The Big Steel

Well in the week of 27th May, we had to move out for a few days. The new steel needed to be safely installed in the wall and with it being half term the were kids off school, so it was perfect timing to skedaddle away to my parents for a few nights and get out the way of the builders.

First, up went the acrow props. Smaller steel beams knocked through the outside wall upstairs into the bathroom and back bedroom. We needed to have these supports higher than the steel will be, as we want the ceiling to be flush from the original house into the new part, so it was necessary to go in through the walls of the rooms above.

These beams are supported below by acrow props in the dining room and kitchen...

..and outside. This way the props take the weight of the back of the house while the steel is installed.

The builders used hoists and scaffolding to help support the weight of the steel while it was being manoeuvred.

The steel had a large timber joist inserted into it and bolted into place. The floor joists were inserted into the steel and then fastened to the joist for extra security. Though the weight of the steel itself would certainly stop it from moving, it means that all parts are attached to one another. Before the acrow props are removed the steel must be sitting on two concrete padstone's at either end. So that was next on the job list.

The steel went in smoothly towards the end of the week, which meant we were back in the house not long after to clean all the brick dust!

Onto the next stage...

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Ready for roofing

The walls just kept on growing on Monday 20th May. Carl, Ash and Bob were once again joined by Mark and Aidan and by the end of the day Tuesday, the first floor walls had reached the bottom of the roof.

The outline of the upstairs windows had taken shape and a course of blocks has topped the beam above the bifold on the rear extension.

So far I have not discussed the roof trusses and now seems as good a time as any. As the builders began their part of the work, I asked them if they would mind ordering the trusses for the roof. It was the most sensible choice, as they could organise the delivery to suit their schedule. Our building specification drawings from the architect were provided to Trussform, and they sent out a surveyor to measure for themselves. Trussform gave us a quote for the work and I paid promptly over the phone, so there were no holdups. As our new roof will line up with the original, accuracy was extremely important. That being so, they sent out a single truss first as a gauge, which arrived on Wednesday.

The truss wasn't quite right, so the surveyor came back out to us straight away and by the end of the day the whole roof was designed and ready to be built at the factory.

As we waited for the trusses; the largest steel RSJ, which will support the back wall of the house, was hoisted into position. It was temporarily, but safely, supported by scaffolding and the side wall of the extension, ready for next week.

Spot the comedic photobomber!

I am so excited by how well this is going and so pleased with how absolutely brilliant our builders are. Seriously, we have fallen on our feet here! They are great to be around, incredibly quick, but not careless, have a fantastic work ethic and try to save us money where it can be saved. They have come in under what they quoted, even though we are just paying them for labour. They always check if we are happy and their craftsmanship is faultless. I cannot rate them highly enough, and no I am not being paid for this plug! I just genuinely think we could not have found better builders. They cover a wide area from Walsall and Birmingham to Stafford and Gnosall, so if you need some work doing, I highly recommend them and believe me when I say, I don't recommend people easily!

Snapped this while they were having a quick cuppa...

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We have a first floor!

Seeing the whole build edging towards the first floor meant one thing, we needed scaffolding! On Tuesday 14th May, it arrived. The builders added some more courses of brick and on went some of the lintels. All while the scaffolding team worked where the double storey extension will be.

I was chuffed when Carl and Ash let me have a go at laying a couple bricks. Under their tutelage thankfully it didn't go too awry and the building is still standing!

Below is the Kitchen window, which will be over the sink; the back door into what will be the utility and the opening where the bifold doors will be into the rear extension.

On Wednesday all the steels arrived and somehow Ash and Carl managed to negotiate two of them around to the back of the house, and one into place in the garage. The size and strength of the three steels was determined by Mike, our structural engineer. The first steel will support the front wall above the garage, the second will support the roof above the bifold doors and the third, and the largest, will support the upper back wall of the existing house, once the builders remove the lower part of the wall.

Carl and Ash continued on with the brick laying, reaching the top of the rear extension wall, and the first floor of the side extension, ready for the joists and floor boards to be laid.

On Thursday 16th May, Ash and Carl arrived with a lot of timber. They began cutting into the side of the existing house and feeding the joists into place, to make up the floor. I had ordered some floor boards, so on they went, covered by a large sheet of plastic to protect from any rain heading our way.

They even had me up there, which was great as I could get a good idea of the room sizes.

First thing on Friday, Carl and Ash hoisted in to place the RSJ over the bifold opening. Using their own scaffolding, pulley, determination and a fair amount of welly!

It went on level, without any further assistance, so they insisted, as they were being the subjects of my build diary, that I at least got one snap of that...

Bob was also back to labour; flying up and down the ladder with blocks and bricks and mortar for Carl and Ash.

He also gave me a bit of instruction on how to mix good mortar. I think that might come in handy when we tackle the garden wall, so I took note.

See if you can spot Adam, checking out the new view!

This is the first floor at the rear of the side extension...

And here is the first floor at the front of the side extension...

I have had such lovely messages from you all so far, thank you. It's been great to hear about your own build experiences and read your kind words of support. For anyone else...please feel free to message me for a chat! If you do want to drop me a message or question privately, this is possible on my contact page or you could comment on a post, if you'd rather start a conversation with everyone.

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