well of course it all ends up a bloody farce and the spec will need to be delivered by truck and will be of the same length as Saddam’s recent submission to NATO.

Another email was sent to Mark by Phil -

Have not had a reply to the following e-mail from yesterday. We need an urgent response please. I would also like a reply to the second e-mail, again attached at the end for information.

A site meeting has just been arranged for first thing tomorrow to discuss the gull wing roof and what is to be done. David Grindley and I are attending. We need to have *** Ltd present as well, can you please attend or arrange for someone else to be there in your absence.

We need to get the roof problems resolved as a matter of urgency. The matter is now dragging on and leading to an intolerable delay, which is costing Tom Perry a lot of money. It cannot be allowed to continue.

A meeting was held between the above – excluding me. I did not wish to wade through a heap of crap before arriving at the quick of the matter. I now have no fuse and as soon as my crapdar registers a blip I tend to explode like a 16th Century canon with shot not only inflicting heavy damage on the target – but me also. As a diabetic this is not doing my health any good. I am meant to lead a calm and evenly balanced life. HA!

The previous evening Talkback arrived to do some more filming. I noticed lights being put onto the roof and asked Kevin; what’s the subject – “oh the roof Tom.” It was a fairly depressing exchange. Rain was dripping through the roof – the floor below was soaked – the previous weekend it had rained consistently and the effects were evident. I imagined all the damage being done to the back of the ceiling boards – it did not bear thinking about. The contractor was arguing at every point where a cockup occurred. We had another site meeting the following day – more opportunity for dispute.

I had fired off more emails off to Farrell O’Nolan the Director at Pearse who is also a Director of their Subsidiary. No response again – sadly not a first.

The meeting concluded a number of issues outlined in an aide memoire to Mark and others. The overhangs are to be corrected – and very quickly the scarce new ply arrived at site by courier. SHOCK! and more about this next time.

On Monday 6th four guys will be at site hoping to crane the wings into position the following day. As a result of matters that happened over the holiday this now seems unlikely.

I have to fit an amazing material to the roof in preparation for the Steel cladders – TYVEK Proclad. More about this later.

Insulation

With large elements of the northern roof being finished we cracked on and fitted the insulation. By now you will have gathered I am passionate about insulation and thermal efficiency. I am conscious that of necessity as a result of our design we have used some environmentally unfriendly materials. I’ve also done my bit in terms of reusing steel – in the piled foundations.

Throughout the building David recommended I use Dow Styrofoam. This is a waterproof extruded polystyrene. It cuts easily, is light and immensely strong. We have used Floormate® and Roofmate®. In fact we used Floormate ® in the gull-wing roof having consulted with their technical resource first. When Adrian and Stephen were fitting the product they appreciated its easy handling and the way the design lipped over the joists. When we come to get the flooring and screeding down we are using 25mm floormate straight onto the floor and then Schluter thin screed flooring system about which more later.

The question I am most frequently asked is how much will it cost to heat this house – in living area the house is 298m2. In total size it is 411m2 this includes garaging utility etc. The total estimated cost for heating and hot water is £530 per annum. Very pleasing but I wish it were less.

Steel Roof Cladding

Well the boys have also started on this. I am very keen to get the cladding on those roofs that can be completed. Last week the chaps did the soffits – this week they will be making the trays for the roof having first laid a quilt onto the ply to arrest any flapping that can occur with steel roofs in certain wind conditions. The company I am using is JTC. They have a good reputation. They undertake a great variety of work from Cathedrals to hospitals to Cloud 8. It really is a craft job – and after all the engineering oriented build we have done it really is good to see the crafts (rendering) arriving on site.

The steel we are using is a low reflective one. Pleasingly the planning department of my local Council were sensible enough not to demand a tern coated finish that within a year looks like lead. In other words it is counterfeit – it pretends to be what it is not.

Stainless is very hard stuff – and not easy to shape. If you get it wrong first time then you have to do it again – it is unforgiving.

Above Cloud 8 is an area called the Bovingdon stack. When arriving at Heathrow you most frequently glide above Cloud 8. I can see you – but can’t hear you. As a result of the ‘low’ reflective on the house you should see a huge flash in certain conditions – well that’s Cloud 8. Start looking for it in the next fortnight and remember it was fabricated by JTC.

Just before close of play on Wednesday Les gave me a call and we discussed the situation. I indicated that I was planning to go to the fabricators the next day. My feeling was that the combined effect of Les’s letter (see below), the glue representative's visit, and my unannounced arrival, were either going to resolve the outstanding issues or we’d all be in a mess.

Dear ...

CLOUD 8 GULLWING ROOF

Further to your fax sent to both ourselves and Philip Ellis yesterday outlining your concerns regarding the design of the gullwing roof on the above project, we would comment as follows.

We remain of the opinion that we are satisfied with the design of the roof panels and their performance in the completed and installed condition. However, the responsibility to maintain the structural integrity of the units during handling, transportation, lifting, installation and final fixing of the units, must remain with the Contactor.

Fundamentally, the issues relating to these roof units relates entirely to a failure in the glue line, which bonds the bottom ply diaphragm to the internal ribs. If when handling the units this glue line becomes over-stressed due to excessive flexing, twisting or other means of distortion, then the failure mode would be in either the timber or ply wood elements and not within the adhesive itself provided the correct adhesive mix, application, curing and clamping pressures were used. It would appear from tests undertaken by the glue manufacturer, that the correct adhesive was used and there was no fault found in that particular batch supplied. This clearly suggests that the method of clamping is at fault.

The proposed method of clamping using lateral spreaders to apply load to all of the internal ribs, is wholly appropriate. However, spacing of these lateral spreaders resulted in the bonding pressure only being applied at localised points along the length of the internal ribs resulting in inadequate pressure being applied between these spreader locations. Our suggested alternative method of clamping utilising longitudinal spreader plates placed immediately above the glue line used in conjunction with lateral spreaders placed at closer centres, should ensure that the required clamping pressure is applied along the full length of the glue line. Your question regarding how the spreader beam can be applied around the central curved element is noted. We would suggest that in this instance, lateral spreaders only are used at much closer centres, say 50mm apart, in order to negotiate this tight curve.

In response to your concerns regarding twisting or warping during handling and erection, it is important that the glue line between the bottom skin and the internal ribs does not become stressed until the top skin has been applied on site and fully bonded to the units. For this reason it is essential that adequate bearers or cradles are used to support the panels in their temporary condition whilst handling, transporting or erecting. Similarly, temporary propping is required on site during the erection process in order to prevent stressing of this glue line joint and this temporary propping must remain in place until the top skin has fully achieved its bond strength with the internal ribs.

As a further precaution against twisting or warping occurring during handling of the units, temporary diagonal battens could be nailed to the top of the internal ribs in the plane of the top skin throughout the length of the units.

To summarise, we are fully confident with the design and remain of the opinion that the glue bond alone is adequate to withstand the forces exerted on it as designed. It is vitally important for the reasons outlined above that the bottom ply membrane does not become stressed until the top membrane has been fixed in place fully, and we see no reason why this should be the case provided adequate temporary supports are maintained throughout the fabrication, transportation and erection process.

Finally, we will be pleased to discuss with you in detail your proposed method of handling the units throughout the process of construction in order to allay your concerns regarding the safe installation of the units.

Yours sincerely
Anthony Hunt Associates Limited

Les Postawa
Managing Director

The next day the drive was reasonably good, and on arrival I met with Trevor the boss of production and went to inspect the roof sections. They looked marvellous, but of course we still had this technical issue with the popping panels. My impression of Trevor was what sold the company to me. I know he wants it right and that is confidence-inspiring. He discussed his concerns and why he thought the glue was not right for the job in hand, and this was a design issue. I asked if he had seen the photographs of the returned samples glued together – “no I’ve not’ came the reply. We adjourned to the office and looked at the pictures on my notebook. I discussed Les’s letter and he mentioned the cramping design that had been sent to him by Omar. It was clear that he was still not convinced that this was the issue.

Tony the General Manager joined us – he too said that the matter was still one of design but his tone was less robust than I expected. Clearly the glue tests had caused reflection and most certainly the letter from Les had encouraged him and the team. The cramping proposals were appreciated and these combined with Richard Nunn’s visit I speculated would put to rest their determination that it was a design issue.

I did point out that AHA had previously designed a roof assembled in a very similar vein, which went together perfectly and is still in position and performing very well. When there is precedent it tends to make you think.

I also took the opportunity of having a forthright discussion with Tony about the breakdown in communications and the quantum of heat and the reduced light we had on the project. We exchanged our concerns and why we had them, which I think gave us both something to think about.

The representative from the glue company was Richard Nunn who arrived about 12.45 and we went straight out to the factory. Tolerances were discussed; the fact that the “ I “ beams were fabricated from 15mm ply between 2 pieces of softwood; different materials; could the glue cope with this? Cramping proposals from Omar were discussed – and gradually it was reduced to the fact that what needs the attention is just the cramping. A piece of ply was removed, turned over, and sure enough it confirmed Richard's belief that it was entirely a cramping matter. Everything else had been ruled out either by lab test or precedent. The evidence from this piece of ply pointed directly to lack of cramping, and another issue was also spotted in this panel type, which could contribute to a failure.

The next thing we discussed was the noise emanating from the panels when lifted. This caused the fabricators significant concern. We therefore lifted one. No sound of creaking or popping – all quiet. When first lifted the tightly fitted Styrofoam boards rub against each other, joists and I sections groan, but given the internal fixing method (the glue and epoxy resin coated nails applied by gun) no one sees anything going anywhere, and certainly not the external ply panels next time.

The roof will be fitted next week. A method statement is being sent to me quickly together with a schedule of attendances that the fabricators require – and it’s fingers crossed. It will be a pretty challenging day all round. Pray for the weather please.

Samples of glue that had been used in the fabrication were eventually dispatched to the glue manufacturer’s technical department together with the different wood materials used in the build. Two days later the following brief and factual report was sent to the interested parties:

Samples received by us were tested and proved to be well cured, this
was conducted by boiling one piece of the sample and submerging another
piece in cold water for 24 hours. There appeared to be no break down of the
cured resin.

The sample received from the failed joint was very small and therefore only
a boil test could be carried out, again the result indicated the adhesive
system was well cured.

Wood samples

A sample of WBP plywood and a section of softwood was received. These were
bonded together with Aerodux 500M and Hardener 501H with the adhesive being
applied to both sides. These were then pressed together for 24 hours
(replicate your conditions) at ambient room temp (approx. 20degC).

The sample was then cut in half with one section being tested directly after
pressing and the other being submerged in cold water for 24 hours.

Both samples could not be separated by hand and a mechanical force was
required to separate the softwood from the plywood. Both samples broke in
the softwood section and NOT on the glue line indicating the adhesive in the
glue line has a higher strength than the softwood.

From my experience this is a typical result, I have tested glue lines of
large structural beams by a block shear test (BS 4169:1988) and a typical
result shows very high wood failures indicating a very good bond quality
with the glue line being of a higher strength than the wood used in the
beam.

Attached is a photograph of the two samples, the one on the left is the
sample which was submerged in cold running water.

Conclusion

The results indicate that the adhesive system is suitable in bonding the
softwood and WBP plywood. Any failures will be due to the application
process, therefore the mix ratios, spread rates, pressure/clamping and cure
times should all be checked.

It is for the fabricator to judge which of these are relevant to curing our problem but I look forward to the gull-wing roof being fitted within the next 13 days, weather permitting. I'll let you know.

On the 29th August the fabricators should have fitted the roof but they missed this date because of holidays and etc. etc. etc. The fitting team turned up and fitted the Northern Roof. They are Graham and Stuart who used to work for the fabricator but then became independent subcontractors. It was a pleasure to have these two chaps on site. They arrived with a limited number of drawings, which did not give them the full measure of the works. I rectified this fairly quickly but it has to be said – why are they sent without 75% of the information. It gives the impression you are dealing with Fred Carno’s circus – which in the case of Graham and Stuart is just not the case. Both these guys are apprentice served joiners – jobbing joiners – and good which makes them a rarity and to be valued – not jerked around.

At 1pm the materials finally turned up at site and were off loaded by the chaps. Checking the cut list we discovered elements were missing, other elements were incorrectly sized – I was not massively impressed – neither I sensed were the chaps especially as they were not aware of a goodly amount of the work they were meant to be doing. The previous week when I had been at the fabricators I asked if they had got all the ‘straps’ sorted. Their man looked at me blankly – I said don’t worry I have and I’ve had them bent as they are complicated and bending will make life easier – I’ll charge these back to you. Other things that did not arrive: Hilti nails; chemical resin; bolts; a shortage of screws; shortage of plans and drawings. But for Graham and Stuart it would not have been good – but they are experienced and with my assistance as runner we got things sorted.

To say this is one of the lower points of the build is accurate – I’m going for a drink before I move on.

Feeling better. The LG Kimber team have also been back and resolved a minor balcony issue in the bedroom block. By the look of it, a tidy job has been done, although I forgot to check the levels. We now have scaffolding up to the top of the gull wing area to the height that Graham wanted. We used a local firm here. When Groundworker Mick was still around he said that use of 4 newton block flooring was foolish as the scaffolders would put poles through it time and again. He also said they would bang the steel and mark it and my tanking around the concrete wall he had erected would be wrecked unless it was protected. Well when SKT arrived I spoke to the team and read the do’s and don’t and said above all ‘CARE.’ Mick had terrified me you see – well Keith Garf and Will have been marvellous. The building and the sloping ground presents scaffolding challenges but the horrors portrayed by Mick pleasingly failed to materialise. Will said to me – Tom you know a mate of mine – Pat he did your trees. This is true and it has to be said that Pat’s voice has the same decibel level as the chainsaw he uses with such dexterity. I’ve been fortunate with the people who have decided to work with me – I hope it continues but the roof is causing me concern.

Meanwhile we are getting the glazing and the steel cladding for the roof sorted. Stainless steel cladding has been another extraordinary experience. The largest known company in this country – almost the monopoly – could teach Basil Fawlty a thing or two. They are incapable of running a bath never mind a business – I have hopefully found an alternative supplier about more soon providing they perform. I’ll let you know.

We went to a major bathroom supplier and got all the bathroom kit sorted in 2 hours. The quote arrived and I was taken to Casualty – I’ve just been takern orf the defibrillator. Be brave Tom.

I have also just been asked for a deposit on the glass – this is a minor deposit of ----wait for it ----------------no wait ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------steady ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------this is just to cover some of the design mind -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------dare I tell you ------------------------------------------------------------------------£20k.

Tablets please – water – thank you.

I have also just sent a deposit for the slate - no I am not going to do the same again – it’s a 5 figure sum though mind we have a great deal of it both on floors and being used as cills and in the ponds and rills. The company I’ve gone with is Kirkstone who have a shop in Fulham and a quarry in Ambleside. They also import slate and after much discussion we have finally chosen and relish fitting it all. After all this money out you will now see me most Saturday nights working the longest queue in Leicester square – moustache, banjo and large hat.

We have fallen in love with a fantastic light fitting for the rills - its sensational – I just dare not tell you the cost – “darling more pills please – and whisky this time!” Sadly I don’t think the budget will take it but we will see.

But all of this is academic until the fabricator sorts out the %£*&@!? ROOF.

After the steel and the floors it was the return of the Blockies and more PADSTONES! They’d been on a bricklaying job in between. All block inside and brick outside – it’s a bit like building the thing twice which naturally enough they like. No sooner had they arrived back than the majority of level 3 was up and the scaffolders arrived back to put up the next rise. More steel needed to arrive to carry more blockwork which all happened in a timely fashion. Level four went skywards – and I sensed great progress.

Protection for the painted steel posts was still uppermost in my mind – Kevin (Talkback) had asked what I was going to do and off the cuff I said – rugby post protectors. I called Gilberts Sports and spoke to a gent called Jeremy Garman explaining that many of the posts are larger than rugby post dimensions – ‘no problem,’ came the reply, ‘we can accommodate those sizes’ and within a few days there was a delivery of 11 protectors that fit like a glove and do a marvellous job.

Onwards marched the blockies – slightly surprised at the height of the bedroom block ceilings – frankly so was I but I did not let on. The sense of volumetric space will be marvellous – filled with light – we are very fortunate.

More elements of steel arrived but the matter that was demanding most attention was securing a formworker for our stairs. I had chickened out of using pre-cast stairs because we only had 10mm of tolerance to play with and most of the project team changed colour at the thought of 2.8 tonnes of stairs and landing dangling at 3 metres because they did not fit. Given the angles and with the benefit of hindsight they were right.

And so I found JGB Formworks in Reading that was prepared to undertake my little job. Two accommodating chaps arrived at site – Brendan and John and on they cracked. I found it a very weird seeing the ply being put horizontally into place to hold a landing and stairs – all on 3 bearings of 75mm each. This part of the stairs weighs about 3 tonnes – and it will just hang there reinforced by steel bars, tied to certain positions of the block work and welded to the steel beams. Needless to say not everything went exactly to plan as the first flight of stairs were not going to land where we expected (on a series of pre-cast beams) but 75mm short! So what do you do – extend the last step onto the first landing by 75mm – simple. The flight thankfully does not relate to the next flight so it really doesn’t matter.

Harry and Jamie the steel fixers turned up about a week into the job and in a day tied the steels together in line with the rebar (reinforcement bar) schedule. Jamie said he’d not seen so much steel in a set of stairs before. I remembering telling Omar at the structural engineers that I was still growing (outwards) but Jamie reckoned you could park a tank on the landing and experience no give. I’ll be speaking to Omar about this – I think he’s got carried away a little with my weight – I did not say I was going to get like Maxwell.

The following day the Pochins concrete pumping machine arrived with Mervyn at the wheel, followed by a concrete lorry that had seen better days – driven by a bloke who looked very nervous at the wheel. The lorry ran out of air – the driver seemed to suffer from physical dyslexia and lack any sense of spatial awareness – definitely not a left hander! After very much huff and puff – he got his truck into position. The pour all happened in a moment. Brendan and John trowelled and smoothed – John Burke the boss arrived to see how things were going – but his chaps just did everything in a time and motion kind of way. With everything on the stairs filled – the boys also did some in-situ filling that was part of the job – washed up and said ‘cheers Tom see you in a week’ to remove the shuttering.

Other things have also been happening – THE ROOF!

The inverted roof has been ordered. A mock up has been made and I have put pictures on the website. Production drawings are almost ready to be issued and I am optimistic that it will be craned into position in the next four weeks. Much has been learned from the mock up – the characteristics of the roof change substantially when the top boards (which will be clad in stainless steel) are applied. Prior to then the roof is fairly floppy which means we have to provide some extra support for the underside of the roof when each section lands in position. Good to know for a host of reasons. I have to candidly admit to you that I am increasingly tense as we get towards delivery of the Wing form section. Logic says I should not be concerned – but what has that got to do with anything. On the day I intend to adopt that square jaw look (who am I kidding) and pretend its just another day.

Before the roof arrives eaves level steel has to be put into position and some blockwork needs to be finished off. The northern roof is cut and fabricated on site by the same company. While they work on the northern roof we will be looking for a weather ‘window’ to crane the gull-wing into position. We must have no rain and no wind (don’t hold your breath) else our roof will be joining the ‘heavy’ jets in the Bovingdon stack waiting to land at Heathrow.

During all this I have rather missed the opportunity to mention our painted steels – we are using a paint colour RAL 9006 – if you like it’s a Mercedes Benz silver – metallic and very lovely. When I first saw it a sample I was told not to get my fingers on it as the paint does not dry. Well this sounded pretty foolish – but sure enough the stuff adhered to my fingers like a dust and left a thumbprint on the finished sample. Try to remove the mark on the sample and it gets worse. I could not understand this so I called Anthony Ward of Leighs Paints and said – “what's going on here – this is useless.” Anthony calmly explained that the paint does not go ‘off’ (dry) because of the metallic content – this apparently is in keeping with most metallic paints. He then told me that the paint requires a lacquer finish to make it go hard. This is an offshore coating, “it's marvellous" he said – why? I asked, “Because the lacquer is twice the cost of the paint.” I fully understood that it was marvellous from his point of view – but I failed to share his enthusiasm, as you will appreciate. But the lacquer has other benefits – it affords the steel greater protection and extends the life of the material – it makes the steel easy to clean – but above all as you will see from the pictures it really does make the steel look marvellous. Leighs are a family business who supply amongst others – offshore businesses, The Royal Navy, JCB and they are presently pitching for the Terminal 5 building. I hope they get it – they are helpful and tolerant of people like me who have limited knowledge of coatings.

During the painting LGK had to place the columns on trestles and turn the sections over. As previously mentioned with the paint not drying this has left marks. I was getting pretty concerned about these marks – they are obvious and detract from the overall uplifting effect this colour possesses. Anthony came to site a couple of days ago and assured me that the marks and the small biffs that occurred during installation will easily be removed. This is very pleasing to hear because at sunrise those painted steels look majestic – Phil reckons my relationship with steel is becoming of some concern.

The programme we established was Tue – Thur for Kimber’s, with Hanson’s ‘bagging out’ also on Thursday and Hanson’s Precast coming in on Friday.

On Tuesday the programme did not get as far as I had expected. The lorry from LGK arrived a little later than planned – and Ray managed to squeeze the truck into a spot that most Transit drivers could not manage. He proceeded to unload what seemed to be a huge amount of steel much of it wrapped in brown paper in order to avoid damage to the paint finish. I had expected to see the three front columns erected during the day but this was not to be. I was still pretty tense to find out if all the padstones were in tolerance. The Kimbers installation boss Steve got out the theodolite and started measuring. It seemed to take sometime ‘there’s something wrong here I register a 200mm difference!’ I was silent in the horror of these words. ‘I’ll check it again.’ Thank goodness he did – the tolerance between the pad stones was 7mm – ‘that’s fantastic’ said Steve ‘best I’ve had for ages.’ He then measured diagonals and various other points and he kept getting the same result ‘that’s 7mm, so’s this!’ I was becoming convinced his instrument was stuck. On the final measurement that cry went up ‘And that’s 7mm as well. Tom I think you’ve got the wrong Cloud Number for this house.’

The following day Kimber’s started in earnest. The 50 Tonne all terrain Ainscough Crane turned up on time as usual – Chris the driver now knows the site well. Even if the Crane were invisible you’d know he was onsite because of the aroma of cigars. Ray got the huge hydraulic arm of the LGK truck into position and the first steels started to slot in place. The steels went up very well with the usual minor site adjustments required. The largest section, the central column on level 1 is about 10 metres tall. This had to be held by the Ainscough crane while Ray from Kimbers moved a horizontal steel beam to connect with it, into position using the truck’s arm. It was all pretty detailed stuff and Steve was really motoring, conscious of the clock ticking. With Wednesday gone things were still looking pretty good for the Friday fit of the floor. Thursday motored on but it looked as though time was not to be on our side. The Hanson bagging team lead by Darren turned up at 11am and started bagging at noon. This is a process of putting bouncy castle like airbags into the building to protect the men if anyone falls whilst putting in the pre-cast flooring.

But by 2pm we had to take the decision to postpone the floor till Monday but would still have the delivery of Pre-cast sent to us on the Friday. This was done at some cost to me sadly. Mike Allanson from Hanson’s came to inspect the site and took lots of photographs of the steels and their arrangements. After everyone had left site I was just tidying up some administration and a few other things and made off to get the mail from the post box at the front of the site. As I stepped out of the site office my ankle twisted inwards and I fell to the ground in a disorderly heap. I was in agony. It’s not the first time this has happened. I yelled out to no avail – after about 5 minutes on the ground I managed to get myself to some blocks and then hopped to my car. Having got home and removed my boot my ankle ballooned. An ambulance was called and I spent a tiresome evening in casualty, which resulted in me coming out at the other end of the pipeline in plaster!

The following morning I turned up to site to direct matters waving crutches around like a helicopter – much to everyone’s amusement.

With the delay of a day Steve was delighted to have the extra time to ‘finish off’ the steel and grout the plates of the five steels that sit on the ground beams.

So come Friday we had cleared an area for unloading and the 6 Hanson trucks arrived about every 45 minutes to be unloaded. One tonne pre-cast planks glided in between the protected trees – it should have been set to music really – and the aroma of Chris’s cigars drifted across site.

Come Monday I was convinced that me, Brian, Tony and Mark (the last three collectively known as The Blockies) had done a pretty ace job with the padstones. The steels had gone in very well, and it was now down to the Hanson chap’s to get the floor laid.

I drove up the single track lane to see a van parked on the verge occupied by Ginna and Dave – the lead men from Hanson’s. They arrived at about 6am having driven from Derby! Their theory is that it is better to arrive early; miss the traffic; park up; have breakfast; and relax before the job starts. There’s much merit in this – I hope their employers appreciate this very positive attitude.

I opened the site huts while the chaps kindly opened the gates for me. The rumble of the Ainscough Crane could be heard and moments later there was that aroma of cigars again. The crane was up in no time and at 8am the first plank was going into position. The planks slotted into place wonderfully. It was all going too well! And it continued. The crew from Talkback turned up and commenced filming. By now I had managed to find a method of getting up ladders whilst wearing a cast and using crutches. I am sure the HSE might have something to say about this but please – say nothing to anyone!

With the plank we just had one item that caused us to stop and think for a while – more why has this happened than anything else – we are still struggling to get an answer in full but it marked no material difference and the unexpected difference is easily resolved.
The floor went in beautifully – and the Hanson’s team were first rate; efficient; polite; tidy; and you had that feeling that they had seen it all and whatever your site may throw at them they’d resolve it which gives you a good feeling.

Mike Allanson and the collective members of the design team all reckon I am accident-prone. A massively unfair charge in my opinion – but there you go. Do lots on a site and you increase your opportunity for accidents – need I say more.

It’s more steel and the first floor block work next - and the Blockies are flying as you can see from a more recent picture when 20 students from the Oxford School of Architecture visited Cloud 8 on an awayday to see three contrasting buildings which also included the Said Business School, and the River and Rowing Museum in Henley. The Said Business School was opened by Nelson Mandela and designed by Dixon Jones who was also responsible for the Covent Garden Opera House extension. The idea was to show the students an example of a building in the raw. Pleasingly there was a request to return to see the house once it is completed.

So much to: do so little time. My apologies for my recalcitrant performance on the updates front - there are reasons but I offer no excuse.

Life is hectic; challenging; and periodically enjoyable. As I mentioned in my last update, a very important part of the structure of Cloud 8 is the reinforced concrete wall, which encompasses two thirds of level 1.

The groundwork's contractor decided that the best way to create the wall was to use shuttering trays. These are reusable metal-framed panels that interlock and bolt together. Much of the wall is over 1.70 metres tall so the weight of concrete in the wall is substantial. At Valentine's Mick, being an incurable romantic, whisked his wife off to France for a long weekend. Son Terry took over and completed the fabrication of the shuttering and prepared to pour. The lorries arrived and with the benefit of a smaller Pochins concrete pump on site the pouring process started. Part way through the pour there was a noise from one of the taller sections of wall that included 2 angles. There appeared to be movement and on inspection the wall had 'popped' - unable to contain the weight of the concrete. Looking at the plans supplied by manufacturers of the system, part of the bracing had been impossible to put in place - an 'alternative' arrangement had been devised by the groundworks team but unfortunately this failed to work.

Terry quickly devised tactics to save the balance of the section, which proved successful. The following day the faulty section was removed in its entirety with a pneumatic hammer; rebuilt with the trays and butted to the sound wall. This is known as a 'day joint' which does not compromise the strength of the structure.

One important point had not been spotted by any of us though which will be made apparent further in this update.

Philip (Proj Mgr) had drawn my attention to a clause in my buildings guarantee policy - they required a 10-year independently backed insurance guarantee for the tanking (waterproofing) that was to be applied to the reinforced wall. Well this ruled out all the people to whom we were talking. This business sector operates mainly with small regional businesses, using products purchased from large reputable manufacturers who have the appropriate certification for their products but who do not guarantee the application of the product by the firms who are applicators. These smaller businesses cannot interest an insurer to cover their 'applications' as they are too small. The demands of my insurance company therefore started to look pretty challenging.

I had been talking to a major manufacturer of product about their membrane. The design they suggested wanted to wrap the groundbeams in their product. This seemed overly demanding and as I very quickly discovered their applicator was unable to supply the requisite insurance guarantee. It was deeply concerning. I seemed to be staring loss of Building Guarantee insurance in the face and to clarify what this means: if a building is less than 10 years old and does not have a Ten Year Guarantee provided by one of the big insurers, a mortgage company will not provide a prospective purchaser with their funding requirements! Potentially I was therefore building a blighted house if I could not find a solution. You will therefore appreciate why I was becoming a little sweaty. So with the approaching weekend I decided to hit the web to see what I might find.

Within about an hour of searching I found a business called Stirling Lloyd who seemed to operate very much in the commercial arena of tanking including bridges, car parks and many other large applications. They are a national concern with their own contracts division. Their system was a spray not a membrane, which struck me as being more sensible for our requirements. You never get a perfect surface when creating groundbeams and a glutinous spray can accommodate imperfections. I sent an email to them and was contacted very promptly by Martin Radford who quickly evolved a design for our needs and which would carry an independent 10 year guarantee. Problem solved!

The advantages of the system are that up to 2000m2 of tanking can be applied in a day using their Integritank product. There are three coats including the primer. Each cures quickly. Before application the surface has to be dry - ours on the day was damp with threatening skies. Our wall was force dried using a gas fork that resembled a tool of the devil and offered a dramatic start to the process. Primer was applied - then an orange undercoat followed within approximately half an hour by the white topcoat. They started at 9am finished at 2pm - it rained at 2.45 - no worries. Phil the project manager said he had not seen this before and thought it marvellous and said he'll be using it again.

It appears the company has hitherto remained in the commercial market only to enter the increasing domestic field very recently. Demand for increased space in houses is significant - cost of land high - which makes the installation of basements attractive, and of course if you want a basement it has to have tanking.

While all this was happening there had been 2 deliveries of palleted building blocks on consecutive days. (four lorries - 93 tonnes of blocks in total). This tested the theory of us being able to squeeze a 50 tonne all terrain crane onto site - unload from an artic in the road whilst missing a 415-volt overhead power cable, which crosses the single-track road at the end of the new lower entrance. TXU Energy advised they wanted a 1-metre clearance - fortunately it is rather greater - but challenges are still presented as the lane is not level and there are plenty of protected trees to negotiate. A skilled driver is therefore required. The unloading went successfully and was an ideal learning curve for the forthcoming beam delivery that will form 30% of the beam and block floor which is also described as the as the Structural Slab Level (SSL).

Before the floor went down we needed to get the brickies on site (from here in known as Blockies as we are not using bricks). They would need to lay a course of blocks on the Ground beams onto which the inverted T section floor beams sit - then blocks are fitted into these inverted T sections of the beams and the lot is subsequently grouted which significantly increases the strength of the floor. For the anoraks we are only using 4Newton blocks on the floor for thermal reasons - and naturally these do not have great strength. We agreed terms with a Blockie team from Princes Risborough who it appeared could throw more labour at the job to help speed it on as we were falling behind. They offered the same terms as a team based in the village that were just a hod and 2(blockies). At the time I saw the local team as a disadvantage because of their lack of labour.

Set out always goes a little slowly - I sensed that the Risborough team was not enjoying this stage. It has to be said that many blockies received the details and ran for the hills - why get involved with something unusual when you can earn the same amount for building a long straight wall?

The set out seemed to go fairly well - the pleasure in seeing the first set of blocks outline the house was marvellous.

A couple of days later the beams arrived and Ainscough Cranes managed to offload the lot in 3 hours precisely. The whole job was completed by the following day including the grouting. Pallets of blocks were distributed around the site and we were ready for Blockies phase 2. It was great to be out of the ground.

The Blockies returned and started on the lower deck - level 1. This level has two levels to allow for the requisite 'lower' garage - in case of petrol leakage. None of the Cloud 8 project is easy. We had a very heavily rain- interrupted fortnight. Not many blocks capable of being laid. Faces looked glum and the body language was not good and matters progressed slowly - dayworks rates have a habit of achieving this phenomenon.

In January I had agreed an offer on our home and we intended renting for the balance of our build, however on the morning of our move I still had not signed the papers for the rental.

On the 20th March our move date - I went to site. As I arrived I noticed the hoddie removing the team's tools from site. I asked what he was doing - 'oh don't you know Tom - we are off this job.' Sure enough a large client of theirs (a developer) who had also been delayed by rain wanted more men on site. Other members of the company were already on the job, but the the client wanted further support as chippies were standing around waiting to put roofs on. So I get dumped in it . I was told by one of the owners that he would be back tomorrow - I called his son five minutes later to be told they would not be back for at least 3 weeks. Two days later the site hut door opened and the partner who told me they would be back the following day said 'I've brought our invoice.' I asked when they were returning to site - 'No' said Bill - 'we're not coming back - we are not used to these blocks (contra to what they told Philip when tendering for the job), I've just come back to work after a bad shoulder and Roy hurt his finger the other day.' Poor loves I thought - have you ever heard such nonsense? I had no query with their bill: told him that in turn I would be billing him for my consequential losses. These turned out to be larger than his invoice - I await my cheque.

So on the 20th March the day began pretty badly. When I got back home to start the move the removal van had arrived - and ten minutes later the film crew turned up. Grief - I thought this was a bit much - but apparently it's all part of the story! It rained a great deal on the day matching my mood.

As I said on camera - I now had to pull a rabbit from the hat rapidly. Blockies are a valued and rare in this area. My first point of call after the weekend was to speak to Brian and Tony - the village blockies - to see if they might be interested or not.

We met and bearing no ill feeling we agreed terms and they started 8 days later. Things started to fly from the start. Needless to say there are a number of different things about even our blockwork - the mortar mixes are different for internal and external walls - we have windposts to fix - plenty of movement joints and wall ties - and our least favourite component to this build so far PAD STONES!

I hardly dare mention pad stones to the Blockies. Personally I never want to see one again. What are they you ask? They are specially cast concrete blocks, which support steel that spans a gap. Concrete is required as it is considerably stronger (and heavier) than the light aircrete blocks we use for the structure. We had to change the heights of these (measured from the SSL) several times as one cock up after another was made by the experts on the project about the respective heights these hellish items needed to be. I went inter galactic on several occasions as I was given yet another revised level for the same padstone that had just been positioned and 'bubbled.' (level checked) The Blockies now call me 'bubble' - and every time I mentioned pad stones everyone developed a facial tick and yelled 'start the van!'

I put together the couple of window blanks needed for level 2. These enable the Blockies to build up to a line and height. One window measures 750 X 4125. Tony, the best Blockie living so he advises us all, wanted to know (in soft Irish accent) 'Is this window is to be fitted tall or woide?' When advised it was tall he said - Tom have you got a pet giraffe or is this the entrance for the supermodels?'

David (architect) came to site and during the course of the meeting and seeing my irritation about the ordering process and some of the bizarre protocols between professionals said 'Tom, the building industry does not work that way.' Well more is the pity - my suggestion had great merit as David acknowledged and I was in any case surprised that he said this. The building industry can hardly be presented as a shining example of efficiency and new thinking. The average age of building employees on site is now 47 and rising. It attracts few youngsters who see the industry as backward and unappealing with evidence of Spanish practices and misplaced proportion testosterone. It has only itself to blame for not attracting enthusiastic youth whilst it remains a largely Luddite area of commerce. It's forcing many to look at prefabricated buildings which are largely engineered solutions manufactured in controlled environments, taken to site and erected rapidly. The developer therefore employs a groundworker to take things to ground level and the building arrives and is erected and dry in a week. Fitting out may take a further 4 weeks - finished. This is the future - but the design will continue to be unimaginative as it has been for the last 40 years.

During David's recent visit he spotted an error and returned to the site hut to advise that part of the reinforced wall was too high and as a result 2 window openings were going to be at the wrong level. The following day the crew from Talkback turned up to a quiet and freezing site. I made the few window blanks that we needed while Kevin (presenter) did all sorts of pieces to camera. I was just quietly ' doing my pieces' about the windows.

I put together the limited number of window blanks I required and put them outside the site office. Towards the end of filming the crew went onto level 1 by the reinforced wall - and called into the office to ask if I would come for a few words with Kevin. It turned out Omar had mentioned the cock up to Simon the Director during a visit to Anthony Hunts the previous day. 'So Tom,' said Kevin - 'nice reinforced concrete wall, should there be any windows in it?' There was a moment's silence before I stuttered a response. 'How are you going to resolve this?' asked Kevin.

Well of course there is only one way to resolve it - diamond sawing and drilling. By now the wall has been up for 28 days so it was pretty solid. I contacted Drill Cut who have a strong presence nationally with the closest branch to me in Reading. I needed to get this resolved quickly as the blockies wanted to get to this section of wall without delay. The quote arrived very promptly and was keener than the 2 alternatives I secured. I confirmed and a week later they were with me - Phil the Drill and Steve. I rapidly came to the conclusion that Phil the Drill wanted to take the entire wall down - he politely advised me he's a company man. They screwed a steel runner to the wall to which a large diamond bladed circular saw was attached. The cut complete a manually used hydraulic cruncher was used to break the concrete which was then gently lowered to the slab. The second window needed to be bored and cylindrical sections of reinforced concrete can be seen in some pictures. Understandably Talkback was keen to film the sequence - COCK UP corrected.

Oh well - do nothing in life and you don't make any mistakes.

Well there has been so much going on that it seems sensible to get an interim update issued with some great pictures.

I omitted to mention last time that in order to fill the piles we needed a concrete pump. The big boys in this area are Pochins PLC - a national company with a huge variety of kit and significant back up resources. We needed a rig with a 32-metre boom, the biggest you can get. The delivery nozzle needed to be very small diameter to get into the 7inch tube. The whole thing went very smoothly. Their vehicle arrived on time and just managed to get onto site. Sean the operator was first rate and similar to the Bullivant piling rig the whole show was operated via radio control belt Sean had round his waist.

The next thing we expected at site was the steel prefabrications to drop into the Pecafil followed by splicing and wiring them together. In all about 9.5 tonnes of steel arrived 4.5 tonnes approx of which was prefabricated. I decided to use a company in the same group as Pecafil. Sadly it turned out that the company could not have been more different to the very customer focused Special Products Division of which Pecafil is part.

For the time being I will pass over this section as the events that unfolded caused disruption and delay for which recourse will be sought.

Having finally got the reinforcements belatedly into position it was time for concrete again. The large Pochins pump arrived once more again and within about 5 hours, 48 cubic metres of C35 had been put into the trenches. I grabbed hold of the end of the boom for a period and did my semi-religious bit of pouring some of the foundations in both levels. Grand Designs were filming some of the pour and I mentioned to Simon the Director that there were several people I knew who might be happy to see me wearing a pair of concrete boots!

As the day progressed the wind picked up. The weather forecast was 'rain later.' The concrete trucks were not turning up as fast as the previous supplier and we were all looking towards the clouds when we finished at about 4pm. The advantage of the wind was that it quickly skinned the concrete but at 4pm the weather looked ominous.

The pour completed I made for home. Earlier in the day the phone in the site office rang and I was told we had exchanged contracts on the house - so we now needed to find a temporary home until the build is complete.

After the exhausting day I fell asleep on a sofa to be woken at 7.45pm with the sound of rain clattering against the window. Judy had gone to a meeting at the children's school and the headmaster had to turn up the speakers on the address system to be heard over the downpour. I had visions of a river of concrete flowing down the site - it didn't last long though - I fell asleep again.

The following morning I went quickly to site - aiming for the last area poured - it was perfect! Untroubled by the rain it had clearly skinned in those few hours and looked great.

After a bit of clear up work - the next requirement was to prepare for the formation of the 42 meter reinforced wall - the first thing to arrive was a load of steel mesh.

Well the bad news is that we are about 4 weeks behind schedule. This has occurred for a number of reasons - we should have trenched on both levels simultaneously, I spotted an error in the dig depth on day 3 of trenching and re-digging is always slow. We had also been slightly optimistic in our programming, trenching was difficult in the very flinty ground, and working around the steel piles proved slower than expected. Add these items together and there you have it. Many small issues compound to create a sizeable delay so early in the programme.

When Bullivant's finished the piling we cut the excess steel tubes to the level of pile mat which made trenching with the digger that much easier. This then needed to be followed by a further setting out process to get the trench lines between the piles correct. Site pictures will show you many mini goalposts at various places all over the site. These posts and crossbars have nails tapped into them which enable marker strings to be attached which it turn enable paint marker sprays to be used on the ground, showing a digger driver the exact line for a trench. Trenching took 3.5 weeks.

Having completed the upper section we put 250mm Cordek Cellcore void former into the trenches and covered it with 50mm of blinding (blinding is a sand and cement mixture and using it applies further strength to the trench, the ability to clean easily, a very strong and flat surface. (See pictures from site) Cellcore is designed to protect the ground beams and therefore the superstructure in the event of the ground moving as a result of heave. Cordek is the market leader which we used having explored the alternatives. The 250mm of Cellcore (expanded polystyrene with a plastic treated board along the top which creates a level surface of surprising 'walk on' strength) collapses (by up to 150mm) allowing the ground to fill the space without it affecting the ground beams which are formed above these works. Using the Cellcore solution enabled us to trench at a slightly shallower depth (because of better collapsing characteristics). This advantage reduces cart away cost. Over our linear metre run of required trench this was a valuable consideration.

As mentioned the dig was challenging, and it would have been better had we trenched both levels simultaneously. At the meeting point of the two levels there are a number of complicated trench angles and we hit a very deep layer of flint making digging slow.

Having completed the trenching we had another visit from the steel cutter to cut the tubes down to within 30mm of the top of the blinding.

Earlier in the month our reinforcement bar design had arrived and was promptly put out to tender. The company I decided to go with was BRC in Newport. First elements to arrive at site were the starter Bars.

These important components link the piles to the prefabricated steel reinforcements, which were in the process of being made in Newport. The steel is 15mm in diameter and drops 6 Metres into the pile tubes. There is a connector nut to which a 750mm steel extension is joined. You therefore end up with a piece of 15mm diameter metal 6.8m long bent to a right angle @ 6.050 with a .750m extension - this is lowered into the tube. The tube is then filled with concrete (C35 self-compacting) and the starter bars wired to the prefabricated reinforcement beams that were awaiting delivery.

About 2 months earlier Philip (Project Manager/QS) had brought a sample of Permanent Formworks to site called Pecafil. Many people will know formwork as shuttering - where hardwood ply is nailed together in the shape of the ground beams to be formed. These trough forms are then filled with the steel reinforcements and concrete poured into the shuttering, which form beams. Once the concrete cures the timber is then removed. Timber which can be reused is salvaged the rest dumped. The Pecafil alternative is made of heavy steel wire covered in strong plastic that holds the concrete. Send BRC Special Products division your ground beam design and a few days later the truck arrives with the components bent to size and away you go. The product is cut as required on site and wired together. Mick and two men completed the entire upper section in 1 day - including cutting and fitting Claymaster at the specified places between the Pecafil and the trench wall to further protect against ground heave. Anybody using shuttering is probably from the Luddite school of construction and is not considering the environment at all - Pecafil is fast; simple; very cost effective; and does not require specialist labour. I asked Mick how long it might have taken using shuttering methods on our site and he estimated 30 man-days. I asked what he thought of Pecafil as he had not encountered it before - 'bloody marvellous' came the reply. I think he's converted. Using Pecafil the two levels were completed in 7.5 man-days.

So on the 19th the Crew from Talkback turned up followed by Kevin McCloud the presenter who had called in at the site first - keen to see the Bullivant rig in operation.

We discussed the project. David our architect came to give a greater insight into the build. The house seemed to be packed with people and equipment. I gave Judy a call and she arrived about 15 minutes before filming commenced.

Having completed the scene setting --Q. You are not exactly in the first flush of youth Tom why are you doing this? A. Quite right - third flush of youth and it's a mid life crisis etc.

Get the scene? Having finished this we zipped to site - I was very keen to see how things were going with Bullivant's. Lots more film was taken on site with explanations of what was going on and the sequence of on site activity that had brought us to our present position.

The Bucks Examiner turned up to take team photos of the GD crew - but sadly they got cropped and just my picture ended up in the paper - bit like turning up to take a shot of the ManU and cropping the picture to end up with just the linesman!

On the 19th November Bullivants limbo'd their rig off the back of the low-loader into the tunnel of trees in our narrow road. The rig arm was raised, going oh so close to the high power cable hidden in the trees. It was close but well judged. Steve and Allie, the two riggers said it was one of the tighter sites they had negotiated. A huge forklift arrived and a copious number of steel tubes on the back of another truck. I took photos of the first driven pile.

The tubes are reused drill rig casings that have survived to be used on projects like ours.

During the 2.5 days on site the guys found some challenging ground conditions. The soil investigation did not reveal everything. Desiccated soil (heavily compacted soil caused as a result of the water drawn by the trees along this boundary) was expected but swallow holes in the centre of the site were disappointing to discover. Within swallow holes chalk has the consistency of emulsion paint and steel piles slide into the ground like butter. Our 2 deepest piles were 32 metres! Sadly our structural engineers have now also decided that they want the piles filled with C35 concrete. This supplies a further margin of strength.

On hearing that we had gone down 32 metres a chum sent an email saying 'glad to see to see you have kept your options open for a block of flats on the site!'

Steel was the correct solution for our project. Pre-cast piles do not fare well in desiccated soil and failures mean you have to double up on the pile that has failed. Messy and expensive. Faced with the same hard conditions steel has none of these difficulties.

There were no calls by neighbours to Environmental Health complaining about noise. Ducks stayed on the walls as vibration was almost non-existent just as Bullivant's had said. Just to be sure each rig team carries measuring equipment and readings were taken throughout the job. Being fairly well built I found it both depressing and reassuring to be told I was causing the metering device to take readings as I walked across site.

The Bullivant designed rig has a very efficient sound suppressor. The company has significant demand for these rigs at housing developments where phases of houses are sold while building of further phases continues. The developer wants to keep noise to a minimum as the prospect of new homeowners tramping a path to the Site Office door complaining, is a hugely unattractive prospect.

The Tree Officer will also be happy as Steve - the rig driver - avoided any damage to trees, showing great skill in difficult circumstances. Pictures from site show the rig threaded through the trees.

Also on the 19th Talkback productions for Channel 4 Grand Designs started filming Cloud 8 for Series III of this very popular programme. More about this next time.

The 19th November was quite a day.

We seem to have been racing to get in the quotes for the early packages of Piling and Groundworks. We arranged a site meeting with Aarsleff, the piling contractor whose design was approved by Anthony Hunt. This was set for the 10th October. The representative went through many details but I was interested to know three things.

Q How was the rig going to drive the piles located under the protected trees?
A You will have to redesign this area.

Q How noisy is the process?
A The noise is suppressed and travels side ways to the rig - but it is noisy.

Q What is the vibration like?
A Take out JCT 21.2.1 consequential loss insurance.

Well this sounded not very jolly and did not grip me with much enthusiasm. We have some 49 piles to sink on site and the prospect of a redesign at short notice made my heart sink. I also had visions of the ducks falling orf my neighbours' walls with the vibration - animals in distress - neighbours ticked off - all the colours in all the sizes - you get the scene!

A week after our meeting I decided we just could not go this way. It was also suggested that this pre-cast concrete pile might experience difficulties in the northern area where the soil investigation suggested desiccated ground. Philip had contacted another piling company - and I decided to go back to a Contractor who had quoted for the work using a driven steel tube method. Anything driven I was not enthusiastic about. I enquired if they, Roger Bullivant Ltd, could use CFA (Continuous Flight Auger). Pencils sharpened they decided it was possible and they very quickly assembled a revised quote that looked pretty near the financial mark and better than the alternative secured by Philip. This, in turn, was close to another also sourced by me. CFA is a very different process. Quieter - equally fast and no vibration.

About a fortnight earlier, whilst sourcing some basic equipment for site - canteen, office etc., a Plant Hire Company mentioned a Ground worker called MJP or Mick Phillips. Philip had put out the Groundwork's package and included a copy to Mick who is based five miles away. Time was getting pretty tight as we proposed starting piling on the 19th November. Of the three tenders Mick came in pretty close and of the three he could get cracking promptly. We talked about his numbers and all got happy and Philip took up satisfactory references.

The preceding week when very little was in place Talkback Productions who produce Grand Designs for Channel 4 contacted me to say they wanted to start filming on the 19th November - Piling day. They had been here to do some preliminary filming and our project had finally passed muster. They'd had our build programme for a while but with no firm orders in place it was starting to look as though we might start late. And with piling having a fair lead-time it all looked a bit challenging.

A site meeting had been arranged for the 31st Oct with Bullivant's + Groundworks (MJP). We needed to do plenty of enabling work to the entrance so the rig and the other equipment could get on site. We had to get the levels correct and a piling mat in place. Bullivant's concluded that the entrance was too tight for the large (56 tonne) CFA rig that was needed to go to the depth required. They suggested a revisit to the driven steel option again. Despite being a driven solution Bullivant's assured me it was considerably gentler than I might imagine and due to the clever suppression design much quieter that one might reasonably expect. So confident were they of the lack of vibration that they saw no need for the JCT 21.2.1 insurance.

The quote was revised with the big plus that the second smaller rig that would have been needed to get under the trees for CFA, would not be required for driven steel as the rig is smaller at only 27 tonnes. It can also use shorter 2-metre steels to save lifting the hammer so high. It would be the hammer that might cause damage to the branches as opposed any other part of the kit. Also no JCB Site Master or trucks would be required as there is no 'muck away' with a driven solution. The steel is re-used drill rig casings from the North Sea which is pleasing in the green scheme of things.

Finally on Tuesday 6th November everything was given the green light and the scheme goes to AHA for approval. Bullivant's have experienced similar soil conditions on a job in nearby Beaconsfield and they had provisioned for similar discovery within the design.

Meanwhile MJP started on site on Wednesday 7th and he is flying. Three days of work has seen dramatic change and everything is being done in a ' very tidy' fashion.

Well there has been much happening but little to put on the web. Having secured Planning approval back in Spring, David has been very busy. As Cloud 8 is an unconventional build everything has to be considered carefully e.g. Starter for ten no conferring - how does the glass fit with the wall ceiling and floor? Omar Allaher from Anthony Hunt has been busy doing piling design and roof design for the pavilion section. The whole thing of how all the bits connect is vital. Services have got to be designed in and of course there is the matter of piling and setting out for the property - not a job I would fancy.

On September the 24th the old property was demolished. Suddenly from it all being there on paper you realise that it is time to 'jump' and to be frank you seem to do this with a mixture of excitement and fear. You realise that there are so many links in the chain and just one link going wrong affects the whole project.

I appointed Peter North and Partners as Project Managers. They are a QS Partnership in Berkhamstead and during the course of discussing the Cloud 8 requirements it emerged that Philip Ellis had built his own house. Worryingly he said that he would not repeat the exercise but this was mainly because he had created the living space he most wanted, but he did also point out some of the realities.

Talkback Productions came to film some of the demolition. Cloud 8 is a candidate for Series 3. No sooner had they arrived than we found a second huge water storage tank on site. This was located under the patio and adjacent to the one we knew about. Six feet in diameter and 12 feet deep it was located right on the piling line of the pavilion area of the house. Moments later a very thick cable was lifted by the digger going across the site at a very jaunty angle. Eastern Electricity was called as it appeared to be a High Voltage Cable but after further inspection by them it turned out to be the far end of the gas line to the house that had already been disconnected. We concluded that the pipe was laid when materials cost was not a major issue. The route taken to the house was anything but the shortest distance between two points and understandably this served to confuse everyone.

I seem to be spending much time looking at kitchens and bathrooms presently. With one or two exceptions I'm astonished at the sameness of most offerings. We are looking for the product that is 'simpatico' with our house design.

There is certainly a greater variety of design in bathrooms - and certainly some very interesting products to consider.

We are proposing having underfloor heating throughout. With the tall ceilings in the living area (almost double height) it's the most sensible option; however the flooring here is timber which is the most thermally efficient material available. As underfloor heating is relatively low heat, and timber is thermally efficient, I'm interested to discover how this mixture of products will work efficiently. I will be communicating with one of the best companies in this field very shortly to discover the solution.
David Grindley and I will be meeting with Les Postawa at Anthony Hunt Associates sometime very soon as the Soil report will be with Les on Tuesday 12th. Within a very short time we will then understand the piling requirements.

Some of the heavier works such as glazing, roofing (stainless steel) external rendering and structural steel are beginning to take shape and we have a range of firms that are capable of doing the work. It's all a question of finding the best and most appropriate companies for our specifications. It's proving interesting and challenging.

27th May, 2001

The boys from GeoTechnical arrived and dug 3 pits and bored 2 holes. I was hoping this would be all over in a matter of hours. Sadly it all lasted 2 days! We now await the results. The bore holesboreholes on site went depressingly deep. It wouldn't have been so bad had we struck oil but sadly it just seems that we will face a bigger bill than we had originally budgeted. Oh joy!

Environmental modelling has indicated where all the hot and cold spots are throughout the house and what we need to do in order to compensate for either. Specifications have been assembled for the appropriate contractors.

David has expressed concern that most contractors will flee to the hills on seeing the design specification. I sense they are right but the build really consists of sequencing a number of specialist contractors whilst being familiar with piling and steel.

Meanwhile Judy is occupied with kitchens and bathrooms fittings and fitments. I have fallen in love with some taps and certain door handles, which are wonderful. I'll tell you more about these soon. I really do need to get out more!

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