Self-Build Story

As with every self-build project, it was almost inevitable that we would come up against setbacks at some point. No matter how well planned or structured a build programme is, it seems you can’t always count on everybody being as reliable as your main contractor.

The saying goes that problems always come in threes and on this occasion it proved correct. In the space of a month we faced costly issues with plasterers, windows and roofs that were all completely out of our control.

Some turned out to be simply an inconvenience while others proved expensive as delays and re-orders put back our scheduled completion date. The first upset came on what should have been a day of excitement, when the windows arrived on site. Unfortunately seven panes of glass arrived broken and several of the frames had been damaged in transit. To be fair to Pro Tec Windows’ Managing Director Allan Christensen, he acknowledged our predicament, visited the site almost immediately and agreed to reorder the glass. He also promised to touch up or repair every damaged frame once all the items had been fully installed, which we agreed to rather than replace the frames entirely and risk delaying the build further.

Unfortunately, as a result we had to delay a lot of the external work, as a crane would be required to return to site twice to lift the large panes of glass up to the second and third floors. This alone had severe cost implications, not only with having to bring a crane back, but the delays meant we would have to hold back on the installation of the drains, treatment plant, retaining walls and other trades.

Despite this setback, we decided to carry on with the external rendering and cladding. We had already chosen our finish, preferring to use Weber (netweber.co.uk) over its main rivals Sto and K-rend. Weber agreed to throw in 80 bags of material, which would account for approximately 15% of the exterior, but this was wasted when our choice of approved applicator backfired.

A report from a Weber installations manager and a further independent report condemned the work. Despite several attempts to resolve the issue, we were forced to consider legal action to recover the cost of wasted materials and redoing the work for a second time. We’ll keep you posted on the outcome!

Once the render had been applied, we hoped to bring in a team of stonemasons to create a drystone wall effect on the ground floor. We had ordered the Scottish stone (denfindstone.co.uk) guillotined to exactly 140mm deep, which would create a complete contrast to the render and iroko hardwood cladding used on the next three levels.

The stone had already arrived on site, along with the cladding, and it was a frustrating time as we could do very little until the windows were completely installed and the render fully applied.

However, the wood cladding looked amazing and it was an exciting prospect that, two years after first seeing an architect’s concept drawing, we would finally see the exterior finishes in real life. Rather than go for the traditional Danish oil finish, Tony Owens of supplier Illingworth Ingham (iitimber.com) had suggested using lacquer, which would give a quality finish to the wood and also mean that we would not have to reapply oil every six months or so. This finish would also stop the iroko hardwood from going grey and splitting.

Inside, the first fix was almost complete and we were under pressure from Jim (Arbour Developments: 07715 379793) and our plumber, Adie Baillie (07774 279153) to choose bathrooms, kitchens and stairs. It was also time to think about floor insulation and screeding as Adie was almost ready to start installing the underfloor heating. After a month of costly issues which threatened to derail the project, it looked like a busy month ahead for all concerned.

ABOVE AND BELOW: It has been a month of disappointment on site, certainly from the exterior point of view. Problems with the renderers and broken panes in the window delivery meant that critical path projects could not be completed. This delayed the installation of the stone wall