Drive Continues
The final bill for the house schedule arrived in my inbox the other day: A significant milestone. Of course there is the extra expense of laying the drive / wall and any works to underneath the house to be considered, but once the snagging has been finally completed, this last payment for the house will be out of the way.
With just a month to go until the final approval inspection must be completed (otherwise an extension to the building licence will be required), I am still waiting for approval for one minor change from plan: The non-inclusion of window shutters. This has required some more paperwork (and small fee) to be submitted for approval. Apparently, it should not be a problem, but has to be reported as it is a change to the approved outside appearance.
Hopefully this will materialise in the next three weeks!
No shutters to the windows seen here has saved about 2,500 Euros, which the builder is crediting me with, and will go towards other works carried out.
Outside, work on the drive has continued despite rising temperatures this week, which at points must have been hell for the two builders doing the work. However, they have almost finished laying the blocks, and just the lover part to the gated wall remains to be done, hopefully tomorrow.
Holes (spaces) have been left every couple of meters, at the edges of the drive, for planting vines. The idea is to get as much greenery as possible up the walls.
The block drive, almost now down to the field gate. Note the holes for planting.
The blocks are permeable; basically they are the polo mint of the concrete construction world. So some 'gravel' will be used to fill the holes. Hopefully, this will help minimise (but not eliminate) growth of weeds and grasses in the holes. Some hope!
Looking up the drive - it's steep, but now a lot more manageable due to the firm surface. The wall on the right will be painted (builders drinking bottles will not remain). White would look very nice, but blue would be more practical... or too dark?
Then there will be two (reinforced) concrete ramps to lay, one for getting from the road onto the drive, and one to even out the transition from the blocks to the 'agricultural road' to the land, through the gate.
Here we can see the blocks coming down to where the gated wall will be - a bit of a step, so a ramp will be needed to make the transition. Also note the large boulders placed to the side of the house; stage 1 of blending the base into the landscape.
The gated wall construction has started. Some nice stones are being sourced for this. Good foundations have been laid, and the rebar for the gate support uprights set. The idea is to get the wall and land surrounding the house in that area to blend together visually.... so that the foundation base of the house is not obvious.
On the other side of the house the landscaping guys have made good progress with the side wall and planters; I can't wait to see that area cleared, graveled and complete with raised beds. Oh, and the water feature....
The wall with built in planters on the top - the cardboard was just there to protect the concrete from a shower of rain yesterday afternoon, and is not a 'feature'! The block wall above will be painted white and will be covered with foliage, hopefully fairly quickly. I love the tones of blue-gray and brown. Really attractive. Bear in mind this is a nursery for ferns and mosses...
Underneath the house the rough floor has been laid and set solid, with waste pipes all in place for future works if possible. So all that is needed for the moment is a floor screed with a coat or two of concrete paint, and a couple of coats of whitewash to the walls. This will tidy it up and make it look attractive, and ready for any developments, without spending a fortune at this stage.
Its a reasonably large space - so it is good to see a solid base down. Next, make it look a little prettier! A great space for a guest flatlet, as well as enough room for a small workshop, storage area and place for a quad or bike.
Finally for this week, a picture of my home grown lemon pip from a monster lemon.... 6 weeks old and going strong. To the bottom right is a latter planted sibling. These need to be planted out pronto!
Next weeks blog will take a little journey back in time and compare my architechtural renders with the reality of the build. I think you may be surprised! Also of course, we should be able to see the finished drive and further progress with the landscaping.
Next Up: - Renders versus Reality
