We’re getting right on it this morning with a view to finishing the insulation on the south elevation today.
Molly is getting on with the first job, taping the breather membrane along the ring beam. Not an easy task in such a cramped space but it’s a nice sunny morning so it’s not so bad.
It’s easy for the next few courses so it’s going quickly. Having got to the level at the top of the windows and French doors we now have to cut round them as neatly as we can.
To avoid waste and to make things a bit easier we are using off-cuts above the french doors. We have to choose the pieces carefully and make sure the final piece has a tongue to fit into the next full-sized block. The first off-cut has a groove along the back to join the previous block and a tongue along the top for the next block above but no tongue on the left side. The next block only has a tongue along the top so we are using expanding foam where the pieces meet to ensure a proper insulated seal betweeen the two. The final piece has a tongue along the top and a tongue on the side but no grooves, again we are using foam to creat the seal. Each of the pieces is then fixed firmly in place with a long screw and retaining disc.
We are onto the last course of full sized blocks and we need to cut notches out of them so they can fit under the eaves. It will be tricky fitting them because they have to fit between the scaffolding platform and the house then be manouvered into place.
Our first attempt has not gone well. We have cut the notches but they are a bit too small to allow a fit. We are widening the notches but again it doesn’t fit so we are going to make them longer.
Finally the first block is fitted but it has taken us a long time to get it to work. The next one is going in more easily, helped by being able to remove the scaffolding plank closest to the wall.
We have three more to do but the light is fading fast and it will be touch and go if we can get them all in before it’s too dark.
We have managed to get the last one cut but we need to light the area so we can see what we are doing.
We didn’t get the wall finished, that will have to be done tomorrow, because we ran out of time and we are cleaning the mess from all the cutting of the insulation and putting the tools away. The forecast for tomorrow is good and dry so we should get it all done then.
Disappointingly, the weather is not good and there is a fine rain. The upside is that even on a miserable day it’s quite beautiful here.
Today’s main task is to measure and cut pieces to fit between the trusses then stuff insulation in the gaps so that the wall is insulated all the way to meet the insulation on the roof. This will help to ensure our house will be nice and warm and have minimal heating costs.
It’s a horrible job and we are both feeling pretty miserable lying in the rain, jamming the blocks in and then filling the gaps. For the time being we have enough wee off-cuts with a groove to be able to get a good tight fit on top of the previous course and we have lots of remnants of Steicoflex for the gaps.
Molly is off to start taping and foaming the doors on the gable for the final elevation’s insulation and Pete is getting on with this job between the trusses.
On the last few gaps Pete has run out of off-cuts with grooves so he is improvising by cutting his own grooves or using wee bits of insulation and foam to get things to fit.
After a very horrible day in the rain the south elevation is done. We are both relieved that we won’t have to do that job ever again. Molly has made a good start on the doors so, if the weather is good, we will make a start on the east gable wall to finish insulating the house.
Our first task is to carefully tape, inside and out, then screw the OSB around the doors for the insulation to butt up against. It is taking us quite a while but it is worth taking care with these details to ensure the best possible result.
It doesn’t take us long to get the Steicoflex fitted between the studs but in the process we find that some of the measuring during the kit build isn’t up to scratch and we need to fill a loose fitting bale with foam.
We’re calling it a day on fitting the insulation on the wall but we are happy with how much we have managed to do. We now realise we don’t have enough insulation to get to the top of the gable and we’ll need to order more. We won’t know how much to order until we’ve fitted the last eight blocks then we can do a calculation.
With almost all the insulation fitted, our plot is now free from almost all the palettes that covered it. We have the three palettes of larch cladding still to fit but that’s it. It is so much nicer here now.
We are doing a tidy up around the plot, putting the tools away and bagging the waste ready to go to the dump tomorrow. Pete is cutting up some of the Steico palettes because the wood is really good quality and we think we could re-use it to make cupboard doors and shelving, we’ll see.
It’s been a long hard week and although we are tired and a bit achey, we are happy with our progress. At the beginning of the week the south elevation still needed to be fitted and the French windows and doors still needed to be installed. What a week!
Love the air tightness tape on Peteโs jacket ๐ We use it to repair everything. Well done with all the challenging fiddly bits in the dreich
Hi Manda. Yes. The badge of the passive house self builder….
It was pretty awful getting this job done but we’re now happy to move on to the next one.
Hope you are well and maybe we’ll catch up sometime soon. ๐