B-Day and Biblical Weather

The last two weeks have been hectic. Since being on the mainland, we have been been focussed on B-Day (Build Day) when the team comes to erect the house kit. We’ve been so busy we haven’t even got round to publishing the blog. Just as we are about to do so, more stuff happens so hopefully today we will bring you up to date before the next crisis hits!

With B-day on the 27th, we worked on the list of “things to do” that Keith put in the last blog. Without boring you on the whole lot, we managed to tick it all off + a few other things we had forgotten to add.

Highlight of it included the Steels! We had to install 4 steel columns into the footings, which was not without problems. It was an intricate process of measuring and re-measuring, marking drill holes and trying to make them exactly where they were supposed to go. Keith used his pythagorus once again to make sure the relations between the tops of the 4 steel pillars were accurate - in all 3 dimensions! If we got this wrong, the kit steels would not bolt on which would be catastrophic! We bolted the steels into the footings, and then used plastic spacers to bring them all level and in the right place, we then filled the gap with some special grout. The YouTube videos we watched made it look like pouring custard so we built a wee form to hold it in expecting to be able to fill up the voids … but sadly no! The stuff we bought was more like porridge and we desperately tried to force it into the space below the steel plates before it set. We managed it in the end but not without a lot of shouting and swearing (K not me)!

Having done the hard bit, we then needed to fill the wall area around the steels with concrete. This was going to be a cinch! All we’d do was put wooden shutters around it and get mixing and pouring! Well… John Strachan’s old chipboard (that he very kindly donated to us for shuttering) was used very successfully for the footing shutters and it just kept on giving! We managed to salvage enough to reuse it to shutter in the steels...a slightly false economy though as when the holes were half full, the chipboard started to give way under the weight of the concrete. Keith rushed around shouting for this and that and by the time we finished the job, it looked like a scene out of ancient Egypt! Hundreds of wooden posts propped up against the bulging wood. Thankfully, apart from a couple of bulges (that no one will ever see), it worked! Thanks again John for the fab wood!!

Poor Tsala has only been to the beach once in recent times, although she has roamed the plot daily, chasing rabbits and sniffing for something to scare, we just haven’t had time to walk her. Bad parents!! We have now had 4 lorry loads of “house” with the last one due tomorrow. The first two offloads were done by Tom, but then the last two were left to us, as none of the usual suspects were on the island. To top it all we had the mahoosive JCB telehandler from Roy, which although huge and strong has a couple of glitches. Keith has been amazing - the last two deliveries were huge - the top floor cassettes (massive) and then all the windows. I’ve found it really scary, even though I’m only helping. Still no drops, and no breaks (apart from grazing the caravan guttering).

Next we had to put in the damp proof membrane (DPM). This was essentially turning the bit of the ground under the house into two swimming pools. They will fill with rain water until the house is on top of them. In the short time between us putting it in and the house floor going on, fill up they did! Grrr! The DPM took far longer than thought, and involved cutting out vents, cutting out the thermal store walls and also taping parts together. Joyous as the rain started coming. And we are talking about Hebridean rain - horizontal and torrential! Keith had to bail one of the pools dry as the weight of the water pulled the DPM off the wall plate.

The last job before readying/levelling the plot were the soil drains. We had to ensure they had the right gradient, were secure and obviously in the right place!! Not an easy task, especially with blustery weather and continuing rain. The plot was starting to look like a bog, even with all our new field drains. It was so depressing.

We also had to still decide on cladding and roofing for the lean to. So we had a few hours off the site and went to see Gill and Ian (who built their own house) and their rubber roof and after that to Charlie’s to see his cladding. Lovely cups of tea, chats and great to see what they have all done.

We had an evening out with Romayne in the Coll Hotel on Friday. A delicious meal as ever, and a much needed break. But after that the pressure mounted, our sleepless nights continued and so did the rain. If I was a tearful person, I would have cried. The summer has just been amazing here on Coll and just as the house is due to go up the weather changes!! Grrrrrrr. Not much we could do about the weather, but at least we had done all the things on the list.

B-Day arrived! I felt sick to the stomach and couldn’t face any breakfast. The plan was to meet the guys off the ferry and to bring them to the site. This all went smoothly and the rain had even stopped for a while. Actually you could see a bikini of blue in the sky (an old saying of my Oma, Dutch granny) - weird I know. Keith briefed them about the site, the Health and Safety aspects, housekeeping etc, and soon they were working! I was still feeling sick....how would the build go? Would the cassettes fit? Would the steels fit?

The team arrived and were keen to start. Gary (the boss), Adan and Ruairidh. We could not have hoped for 3 nicer guys to be here helping us. I’m cooking for them (breakfast, lunch and supper!) and they are staying with Rob and Romayne. The idea is that poor R&R don’t have to do anything for them and the guys get warm digs with working facilities!! We are so grateful for R&R and the arrangement is working well.

Here are the dream team…

Their first job was to measure our work! I’m happy to say that they were impressed with our foundations and said it was “spot on”. Yay! Soon they were screwing on wall plates and getting ready to put in the ground floor cassettes.

Unfortunately the weather has been terrible and the ground around the house is turning into a bog despite our many many drains. The drains do work but the rain has to stop for 24 hours for them to take the water away. We are lucky if we’ve had 3 dry hours in the last week. Roy has very kindly left his telehander here when he’s not using it which is a fantastic bonus. We can use it for some of the big lifts. However it really chews up the ground, and very nearly got stuck a couple of days ago so Keith stopped the guys from using it off the track. Instead, Keith used the digger to move panels to the floor. BUT then the next hurdle…. Digby went off sick… He broke down blocking a vital route around the house. AAAAARRRRRGGGG!

Thankfully Brian came to the rescue with his 7 tonne digger which Keith (with direction from Roy) managed to use to pull Digby out of the way. We hope Digby will be better soon. Keith also used Brian’s digger to help the guys installing panels by lowering them into place… yes, Keith has become a part time member of the dream team, now all he needs to do is grow a beard!!

The guys are working long hours - 7am here for breakfast, 7.30 start, 13.00 lunch and 1900 supper. What trojans. Here’s hoping it all goes to plan, and in 10 days we have a wind and watertight house!!

This is where we are as I write this…

Hope you are all keeping well.

xx