Rural Office For Architecture

Blog Archive

01.05.12 - The Somme

We foolishly started work on the 300sqm of ground that will become our produce garden. It is a dense mixture of rock and clay that takes its toll on the body after a morning’s digging. By breaking up the ground we will improve the drainage, and we have also dug channels to infill with land drains and gravel. Once this is complete we will be able to overlay with terram and gravel. This stops us having to weed, but then also allows us to dig out locally to form raised beds, compost etc whilst retaining access pathways. The aim is to complete this by the end of the summer, so we can move the polytunnel in the autumn.
15.04.12 - gravel

We received a delivery over Easter of 62 tons of stone for all the pathways & french drains. Friends were down for Easter, so a chain gang was formed for a day and a half as we started shoveling. We managed 12 of the 62 tons, which speaking from personal experience, took a week to recover from. Lovely weather today as I post this, cold but sunny. H and I managed to dig most of the drainage channels needed for the new veg patch, but the ground was hard going, even with a couple of new tools we'd purchased to help.
27.03.12 - That's a record

Yep, we've taken a few months off, to rest and let the dust settle after a hectic 18 months of work. Everyone very happy with their new home, the boys having found ways of using the space for play. The rest was needed, but in the mean time we've been plotting this year's exploits. Apart from work, and growing the office, we're concentrating on landscape projects, the first of which is underway. I'll upload more images, given that this fine spell makes us look like we live in the Med!
10.11.11 - The slow process of domestication

Well, we moved into the barn a couple of weekends ago, but the reality is it takes a lot longer to lug and sort the contents of our lives than just the core furniture items. Without Pickfords at hand, which would seem inappropriate given the 20m travel distance, we've been treading a well worn path between one front door and another to select essentials for living. One thing it does prove is how much stuff we collate which is totally superfluous to day to day living. Well exclude the coffee machine and Lego from that, as they're clearly essential items.
01.11.11 - New forms of recycling

The office seems to have become a magnet for young people of late. Whether this is because of its relative warmth compared to the damp farmhouse, or because there is an abundant source of used paper, either for drawing or for making towns and cities. Kevin Lynch would be delighted at my children's representation of landmarks and distance...
17.10.11 - Garden

Rob has returned to finish the landscaping around the new office, and modify a bit of garden to the rear. Amazingly what we knew as our garden disappeared in 20 minutes this morning, to be replaced by another 'project'. We had to do it now otherwise the machine would be gone...H is still in shock.
13.10.11 - Raising design standards in west Wales

You'd all be disappointed if at some stage we hadn't defaulted to taking a trip to IKEA. There's one in Cardiff, 1.5 hours away, so it was with a heavy heart I sped up and down the M4 a couple of times in the last month to complete our office purchases. It was worth it just to get the office biscuits. We'll be winding down the blog over the coming month in preparation for a new all singing all dancing blog page to replace the rather lackluster sketchbook page, which we never really got to grips with. Kieran is busy pulling together a new projects list, so once the blog is set up we'll go live with all changes. The aim of the new blog is to provide information on all our projects as they progress - this will end up being a much more immediate process. We move into the other barn as a temporary home for 2 years (planning all agreed now), so for the next year H and I will be concentrating on landscape and gardens - no more buildings please!!! This also allows us time to work on our work/life balance - remember that sound bite?
15.09.11 - more concrete ...


14.09.11 - Concrete

The driveway is getting poured today. A week of preparation of kerbs and drainage has provided the permanent shuttering for our new driveway. We're using concrete rather than other paving or tarmac, as it allows for easy cleaning when the cattle are moved through the yard. It also creates a great cycle track ...
13.09.11 - landscaping

With the building finished, we've pulled Rob back on site to help with the landscaping around the site. He's got a new digger since his last visit, which the boys appreciated when they returned from holiday. This is the start of our winter project, getting the produce garden ready for the spring, so that we can start growing veg again.
27.08.11 - We're open ...

We had a soft launch on Friday to celebrate the opening of our new works space. H prepared some food, I stuck some pictures on the wall, the lads wore less scruffy clothes than usual, and the council came to see what all the fuss was about. They left happy.
21.08.11 - progress

just about there on the interior, we'll upload next weekend as it all goes a bit manic this week.
17.08.11 - unwrapping

the wrapping is finally coming down, to reveal our new office.
12.08.11 - Scribe

The cladding is progressing well, with Chris scribing the inner boards to the stonework.
11.08.11 - Main studio space

Just about there with lighting and internal finishes. Fixtures and fittings are being made off site, and they'll be installed the week after next. The strip lighting in the boom trusses is recessed to provide our general studio lighting. Up-lighting illuminates the timber ceiling.
10.08.11 - Cladding progressing

All the setting out has been done, so Chris and Jonathan are busy installing the cladding. This should be complete early next week.
08.08.11 - Roof is complete

It's big from up here - we're looking forward to the tent coming down so we can understand the actual scale of the building.
05.08.11 - Roof

This week the roof is nearing completion, only the ridge and further fixings remaining. All the team have been pitching in to get it completed, excuse the pun.
29.07.11 - Pallet of pellets

Our wood pellets arrived today, as we are commissioning the boiler on Tuesday next week. The usual thing of delivery not matching the instructions provided, so the artic lorry couldn't get down the track. Rhodri picked them up from the local timber yard, but we'll now have to hand ball them bag by bag into the plant room, which wasn't the original idea!
28.07.11 - First coat of paint

The Keim paint system had its first coat today. Suprisingly it has a slight grey tone to it. Grey seems to feature heavily in most arhcitects 'colour' palette, but on this occasion it is justified. The original limewash on all the outbuildings here was always mixed with a bit of coal dust. This gave it a pale grey tone, which darkened considerably when it rained. We wanted to replicate this on the barns with the new German breathable paint system.
27.07.11 - Doors

Alan's doors were fitted last week - he just has to come back to finish off the reveals. But given that he's just become a father we'll give him grace for a few days. Gwenno Haf born at the weekend (Haf means summer in Welsh).
22.07.11 - Beach Construction

We took some time out from overseeing work on the farm. A different type of building work for a change.
12.07.11 - WC fittings

Yesterday Mark completed installing the toilet fittings. In terms of finishing the WC there is very little else remaining, only electrical fittings yet to be completed and the hanging of the door.
11.07.11 - Painting

With the recent completion of skirting boards and floor tiles throughout, the task of painting internal walls is well under way. The main space is nearing completion and is beginning to give a good idea of what the finished space will feel like.
08.07.11 - Kitchen completed

Kitchen has been fully tiled and painted, only kitchen fittings remaining.
06.07.11 - WC

The task of tiling the WC is nearing completion this week, all that remains is grouting of wall tiles and fixing the skirting detail, which will be achieved using cut down floor tiles. Only toilet fittings remaining, which if all goes well will be fitted next week.
05.07.11 - Skirting boards

With the slate floor near completion, the task of fitting skirting boards has begun this week. All skirting boards will be pronounced except inside door openings where they will sit flush with the wall. A very effective floating detail will be achieved by setting all skirting boards up off the floor by 5mm all the way round.
04.07.11 - Gooseberries

A bumper crop of gooseberries this year, now that we have rid the plants of sawfly! We'll make jam from this crop along with elderflower picked from the hedgerow on one of the field boundaries.
29.06.11 - Slate flooring

With inside work drawing to a close, the team have begun the task of laying the slate tiles. These will be laid throughout the entire dwelling and will eventually be heated through the under floor heating system. By the end of this week we should have a finished floor ready to be walked on by next monday.
28.06.11 - Solar hot water

Things are busy in the office lately, so we don't get as much time to update the blog. The solar panels have been lifted into place and set out on the roof for final installation. This should provide enough domestic hot water for the house and office, when we're finally finished. Just the roof cladding and guttering to go now, so whilst things are progressed inside, the roof package can be completed within the next fortnight.
07.06.11 - Biomass

Mark has started the installation of the Windhager biomass kit. The plant room will be the command centre for all the heating, hot water, power & storage on the farm. It’s a bit of a jigsaw, as the positioning of the flue, boiler and relevant pipework has to be coordinated with structure, joist positions, setting out of external cladding boards etc… Then there’s the regs, and making sure that everything complies. The manual for the boiler is the size of a bible, so we’ve had a few days of head scratching.
31.05.11 - Steadily progressing

With the majority of the plaster boarding being completed over the weekend, Jonathan and the team are well on target for the Plastering firm who are due to turn up on monday. The lime pointing is also nearing completion after a gruelling few weeks, all that is left to do now is scrape away any excess lime. Also completed over the bank holiday weekend was the installation of all the electric cover plates in preparation for the skimming to take place next week, Chris also routed the electric supply cable to the porch in preparation for Western Power's site visit this thursday.
19.05.11 - Lime Pointing

The almighty task of pointing the dwelling has begun. The process of pointing begins with hacking out all old unwanted pointing or mud in this case, which is then replaced with a Hydraulic Lime. At the end of the working day the new lime is covered over to try and maintain the moisture content. Then when the lime is ready and has set enough the next step is to scrape away any excess lime, leaving a newly pointed section of stonework.
13.05.11 - Land drain chamber


12.05.11 - Busy busy busy

This week has been one of our busiest yet on site; yesterday Balfour Beatty came and laid the new electric cable for the new office. As the new electric cable required a trench to be laid in, it seemed a waste of time digging a separate trench for the new land drain. So once the cable had been laid, taped and backfilled the land drain went on top of the electric cable. Also trenched in this week was the water supply for the new office and the BT supply. This week we received the Wood pellet boiler and relevant accessories from Windhager as well, exciting.
06.05.11 - After Western Power had finished


05.05.11 - Western Power

Yesterday Western Power were on site during a pre-arranged power down period of 4 hours, their main objective was to upgrade the power supply to the farm. Aside the disruptions, the overall process was carried out with great efficiency by the Western Power team. They will return next week to complete the job.
04.05.11 - Windows and doors

The installation of the windows and door package should be completed this week. The grey exterior of the windows and doors compliment the slate sills and existing masonry incredibly well. The combination of new and old materials working well together, and we're pleased to see the results.
22.04.11 - Icynene

Once the icynene has expanded fully they cut it back flush to the stud and take any wastage with them.
21.04.11 - Icynene insulation

The day after the self-levelling screed was poured the Icynene boys came in to insulate the cavities with spray a on expanding insulation, overall an incredibly quick process. Its makers claim it can achieve PassivHaus style performance without having to build excessively thick walls and is a much quicker process than insulating by hand. One of their main selling points is that it creates a much better seal than traditional methods of insulating.
20.04.11 - Screed

The floor was laid today. Four days of preparation for a job that took less than an hour. Incredible when projects are coordinated properly. This should cure overnight and be ready to stand on in the morning. It will take a lot longer to dry though, and this will determine when we can lay the tiling.
18.04.11 - Windows and doors

The Velfac doors and windows arrived this morning. An efficient and painless procurement, and a quality product at the end of it. These will be installed once we have the screed floor in.
08.04.11 - Stud work

This week we've seen one of the most productive weeks we've had on site for a while. Areas of potential weakness along existing masonry walls have been strengthened using concrete. Installation of the metal stud work inside the main space has been completed this week. With the weather we've had lately and the ever increasing daylight we've been getting, it's really starting to feel as if things are falling together quite nicely.
28.03.11 - First coat

After installing all perlins and wedges over the A frames, Dai and Mike began the task of treating the timber with the Treatex spruce oil. This whitens the timber yet keeps the grain.
18.03.11 - A Frames installed

After construction of the A frames was completed earlier this week, the boys, along with some heavy lifting equipment soon lifted them all into position. With Chris back on site and Beacon drawing to a close, progress should increase steadily over the coming weeks.
17.03.11 - New exterior walls

The newly laid brick wall that surrounds the timber frame section of the building has recently been completed. The boys have now begun applying the tyvek membrane to the timber frame panels, followed by vertical timber uprights at 600mm centres.
14.03.11 - A frame construction

Once Dai had completed boxing out the loft space and insulating, he then moved on to constructing the A frames on site that will be used over the existing milking parlour walls.
09.03.11 - Insulation stage

Once Dai had finished lining the loft space, he then moved on to insulating around the loft space using a 100mm grade insulation sheet. A fair bit of time was spent carefully and effectively filling all the gaps between rafters, ensuring an airtight construction.
01.03.11 - Loft space

With Dai being the newest member of the team, work has been progressing steadily on site. It won't be too long before the loft space is fully lined, first with the vapour barrier, then followed by the ply sheeting.
15.02.11 - Trussed Rafters

Having installed the first two trussed rafters yesterday, Johnathan & Mike have had an excellent day on site, installing all the trussed rafters over the timber frame section of the building. It gives a really good indication of the scale of the dwelling.
14.02.11 - Scrap

Whilst the new tile stoves get dried hardwood to burn, the house stove just burns all the scrap timber from the site or derelict buildings we have taken down. The one downside of this is clearing the grate - this bucket load is from the winter so far, the contents of which will be added to our ever accumulating scrap pile to be sold to the scrap man at some point.
08.02.11 - Timber Frame Erection

Jonathan and the boys flew through the installation of the timber frame yesterday, outlining the perimeter of the new building. Exciting times.
07.02.11 - Timber Frame Arrival


05.02.11 - Logs

With our new reliance for wood fuel to heat the tile stoves in the office, we took delivery of a substantial order of logs this week. This was left to me to split and Helen to stack in the evenings before the rains came. Under floodlight we split and stacked late into the night to create a new fuel store in the dutch barn. Helen repeating her father's cross stacking system, leaning backwards to avoid collapse - very satisfying!
02.02.11 - Hibernation

We read a folksy newspaper article recently that talked of winter being a time for hibernation. Rhodri was indignant that this missed the point of a winter in rural parts, what with lambing and all. But it may have been that we've been flat out since our return from Christmas (and his return from skiing, humpf...). The building work may have been slow - a mixture of weather, the completion of temporary works and staffing problems - but the rural office has been busy preparing for a large planning application in the spring, and other local projects in design development. Next week the timber frame will be erected (the panels and trussed rafters arrived this week) so we're hoping for progress in February to make up for the January hibernation.
06.01.11 - Canopy

The boys have been ploughing through the weather and have begun the covering of the building.
17.12.10 - Real log fire

At long last, just as the snow began to fall, Ben came with the doors to our tile stoves. Now commissioned, we have a warm office with a very clever stove that stores heat from the fire, slowly radiating out during the day to raise the ambient temperature in the room, and all its surfaces. We'll see the difference in a few days when we have a running on a regular cycle. The heat should entice the cats in, as their rugs await!
14.12.10 - Framework nearly completed

As there are reports of snow coming in before the weekend, Jonathan and the team have been working hard to get the framework for the building canopy completed.
10.12.10 - Stoves installed

Ben & Steve returned yesterday to complete the installation of the tile stoves. Both are now fully installed and ready to be used, except one minor setback, the doors have only just been dispatched from Finland. So it could be another week or so before we see the real benefit from the latest addition to the office.
29.11.10 - Flamin' Logs

Old college friend Pete came down to visit last weekend, so we experimented with driving the pick up down to the dingle. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but the bounty waiting for us would have taken a day or so to drag up to the yard. This lot will get cut and split, then be left to dry for a year or two before being used.
17.11.10 - Lighting

We finally have some lighting to the studio space. Chris and Matt came yesterday to assist with the making and installation. Just a daisy chain of T4 tubes set into a Unistruct channel, suspended on chains from hooks bought at the farmers mart.
11.11.10 - New floor poured

The concrete arrived yesterday for the new floor, needing a total of three concrete wagons and the concrete pump, again saving vast amounts of labour. A motorised screed was used to level the concrete for this pour, cleverly saving more time.
11.11.10 -


05.11.10 - Progress

Jonathan and the boys have been working hard through the weather this week, preparing the extension for the concrete. If progress continues as it has they should be ready to pour this time next week.
28.10.10 - First three courses

The first three courses of blocks went down yesterday, amazing progress for just one day. Luckily the weather was on our side, allowing the boys to fly through what was a rather productive day.
22.10.10 - Concrete arrival

Earlier than expected, the concrete has arrived for the new ring beam and footings. As the concrete pump is an expensive piece of kit to hire both the footings and ring beam will be poured in one day. The concrete pump is an amazing site to watch in action, where man and machine combine effortlessly to save what would have been an immensely labour/time heavy job. Also the weather has luckily held off for the time being.
20.10.10 - Preparation

Jonathan's boys have been preparing the parlour for its new sole plate, hopefully to be poured early next week along with the new footings.
17.10.10 - Goodbye rusty box

Alan came today to relieve me of the shipping container. It served its purpose all these years, but now we have the new building most of our collective junk can be stored in there. Now we can clear the hardstanding so it can be used more effectively by the contractor.
13.10.10 - Fencing arrived

Jonathan's team arrived yesterday afternoon to erect the panel fencing around the old milking parlour and will return tomorrow to carry on with site preparation. Feels like things are really starting to fall into place quite nicely now.
12.10.10 - rooflights

Alan popped by to finish off the rooflights in the new studio spaces. He's really dug us out of a hole this past week, so his title as The Pembrokeshire Promise has been removed!
11.10.10 - one old office

Within a couple of weeks amnesia has set in. It seems hard to think that we've spent the last couple of years working from this cramped, damp room. I worked through most of last winter in a coat and hat, so it is with respect to those who work with me that they stuck it out!
08.10.10 - break through

Neil finished off knocking the buildings about in preparation for the new contract which starts on Monday. The gap used to be the kitchen to our office...
06.10.10 - Unbelievable

As the walls of the old milking parlour were torn down the farmers building techniques were revealed and by today's standards are unbelievable. It seems to have been filled with what looks like grass seed and dirt or quite possibly cachu da! Can't see it catching on myself.
04.10.10 - demolishing to rebuild

We have finally moved into the new office, so when I can see past the boxes I'll load a pic to show off. We're very pleased with the work environment, even though the past week or so was a bit tricky with people letting us down, things not turning up when they said they would, and having to fit work in around all of this. Today work started on the enabling works for the new project. so we have to take away a bit of building before we can get started. The JCB is a remarkable beast!
22.09.10 - Power cable installed

The armoured cable was installed today for the temporary power supply. This required a group effort from everyone on site, with the weather against us, yet again.
21.09.10 - Nearly there

This week Chris has been back to continue with the electrics and has been progressing really well. Skirting boards were put in yesterday by Ryhds, which slowly, but surely are completing the overall look of the new office. Unit 1 has been cleared in preperation for the waxing process, which requires a dust free environment - often hard to obtain in an ongoing project.
20.09.10 - Damsons

Through a chance encounter, Helen's father came across a damson tree heaving with ripe fruit. We picked for less than an hour to get a bucket load, and they were raining down on us from the higher branches. If they weren't such a hassle to prepare and cook I'd go back for more. Damson jam, damson fool, damson cheese, damson vodka ...
17.09.10 - Power

Chris is here to give us power to the new office. We've made all power provision adaptable, so that it can be modified as our requirements change over time.
10.09.10 - Temporary power supply

As the date for the office move edges closer, work on site has been progressing very well. Rhyds has erected a temporary post for the temporary power supply which will feed the new office. It's now only a matter of weeks till the office move deadline, exciting times.
01.09.10 - wall lining

Rhyd is just about finished with the wall lining. Our experiment has worked out just the way we were hoping. No wet trades, just dry fixed boards looking like a form of panel system. If people need to use the wall for display it's a simple job of tape and fill before painting.
31.08.10 - bird on a wire

the collective noun is either a) a murmuration of starlings, or b) a scourge of starlings. Being a trainee bird nerd, I prefer the former. The new brood were certainly pleased with themselves as they gathered on the wires above the farm yard.
25.08.10 - BT

We counted 4 BT vehicles in the yard this morning, to install the new business line. Some vehicles had flashing lights, others contained men with clipboards. Amazing for just one phone line.
24.08.10 - work is progressing

With today's assistance from Chris the electrician work is progressing nicely on site. We're on target to be in the temporary office at some point in September. BT install the new phone line tomorrow, so the end date is near.
17.08.10 - Studding out

Rhydian is back on site to begin the stud walling in the new shed, and is probably more than happy to be doing inside work as the Welsh weather has returned yet again.
17.08.10 - The door arrives

Alan returned today with the amended door which looks great and has been installed this afternoon. He returns in the morning to finish things off.
02.08.10 - Holiday highlight

Take 6 fresh mackerel from Newquay harbour. Gut, top and tail, debone and set aside. Light a wood fire, and watch until the embers are glowing. Put some oak wood shavings in the bottom of a fish kettle. Place the fish on a raised rack and cover. Place kettle on fire embers and wait. Serve hot smoked mackerel with salad and potatoes freshly dug from the garden.
22.07.10 - team work

Our first full day of building the wall together, and progress was good. We'll be taking a break for the next week, with the office closed.
21.07.10 - the wall

Nephew Angus has joined us for a week or two to try his hand at moving stones. Given that we're all novices, Kieran has taken on the role of supervisor, erecting a tarpaulin to allow us to work through the rain.
20.07.10 - stone

Rob's now moved all the stone into the adjacent field. This allows us to sort and batch the various sizes for dry stone walling. The weather this week is looking horrendous, so progress may be a bit slow.
16.07.10 - the door

yes, the door was fitted yesterday in time for Finnian and Corin's party at the weekend. Well, when I say the door, the frame went in... another shaggy dog story too tedious to mention here. We're water tight, which is just as well given that it's bucketing down. The Pembrokeshire Promise has promised to bring the door on Monday (which one in the coming weeks wasn't made clear).
14.07.10 - Typical Welsh Weather

Due to bad weather the stone sorting has been put on hold for a short while. Not for too long though, as we begin in just over a week or so. Hopefully the weather will have passed by the time we begin otherwise the term dry stone walling could turn out to be slightly ironic.
09.07.10 - Sorting of the stone

Rob has been back to the farm recently to re riddle all the stone intended for the dry stone walls. After riddling he'll lay the stone out along the field boundary, so as to improve access for us when we start building the walls in a couple of weeks.
07.07.10 - Birthday preparations

As its Finnian's 4th birthday on Monday preparation is under way to get the shed ready for his birthday bash, which will be held next weekend. Once the door arrives from Alan all should be ready to go.
05.07.10 - Earrings


04.07.10 - Bilberries

The native blueberry grows with abundance on the farm. For some reason this year we have a bumper crop, with some growing to blueberry size. H has been busy picking, albeit with two hungry mouths close behind. Hugh Fearnley Whatsisname defies anyone to pick a large yoghurt pot of bilberries within one hour. H managed a large strawberry punnet such was the harvest.
02.07.10 - Stones

The bad weather is blowing over this morning, giving a wonderful bright sky. Good news at the farm, as our grant has been conditionally approved (subject to a few minor issues), so we are starting to prepare for the next phase of work. Rob returns this week to move all the stone by the shipping container, so that we can clear the hardstanding in preparation for all the ground works. He'll stock pile this on the fringes of the adjoining field, which will mean we can sift it more easily and start to use it for the dry stone walls. We could do with a break, so we'll be closing the office for a week near the end of July - a good time to build that wall!
21.06.10 - Insulation Completion

The insulation process has finally been completed in the shed, now all we have to do is clear out and prepare for the next stage of applying the vapour barrier. The space inside already feels as if it's been reduced since filling out with the insulation.
19.06.10 - Potty Training

Corin has not long begun his potty training and seems to be taking to it really well, so well in fact, he gets over excited by his newly found independence and almost goes in the office rather than in his potty.
17.06.10 - Silage

As of late the weather has presented local farmers with a perfect opportunity to get their silage under way. Its only when you look across the Teifi valley that it becomes apparent the silage process has been a county wide effort.
15.06.10 - Swallows

It didn't take the swallows long to swoop in on the opportunity of a potential safe haven just under the sheltered overhang on the newly built shed, giving them a more than comfortable distance between themselves and the farm cats. At present the swallows are working over time to keep their young fed, preparing them for their first flight from the nest. Their distinctive calls and clicks can be heard all over the farm at this extremely busy time.
11.06.10 - Insulation

We've finally reached the insulating stage on the shed, seems to be taking a lot longer than expected but will be more than worth it once winter arrives.
31.05.10 - produce

Given my apparent obsession with the current building it would be easy to forget that other things are active at the farm. H is doing a great job trying to grow some produce this year, even though she has precious little time in which to garden without the boys. We'll have a good crop of peas and beans this year, and the potatoes are just about to be earthed up. The weather has meant that some things have bolted - the results are quite pleasing!
24.05.10 - Bluebells

We walked down to the bluebell wood yesterday to see our 8 acre blue carpet. Corin just about managing the long grass. When looking back I hadn't viewed the building from this angle.
21.05.10 - The shed

We moved the shed today, using old Roman techniques for rolling it along the ground with timber poles. With this out of the way, we have clear access to the house for the next stage of work.
20.05.10 - Completion of envelope

Alan came last night to measure for the front door to the barn...so another 2 weeks and we'll have a completed envelope. For now with the guttering up things are looking complete.
14.05.10 - Guttering

Hoorah, for finally the guttering is being installed. This has taken a while, because we'd been waiting for Alan to finish the windows, and for Rhydian to be available to come back. Typically it rained all day, but the first run is up, and looks great! A bit sad I know, but living on a hill for a long winter makes you appreciate the small things in life...
13.05.10 - Last of the concrete

Kieran finished the last of the concrete this week, filling the shower trays to the service zone. These have been created, based on a number of different bathroom layouts, in the event that we use the building in different ways at some point in the future. For now, given that it is a storage barn, we will clad over this area of floor in plywood, so that everything is level.
10.05.10 - Doors & windows

We only have the front door to make now, then Rhydian can come back to install the guttering and finish the cladding to the reveals. The space looks great inside.
06.05.10 - Final Glazing

The last of the glass went in today. This makes the building nearly water tight ...nearly.
29.04.10 - Installation

Alan started the slow process of installation this week. I've been away working but it was good to see progress on my return. All four units should be completed early next week, weather permitting. The weight and size has caused a problem, but they are definately worth waiting for.
19.04.10 - The longest Pembrokeshire Promise

Alan is struggling to finish the window units. It's been a good few months of promises, but we will finally have them on site this Thursday. I still have faith that they'll be worth waiting for. I think we both underestimated the size of the units, and the problems that would give in manufacturing. As long as this good weather continues everything should be completed by the end of the week.
16.04.10 - Bat mitigation

The lads finished on the roof today, while the weather was fine. This allowed them to install the black polythene sheeting to the rear wall, which will encourage the bats to leave before mating season, so we don't disturb any roosts or nests during construction. This will stay in place for the next few weeks, or until the wind rips the thing down!
13.04.10 - Ruthin Day Trip

Yesterday we had an office outing to Ruthin to visit the new Craft Centre and attend a symposium on the relationship between Art & Architecture. The building is designed by Sergison Bates and is well worth a visit. My work is also being exhibited there as part of the 09:09 Reflecting Wales touring show, so I gave a short introduction to delegates. Beautiful weather, finished off with Fish & Chips on the seafront at Aber on our way home!
09.04.10 - Stripping the roof

The lads started stripping the roof today in glorious sunshine. I think they enjoyed finishing the week outside with some fresh air. The front elevation is gone, the remainder will be completed on Tuesday.
08.04.10 - Swallows return

Helen spotted our first swallow today. This means we need to get our skates on and strip the roof before the birds think they can start nesting on the building site.
22.03.10 - Touching up

In between the showers Kieran has been finishing off the paintwork. The odd bit was missed during construction. Still no windows, what did I say about the Pembrokeshire Promise? We're just about finished on the tender package, so this should go out just before Easter.
17.03.10 - Tender documentation
We're in the thick of preparing tender documentation for the milking parlour conversion. This is no small undertaking given that it involves a lot of detail and specification to minimise price fluctuations. Fitting this round fee earning work has also been quite stressful: cashflow takes a dive, and continuity on any one project is compromised. We're aiming to put out to tender the week commencing 29 March, fingers crossed.
11.03.10 - Future Services

Kieran is striking the shutter to the concrete today and grubbing out the two trays in preparation for localised pours. As mentioned in an earlier entry we are future proofing this bay of the shed so that it provides us with the flexibility to install a WC or shower room at a later stage in the building's life. Most of this will be covered over for the next few years, but is there if we need it if our situation changes.
10.03.10 - Clear out

Keiran's been busy clearing the milking parlour of all building materials and waste. We've finished using it as a workshop, so the next step will be to carry out the bat mitigation and strip the roof before the swallows return. This will happen during Easter week.
09.03.10 - Alan's window frames

I visited Alan this morning to review progress on the long awaited doors and windows. They should be ready by the end of next week, so it will be a relief to finally have the outside of the building sealed up by Easter ... well you never know.
01.03.10 - Final concrete pour

The middle bay of the floor was poured this morning. We'd taken a while to sort out all the below ground drainage and services, and given that this area isn't powerfloated, we haven't had the urgency to complete the works. The middle bay will end being plant room, bathroom, service zone...not sure yet, but the layout and services future proof a number of possibilities.
28.02.10 - Final week of cladding

Things come to a temporary close this week, as Rhyd leaves us on Friday to get on with other work. We need a break from on site activity to a) review finances, b) concentrate on the tender package for the milking parlour, c) work on stuff that brings in fee income. Having a rest from the daily site activity will help to focus the studio on the creative side, rather than permanently resolving detailing issues, survey levels, sequencing of trades, procuring materials etc... If Alan bothers to turn up with our large doorsets for the openings we can get the guttering up by Friday and that will see the building 90% waterproof (except the front door - which he hasn't started making yet). Down this way there is the 'Pembrokeshire Promise' which you soon get used to. "It'll be with you Tuesday". Which Tuesday is a guess not worth hazarding, but when our trades are such lovely people it's a struggle to get angry about it.
21.02.10 - The snow returns

Just when we thought we were heading for spring another dump of snow has slowed us down again. We could do with some guttering now, as when the snow melts it tends to come off the roof in one enormous load. We've oversized the Lindab guttering to allow for this, and the extreme levels of west coast rain fall. The guttering arrives next week along with our window frames...finally!
12.02.10 - Gable End

Rhyd is finishing the gable end today, which is very exciting. Every morning I can sit at the kitchen table with my cup of tea feeling that progress is being made, as the viewfrom my window is of the gable end.
09.02.10 - it's taking some time

there are cheaper ways in which to detail a building, but the results - if a bit slow - are pleasing. Rhyd has starting on the gable end walls, and Alan comes this afternoon to measure up for the new window units. The frames for these will be installed next week to allow us to close off the long elevations and start installing the rainwater goods. But given the pace of cladding this may be a week or so away...
03.02.10 - It's started

It feels like months since we started painting the cladding boards, but they're finally going up (picture shows back row only). We should have the front elevation 80% complete by the end of today.
01.02.10 - Cladding

We start cladding this week. After a disrupted period on site, we've set out the boards, and will start cladding the walls tomorrow. The painting has been laborious and expensive in terms of man hours, but hopefully we'll have little maintenance in years to come, which is the intention. Final coat has been applied in the new barn - the pictures shows the boards drying on racks.
25.01.10 - Progress report

Since the roads have been cleared I've been on the road. Progress in my absence has been good and we're just about ready to start cladding the external walls. Kieran's busy painting the final coat on the boards, having cut them to size (we have a rather elaborate cutting schedule to get through). Rhodri and Rhydian have completed the rear roof, so we are now fully water tight. Just waiting on Alan to get on with the windows and doors, then we'll be sealed up by the end of Feb.
14.01.10 - Road access

We went for a walk yesterday afternoon to see how bad the drifts were up the lane. They were deeper than we thought, and the last mile to the main road is now blocked by very deep drifts. Simon from the nearby farm had started to clear the road from our entrance using his mini-digger, but even he had given up by this point. Finn and H are standing on the road in the last scoop he dug out.
13.01.10 - Drifts

We're off site today because of drifting snow. Poor Rhodri has missed his exam at Uni because the roads are inaccessible. Probably the last snow for the year, so we'll make a snow man this afternoon before it all thaws.
11.01.10 - This year's challenge

By the time this snow thaws we'll be well into preparing tender documentation for the building works. It wasn't the way I'd planned it originally but with the opportunity of grant aid, we've had to take the conventional route of procurement. By the end of February we'll hopefully have a tender package in draft form - drawings, schedule of works, specification documents...a lot to do.
10.01.10 - Groundworks continue...

Finnian's been enjoying the snow.
07.01.10 - Stalacticicles !!


06.01.10 - View from the office window


05.01.10 - New Year message

Given the brief history of this blog, you'd be disappointed if I didn't start the New Year with a reference to the weather. I write this with the snow falling steadily outside, creating a picture postcard view of the farm and the surrounding farmland, but halting progress for the next few days.
18.12.09 - Roof cladding

With temperatures at -2C the roof cladding is going on. The sun is shining and it looks great.
15.12.09 - Rhydian is back

Poor Rhydian has been off with a few ailments that left him hospitalised for a few days. Good to have him back to get progress back on track. He's closing off the roof today in preparation for the gable end timber frame panels arriving tomorrow morning. We've had no access to the farm these last few days as we repared the pot holes in the drive over the weekend, which involved around 30 mixes of concrete. With temperatures so low it's taking a while to go off!
10.12.09 - Polishing

We hired a machine to polish up the concrete floor and see if there are any defects. Apart from an early comedy moment which saw Kieran spinning round the floor, he's now in control of the machine and we're seeing a beautiful finish emerge. Should be finished by lunchtime.
07.12.09 - Power floating concrete

I've been away a bit with work, but Rhodri has been overseeing the casting of the reinforced concrete floor. With the building wrapped, we were less concerned with the weather damaging the floor as Wyn powerfloated it. As it turned out it rained all day last Wednesday and temperatures were low, so it wasn't until midnight before the floor was finally finished. We're quite pleased with the finish - it's not perfect, but we had a battle to get this far.
26.11.09 - weather v blog entries

it appears that the frequency of entries on this blog is directly affected by the weather and hence site progress. As I write this it is hammering down outside the office on just another day of rubbish weather. The good news is the timber frame panels are going in, so by Saturday we should have 80% complete.
18.11.09 - Inclement Weather

It won't have gone unnoticed, that the weather this side of the British Isles, has been a bit rough this past week. We've been in the eye of the storm since Friday which has caused delays and a change in thinking as to how we get the floor power floated. We'll now erect the timber frame panels first, and sacrifice the edge condition to the interior, where previously we'd been hoping to float over the edge of the blockwork perimeter. Things aren't meant to calm down until next week, so from Monday we'll pump out all the water that's sitting on the membranes, erect the timber frame panels on the sole plate and dpc, and close off the building to the elements. This will help with the racking on the frame also, which will mean I can sleep easier at night, knowing the building isn't going to blow off the hillside!
12.11.09 - ground floor slab

If the weather would calm down for a few days we will be able to pour the slab. This is to be powerfloated, but that means waiting for a break in the weather so we have enough time to float the slab without rain affecting anything. We could just put the walls up as they are ready to install, but the reality is this would make the job of power floating more difficult, and may comprimise the finish. Instead we're going to erect a 'tent' around the building using sileage sheet, which will provide adequate protection for the works to proceed. We're hoping for a pour next Wednesday.
07.11.09 - No progress
This last month has been characteristically hectic wth project work in the studio and an exhibition in Cardiff that finished on Thursday. Site progress has been delayed because of materials supplies long lead items, weather and available manpower. In some ways it's good to have a short break and catch our breath again, otherwise living on site can feel a bit relentless sometimes - I also have the family to consider in this equation. Last week we moved the office out of Cardigan, and into the kitchen at home, with the kitchen moving to the old study. Sounds bonkers but it all makes sense to me and we now have a cracking Rayburn in the office to keep us warm through the winter months!
21.10.09 - Dutch barn cladding

In the pouring rain the boys completed the job of cladding the dutch barn. We'll now get gates made for the lower section, which will provide a secure and weather tight end to this building. The space has become invaluable for storage of building materials and surplus stock items.
20.10.09 - Blockwork perimeter

Neil completed the blockwork to the perimeter of the barn on Saturday. This forms the upstand to take the RC slab and insulation, and will be the plinth for the timber frame panels that form the walls. These two packages are now underway.
16.10.09 - Roof cladding
We've hit a bit of a problem with our sheet cladding, which means we are on stop until the supplier sorts out the remaining sheets. Unfortunately we've been sold a different product than specified, so we're having to redesign a couple of details to suit. Hopefully this can be sorted by the end of next week, but for now the lads are dealing with the remaining jobs on site, before getting back onto the roof. Tomorrow we set out the perimeter blockwork to take the slab and timber frame walls.
09.10.09 - Roof details

Rhydian and Rhodri have been working through the details for the rooflights and service penetrations. These are all on one side of the roof, which makes life easier, and means that the front elevation roofline is uninterupted. We've had a few problems with the materials delivered to site not been what we've paid for etc., but apart from that progress is steady.
05.10.09 - Foil insulation

We're testing the performance of a foil insulation on the new barn. Given that we don't need to comply with building regs for thermal performance, as its use is only storage, we thought we'd install this product and see how it performs. Based on early NASA technology the foil relies on its radiant performance rather than any conductivity. The building regs struggle to approve this product as their standard calculations are based on thermal conductivity.
01.10.09 - Christo & Jeanne-Claude

We've started the process of wrapping the landscape at the farm. The geotextile membrane will stop plants and grass from taking root and establishing themselves. We don't intend to landscape this area of the farm for a year, so for now we'll leave it in this condition to ensure that we don't have to undo all the hardwork so far.
30.09.09 - lining completed, hoorah

Rhodri and Rhydian completed the plywood lining today, at last! Worth the wait - we can now get on with the roof build up.
24.09.09 - Roof covering

The roof gets covered every night at the end of the day in order to protect the plywood joints from being exposed to water ingress. We've used sileage sheet - possible the cheapest and largest size sheet available.
23.09.09 - Dutch Barn

With the first rain for a week, Rhydian went back on the barn to close off the facade before the winter weather sets in. This framework will be clad in timber.
22.09.09 - Roof lining

I've been working away, and in my absence Rhydian, Rhodri & Kieran have been working through the plywood linings. This is a laborious process involving various coats of lacquer and stain followed by biscuit joints to the short edges of the boards where they span the purlins (to avoid deflection). Everything a bit slow but the results are just as we'd hoped.
10.09.09 - Roof structure

Progress has been slow this week owing to the tolerances being exacted on the frame. By the end of the week all the purlins will be in, and some of the plywood will have been fitted. It's at that frustrating stage where our sequence of work is hampered by suppliers, sub-contractors and the weather not working in our favour. I shouldn't complain though, we have 10 days of good weather forecast, so this will assist with drying out the timber, and getting the main roof area water tight.
07.09.09 - porch

Whilst he waits for the portal frame to be tensioned correctly, so he can get on with the roof, Rhyd has been constructing a new porch outside the main front door of the house. This will be a temporary fix for the next couple of years whilst we reorganise the property and prepare for converting the milking parlour into the new office and home. The existing porch and kitchen will become our site office from October, and will eventually be demolished to make way for the milking parlour conversion. We'll then move into the storage shed until the new office is ready sometime in 2010.
04.09.09 - Tolerance

This week has been one of those critical 'design meets construction' events. We've spent all week trying to rectify the setting out of the frame in order to tie the building together with the roof structure. The problem has been the tolerance of one material against another, and the fixings we have chosen. The longer the timber structure is exposed to the elements, the more it swells and distorts its final size and position. Fortunately our metalwork fabricator Rob came to the rescue the last couple of days, teaching us how to erect portal frames the traditional way, and how to remove many of the intolerances. The root cause has been established as a minor deflection in the rafters under their self weight which has caused the eaves joint to open up by 5mm. This may sound trivial but it has a bearing on all follow details.
28.08.09 - Portal Frame Completed

The final tweaking to the frame is being sorted today, after all 6 portals were erected safely yesterday. Hampered by a bit of bad weather this week, but generally good working conditions. The steel shoes are designed to allow horizontal and vertical adjustment, which means we should be able to get the eaves and ridge lines spot on... ...we'll see.
26.08.09 - temporary workshop

We've graded the floor with sub-base in the milking parlour to provide a level footing. This has allowed us to start using the space as a workshop to prepare all the timbers for the new barn. The metal brackets for the purlins are currently being painted, and the purlins sealed to protect them from the rain. Last night and this morning a big storm is blowing through which has left the 3 erected purlins exposed. Hopefully the treatment to all components will not damage their appearance.
25.08.09 - portal frame

Rhodri's been overseeing the erection of the first portal for the new barn. It's a slow process as we're fightng tolerances in three different materials at the moment - concrete, steel and parallam. The latter is a real surprise - we expected a high degree of precision in this manufactured product but it is pretty lowsy! It's been a steep learning curve for Rhodri, but we said from the start that we'd make all the mistakes in this building before getting it all right on the main house...hmmm.
19.08.09 - surface water

While I've been away on business the boys have been busy completing the duct route for the BT line, and putting in the drainge connections for surface water. We have incredible levels of run off from the fields and lanes, so time and money is going into ensuring that the water is diverted around buildings and away down into the dingle. The constant rain in July was fortuitous as it showed where the water wanted to collect and where drainage runs were required.
14.08.09 - Dutch Barn

The boys have cleared out all the old hay from the dutch barn in preparation for the repairs to the wall cladding and new gate. We'll use this space to store building materials so we can start to better organise the yard and manage stock.
13.08.09 - Septic Tank

Neil & Kieran dug deep today to lower in the septic tank. This will provide us with enough capacity for 3 families, meaning it will only need emptying once every 3 years (rather than an annual empty). The drainage stone arrives tomorrow to go round the base, but we have had the tap on for the last few hours filling the tank so it doesn't pop up when the water table starts to rise...
12.08.09 - New roadway to barn

Kieran has been clearing the hay from the dutch barn, as we are emptying this area to be used as a materials store. Neil has scraped back the top soil to form a roadway into the barn and pushed back the pile of stones until we can get them sorted into varying sizes.
11.08.09 - Steel frame components

We've been installing the steel base plates today in glorious sunshine. The plates will support the column bases to the portal frame, which is being machined by our joiner Alan. We're working towards a frame erection next week.
06.08.09 - below ground

Neil and Nathan have been laying the BT duct today - in total this will run for 170m from the connection pole to the farm yard. BT free-issue this along with draw string for us to istall, before coming along later to lay the cable, once I have coughed up for the Business Line rental. The existing line doesn't provide enough capacity for growth in the event we need more than 2 lines.
05.08.09 - Where has the time gone...

As mentioned in the last few entries, we haven't been working on the farm for the past few weeks. We've been concentrating on building a small cabin in the woods for a client on another site, which they've been using this week on holiday. The weather these past 4 weeks in West Wales has been punishing for building, so it's good to have a break in the clouds and some sunshine coming through. The vegetable plot has been flourishing and Helen has been stoic in her efforts to harvest the many peas, beans, salads and root vegetables that she's been nurturing. The boys love the peas and beans, happily eating them from the pods as they are picked from the plants, and we've been enjoying the produce on the table. Neil and Kieran are back today starting to sort out the land drainage, putting in the foul drainage and septic tank, and preparing the barns for storage and workshop use - so many things that no-one will ever see or are temporary measures, but each one costing money! Hopefully by the end of August we should have a new building with a roof on...
07.07.09 - Concrete pour

Groundworks were completed on Friday before the weather changed. 9.5 cubic metres of readymix later, we have the footings to the new building and will now take a two week break to procure materials and sort out the other barns as temporary workshop and store.
02.07.09 - Footings to the new build

Progress this week has been helped and hampered by the good weather. Too hot to work in, but dry enough for all the drainage to be laid, and the groundworks prepared for the concrete pour. Weather permitting we'll pour tomorrow at noon, once Building Control have given the nod. Fee paying work will probably slow things down now, as we are on site from a week on Monday building a summer camp for a client.
25.06.09 - Water Tank

We've spent the last two days extending the slab for the water tank, and preparing the below ground drainage for the new building. Emyr the Building Control officer came out yesterday to run through the scope of works, so we are busy preparing the ground for a pre-pour inspection for next Wednesday or Thursday. Meanwhile, we moved the watertank up the track in preparation for installation. Rhodri and I grunted it the last 10 metres or so, where the digger couldn't reach.
22.06.09 - Irrigation

As part of the strategy for managing the spring water that pours off the hill, we are diverting some of the water that feeds the pond into a holding tank. This is only 2455 litres, but will help us to avoid using mains water for watering the garden, flushing the outside loo, and providing water to the cattle troughs in the lower fields. The blockwork went up today to retain the bank - we'll eventually stone clad this once the tank is in and operational, but it's not exactly the priority at present!
21.06.09 - Footings

Last week saw us finally start some 'building' rather than just earthworks! Neil has started to dig the footings and set out the building line for the new shed. We've been on site now for nearly a year (OK with some big gaps) so it is with some relief that we'll soon see some physical stuff appearing.
16.06.09 - Rob's back

After a long absence Rob has returned to help us out with the mounting pile of spoil that has taken over the garden field. The problem is that we need to extract the stone from this spoil to use as dry stone walling. So Rob is using a riddling bucket on his JCB to riddle the soil from the stone - this is working well, and judging by the pile suggests that the stone content is over 60%. We should have this finished this week, and we'll be storing the stone in piles at locations away from the main compound.
15.06.09 - The Log Shed

Well, I lost the will to live after stacking however many cubic metres of firewood. Thankfully Helen's Dad was down this weekend with an engineering brain to rectify my sloping stack and add a bit of 'Romanian' structure to the pile (or so he said). We had the stack completed by Saturday evening. It all looks pretty good - 9 cubic metres in total with a handsome pile of kindling to go with it. This shoud keep us going for two winters. The main barns are empty again, so we can now prepare them as temporary workshops for the new build.
01.06.09 - Firewood

Don, from the next door farm, has been helping me cut down all the scrap timber from the collapsed barns to make firewood for next winter. We've been using his mobile saw, which connects to his tractor, to cut the random timbers into regularised lengths. This is then barrowed round the back of the house to the woodshed, where it is stacked on pallets. I've stacked some 5 cubic metres already, with the same amount to go again.
31.05.09 - Laburnum & Bluebells

We went for a walk this weekend in the glorious sunshine to check out our bluebells, that arrive late every year. Because of our height (about 820 feet above sea level) our summer season seems to start late and finish early by two weeks or so, hence the late show of bluebells. The laburnam hedges that border the bluebell fields are also in flower - they stretch some 100 metres along the perimeter of the lower field.
27.05.09 - Drainage Stream

We've just finished with the land drainage, as the weather has changed to rain. We've formed a stream in the garden field which will take the surplus run off from the pond. We're now using the large boulders to form the stream's path, which will meander down the hill towards the large sump (see last entry).
26.05.09 - more drainage

The good weather over the weekend has seen progress with the land drainage. Neil & Rocky were busy building a sump which will collect the spring water and run off so that we can manage the winter weather better.
19.05.09 - Drainage

Way down at the bottom of the dingle where the springs meet Nant Esgair, we've been trying to sort out a long term drainage issue. Every year the rains erode any sluce that has been formed to guide the water in the right direction and every year the cattle tread all over it. So we've fenced an area to restrict cattle access, and then dug a huge channel to direct the spring water. With the recent rains over the last few days its been put to test, and is perfomring well.
12.05.09 - Steps

We've completed what is required at this stage, so we've moved onto the land drainage. This should take a couple of weeks, after which we'll be having a break to concentrate on fee paying work. It also gives time to sort out any queries that may arise from Building Control for the detailing on the storage building, and allows us time to procure the various elements for the building where lead times are a factor.
11.05.09 - crushed

Spent the weekend sifting stone with the lads. Unfortunately crushed my finger between two boulders - very painful!
10.05.09 - The view from the top

Well, the extensive remodelling we've been doing over the past month has been worthwhile, as things are finally starting to take shape. The retaining wall was completed today, and tons of stone reclaimed for the dry stone walls. Rocky and Rhodri spent all Saturday sifting and batching the stone into stone pallets. We'll clear the site this week and start the foul & land drainage in the courtyard and beyond. The upper garden has been stripped back and all hedging removed to be replaced with a deeper shelter belt against the upper field. We'll cover in geotextile for the next couple of years to allow the hedges and trees to take hold. The black sileage sheet in the foreground is covering 2 years of compostable nappies and a few tons of horse manure, courtesy of Neil's stables!
28.04.09 - Reinforcing

Neil and Kieran finish shuttering for the steps today. The last week has been mainly landscaping - shifting tons of rubble from one place to the next. By finishing one work item we are creating a new pile of rubble somewhere else. The delivery of all the drainage items arrives today.
21.04.09 - Steps to garden

The space between the coal shed and the pig sty used to be filled with a tin shed where the farmer kept his car. When we first arrived we used it as a wood shed, but the back wall was very porous and all the timber got very wet during the winter months. Since demolished, we are using this space as steps from the yard up to the garden which will be formed at a higher level. The first concrete has been poured: Neil and Keiran will shutter out this week to form the steps.
19.04.09 - Concrete & Ballast

Progress has been good this week with a final pour on Friday for the extended strip footing to the retaining wall. We're doing this in stages as access is required to the upper garden to complete landscaping, so for now a ramped section of earth remains. Where ready mix is not ordered Neil is making up in small batches for localised pours. The mounds of ballast and sand on site have proved a popular playground with the oldest.
13.04.09 - Portal Frames

The new workshop building is to be built from Parallam section. This product is being phased out in the UK but we managed to get hold of enough to build the portal frames. The section is chunky - 178 x 178mm - but the rest of the structure will be relatively lightweight and simple to erect. To avoid any problems with on-site carpentry we have opted to machine all connections off site at a joinery workshop. Alan the joiner has just taken delivery of the timbers and will start machining one portal this week for inspection.
13.04.09 - Site progress

Work progressed well over the Easter weekend with sunny warm weather. Neil our builder has been building the retaining walls as part of the groundworks package - this will resolve any drainage issues in the farm yard before any further building work is carried out.
08.04.09 - New Team Member


07.04.09 - Blockwork

After a short break we've started on the blockwork to the retaining walls. Building Notice goes in this week, so we'll be undertaking groundworks, drainage and foundations after Easter.
18.03.09 - Boulders

When carrying out the excavation for the retaining wall we broke through a large seam of stone. Pantybara roughly translates as 'dip of bars of stone' or 'hollow of bars of stone'. It is the site of an old quarry, where the stone was used to build some of the buildings in the nearby town of Newcastle Emlyn. These monsters will be used for landscaping in the garden field.
17.03.09 - Concrete Footing

The concrete was poured yesterday, and the rest of the timber stock has been stripped of its scrap metal. Now all the timber from the collapsed barns can be cut up for firewood, which will happen over the next week or so.
16.03.09 - Retaining Wall

We pour our first footing today. The weather has been beautiful over the weekend - perfect for preparing the trench. Rhodri back from skiing in time to help with the final shutter before we pour at noon.
12.03.09 - Trenches

We've started work on the retaining walls that surround the new farm building. 5 cubic metres of concrete is required for the 15m stretch of wall to provide a firm footing for the blockwork and land drainage. The bank should hold without propping, but we need to get started with blockwork next week to avoid rain from causing any slippage.
10.03.09 - Timber

We've wrapped the loads on site in sileage sheet to protect against the rain, unitl we're ready to build. The Parallam timber sections will go off to the workshop for machining at the end of the month into portal frames. Just need to get the metalwork fabricated. We're now struggling for clear storage space on site to receive the next load, so another weekend of clearing & stacking stones beckons.
24.02.09 - More rubble...
There's only so many pictures of rubble that I can post on this blog. Suffice to say that with help this weekend from Martin and Kate we cleared the timber from the rear of the site into the Milking Parlour ready for cutting into firewood. Once this is cleared the parlour is ready to be used as a workshop for the assembly of the storage building. The timber frame and cladding was delivered yesterday, but the wagon couldn't get down the track. With a bit of help from Rhodri's father we offloaded at their farm, and will bring the materials over on a smaller trailer this weekend.
11.02.09 - Little Helper

Finnian decided to help out, oh boy.
10.02.09 - Breaking out

The snow seems to have thawed. Today was the first day we could get the cars up the drive without rally driving. Over the last week we have been concentrating on breaking out the internal floor of the milking parlour. The concrete had been set out as a series of pens, so we needed to take this away and dig down to find a level base for the new floor. For now this level area will be used as a workshop for fabricating the elements for the other building. Yesterday we found the old dairy floor buried a foot further down - some large stone slabs that we'll reclaim for use later on.
04.02.09 - Snowed in

3 foot drifts of snow have stopped work for the week.
03.02.09 - Barn Demolition

We've spent the last weekend collapsing the rear barns to the milking parlour. These were made of corrugated sheet, and had been patched together over their generations of use. We separated all the metal from the timber, so the former could be taken away to the scrap yard and the latter cut up for firewood. More images to follow...
03.02.09 - Barn Demolition

We've been breaking out the concrete from inside the milking parlour. This has proved to be time-consuming manual labour, but the hardcore will now be graded into usable aggregate for building, and larger scale blocks for landscaping. The garden field is starting to resemble a bomb site, so the next month will probably entail moving one pile of stuff from a) to b) and so on.
26.01.09 - Demolition

Rhodri and I have started to demolish the insides of the Milking Parlour. The crog loft was rotten through so came away of its own accord; the concrete slab proved to be a bit more heavy going, so we are resorting to mechanical means this week in order to break out and prepare the interior as a temporary workshop for manufacturing the components for the energy building.
26.01.09 - Fencing

Don from the next door farm has been helping out with fencing. We've moved the boundary of the field adjacent to the hardstanding to improve access and allow for a larger turning circle in the yard. We've also been widening the driveway to allow for two passing points - this would be a requirement if we wanted to operate any commercial venture from the farm. Having surveyed the ground with a CAT to detect the BT cable, we still managed to dig it up in error - fortunately the phone is still working.
05.01.09 - The Big Freeze
Arrived back from our Christmas tour to a frozen water main. Temperatures dropped to -10C in our absence, so my appetite for physical outdoor work has waned right now.
15.12.08 - Christmas Break

Well, the rain has put a halt to progress for now. The pond seems to be filling up (and draining) of its own accord, as the rainfall has been quite sustained. And when it's not raining the ground seems to be frozen solid. Building work will start in the New Year - we'll post images of the new buildings then, as they're currently being worked on.
26.11.08 - Land drainage

Rob and I completed the land drainage to the garden field last weekend, and set about remodelling the front entrance to the farm yard. The 50metre drainage run from the upper sump to the pond is now covered over, and we are preparing the drain to the rainwater harvesting tank by the garden (the land run off will be used for watering the vegetables).
18.11.08 - New Site

Well, we've finally managed to go live with a website having talked about it for the best part of 2 years! Thanks to Alex for all his hard work in making it happen. Ground works on the farm are progressing slowly at the moment what with the weather and the shorter days. We're hoping to complete the land drainage next weekend with Rob; the image is of him in his JCB forming the pond in the garden field. Planning approval finally received last month, after 9 months in the system.