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[ccarr]

Note Added Feb 2008
This message is about a year old and the building project is now finished. I'll update or add the finished pictures at some point.
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Hi.

I'll be the first to post in this board. In this message I'll add pictures for our building project that we (my family and I) have been working on for the last three years. It's coming to an end thankfully. I'll try and choose images that are entertaining. Enjoy  [smiley=drummer.gif]

Here are two of the labourers:

[ccarr]

Before starting the work for our extension, we had to dig out the hill by hand which had been our garden and put in the garage foundations. This is my oldest son and I pouring concrete.

[ccarr]

With most of the walls up, the garage had to be protected (Tanked) due to the fact that much of it would be under ground when finished.

[ccarr]

We did have some grass but with all the work the garden looked like this: All the dirt was wheel barrowed by hand from the bottom of the garden to the top.

[ccarr]

The garden being on a hill was not much use for anything other than skiing  8-) so we had to build some sizeable retaining walls and steps to get to the top. The back of the garage retains earth from its founds to the top of the back wall:

[ccarr]

Here the garage is mostly finished:

[ccarr]

And now onto the extension. Here are the foundations going in.

[ccarr]

I believe in cheap labour. Here are our three youngest kids managing the materials. All the cement and concrete for the whole job was mixed in our small cement mixer and it's still going strong:

[ccarr]

Then one day the do-it-your-self timber frame arrived. We turned this pile of timber into a house:

[ccarr]

The fun part starts. The first panels are made on the slab of concrete:

[ccarr]

And one with me in the picture. Doesn't my we lad look so cute in his overalls and boots?

[ccarr]

And a picture with the window openings and the garage behind:

[ccarr]

Once the frame work was in for the ground floor we used the new upper floor to make our frames:

[ccarr]

Some one had to make sure that the roof was strong enough....

[ccarr]

Jumping ahead a little. The roof tiling is done and the block work is underway....

[ccarr]

Looking more finished on the outside. View from our neighbour's garden.....

I'll add images of the inside work later..

[ccarr]

Here are some of the pictures of the work inside. Mainly the dining room and the new lounge. This is the first of three dining room pictures showing the changes:

[ccarr]

Second dining room picture.

[ccarr]

And the finished dining room:

[ccarr]

The other side of the dining room became our new lounge or family room. Here is the first of four pictures showing the changes:

[ccarr]

Second Picture of the lounge changes

[ccarr]

Third Picture of the lounge changes

[ccarr]

And the last lounge picture showing the finished article:

[ccarr]

When we were putting the carpet down in the lounge we had to move the furniture into the new utility room but as you can see it made the loading of the washing machine more easy.  

Hopefully this will inspire you to have a go your self, if you have a spare three years that is.  

[ccarr]

Great News.

Well, it is for us anyway. Building control have advised us that we will receive our completion certificate.

They checked the completed work and asking several questions. They have not requested that any additional work be carried out for completion. Not bad aye.  

Edit: 23rd June 2007

The Completion Certificate Arrived This Morning