Extension Progress - Slab Poured!

My dad and I have had a few busy weekends wince the last time I wrote about the extension! 

Easiest to go through it in pictures:

The cavity under the ground level has been filled with a light concrete mix

Drainage has been added, pea gravel around all pipes.
I also built a man hole from scratch.

Drainage in the house surrounded by peas gravel and hardcore added to the slab

Wackered base

Sand blinding added so the plastic won't get damaged

Plastic added - this made a huge play pen for the youngest! 

6 inches of insualtion added to be under the concrete floor

Plastic to go between the insualtion and plastic as well! (build regs requirement) 

Wet concrete being laid - the grid pattern is the reinforcing in the concerete slab

Tamping the concrete roughly level - to lay the concrete we also had the help of one of dads workers Andy!
Got it mixed and laid in an afternoon.

Floating up the concrete late at night

A nice finish on the concrete - this will be the tiled floor of the kitchen eventually! 

It's certainly been busy around here! 

Yesterday and today are being spent getting ready for Dill the brick layer who is coming tomorrow. I've load the slab out with blocks, got all the starter bars in the walls, moved bricks so they're nice and close and made sure he's got plenty of sand and cement. Anything to keep him efficient and save me money! 

Exciting times now - can't wait to see this going up! 

Budget Greenhouse Staging

I'm always short of space in the greenhouse and I needed some staging.

With my wife's maternity leave nearly over and me going full time daddy soon we're trying not to spend too much money, so I decided to improvise.

 My dad is a tipical farmer and has a field full of junk "stuff". Some useful and some not. A while back he did buy a job lot of shelving, this falls inthe useful catagorgy. One section of this cut in half makes some free staging for me.

 It might not be too pretty but it does the job.

It's already pretty much full but it's doing the job. Maybe one day I'll get round to making some nice wooden staging but until then this will do. Lately I've been trying to look at things we need and seeing what will do in their place that doesn't cost any money, anyone else have some good re purposed items?

DIY Tips - Painting

All of my working life has been spent on building sites and working in peoples houses.

Even though I'm a carpenter I've worked with a lot of painters and over that time I've picked up loads of tips that make things fast, easier and give a better finish. So I thought I'd share a few of them here with you guys.

 

•  I was always told that painting is 80% prep. I know it's boring to fill and sand walls and woodwork but the time spent before painting pays off on the finish you'll get at the end.

• Buy some caulk. Any black lines between skirting and walls or architrave and walls always scream that an amature has done it. Run a line of caulk across the top and smooth it over with your finger so there be no gaps in your painting.
• On fresh plaster save paint by rolling everything with a mist coat first. his is 50-50 water and paint. It seals the plasterwork and means you use a lot less paint on your first coat - also when you put this coat on the wall it's easier to see any defects and fill them.
• Buy a pole for your roller! This has to be the most important tip on here! I hate seeing people up close to the ceiling rolling a 2ft square patch before moving the ladder and repeating it. The pole means you can cover a huge area without moving much and save your back (it also gives a more even finish). Use the pole on the walls and ceiling and you'll see how much easier it is.
• Buy good quality paint. It covers better and gives a better finish. Sometimes it can mean the difference between 2 or 3 coats, then it doesn't seem so cheap anymore.



• Bag it up - If you've got to do another coat of paint the next night don't wash your roller up. Just place it inside two plastic bags and wrap tightly around it. It should keep for a couple of weeks or more like this without drying, the same goes for brushes. You can only do this with water based paints though!

Thats just a few tips to start with - if you want more DIY tips let me know, I've hundreds! Or if you've got any of your own put them below!