27th February 2007

Underfloor manifolds!!!

Bathrooms being finished.....

And we can't fit any more vans on the drive!!!!

Ok so we've got two days to go, but this activity is manic!!!!

Monday morning Baz came to bulldoze the gravel at the front so we could get some vehicles into the drive. One Bright Huf Huas green van turned up (having started his journey at 3am in Germany), and then another turned up half an hour later.

So,we have a chippy and a plumber ( 2 big green Huf Haus Vans) and then later in the day (obviously a bit of a lie in) the cleaner/windowcleaner turned up in another van from Germany , then today we had Colin the electrician in another van and then the kitchen units arrived in a very large lorry. I was regretting using my car driving from one side of the village to the other with all these vans parked everywhere, and then some of the neighbours tried to drive past to get to their houses.! It's so inconsiderate...why don't they walk!!!!

Anyway over the weekend I finally got the BT cable through under the house and (importantly) out the other side and then yesterday I diverted the water from the stand pipe into the house, having first checked with the plumber that it was safe to do so. He could have just been fitting a tap in the bathroom at the time and then the place would have flooded............so, we are all systems GO !!!! If you elect to be project manager you have to be prepared to get your hands really dirty from time to time.

The kitchen units look formidable!!!! There's at least ten pieces to go with each pre-assembled unit and there is no way my UK chippy man (who retired 25 years ago) will be able to carry all that stuff upstairs into the kitchen, let alone put it together!!! I'm not working till Thursday next week so I can lend a helping hand!!! I'm sure I will have to help him along, and, between the two of us , I'm sure we'll work it all out......

The appliances arrive tomorrow, so I'll probably walk to the site to reduce the vehicle congestion and I've been warned to expect a 'technical handover' from the plumber who can explain what all these levers and knobs do down in the plant room. We have underfloor heating manifold (see piccy) on each floor (presumably they will cover this up with something) .

Each time I come here I can't wait to take my wellies off , just to experience that heat between the toes!!!!

I've arranged my last stage payment to Huf Haus....that's cleaned out the piggy bank. I have to say its been worth every penny so far......they have been great!!! Not Cheap but great!! Ontime...to the day.....and quality like I've never experienced before!!!

We still have the ground work to do....It is just so wet everywhere it would be madness to get a big machine in and start pushing the soil around.....we have a month before we finally move in...so somebody pray for fine weather !!!!!

The interior and things 22nd February 2007

The handover will take place at 11am on Thursday 1st March!!!!
Delivery of kitchen will happen before then and we use of the garage from the 27th February

There still seems much to be done, but Rudiger assures me it will only take a couple of days to finish everything, clean the place top to bottom and lay the carpets......well there's a story there!!!

We were goin to have grey.....all the Huf Hauses are grey carpet !!! All of them, either that or tiles or wood, but grey is the thing with all that black and white everywhere.
Last time we were in the Huf village in Hartenfels, we said we would have beige carpet....why???? well don't ask me ... an abberation it certainly was!!!
Back in October we changed it back again to grey for the living area, leaving the bedrooms in beige.
I'm not surprised that Huf was confused and when the carpet arrived at the house.....it was all beige!!!!
Ok, so Huf said they would change it and then Pam says yesterday....'what colour will the stairs be'??
'Well, I think they will be beige.' I said 'In fact, the carpet fitter is there at the house and he will be laying it in about an hours time'
'Its got to be grey....got to be grey......OK the bedrooms will have to be beige, but the stairs and landing have got to be grey'
A couple of seconds later I was on the phone to Rudiger our project manager.....I started by saying that Pam and I had been discussing the colour of the carpet and I heard him groan at the other end.
I explained the problem.......'Its got to be grey'
I guess as a project manager these are the things you have to deal with....really difficult clients who keep changing thier minds. We had been quite good up to then. But to be fair he said calmly that he would make enquiries and come back.
I drove past the house today and the carpet fitter had gone!!!!! I guess he was thinking that it would be wise to drive back to Germany for a few days and spend time with his family and wait till these mad English finally decided on what they wanted.
Huf were brilliant..........they said they would order the grey carpet and ditch the beige and probably not charge us any extra!!!!! How's that for customer service !!! Where else would you find someone prepared to do that!!!! Brilliant!!!
We'll have to wait until after Handover for the carpet to arrive but that's no problem.
Oh and they glue the carpet down......no underfelt, no grippa rods...this is all glued to the floor and they put the skirting boards on after the carpet has been laid. 'Its just so much neater and it is flat......with no bumps' he says.
And the lights, well if you have a moment......go look at Ric Capucho's blog (Link on my page), Whilst he's in Switzerland and I'm in Engerland we have identical problems.
One of my many mistakes was to buy a 'Catellini and Smith ....Turcio Soffito light on Ebay last year......it is 6 foot long and has 36 strands of heavy nickel plated cables , with a light attached to each cable. These are arranged randomly in a swirling fashion and the arrangement weighs around 60 kilos....yes really!!!!!!! It requires a 10inch RSJ to provide the support!!!
Well the idea was always to hang it in the gallery, but given the difficulties of the Huf designs in the area that Ric so eloquently describes....it looks as if my Catellini and Smith Turcio Soffito will be relegated to the garage for ever....or possibly put back on Ebay!!!!!

This was October 2006 before any work began

Friday 17th February 2007

Its 20 weeks since we first stepped onto the site to start clearing....

The site is around 0.25 acres (0.1 hectares) and comprised an old derelict double garage and a wooden shack and piles and piles of debris.

The main attraction is the potential view across the valley and the fact that it is 200 metres from the Ashdown Forest.

We knew the family who were selling and bought it on an option subject to getting planning permission.

We started with a local timberframe company who worked up a design for the site and submitted it for planning. I heard some time later that it was about to be rejected, so I immediately withdrew the application! ....(if it looks as if your application is going down the pan....don't let a rejection get recorded...withdraw it!)

We then started a difficult period thrying to talk to the planners, and eventually got an audience.

They were not happy with the sub-division of the plot, thought the house was too big, the house would be too close to a very large Copper Beech with a tree preservation order on it and the house would restrict light to adjacent neighbours.

I guessed then it would be difficult but perhaps not impossible.

I ditched the timberframe company as the architectural advice was a bit dubious and decided to approach Huf Haus.

I had the feeling that I would have to take this application to appeal, but when Alexander ( our Huf Architect) came to see the site and the Copper Beech sitting in the middle of the plot, he thought it looked nice....in fact he said 'Wonderful, a nice tree so close to where we can put the house!!!'

At this time the option period was running out, so we had to move fast to get the application in, and surprise, surprise, the planners liked it!!!!!!

I did a quick analysis of sunlight/daylight calulations and submitted those just before the committee as there were concerns about how dark the house would be, so close to the tree. We trotted along to the District Council to see the application get approval.....that was back in the summer of 2005.

You can see these things take a little time.....the actual house build is so quick in comparison!!!!!

As for costs.....

You can pay anything for the land!!!!

A nice plot of half a acre went for £400,000 nearby, just before we bought ours, but we paid 250K

As for the build, work on around £1300/metre for the Huf element (without any kitchen)

Ground works/services/drainage will depend on the site but ours will be around£40K

Don't forget the landscaping ....which is whatever you want to pay

Then if you are doing the project as a couple, make a generous allowance for your partner's influence.......project management of the budget at this point goes straight out of the window!!!!. You have been warned!!!!! If you want to see some more piccys of Huf Hauses...go to the Huf Haus Owners site...there's a link on my blog

This was Early December 2006, just finishing the tiling

12th February 2007

Anticipating the move!!!!

We are scheduled to take over the house on the 1st March.
Pam had arranged a quote from a local kitchen fitter who was able to do the woodwork side, but wouldn't touch the electrics or plumbing!!! He came on Friday to look at the job. I was surprised to see that he was at least ten years older than me...probably twenty (and I'm retired ). He was complaining of the stiffness of his joints as he mounted the stairs....but seemed to be quite confident about the job in hand.
Why do we have these pre-conceived notions about people....he has loads of experience doesn't he??? he must have must'nt he??and we've been told about ageism haven't we??? Providing I don't have to carry him up the stairs he will be fine!!!! It means that I will have to lift the units from the garage up to the ground floor myself .....Ok.....I'm no spring chicken but I can manage that and I'll have to do some plumbing at the end of his weeks work....but we'll go with him. The other guys I had asked to quote have still to come back to me!!!!

But the tilers have been here all week......they are quick and very accurate!!!!! See for yourself in the piccys.
We have the standard white small mosaic tiles everywhere in the bathrooms. For those of you who have spent some time in Germany you will recognise the style. Only in the cloakroom so we have something a little different.

Another lady stopped me today, a total stranger, as I left the house after sorting out the security fencing which had blown down in the wind.
'I was brought up in this road 'she said....'and I was just visiting an old friend'
'Its just fabulous' she exclaimed.......'where can I buy one'????
We discussed the merits of the Huf Haus for some time and she vowed to return and seek my advice on building something similar elsewhere in East Sussex......'I've just GOT to have something modern' she said, 'I've had it with traditional!!!!!' 'I just LOVE it'

I tried to set up the house insurance ready for when we take over.....this might be a problem!!!!
My previous insurance company stopped dead in their tracks when, in answer to a question about the construction.......'well, its concrete in the basement and timber frame and glass above' I explained. I remember saying....'but it does have a tiled roof'...trying desperately to distinguish my house from a very large greeenhouse!!!
There was a pause for a bit, then she asked if I could be put on hold while she spoke to the underwriter.
'Oh No we can't do anything like that' she said and cut me off quick, eager to get somebody else who she might be able to flog something to!!!
Zurich Insurance (personal services) would be able to quote, but I hesitated as they would also advise on 'wealth mangement'.....After this build exercise I do not have much wealth left......I'm trying some other agencies who were mentioned in the Huf Owners Club website.
The weather has been crap lately which means that Andy and Baz and Graham haven't returned to do the earthyworks....I'm hoping that things change soon otherwise we'll be stepping over piles of mud with our sofas when we move in.
And I still have to work out how to push the telephone cable under the house (albeit in a duct) to come out the other side.....I've tried twice so far and I'm reluctant to admit this to my wife who will no doubt come up with some blindingly obvious method that I haven't thought of yet.....help!!! Any ideas ....quick????

6th February....
Electricity Sir???? Well Yes please...Its been some time waiting!!!!!

The guys came to 'joint' the cable which was laid under the road last week.
'Where's the meter gong ?' one asked
'Well it can go anywhere really, as far as I'm concerned' I replied
'Well, the duct is in the wrong place.....if the control box is here ( he points to the wall), then the duct should be here' ( he points to immediately below)
'What are the options ' I asked and explored every one (except the one which meant them getting into their vans and disappearing for ever)
After much debate I phoned the Huf electrician......
They concede after some humming and pulling faces at me they agreed that it could go above the duct........and they started drilling.......Hooray!!!!!!!
Next day was the EDF meter man.........
'If your husband isn't here in five minutes, Ill be gone' he was saying to my wife on the telephone back home, as I drove up.
'Well, I'll have to check the earthing and what the electrician has done in the house first' he said
'There's a problem with the earthing' he was muttering as he returned five minutes later.
I pointed out the earthing positions in the plant room and he still wasn't satisfied. I phoned the HUf electrician again and left him to explain the layout.
'I'll have to phone my manager to get approval' the EDF man said after a while.
And I waited with baited breath as he had this long conversation with the Guv'ner at the other end.
'Yes its a Huf Haus' he said....oh, that expalins everything I guess, because he came off the phone saying that it would be OK, BUT only just, and some additional work would be needed.............OK, Fine, I'll agree to anything......just get that meter in!!!!!!!!
So, after a wait of four months , we have a meter, and only after some hounding the poor girls on the call centres......if I hadn't phoned.....how much longer would I be waiting.
Oh, and we connected to the sewer in the road, and the man from Southern Water said it was fine.
Oh, and the tilers arrived and started work immediately. White small mosaic tiles in the bathrooms and grey tiles elswhere.
Oh and the carpet arrived, in a very large German lorry mit trailer. Trouble is some of the carpet is the wrong colour. Compared to all the other problems that has to be a minor one, after all its just a question of getting some more from the manufacturer in Frankfurt and taking it a few hundred miles.......
Isn't it amazing?....we have elctricity!!!!!!!!

1st February....4 WEEKS TO HANDOVER !!!!!

Everything is now falling into place.

The EDF contractors arrived Tuesday to dig up the road and lay the cable through to the basement. Now I had the job of running the duct under the house a few days before for the cable to be put in....you could get someone to do this, but hey, lets save some money here!!!! Afterall, given that Pam's choice of letterbox in the basement was 464 euros and the led lights on the shelves in the kitchen to illuminate the dog food cost £600, we have to make some savings!!!!!

I wouldn't say it all went in fine and without a hitch, no, I definitely wouldn't say that, and I'll spare you the details about feeding the 'drawstring' through the duct by dangling 30 metres of heavy plastic duct from the top balcony at the Huf down to basement level in order to allow a heavy weight and string attached the benefit of gravity and to go from one end to the other, with Pam giving me clear and loud and explicit instructions about what to do next......, and the fact that the drawstring broke while they were pulling the cable through!!!! But the important thing is that the cable is now in!!! They joint it on Monday, I have scheduled the meter to be installed on Tuesday and the Huf Electrician in on Wednesday...fine if everybody turns up on time.

My fellow Huf blogger Ric and Claudia ( he in the land of cuckoo clocks) seems to be stuck on the decorating phase at the moment whereas this is completely finished. Well it would be finished had not Pam decided that she wanted to have another telephone socket in the basement hall, which will involve the digging up of most of the floor downstairs and some of the new plasterwork. She seems serious about this, claiming quite emphatically that she told me about this weeks ago,....and why hadn't I done anything about it!!!!

What Ric (see link to the Swiss site) doesn't realise is that we still have to install the kitchen AFTER the Huf people have left. I guess that he has had one of those lovely StilArt people at Huf come a design a wonderful kitchen creation and the main benefit of this is they can install it all within the programme they have set out. The main disbenefit is the cost, which is a considerable disbenefit!!!.
I have the kitchen units arriving into the garage on the 27th February, the kitchen installer coming on the 2/3/4th March and the templaters for the worktops shortly after. They require 10 days to rush off the South America to mine the Quartz and come back to make the worktops and put them in, then my installer returns to finish off. So, should be finished by ....lets say July???

So Ric, whilst we may be in by the 15th March, we may be eating take away Pizza for some time to come!!!!