BARNES BUILD

		This  project was started in 2005. A pair of semi detached, 3 bedroom with integral garage in Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes. It is always exciting to break ground, not sure what we will discover. In fact we found a swarm of bees which had started to build a hive on one of the trees but they dissapeard when the earth mover started. No honey!
		The hive was on the tree in front of the digger.
		Site clear I got in a wood chipper to reduce the timber a bonfire got rid of the rest.
		Well it seems I missed some photos of the groundwork.. We had some problems with ground water so the structural engineer advised we sink steel piles to support the buildings. We put about 30 piles, 4 meters deep. They had to be linked together in a land beam and reinforced. In this pic you see me fabricating the steel.
		In the background you can see the shuttering framework in which the groundbeam is to be formed. The steelwork took several days to fabricate.
		The yellow bits on top of the steel are where the piles have been sunk. Steel tube are driven into the earth, reinforced with steel bars and then filled with concrete. The tail ends are then linked with the frames and concrete is poured over.
		This is a close up of one of the piles. the bottom of the shuttering is covered with a product called clayboard, its to help prevent the concrete from the effects of land heave or movement.
		Here we see a steel cage in the shuttering, the steel from the piles are then integrated into the frame. The cage itself is suspended off the clayboard by plastic feet, if you look you can see them.
		Look at all the bits of steel, each bundle is numbered and must be used in the correct position. The drawings for steel fabrication are very complex, I thought it would never end!
		Heres a close up. you can see the little feet in this pic.
		One last pic of the steel and shuttering. This was a complcated job!
		At last we are out of the ground! The grey strip below the brickwork is the concrete ring beam. The floor construction is called "Block and Beam." Its a concrete suspended floor this type of floor in normally required when the foundations are deeper than standard. The timber frames are sacraficial frames which are a template to build the brickwork round.
		This is a view from the rear, the bit in front is the base for a conservatory.
		A view from the front.
		The virtical line you can see in the middle of the pic is an expansion joint between the houses.
		Here is my beloved son Daniel, must get him to wash his work clothes!
		The scaffold begins to go up and its starts to look like a proper building site!
		I have my own scaffold stock, it saves time doing it ourselves rather than sub-contracting it out.
		The planners required that the top section be rendered, so we built this section in blockwork.
		The contraption in the middle of the pic is a conveyer belt which we call a "Bumper" we use it to convey blocks to 2nd and 3rd lifts, it will also carry tiles up to the roof. It certainly saves time.
		We are felt and battened and you can see the the hoist reaches the roof.
		Roof is nearly finished. just the last hip to complete. No sub-contractors have been used to build these houses.
		Bit of a jump here, but roof finished, windows in canopies done, looks like we are already to finish off inside.
		A better pic of the houses. Unfortunately I didn't take any pics of the inside works. I never anticipated that I would require them, the concept of a web-site hadn't occurred to me at that time! .
		Tarmac drive laid and a dividing section of garden has been built but at this stage no planting has been done.
		A better picture, pity about the great big telephone pole in the middle, but new property is few and far between in this area and infill sites are as rare as hens teeth! Both these house were sold within a couple of months of completion. The build time for this project was 13 months start to finish.