A Timetable

Since the windows have gone in John has been doing the boring, fiddly but very important bits fixing them properly and filling in the edges with insulation and tape, generally doing the airtight bit.

Len turned up on 13th to dig the trench for the services and took out the dead tree on the island. It took three of them from the electricity board to move the meter but as they had been to install the cable 18 months ago, they were interested in seeing how things had come along. With the water supply and the phone cable in the trench, Len backfilled it at the side but ran out of time to do the front.

Anyway, the reeds and irises arrived and we planted them in the reed beds. We still have to fix one of the downpipes and wire up the septic tank to get that side of things completely finished.

Meanwhile Suse has been shopping for the stove, flue and indirect cylinder for the heating/plumbing system. They duly arrived as planned and Alan will get the rest of the materials.

We also had a visit from Owen Armstrong of Clyde Insulation to check out any possible difficulties with the insulation. Generally he was very pleased with the construction of the house but pointed out that plasterboard alone on the cathedral ceilings will not be able to take the pressure of 60kg, and he recommended using panelvent instead. The plan is that they will pump in the material for the walls and supply loose fill pre blown for the downstairs underfloor. We will be able to install that ourselves, moving the stuff that is piled up there as we go. Insulating the midfloor and cathedral ceilings i.e. the roof, will have to wait until we have been able to fix up the plasterboard – or whatever on the ceilings.

We had a visit from a student architect who is interested in sustainable buildings and so we invited Ali along too and talked house for ages! It was fascinating listening to Stuart and Ali and their ideas. With so much going on, Suse, for the first time, worked out a timetable to see if it is at all realistic to get in for Christmas. Although there are the usual unknowns and nothing is ever straightforward (yeah, yeah) it does seem possible.

The Countdown
The countdown began with us getting all the vent axias fitted and all the holes taped in time for the arrival of the insulation. Andy, Brian and Scott duly arrived a day late as they had to transfer the gobbledagobbleda machine to a different van. However they managed to crash into each other at the traffic lights at Inverary, and then go to Campbeltown, so it was a late start on Tuesday and we were a vanful of loosefill short.

Once on the go they made good progress with Andy drilling the holes, Brian pumping and Scott in charge of the generator and gobbledagobbleda machine. The next day the morning was lost as well when our bank decided to bounce the cheque and the lads were told to cease fire. We still haven’t found out why, but Suse had to dash up to Lochgilphead to arrange for a CHAPS payment in order to get them back on the job. They finished on Thursday lunchtime.

The loosefill didn’t arrive until Friday but it didn’t take long to fluff it up and sweep it under the floor. (Seems like a very convenient long term plan for housework!) The balance won’t arrive until Tuesday so that’s my schedule up the spout already. I have also forgotten about the clay brick wall round the hearth so we will lose another couple of days collecting them and building the wall. Oh well, it was a nice idea.

The Hearth of the Matter
Emily and Richard came for the weekend and for once we didn’t have them moving scaffolding. While Emily and Suse finished taping the insulation plugs, Richard and John built the base for the hearth. Having roughed up a design, we made a quick dash to the beach for some more pebbles and gasped at the beauty of the snow covered Paps of Jura as the sun faded. On Saturday evening we poured the concrete and set the pebbles into a sunburst design. We are really pleased with it.

They ‘christened’ the house, sleeping on the mattress on the floor. With a temperature of -5 we woke up on Sunday with ice on the inside of the campervan, to find the tap frozen. The house was a bit warmer but we are looking forward to the stove going in. We grouted the pebbles and went for a walk in the sunshine before Sunday lunch and Emily and Richard setting off for the drive home, a good job done.