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September 2014I have just agreed to have a 5.5*3.0 metre conservatory built at the rear of my home. Because of the terrain of my property I have a retaining wall separating my main garden from a side garden approximately 1.5-2 metres below the ground floor level of my house. Due to the age and condition of this wall I have decided to replace the part of the wall that forms the base of the new conservatory and build up the part of the wall that adjoins the new conservatory allowing the removal of a very 1970's railing. In addition the garden slopes down from the house meaning the floor of the conservatory needs to be almost a metre above the garden level requiring lots of brickwork and substantial steps. To complete the project I am also having the lawn at the rear of the house made into a paved patio.
This started as a simple idea of a basic lean-to style conservatory!
After getting quotes from various window firms I have decided that because of the amount of ground and brickwork to go with a local builder Pete Rowe Construction, in Houghton Regis. (http://peterowe.com/) He directly employs most of the required tradesmen rather than a standard double glazing company that would have to subcontract lots of the work.
I plan to keep this blog up to date as the project progresses with comments and pictures - my very own Grand Designs.The project should start mid October and be finished by the end of November - hopefully we will have Christmas Lunch in the new conservatory!!
WEEK 1
Monday 13/10
After the driest September on record we start the conservatory groundwork in howling gale and driving rain! Builders manage a couple of hours work and leave like a couple of drowned frozen rats.
Manage to take up the brickwork from my original patio and dig an exploratory hole to the bottom of the retaining wall. First look doesn't seem like there's enough foundation and the wall will need to be demolished completely. Great start.
Tuesday 14/10
Weather better today thank goodness. Dug out foundation trench and part demolished retaining wall. This revealed that the base layers of the wall are wider than the upper levels and are in good condition, which means we can build up from them rather than dig down another metre. Bad news is that the part of the retaining wall beyond the conservatory that we were just planning to build a few levels of bricks on is in worse condition than we hoped. Just removing loose bricks removed 2/3 of the existing height, so there will be extra bricklaying to do.
With the foundations dug out we can envisage the finished size.
Wednesday 15/10
Dug out the foundations for the garden edging wall and laid pink "MOT" gravel over the patio area. This cuts down on the amount of claggy mud that gets everywhere. The rain on Monday has left everywhere sodden! It's amazing how much rubble has been taken away, piled up in the side garden waiting to be taken or piled up on what will be the
conservatory to be compacted for part of its' foundations. Where the retaining wall has been demolished every morning minor land slides need to be cleared - stopped using the French windows for fear of the 2 metre drop!!!
Thursday 16/10
Concrete poured into the conservatory, retaining wall and garden wall today. All the loose bricks removed from the remaining retaining wall. Initial delivery concrete, sand blocks and bricks now on site. It's beginning to look like a building site rather than a demolition site.
Fiday 17/10
Brickies on site today. Main part of the retaining wall blocked, base of the conservatory blocked on the inside and face bricked on the exterior wall
Main delivery of bricks, blocks and sand coming at us from every direction. I would not have believed such a big lorry could have got in our drive.
End of week one - I guess it's too late to back out now!!
Week 2
Monday 20/10
End retaining wall started with blocks and more of the conservatory base wall completed. We have to keep reminding ourselves that the walling we see now is only up to floor level, there's another 18" dwarf wall to go on top yet.
Tuesday 21/10
Retaining walls completed
Weds 22/10
Base leveled and smaller stones added.
Thurs 23/10
Conservatory base day. All the foundation stones leveled and tamped down. Then a layer of sand added and tamped down.
Then a liner added and thick slabs of insulating polystyrene.
Steel reinforcements for the concrete.
Another big lorry - this time a concrete mixer. Many dozens of barrow loads of concrete had to be run up the drive and through the garage. Glad I wasn't helping!
Finished base - looking more like a swimming pool.
Finished for the week now. Next week the final floor screeding and conservatory dwarf walls. Feeling really pleased with the work so far.
Week 3
Monday27/10
Finished the Dwarf wall of the conservatory.
Tues 28/10
Another delivery, still amazed the driver managed to get up our drive.
With the laying of the wall for edge of the patio now laid the hard landscaping just about finished. Didn't realize how haphazard our garden is. The patio area slopes in 3 directions, the side retaining wall does not line up with the house and the original patio was not parallel to the house.
The builders have had a big tidy up as they have largely finished and heavy rain now predicted. Hopefully get the glazing for the conservatory measured and ordered later in the week which will take 2 weeks to manufacture and deliver. between now and then the patio should be laid, haven't agreed exact dates yet.
Thurs 28/10
Conservatory measured and (hopefully) ordered, and pink MOT foundation stones delivered and spread over most of the patio.
Week 4
Not much happening this week. Friday had the patio paving stones delivered - Globalstone Mint, and more MOT. I'm sure the neighbours will be fed up with large delivery lorries in the drive!
Week 5
Monday 10/11
Started to lay the patio. Looking good and some lovely fossilised ferns on a couple of slabs.
Tuesday 11/11
Most of the patio laid today, tomorrow we should have the steps done. Dry but very windy today, should rain overnight but tomorrow should be dry again.
Friday 14/11
Patio and steps now finished. looking good but some parts stained with mud. With all the rain we've had I suppose it was inevitable, hopefully further rain will clean it!
Week 6
17-23/11
Finally got a date for the conservatory to be delivered - 1st December, week on Monday. Delayed because the obscured glass we ordered for the road side of the patio is not available in the size we need (over 2.5m). Decided to have unpatterned obscured glass rather than alter the geometry of the conservatory. Not unhappy about this as we were worried the pattern glass would be too fussy over such a large area.
We've cleaned the patio and it looks better now, perhaps more sand coloured than the un-lain paving looks, but still good.
Week 7
24-30/11
Nothing planned this week but with continuing rain patio is even more like a swimming pool!!!
Guess it means the floor is waterproof and level. Worried we will have to spend time drying it and walls out before installation next week.
Week 8 Monday - 1/12
Conservatory Delivered
Unloaded
And erected! Roof is so big it needs to be supported in the middle until the frame work on the wall is erected.
Tuesday - 2/12
Glazing today
Almost all the glass in today. The roof glass in particular is so heavy it needs 3 men today. Unfortunately one bolt missing so final roof sheet can't be added, it will be couriered tomorrow. It is also so cold some of the clip on strips that hold the roof glass in place shatter when they're snapped on. Stripped off the old external wall cladding and put in the woodwork to take some plasterboard. Cladding above the conservatory re-fitted.
Wednesday 3/12
Had the final roof glass put on today, had the plasterboard fitted above the house window and had an electrician and plumber put in in the wires around the walls and pipes that that break through to the conservatory.
Thursday 4/12
Friday 5/12
All the basic finishing work done today ready for plastering tomorrow. External side wall finished off with another level and some of the paving put on top to tie in with the patio. Everything looking very good now.
Saturday 6/12
All the plastering was done today - great to see the end of the end of the breeze blocks, it really looks like an extra room now.
Week 9
Monday 8/12
No work today - every ones celebrating my birthday of course!
Leaving the windows open yesterday and today to let out some of the condensation, not surprising considering the amount of water added in the concrete and plaster of the last few weeks and the rain we've had. It seems like it's been raining since the work started!
Tuesday 9/12
Both plumber and electrician in today. Radiator is massive it should be the warmest room in the house soon. Just had some temporary lights fitted as we couldn't agree on styling, I wanted contemporary, Jan rustic, but we saw some that didn't offend either of us online at B&Q. When we went to the shop found they were end of line and half price - result.
Wednesday 10/12
Laying the final screed flooring level today. Another large lorry - cement mixer - in drive today, I think neighbours will be pleased when we're finished.
Again screed had to be wheel barrowed through the garage then down the new garden steps then up the new conservatory steps, I'm glad I was just watching.
Added some more insulation before the screed was laid.
Now the floor's down the conservatory's effectively finished but we can't go in it until at least the weekend until the floor hardens.
WEEK 10
Monday 15/12
A few small jobs to finalise the conservatory, a bit of mastic here and there, final drainage downpipe positioning, door sash hooks. Final cleaning and wiping down condensation etc.
Final painting and flooring down to me but can't do that until everything has dried out, apparently towards the end of January with the depth of screed we had. Just one job for me now - put up Xmas decs.
Conservatory Finished!!!
Just signed off (and paid for :) the conservatory and patio. After the coldest and wettest November I can remember everything is finished only 2 weeks later most optimistic promise, and me and Jan are delighted. Very pleased with the quality of the work and finish of both the conservatory and the patio and I am sure we made the right choice of company to do this project. Many thanks to Pete Rowe and all his excellent tradesmen. Merry Christmas to Pete, Tim, Jamie, Kelvin, Danny, George, Mark, Cyril (and at least 2 more whose names escape me at the moment) plus electrician, plumber and plasterer, it's been a pleasure to make teas for all of them.
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