Almost up to roof height. And Location is key!

It's true. We almost have full height walls. But of course, nothing is simple for us Foxes. Nope. We can't build up much higher, due to the rather fetching fascia surrounding the guttering, and then we'd need to leave the new wall at a funny angle, which then couldn't be covered properly with a cavity closer. Plus we don't want to rock the boat too much over winter - we can do this later on when the new roof is ready to go on.

The roof is being designed by a local structural engineer. We were trying to weigh up the pro's and con's of a traditional roof over trusses. Apart from the obvious, being cost. We have also had a thought, about perhaps putting in 3 big steels in. One right at the top of the roof, and two lower down under where the dormer windows will sit. A traditional roof will then be built to suit. We think this might be the winner, as it gives us the most useable space upstairs, and apart from the costly steels, the price will be more modest.

   

We want lots of floor space upstairs, given we are moving half of the current house up there. It's a strange conundrum to be in, as our previous house had good upstairs space, but lacked downstairs space. Hopefully the bungalow when it's done, will have both.

 

Down the side of the dining room/kitchen into the back garden.

Steve is hoping to have all the front house walls up to window height by the end of next weekend when the clocks go back.

Just bits of the porch and the wall leading to what will be the garage to finish off.

Sunday 22nd Oct

I took the girls out today, so Steve could crack on, as evenings are drawing in and he's finding it harder to get stuff done on an evening. His plan was to finish the front walls, and the porch, but he made a start on the garage instead. It's quite exciting now you can see walls either side of the garage, even if it's only a little corner!

I think I've mentioned in a previous entry, about our main doubts about buying this project. One was how lovely the old house was, and how very little needed doing to it. But when it comes to a house, it's things you can't add on to the property that really matter. Like the size of the plot, the location, and walking distance to school etc.

For us, we didn't really suit the new build standard of living. We felt confined, and hemmed in. I like trees and open space, and the village life. I like being able to walk to a small local pub on a sunday afternoon, and look out of the window to trees and a nice big garden. None of these things you can buy in a box, and install into your house, which is why I think Location is so important.