# Timber Porch Build W.I.P



## markblue777 (5 Sep 2015)

Hey all,

So as you may have seen I have posted a few questions up of building my timber porch and after much investigating online and reading some books (the information to be used going forward in a house extension as well) I have actually made a start.

What I am intending to build is a timber framed porch that will sit on 3 courses of brick on a concrete slab and finished in a softwood cladding. It is under permitted development and without the need for building regs but obviously making sure it is built safe.

I was intending on building on strip foundations but after digging a few test holes I found a number of pipes close to the surface and after posting here and on another couple of forums and doing some further research I have gone down the reinforced concrete slab route.

Going for a minimum thickness of 100mm hardcore (but as of the first lot I put down will be more 150mm thick)
Then a layer of sand, insulation, DPM and then 100-150mm concrete on top.

I am also keeping track of time spent on this and a cost break down so I can see at the end of it how much it cost me and the actual hours I spent on it.

*Day 1* 
Today was spent breaking ground and smashing up the concrete that was there for the path 







After filling a number of rubble bags I done a quick dump run to empty a few (can only take 7 bags a month to the dump so I have to use 3 dumps that are close to me and just leave a few days so they dont clock on and ban me for the month)

Whilst out I visited the builders surplus place we have near us and got a 3.3m 9x2 and some breeze blocks. These will be used for shuttering and a temporary step respectively. 

by the end of the day the hole looked like this






The large slab on the left is what was on the path way before and it is covering up a small bit of digging i done to mark out the area to be excavated (and to allow a walk way where we would not get caked in mud.

*Day 2*
Woke up this morning hoping to get a start on getting the rest of the mud out but it was raining a little so I left it and took a few more bags of soil down the the dump. on the way home the rain stopped annd I stopped in wickes and got a couple of decking boards to use as shuttering (i jointed the boards together and trimmed as needed to get the width i needed)

After much more digging and more bags filled (as well as a few buckets of soil redistributed around the back garden)
I got the hole how I needed it.

I then started to peg it out to work the levels and get the fixing points for the shuttering. I also distributed and few extra pegs around to ensure the level across.

I was going to call it a day there (6pm by this point after starting at 1:30pm) but my dad came round and we went to wickes to get the hardcore to start laying down. So with an improvised tamper I emptied 10 bags of hardcore in the hole to start getting it level.

By 7 this is what I had at the end of the day






So tomorrows plan is to fix the shuttering and go and get some more bags of hardcore and get that all compacted and level and then sand, insulation and DPM. This is the plan as long as my unborn child does not want to make an appearance as it is his official due date tomorrow, which in that case this plan will be out the window haha.

I will keep you updated (on all fronts). 

Cheers
Mark


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## blackrodd (6 Sep 2015)

An excellent start! Hardcore in and compacted, and all pegged out too!
keep us posted.
Rodders


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## markblue777 (6 Sep 2015)

*Day 3*

So a new day so some more work done. After a quick dump run to get rid of a few more bags I went to wickes to get 15 more hardcore bags.

When I got back my dad had come round to give me a hand levelling the hardcore off and installing the shuttering. After using the 15 bags and installing the shuttering I needed some more bags so I got another 10 bags of hardcore. After levelling them bags off the hardcore was all placed and compacted.

So in total I have used 875kg of hardcore, did not think it would be that much, but after the compacting you can see where it goes and I would rather do it correctly than cutting costs unnecessarily.

It would have been cheaper to get the large jumbo bag but at the end of the day only by a tenner and I would not have been able to get it completed this weekend.

So here is the image of how it looked at the end of todays work (done about 3 hours in total, with travel time to wickes in the middle)






I am now just hoping the weather stays nice and it does not rain. Next weekend I am hoping to be able to do the sand, dpm and the concreting, but it is all being played by ear seeing as the baby could appear at any time now

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (13 Sep 2015)

*Day 4*

So done a bit more for a couple of hours today. My dad came round in the morning and helped me lay a 10mm layer of sand down and the damp proof membrane. So it is now all ready for the concrete pour tomorrow.











I have the garden umbrella anchored down outside to help protect it from the rain if it does. Hoping the weather stays good though.

Cheers
Mark


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## Paul200 (13 Sep 2015)

Hope the weather stays fine for you Mark. Know what you mean about hardcore (and concrete) - I can never get the quantities right either. Watching with interest  

Cheers

Paul


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## markblue777 (13 Sep 2015)

Cheers Paul,
Hoping the tonne bag of ballast ordered and the 7 bags of cement will be enough. According to calculations it should be so fingers crossed haha

Mark


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## markblue777 (14 Sep 2015)

*Day 5*

So today was the pour. My dad got around at 9:30 with the mixer and I put down the reinforcement mesh.






As we started it decided to rain so we had a long process of pouring, spreading and then recovering to protect it. I would have had a few more images of the actual pour and spreading but due to the weather it was a all hands on deck situation.

Whilst pouring though I had a bit of 2x2 and tampered the area to get the air out and help it spread within the mesh. we noticed quite a bit of water coming to the top (believe that was part the rain and maybe over watering a mix) and so we done a couple of mixes a little bit dryer and it seemed to correct this issue.

Once we finished the pour we floated the top off with a bit of timber and tamped it down, also dragging off some of the water that had floated to the surface at the same time. We done this about 3 times giving about 10-15 minutes in between each smoothing.

I was going to leave it open so it could dry but I could see a cloud in the distance and decided to cover it with my dads help. after we covered it the heavens opened again so feeling good we did cover it.

Lifting the corner of the tarp up a couple hours after and it is starting to harden, so fingers crossed it is going well. I may give it a couple more hours and then trail it off again to give it like a final polish. But then again if the weather is rubbish I won't be doing that. The floor is not the final finished floor so it is not to bad if I cannot trail it off. 

Here is an image of it all tarped up and I am hoping it is protecting it from the rain enough and allowing it to dry. We did lay it so there is a gap between the tarp and the slab so the wind should be able to cycle through it to help dry it out.






Cheers
Mark


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## cammy9r (15 Sep 2015)

hi, that's a very heavy duty porch base. I am also deciding how to best reinstate my porch which I knocked down 2 weeks ago due to rot and damp. It was horrible and only 1m2.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
The water on the concrete if not rain will be bleed water, It arises if the mix is too wet (makes easy pouring) or if it has been worked too much before it has started to cure. Over working tends to bring too much cement content to the surface and weakens the top layer. The top 2-3mm will probably turn powdery and wear away quickly.
This happened too me before so researched after the matter so I don't do it again. The rest of the pour will be solid in time but curing takes forever. You were right to cover the slab after it was done but it does not need airflow to dry, in fact it needs the water in order to cure. If the water content evaporates the concrete will not reach full strength.
Looking forward to the rest of the WIP


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## markblue777 (15 Sep 2015)

Ah cheers cammy. I thought it was bleed through. Looking at it this morning it is starting to harden so going the right way. Looking to put the 2 courses of brick work on tomorrow afternoon or Thursday depending on weather, seems like it will be Thursday judging by forecast. 

Going to take tarp off later to see how it is all going overall and then recover. Will try and get a picture if I remember

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (15 Sep 2015)

Well today I took the cover off as the sky had cleared a bit and I wanted to see the progress. 

So below are the results, and for a first attempt I don't think it went to bad. 

A couple of low spots but it is not the finished floor that will be seen so after the brick courses goes down and dpm goes over it, I will then put a self levelling compound on it and it should sort it all out











It looks a bit wet in a couple of places as some water had got under the tarp, so that is just the residue left from sweeping it off.

feeling around and a quick run over it feels solid but wont be doing anything on it until tomorrow afternoon so it has had a full 48 hours to harden.


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## will1983 (15 Sep 2015)

***** Post removed by member *****


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## markblue777 (15 Sep 2015)

Ah OK will thanks. I guess that will be left off and I will just screed over that.
Cheers

Saved me some frustration. 

Mark


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## markblue777 (15 Sep 2015)

on that point though Will.

On the slab I put one course of brick down and then the DPC goes on that and then another course and that is my final height of brick, then the timber frame will sit on that. Should a DPM not go over that first course and under the DPC. From what I read it should but I may just be reading the information wrong.

Maybe I don't need this as my slab is above ground height and has the DPM under it already. 

I'm just wondering as the 2 courses of brick will be within the porch and gone over with plasterboard. Does this have any effect, should the brick be sealed or is this a non issue in my situation.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (16 Sep 2015)

*Day 6*

So today I took the form work off of the concrete and went around the outside of the slab with some motor to render the side and get rid of any indent defects (the indents were caused by the dpm not sitting flush fully).

I also re-pointed under the door seal and across the rear of the concrete slab to ensure no water can get down behind it.

I also put some mortar around the inspection chamber to secure the lid down again as digging around it dislodged what was there.

I only have a picture though of when the shuttering came off as it started to rain so I wanted to cover it all up. hopefully the weather will dry out soon and I can get another couple of pictures. and put them up here.






Cheers
Mark


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## Paul200 (17 Sep 2015)

Glad the weather allowed you to lay your base Mark. The DPM would normally, I believe, be taken up the sides and tucked under the DPC to keep everything at ground level watertight. Looking at your pictures I don't think you have enough DPM around your slab to do that. As your slab is above ground level I'm sure this isn't a disaster - you would need to install another piece of membrane in between the two (DPM and DPC) somehow. I'm sure someone who knows about these things can advise on how to seal this.

What is going to happen on the outside Mark? I only ask because there will presumably be an area of DPM left exposed to possible physical damage - or will your cladding material extend below the brickwork to cover it?

Enjoying this one - keep posting (hammer) 

Paul

EDIT - I've just been looking at Mike G's workshop WIP and see that his DPM is simply cut off at ground level. Because the slab, like yours, is mostly above ground it stays dry. So you don't have a problem  (Mike explains all this on about P.3 of his WIP).


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## markblue777 (17 Sep 2015)

Hey Paul, 
Yeah, I did trim the DPM down the the base of the slab. as in my next updated (coming shortly) will show how I intend to put pea shingle around for drainage.
Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (17 Sep 2015)

*Day 7*

Although today was nice all day I had a few other task's to attend to before I could do anything with the porch. So this evening I was able to spend a few hours working on it.

The first task was to dig out a bit of a trench all around the slab for space for the pea shingle to go around.






after the digging was done, I had some help with distributing the pea shingle from the step daughter. 











Finally I spent about 1 hour and a half faffing with the bricks until they looked correct with the rest of the house. Although the lines are not 90 degree's to each other I think they are right as visually it looks correct. 

What does everyone else do in this situation? do you do it visually? the diagonals are 213.5 one way to 214.5 the other but to get them matching kicks it out and visually it seems wrong.

The end result was this, hopefully the weather is fine tomorrow and I can get them bedded down along with the DPC and second and final course.


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## blackrodd (17 Sep 2015)

It looks much better now it's filled in around the slab.
An outer "lip" on the concrete slab, formed by placing the bricks where you have renders the proposed underbrick dpc useless as the capillary action will allow rain and water elements to track to inside and habitable area. 
Do away with the 2 cuts on the l/h side, end up with cuts against the existing wall each side on you're second course.
You need to Work out how to protect the concrete slab from frost and ground heave, 
Why cut the dpm and expose the slab edges to rain/water ingress? makes the dpm Rather pointless.
Regards Rodders


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## markblue777 (18 Sep 2015)

Hi rod,
My thought was that the DPM could have water go between it and the slab and that could cause more issues with freezing. 

So I dug the soil out around the slab and filled with the pea shingle. Should I remove the shingle, and lap some DPM to what is left at the bottom and bring it up the side of the slab and then back fill with the shingle again?

As for the bricks on the edge I can't do this as the slab is not the correct size. It is larger at the back than the front by a few cm as I only noticed to late that the left framing timber was bowed and I took the 90 degree measurement off the house which is out of sync and should have done it from the other shuttering ( lesson learned to always triple check)

What I was going to do is use mortar to create a slope off the bricks that will fall over the edge of the slab. 

When the timber goes on the brick work, it will over hang slightly as im using 5x2's. Then batten and cladding will bring it over the slab so run off should happen away from the slab. 

I may also extend cladding down to almost the top of the slab so the majority of the brick will be covered. 

For protecting could I not just use some bitchamen (i think thats right) paint on the brick and lower mortar to waterproof it?

Cheers
Mark


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## cammy9r (18 Sep 2015)

For the sides of the slab you could paint on a SBR slurry, This will waterproof the sides and can be tinted to the same colour as the bricks. The slurry is just Portland cement mixed with an additive called SBR It is very good stuff. £17-20 a gallon. It is used in tanking slurries and will also help bond the screed you were putting over the slab.
http://www.pavingexpert.com/concrete.htm
http://www.pavingexpert.com/dpc01.htm
Try this website it is very useful. half way down the page is some diagrams for garage bases and how the dpm/dpc are layed out. The site is huge so spend a good amount of time looking through.


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## markblue777 (18 Sep 2015)

Hey Cammy,
Thanks for that, I will look at getting some of that.

Yeah I have looked at that site before. Will give it another go over for the DPC side of things.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (18 Sep 2015)

Hey Cammy,
Could this be used to seal the sides of the concrete base?

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Bitumen-Protective-Paint-For-Metal+Concrete-5L/p/241223

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (18 Sep 2015)

*Day 8*

Well today was the day of getting the brick mortared down. Unfortunately the weather had a different idea so I only managed to get the first course on.

Something I have discovered from today is that I do not like bricklaying. It is made to look so easy by the pro's haha.

Any how due to issues with slab sizing etc from silly initial lay out mistake I made I have the bricks set with how they look good with the rest of the house. You can see how I have l sloped / started slopping off the edges where the brick is not set right on the edge of the concrete, so the water has a nice path to run off (really should not get on there once the whole frame is on and clad really). 












Cheers
Mark


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## cammy9r (19 Sep 2015)

Bet you are glad it is only 2-3 courses, of course pro's should make almost everything look easy. Problem you have there is that there is not enough to do to get the hang of it.
I have done a small amount of brick laying and did not find it as easy as it looked nor did I realise how much mortar is needed. Think if I ever needed to do large amounts I might invest in the bricky tool thing.
The paint would work but it is paint and it always fails sooner rather than later, for the price you can get a 5L SBR from B&Q and you would appear to have cement already.


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## markblue777 (19 Sep 2015)

Hey cammy,
Tell me about it even for the smal amount done I got through the mortar. 
I saw that bricky mate thing. It don't look bad but when you lay the mix down you do the trawl thing to indent the mortar the create the suction and with that tool that does not happen. Don't no how much it affects the strength of the wall. 

Yeah I think Il go with the SBR

Mark


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## Graham Orm (19 Sep 2015)

I wouldn't have bothered trying to line up the bricks with the house. A couple of 3/4 cuts in the front would have had the width the same as the slab. You will always get damp on the inside of the brickwork unless you build a cavity wall. I'd re-do the first course to fit the slab and build an inner wall of block.


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## markblue777 (19 Sep 2015)

*Day 9*

This afternoon I wanted to get the brick work put to bed so I went and bought the dpc and laid that out and cut to size. 






I then bedded the dpc down on some mortar to create a level field for the second course of bricks and finished the slopped edge on the slab from the bricks






Finally got the second course on with the gap left for the door frame to fit in to. In total this bricklaying and DPC has taken me about 10 hours. Slowest progress ever, but now it is done I can hopefully get cracking with the rest (as soon as I get the timber, which is looking like Monday if the weather stays alright).






Also got side tracked as I looked down the inspection chamber for the soil line and noticed it is backing up a bit (about 1/5 full, which is more than normal as I can normally see the bottom) so I think there is a blockage so having now borrowed my uncles rods I need to try and hopefully shift it tomorrow. If no could be a bit of an unwanted expense.
Cheers
Mark


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## n0legs (19 Sep 2015)

You'll need to take care screwing the frame down to the bricks.


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## markblue777 (19 Sep 2015)

Yeah I will be drilling into them very carefully nolegs. I would definitely swear if I crack one of them.


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## n0legs (19 Sep 2015)

markblue777":ci4cm5t1 said:


> Yeah I will be drilling into them very carefully nolegs. I would definitely swear if I crack one of them.



Swear !!!!
They'd end up down the f****** street if it was me :shock:


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## markblue777 (19 Sep 2015)

Yes much the same here we have a field next door to us so I can see if I can qualify for the 2016 Olympic shot put team.

I was going to bed down a timber on the bricks with some mortar first (the have anchor bolts holding it down to) like what you do with a wall plate, does that sound about right to you?
Cheers
Mark


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## Graham Orm (20 Sep 2015)

You might want to use something like this to tie the brickwork to the house. http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Stainles ... 2/p/246016


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## markblue777 (20 Sep 2015)

Hi Graham, 

This is all I am going up with for the brick work, the rest is now a timber frame that will be bolted to the wall or else I would have used such a system.

Cheers Mark


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## Graham Orm (20 Sep 2015)

markblue777":18963nf0 said:


> Hi Graham,
> 
> This is all I am going up with for the brick work, the rest is now a timber frame that will be bolted to the wall or else I would have used such a system.
> 
> Cheers Mark



Ah I see. Should be fine then. :wink:


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## cammy9r (20 Sep 2015)

I like using those wall starters for tying in.
Have you thought about L shaped brackets that nail into studwork then screw into the slab on the inside. The slab is getting a screed over it and the internal sheathing can be notched out for the few mm of the bracket/strap.
It is a good strong fixing as I don't fancy you tying into 1 brick course that is sitting on a dpc unless you are going right through into the slab underneath, but this will breach the dpc. Normally there would be more courses adding strength and weight above the dpc line for framework to be attached to. Kind of like dwarf wall built conservatories.


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## markblue777 (20 Sep 2015)

I was actually looking at the l shaped brackets and I think I will be using them instead as they seem the less risky option of cracking bricks and I think they will be stronger as well as you have said. 

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (23 Sep 2015)

*Day 10 and 11*

So over the last couple of days I have started to make some progress with the wood side of things.

Day 10
Today involved getting the wall plate cut, levelled and bedded 

Whilst cutting the parts it started to rain so had to get the patio umbrella out front for a bit of protection.






Hand cut the lap joints as my circular saw was around my grandads (as were my japanese saws that would have made the cutting a bit faster)






Lap joints all cut 






So by the end of the day I had them all cut, levelled and bedded (sorry not got a final picture)

My misses nephew came around as well to see the baby and I thought I would pick his brain (his a roofer). After a talk with him I have got it in mind of what to do (run into a little issue but will need to get him round to check and brain pick again at the weekend hopefully)

Day 11

Today I set about securely fixing the wall plate to the brick and concrete base.

I used (as advised by cammy) L shape brackets and then bent the excess over the wall plate as well. I also used metal straps and the off cuts of the L shape brackets as extra fixings











I then cut both the uprights and fixed them to the wall with anchor bolts. I also threaded the existing exterior light wire through the timber to re-attach the exterior light (wire will be used in end porch as well for lighting etc)






After today I have thought of an issue though. So the exterior door frame from wickes says it need 2067 x 926 hole to fit in but although I have the width the height will be an issue as I will only have about 2030 ish. This is due to a limitation of how high I can take it due to the existing roof line at the front of the house that this is being built under (should be able to see it in the pic above). Does anyone have any ideas? All I can think of is that I will have to make my own door frame (so it can take a 1981 x 838 door).

Cheers
Mark


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## Graham Orm (24 Sep 2015)

Is that untreated wood Mark?


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## markblue777 (24 Sep 2015)

Hi Graham,
Going up the side of the house it is. On the brick work it is treated

Cheers
Mark


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## Paul200 (25 Sep 2015)

The weight of all those straps alone should stop it flying away Mark :wink:


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## Phil Pascoe (25 Sep 2015)

I'd have thought the Wickes frame was designed for a (1981mm) 6'6" door?


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## markblue777 (25 Sep 2015)

Yeah had a few spare so thought might as well whack them all on and ensure the belt and braces method haha


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## markblue777 (25 Sep 2015)

Hey, yeah the frame is designed for that but the external measurements needed for the frame is 2067 x 926


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## blackrodd (25 Sep 2015)

phil.p":2kyjbcox said:


> I'd have thought the Wickes frame was designed for a (1981mm) 6'6" door?



Front door should be a 33"x 78" door, a 30" door is an interior door, 
A back door used to be 6'8""x 2'8" but not so much now!
Regards Rodders


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## markblue777 (27 Sep 2015)

*Day 12*

So I had a couple of hours today so started to frame up one of the walls.

I was waiting for the missus nephew to come around to discuss the roof, but he could not get around. But after having a second look I am just going to have to make that left hand side wall a bit shorter as the roof will not fit past the existing roof if I don't. It just means the roof line on the left will be a bit longer than the right and therefore internally the ceiling height will be a bit smaller (should not affect anything really as people don't often linger in a porch to my knowledge haha.)

If I had come to this conclusion earlier in the day I could have really got both sides framed out, but never mind. Should have some more time next weekend so hopefully should have it all framed up (maybe not the roof through).







Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (1 Oct 2015)

*Day 13*

Had an hour yesterday evening so thought I would take the time to correct a slight oversight I had when constructing the initial wall. I put the noggins in and then realised I needed to shift the outer most one up and add one lower down so It can fit the window in

So after a bit of work I had the noggins moved






I then went and added the other post for the front of the left wall and fixed that in place so it is square and ready for the wall plate and additional studs





Mark


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## markblue777 (1 Oct 2015)

*Day 14*

Had an hour today so thought I would get the wall plate on the left hand side and the front stud.

After looking at the picture I am thinking I may have to cut the front timbers down to the smallest height as the roof will not go on as needed as you would have something very weird on the front left side (the existing pitch of the roof above is 8/12 so I want to stick with that so it traces it really, any ideas or should I just cut the front down to map to the height of the left hand side. I will have to have a bit more of a look at it to decide before I do any cuts but I will be able to do the cuts with the timber in place.


You can also make out the step daughter with the new addition in her arms






Cheers
Mark


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## Paul200 (1 Oct 2015)

Hi Mark
I would cut the right side down to match the left. Otherwise, with the existing gable angle above, it's going to look mighty strange. Just saying


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## markblue777 (1 Oct 2015)

Only trouble if I do that then the roof truss at the wall would intersect the door opening on the top right corner. I am thinking I'll trim the front down then make a template and see how it looks. 

If it don't look right then I will have to trim it


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## Paul200 (2 Oct 2015)

Yep - see that now. Afraid I don't have a solution though :?


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## markblue777 (2 Oct 2015)

I think I have a solution, I will take the front down the the height of the left and put the wall plate on so it matches the final height of the left side. Then on the right side put another wall plate up on the front so it matches the hight of the right side.

I am going to have to see what the 8/12 pitch looks with this set up through a template and if it does not look any good I will have a re-think of the style of roof to go for (maybe just differ from what is there and have a left pitch so it just drops down or come up with something else)

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (5 Oct 2015)

*Day 15 and Day 16*

*Day 15*
So today I wanted to get the rest of the frame up and plumbed up so it was ready for the house wrap and a tarp over the roof to help protect it from the rain which had been talked about to start today (and it did, glad I covered it)

I cut and installed the needed studs and then the noggins and the opening for the little window I am going to get. With a little bit of help from the misses at holding the frame square I plumbed it up and then put in a couple of battens across the top to keep it in place. Once that was done I cut the front roof plate, studs and noggins and fixed them into place. on the top right I am going to have to do some form of padding to get it to line up with the height on the right roof plate, but I have an idea on how to do this so will get something sorted.

At this point it is ready for the roof to be framed up (once the padding is in place and the door frame heightened to fit the door we want). Looking at it I am not sure if I am going to do what I was for the roof but I will need a think to see what path I should go down and get sign off by SWMBO.

I then started to think about where bits will be placed in the porch (coat hooks,external lights etc) and then added additional support for them so they would be ready for it. 






I then put the first couple of bits of house wrap on to get a feel for what it would be like so after 4 hours I had this. At this point I left it as the girls were getting bored so we went out and I installed by sister alarm for her and the girls ate sweets and went to the shops with there great aunties haha





*Day 16*

I had 2 hours today so finished off wrapping the porch and then putting on a tarp across the top to protect the innards from the bad weather that was meant to be coming. With that done I can really start to see it coming along and what space we should have inside. I then moved the external light to the front of the porch so it would not be too dark in the evenings when coming up to the house. I have not got a picture but I will put on up this evening when I get back home as long it is not raining.

Cheers
Mark


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## Graham Orm (6 Oct 2015)

Suggest you go for a couple of windows or it will make the hallway very dark. A bit late but have you spoken to the planning people? They are a bit twitchy about how far out you can go from the building line at the front.


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## markblue777 (6 Oct 2015)

Hi Graham,
I have, a couple of windows in place, just leaving the wrap on until I get the frame made for them. so it keeps it drier inside.

Well the planning portal said as long as it is not over 3msq measured externally and as the house is not near a public highway the 2m away from boundary limits do not apply either.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (6 Oct 2015)

Quick photo update on how the porch looks after *Day 16*






Cheers
Mark


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## Graham Orm (6 Oct 2015)

markblue777":awncio04 said:


> Hi Graham,
> I have, a couple of windows in place, just leaving the wrap on until I get the frame made for them. so it keeps it drier inside.
> 
> Well the planning portal said as long as it is not over 3msq measured externally and as the house is not near a public highway the 2m away from boundary limits do not apply either.
> ...



Good stuff ;-)


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## markblue777 (11 Oct 2015)

*Day 17 and Day 18*

*Day 17*
So this weekend I wanted to get the door frame opening extended to be able to accept the front door and the roof framing done.

The first job was to get the opening done and that went by without a hitch really so that is now all ready for the door frame.

The next task was to get the roof framing done. So after a fair bit of research and watching you tube videos I done the calculcations for the rafter and all seemed good, until i offered it up. when offering it up 
i noticed that it sat about 50mm higher than the ridge beam. After some messing around I got one rafter on each side to fit (i have different pitches on each side of the roof).

Instead of continuing down this trial and error route for cutting rafters (my wallet cant take it) I put a thread up on here for some help and also took to sketchup to design it out there.

A few people responded and gave me some help and I sort of understood what needed to be done, but some calculations for cuts that are meant to map up to my run and rise just would not work for me when it 
came to putting it in sketch up.


In the end I managed to get something that worked in sketch up (needed to take into account the HAP (height above plate) with the rise calc) so I was set to try it the next day. In the mean time I went round my sisters and put up some lining paper for her.

*Day 18*
I only had a couple of hours today so I wanted to get the template I knocked up in sketchup down on some timber and see if it worked in real life.
After mapping it all out I offered it up and it seems to have done the trick (wahooo). So I know have a template to use for one side so I will get the rest cut during the week
so I can use then at the weekend.

I now just need to get a something knocked up on sketchup for the other side of the roof (or look at the maths and see what I need todo to work out how high i need to go to make the step cut).

I will get a photo up of what I have so far tomorrow.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (14 Oct 2015)

Sorry for the delay in getting this image up. By the time i remembered to take the photo it was to dark.

Anyhow here is a photo with me testing the rafter with the ridge beam being held in place temporally 






Since this photo I added more house wrap to take it up the hole wide of the walls and I have also taped the joints up.
Cheers
Mark


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## Graham Orm (14 Oct 2015)

Extend the base out to the right so that it goes beyond the door as far as the left side and move the wall over too, then strip the fascia from the existing pike and extend it forward to form the porch roof.


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## markblue777 (14 Oct 2015)

What? did you mean to extend the concrete base out to the right? and then extend the existing line for the porch?

If so I cannot do that for 2 reasons. 1st being that the roof is above 3m so it is not permitted development and the 2nd (if this did not exist I would have done planning permission) there is an inspection cover for the sewer there and to move it would have cost a bomb.

Cheers
Mark


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## Graham Orm (15 Oct 2015)

Ah OK


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## griggs (15 Oct 2015)

Difficult to tell from the photo Mark, but will you have enough room to fit flashings to the existing house wall?


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## markblue777 (15 Oct 2015)

Yeah there should just be enough room. Looking at using some aluminium thing my misses nephew was talking about as lead would get nicked from it in about 20 minutes haha.


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## Bm101 (15 Oct 2015)

Hi Mark, I'm a bit confused can you not extend the existing roof line out over the porch to keep in line and disguise the internal/external height difference with sarking or what not? Scuse the roughness of my sketch up knowledge. To high for permitted development?


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## markblue777 (15 Oct 2015)

Hi Bm,

As I said to Graham on the previous page 



> I cannot do that for 2 reasons. 1st being that the roof is above 3m so it is not permitted development and the 2nd (if this did not exist I would have done planning permission) there is an inspection cover for the sewer there and to move it would have cost a bomb



the right side of the building (furthest from camera shot) does not sit flush to the side of the building so does not match up to the roof line. limitation of where it sits as stated above with regards to the inspection chamber being in the way 


Cheers
Mark


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## Bm101 (15 Oct 2015)

Ah, sorry fella, missed that! It's looking good!


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## markblue777 (15 Oct 2015)

no probs mate. Thanks. Its a shame as if the inspection chamber was not there I would have put in for planning and joined it to the existing roof.
Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (18 Oct 2015)

*Day 19 and 20*

So over the last couple of days I focused on getting the rest of the roof on and braces in nothing too major happened so just have a couple of progress pictures really. 

Next weekend I am hoping to get the rest of the noggin's in and then the breather membrane on and battens put down ready for the tiles. I also need to put on one more rafter at the front on the left (when looking at the building from the outside)
















Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (26 Oct 2015)

*Day 21*

So over the weekend got a bit of time to do a little more before the weather stopped me. I put the remaining front left rafter on and then put the gable end filler pieces so the battens for the cladding have something to go on.

I also went around the gaps and filled with spray foam to close up any holes in the eaves. 

I went to my uncles who is doing his own little home renovating project and got the left over Celotex he is not using, so save me some money there with not having to buy it and should be enough to insulate the porch.






Up next is to put the breather membrane over the roof and batten and then tile. I am hoping I can get this done over the upcoming weekend. I'm also having Friday off in which I hope to be able to fit the door frame and maybe the door (have to get them bought Friday morning). The hassle I see at the moment is that my door opening I have is about 920 and I need 926 XD. Guess some trimming will needs doing to this door frame. Also have to take the kids swimming on Friday as its half term and I said I would take them. Im just hoping the weather holds out this week and I may even try and get on with some bits in the evening.

Cheers
Mark


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## blackrodd (26 Oct 2015)

I've had a similar tight opening at 6mm too small, so even plastic frame can be carefully reduced by 3mm both sides.
Plumb the hanging stile and fix it and then fix the striking stile to suit the door closing exactly parallel so it closes nice and snug, without any gaps top or bottom, nothing worse than a Wibbly Wobbly door.
Regards Rodders


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## markblue777 (26 Oct 2015)

Hi Rod,
Door and door frame I am going with is wood so that is a bonus . When your referring to fitting the striking stile is this the case as well if it is a door frame kit? or are your talking along the lines of making your own. Just out of interest is it better to buy a frame as I thought the striking style was inbuilt into the frame. 

I was going with a hard wood frame, I take it that would serve me better over a softwood frame. Would it mean repainting of the frame can happen less if I go with a hardwood frame
Cheers
Mark


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## blackrodd (27 Oct 2015)

Sorry for the late reply. As you will appreciate it's difficult to read a level exactly in between 2 lines with accuracy in repetition, as needed 
for the pair of door stiles or frame.
So what I was taught was to plumb and fix the hanging stile, and then, as we say in Sunny Devon, to either eye up, or "bone" the lock, latch, or striking stile, this is to "line" up with the eye the opposite sides to each other, in other words the outside, line of the plumbed lining or frame, with the other, inside line of the frame striking stile, or vice versa, done with accuracy, this works very well, but it's a good idea to check the door in the same manner should you be using a pre hung door "set", as you said maybe one of you're options were.
HTH Regards Rodders


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## markblue777 (28 Oct 2015)

Hey Rod,
Thanks, think I get what you mean.

Mark


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## markblue777 (5 Nov 2015)

*Day 22,23,24*

So not posted to much of late but it mainly because the weather turns just as I finish something and I need to get in before I have a chance to take a picture.

Any how, Over the last few days I have now

- Removed the fascia about the porch as going to replace this with some PVC (along with the rest of the lower front of the house)

- Added some 6x1 for fascia around the porch and covered the porch in the breather membrane.

- Fitted the door frame (which now has a couple of coats of primer on it to protect it and expander foam around it so its fully secure) had some frustration fitting this but got there in the end and learned a couple of lessons along the way.

- Started to add some insulation into the porch now so it is one less job to do later. (plus the missus and kids got on with this as well)

I am hoping this weekend I can get the roof battens on ready for tiling and maybe even start tiling. The weather is not looking good though so it may give me time to make the windows instead.


A couple of pictures

The oldest of the youth measuring and cutting some insulation





You can see the frame in, the porch wrapped and the night drawing in. This was my cue to pack up and go trick or treating with the girls.





A couple of other shots of the frame with some of the packing in to do some of the fixings









I will try and get a couple of decent pictures this weekend so you can see what it is looking like now.

Oh on a note i'm sure one of my quick release clamps got nicked as well. that I left out in the porch poxy Halloween.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (15 Nov 2015)

*Day 25 and 26*

So although I am saying it is 2 days work I really only got a couple of hours work done on the 25th day as the weather was total rubbish. Anyhow, on with the post.

*Day 25*
Today I set out the battens for the first course of tiles. After getting the eaves setup and trying to put on the overlapping course I could see something was wrong, the weather was getting worse so I decided to just stop and I posted a message on here. Turned out I needed to put a double stack of battens at the front for the eave tiles to rest on and that sorted my issue out. So by the end of the day (about 3 hours work total) I had the eave tiles on either side and the second batten in place to take the overlapping course of tiles.

*Day 26*
Woke this morning to a gale force wind but looked out side an saw the tiles were there still so that was a relief. Today's objective was to get the roof full tiled so I measured from the last batten to just under the ridge to work out my gauge and found that I did not have enough batten left to do both sides.

So instead of only half doing one side I decided to do the smaller of the two sides as I could at least get that finished of. After struggling with nailing the battens under the existing roof line (timber from the roof stopping me from getting a good swing with the hammer) the tiles went on pretty quickly, especially when I got the misses to pass the tiles up to me rather than me going up and down the ladder like a YOYO. 

So with the one side all tiled I only have the other side to do now and then put the ridge tiles on, or so I thought. After speaking to my misses nephew (he's a roofer) he said to get some aluminium soaker's for the edge that meets the existing wall. So a quick hop on ebay and they are all ordered and should be with me by Tuesday so I can get them installed on both sides, a little more work to take off the existing tiles I put on already but will be worth it in the long run if it prevents water from getting under the tiles.

I have a half a day off work this Friday as I need to take the middle child to hospital so she can get her cast off (well hopefully get it off) and I'm hoping I will have enough time to get the extra battens I need. Now just to hope that the weather is nice over the weekend so I can get cracking and get this tiling finished off.






Cheers for reading 
Mark


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## markblue777 (23 Nov 2015)

*Day 27 and 28*

Well this weekend my task was the get the roof finished off and it almost happened.

*Day 27*
I got up early this morning and went do the road to buy the ridge tiles and the battens that I needed. So with them bought I could get on with the rest of the roof.

The first thing I done was to put the rest of the battens on the roof ready for the tiles and with that done I decided to batten the rest of the side of the porch ready for the cladding when I get it.

I then continued to tile the roof and install the aluminium soakers, There was a bit of faffing about getting the soakers to go in but with a few cuts they are all present and correct. I then had to go back to the other side of the roof and retro fit the soakers in as I forgot about them when I was doing them before.

so the roof now had both sides on with soakers installed. all that was needed now was the ridge tiles


*Day 27*
I realised this morning I messed up the top layer of the roof as the top layer of tiles where not correctly covered by another set of tiles. Luckily I was able to squeeze another batten in and fit the needed tiles into place, but I discovered I was short 9 tiles XD. So took a trip to Selco to get a few more tiles. Came back to put them on and discovered they were the wrong ones as the nibs where in the wrong place, grrrr. But after i de-stressed I remembered the misses had taken a few tiles and painted them (she was trying to sell them at a craft fair she done). So I went on a quick search and found them and there was just enough to get it finished.

Whilst I was out getting the tiles the misses nephew came round and dropped off the dry ridge system he aquired from work for me so after the tiles were in place i could get it on. I put the needed battens on the ridge and laid out the system on it. After putting it all out I discovered i needed to cut one of the ridge tiles and by this time it was dark and I did not want to get the angle grinder out. so it is at that point I stopped. 

So next weekend I need to cut the one ridge tile and finish the rood which i am hoping will not take to long as i can then install the front door as well.

Here are a couple of pics any way.

In the process





Almost there





as it stands at the moment





overall I am quite pleased with how it has turned out seeing as it was my first time at doing anything like this. I learned a few lessons that I can take on board for future projects.

Cheers
Mark


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## Bm101 (23 Nov 2015)

It's looking good Mark! Getting there mate. How are you going to finish the underneath of the tiles? Will you slide a bit of roofing board in so you can mortar up or do you have another solution? Forgive me if I missed a previous explanation. Does your Mrs know you stole back the tiles?!? :shock: 8)


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## markblue777 (23 Nov 2015)

Think I am gonna go for the dry verge system to finish it off. Yeah she knows I took them. She actually reminded me where more were haha


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## markblue777 (2 Dec 2015)

*Day 29 and 30*

*Day 29*
So had a little time today and I wanted to get the ridge tiles on and mortared in place. So today's objective was to get that sorted I used a dry verged system to hook it all into place but the ridge tiles I used where not really the correct size for the dry ridge system as they had about a 1 inch gap between the bottom of the ridge tile and the roof tile. To get around this I just mortared the gap up and through the mortar in the front ride tile to finish it off in all I was done in about 2 hours or so. Overall I'm happy with how the roof looks and I think for my first effort it is not half bad. 

I do not have any pics as it started to rain just as I finished up so I had to quickly cover it so it did not wash the mortar away. I will get the cover off this coming weekend and be able to get a couple of pictures so you can all see.

*Day 30*

So day 30 is actually a couple of days but i'm counting it as one (like I have been doing for the majority of days, I am keeping track of hours spent on this project so at the end I will update what I actually done in total). Anyway today I cut the hinge slots out in the front door (door weighs a ton as it is solid oak so was a struggle to move but the missus came out and gave us a hand) After the slots where cut I made story stick of the hinge positions. 

I offered the story stick to the frame and marked the hinge locations and chopped them out. When I offered the door up the hinges lined up bang on really so I was a happy camper. quite amazed with the hinges really they are fire door hinges I used and they make the door feel like it weighs nothing and it just glides open.

Although the hinges were in the right location I did spend a bit of time faffing with chopping the middle and bottom hinge so the door sat a bit tighter to match the top. It is not 100% but looks good unless you stare closely, I will probably come back to it at a later time but thought I should get the rest the porch built first rather than focus on what is really a cosmetic issue.

Once the door was hung I then put the mortice lock and door handles on as well as a latch on the inside of the door to that can be slid across to lock the door. Cutting the mortice lock in was a bit of a pain, I managed to mangle 2 spade bits so need to replace them as well, but after some faffing it is sat in there nicely now. I still need to finish off putting the strike plate in as I run out of time but I am to get that in tonight. I will then touch up the primer on the frame and maybe even give it a top coat. 

This was the first time installing a door from scratch fitting locks and handles etc am Im happy with how it turned out. I have learnt a few things that I can take forward with the next door I do.

Jobs remaining on the door are letter box installation and actually staining the door. The next couple of days are meant to be ok weather so may try and get the teak oil on in the evening so it can start soaking in but I will see. 


Due to the time I get home from work it is to dark to get pics but I will get a few up at the weekend so progress can be seen.

Thanks for reading

Mark


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## markblue777 (7 Dec 2015)

*Day 31 and 32*

*Day 31*
So today I was focused on getting the door finished. First job was to get the letter box installed, After some careful measuring out I went about cutting it. After cutting it I realised my jig saw bed was on a slight tilt so had to have a few more minutes to flatten out the opening. I offered up the Letter box and took note of the tight/high spots and went back a trimmed it all down so the letter box opened nicely.

Next up was replacing the weather stripping. I used the original door weather stripping before but it obstructed the sliding bolt so would not locate in the hole that was there for it and I could not make the hole any bigger as it was right on the edge of the frame so for a quick fix I put some thinner weather stripping around the door and removed the one that came with it. However, the fit of the door to the weather stripping was quite loose and I did not like it. My dad popped round and said why don't I just shim the bolt out so it fits on with the correct weather stripping so that is what I did and now works a treat and still looks ok with it shimmed out.

After having the door on for a week I realised the light we have out front needed to be switched to the other side. So after a bit of think I re-run all the wires in the porch to move the light over and so the electrics were in place for all other parts that were going to be fixed. Just waiting for my misses brother to pop round so he can change an MCB over for me and hook a different wire up into the unit (he is an sparky as you may have guessed).

I then patched up some some more holes with some insulation to make sure all the draughts were being cut down and the walls insulated. I then went mad with some expanding foam to make sure all little holes were closed up and with the wind we had on Saturday the change was felt almost instantly. The draughts are really non existent now and it is starting to feel a bit warmer.

With the light beginning to fade I wanted to get one coat of stain on the door as it is a 30min quick dry stain and wanted at least a bit of protection from the elements. With some help from my dad holding the door at the needed angles (battling the wind that was trying to close it) I managed to get the coat on. 

I then fitted the weather bar (I had to lop a 45 degree angle off on the opening side so the opening of the door was not obstructed and could open enough). After caulking and fixing it to the door I realised it looked a mess and I should have done the 45 on the other side too so it matched. However, it was too dark by then so I could not take it off so I though I would do it the next day.

*Day 32*
I went to take the weather strip off and found it was well and truly stuck to the door, pipper is a words that come to mind. Instead of butchering it and trying to get it off and ruining the door in the process I have decided to leave as is and take it as a lesson learned for future reference. Maybe I will come back to it in the future and sort it out if possible.

Today I wanted get the sub floor in and floor insulation. So I laid some plastic down on the slab first to help protect against an moisture and then I measured up the timber to go around the porch and cut and fixed it to the floor with hammer through fixings. I put a couple of cross supports in the floor and levelled the frame up. I then put some insulation down in between the floor battens and then 2 layers of 9mm osb board across the top (I used 9m as my uncle had some laying about so it enable me to save a few quid).

I have noticed that a section has a bit of bounce to the floor so I am going to lift it and add another support under the section and it should sort it all out. Other than that section the floor feels solid under foot and it has warmed the porch up even more.

Next on the list is to make the needed corrections to the floor and screw that all down, then insulation put in the roof, get the window frames made and installed and then get the cladding sized and ordered.

Each stage now shows a bit more progress each time and is starting to look like a finished product which is nice to finally see.

Again by the time I finished work or both days I did not have time to get pic's. But they will come.

Here are a couple of pics from last weeks work so you can get a bit of an idea of how it is going.

A nice blurry one for you all





a bit clearer and with work in progress holes for the letter box 





A shot of the roof with the ridge beam foxed in place





Cheers
Mark


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## Graham Orm (7 Dec 2015)

Looking good, you need to get some protection on that door asap. ;-)


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## markblue777 (7 Dec 2015)

Hi Graham,
Yeah I have one coat of stain on it to give us a little bit of protection (better than nothing) Hoping the weekend is nice and can get the remainder on the outside and the inside.
Cheers
Mark


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## Paul200 (7 Dec 2015)

Great job Mark. +1 to getting something on that nice door. Hope the weather is good to you =D>


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## Bm101 (7 Dec 2015)

Liking the professional standard hop up says one dad to another. Is that a Festool systep? :wink: Coming on Mark.


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## markblue777 (8 Dec 2015)

Its the Ikea step stool premium BM101. A quality piece of kit for £4 going to have to spray some green stripes on it so people know the value of it.


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## markblue777 (14 Dec 2015)

*Day 33 and Day 34 *

This weekend I had some tasks I wanted to complete to be able to call them finished so here is what I done

*Day 33*
all the electric cables were run last weekend so this weekend I wanted to connect everything up and run the new wire into the house that will be used to power it all. I first connected everything up in the junction boxes and ensured all wires were clipped into place along the frame work to make sure they were out the way and I put nailer plates where they needed to go. 

The next stage was to get the new wire through the hole in the wall to replace the existing, this new wire is to be connected to the consumer unit to a new fuse so it had to be a bit chunkier than the wire that ran through previously. After a number of attempts at threading the wire through the hole it was no good and I had to get the SDS out and enlarge it (should have done this in the first place and it would have made the job a 20 minute job instead of about an 1 hour that I spent on it. 

With that finally pulled through I cleaned up the porch floor and lifted the osb board I had put down last weekend (I had put it down just not fixed it). When I put it down last week it was a bit wet and it still was a bit wet (the lower layer at least and the bits that had been under plastic), So I took it all up and allowed it to dry in the kitchen (my misses is very understanding). Whilst that was drying I tided up the plastic membrane I laid over the concreate slab and fixed it around the side so it was nice a neat. 

The final task was to try and get some silicon off from around the existing front door as it was looking aged and I wanted to put a nice fresh bead down. Blimey was that a mistake, I am currently still battling getting this off from one side of the door. I used some bike chain lubricant as it is meant to break it down a bit but it is still tough. I have put this on the back burner for now and will tackle it during the week.

*Day 34*
I got up today and the osb board is considerably dryer so I decided to fix it down. With that screwed to the frame and screwed to each other it is now solid and feels very nice to walk on (I got the OSB from my uncle who was using it to divide 2 rooms temporarily, so it is only 9mm thick hence the 2 layers I put down)

My dad then came round and gave us a hand so I could get a few more jobs finished up. So whilst he switched the front exterior light over to the other side of the porch I cracked on and continued insulating the porch. My dad then gave me a hand to finish insulating the porch. After the insulation was in the mess was everywhere so a clean up operation then ensured.

I then had to stop the porch and get all the tools packed up from the living room (they have been living there for the past month or so whilst I was working on the porch) and put away in there needed places so the Christmas tree could go up or else the kids would not be too happy.

Once the tree was up I went back to the porch and went crazy with spray foam sealing any gaps I could find and that was really all I could do for today.

*Up Next*

So during the week I will aim to remove the rest of the silicon from around the existing front door and get a new bead down on that, then cut all the expanding foam flush with the frame so I can then put up the vapour barrier so it is all ready for the plasterboard, I then need to get the windows made and then get the outside measured up so I can order the cladding and depending on the weather I would also like to get the door stain finished, but not holding much hope for that. 

The list goes on but I will just look at a few things at a time.

Some Images
The door with once coat of stain (and the mistake of the one cut side drip edge)






inside view of the door





the floor battened and insulated





plastic under the floor to stop any damp that comes up (left and air gap around the outside of the frame so it can breath a bit though)






some insulation (not finished though will need to get a new pic of it all in)





junction box





the floor again (with additional brace to stop the bounce)





Wire for the outside light





Thanks for reading, more updates and images to come

Cheers
Mark


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## Paul200 (14 Dec 2015)

Looking good Mark. You could cut the other end of the drip strip off at an angle because it's on the opening side - you'd just need to do it carefully is all.


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## markblue777 (14 Dec 2015)

I did try and take it off but the caulk had stuck it on. I can take my multi tool to it but i'm just debating to do it or not as I don't want to mare the door under it. I would rather put up with it as is then screw up the door as you can probably imagine.

When it is all done I may try and tackle it then, as I would prefer it both angled. But for now it can stay as is.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (30 Dec 2015)

*Day 35*

So I finished work for Christmas on 18th December and from then to the 23rd I had not done much on the porch but I did put some time into making the windows for the porch. I only got the smaller one done as the larger window double glazed pane I got from my uncles conservatory tear down turned out to me no good (after I wasted a day trying to make the frame for it and ended up binning the oak after I could see it was not going to work) I also got hung up on a couple of last minute xmas gifts as well.

I now have a new lager double glazed pane ready to go that it a better fit for purpose and I am hoping I can get that window made before I go back to work on the 4th Jan.

So today I had a bit of time and used that to install the window. Here are a couple of picks on the install and also a pick of how the door is looking now with a couple more coats of stain.

Opening cut and started to put the flashing on





Different view





Window in and levelling it out





Window fixed in





I did use expanding foam around the window to finish the installation as well but don't have any shots of that. I will get a shot of that tomorrow as well as a couple other shots if inside the porch to show the floor and roof insulation

Bonus shot of the door with the inside now stained






Cheers for reading
Mark


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## Alexam (3 Jan 2016)

Fantastic project and for a first time effort it's remarkable. Well done and I await seeing the totally finished job.


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## markblue777 (3 Jan 2016)

Thanks Alex, I have a few extra photos to put up soon and I connected the electric out there Friday morning so feels like progress haha


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## markblue777 (26 Jan 2016)

Hi All,
Not posted in a while but just wanted to let you all know it is still alive and I have made and installed the second window (the one for the large hole you can see in one of the pics for the door)

The first window is all painted on the inside and needs another coat on the outside the second larger window needs one more top coat and then 2 on the outside (weather a limiting factor on getting the outside coats done)

I have the cladding now for the porch and over the weekend the front room and kitchen were a painting studio. Good job the heating is on as it allowed the primer to dry fairly quick. I just have 5 2.4m boards left to paint now but need decent weather to get them painted (or I may cut them to final size so I can just get on with them and paint them indoors I will see though)

I am hoping for a little break in the weather this weekend so I can at least start to get the cladding on and get a coat of primer on the exterior face of the wood to protect it until a time when i can get it painted.

I still need to buy corner boards for the cladding and around the windows but will get them later once I know what I want to go with. 

As the cladding is in the porch work on the inside is on hold for now (minus the little bits of painting) However I did install the PIR sensor to run the light and that works, just need to hock it up to work with the pot lights I have.

Once there is some room in the porch I will be able to get one more brace in to hold a coat hook or 2 and then I can vapour barrier it and then install the plaster board.

It is all moving along and hopefully I should have some pictures up this weekend.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (1 Feb 2016)

Hey All,
Here are a few photos of the progress so far. Saturday there was a break in the weather so from about 1pm to 4pm ish I could make a start on the cladding.

The new larger window





one side cladded





with the window ledge





close up of the side





Sunday evening at about 3 i spent and hour or 2 doing the other side but light faded and I got a couple of rows on with the window ledge and had to call it a day. I don't have any images of this due to the light. 

I will get some more pics up next weekend hopefully


Cheers
Mark


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## cammy9r (4 Feb 2016)

Its coming along, not really the weather just now to be outside with a hammer if you don't have to be. I have a porch to do at home, but leaving it until summer I think.


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## markblue777 (4 Feb 2016)

Yeah is a bit chilly cammy, but I can see the end getting closer so it is driving me on. Plus a nail gun helps a lot lol


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## markblue777 (8 Feb 2016)

Hi all,
Quick update with some pictures. the weather turned out to be not to bad on Sunday so was able to get a bit more work done on the cladding. Would like to have finished it but had the occasional stop and start due to seeing to the baby etc but pleased overall.

It is really starting to take shape now and I can see what it will look like in the end more and more.





















I was not overly happy with the gaps left near the tiles on the front from my poor judgement on what to cut however the gap will be covered by the fascia board and I can block in the gaps with something else to cut down on an draughts that may come through and I will cut some other bits of cladding to fill the large holes.

Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (24 Feb 2016)

Hi All,
So some more progress on the porch


The cladding is now complete and below you can see the results. 

You may also remember from an earlier post when I stated I messed up the weather strip on the front of the door as it looked weird to have one side angled and the other not, well it got the better of me and I changed it so now each side now matches.

You can see that the very top bit of cladding actually fits rather well. It was at the point of putting this last piece in i realised what I was doing wrong XD. Never mind I now know for the future. The gap will be hidden by the fascia anyway.














I have the plastic over the window so some silicon can dry around the moulding and the window, as I came out in the morning and found a small puddle of water on the window sill where it had crept in through the small gap.






I have got all the corner mouldings cut to size and I just need a nice couple of days at the weekend so I can finish the painting and then I can fit the corner mouldings.

As the weather is stopping me from progressing on the outside I used the time to work on the inside with fitting the new lighting and putting the vapour barrier up. There is just a small amount of vapour barrier left to go up which I will be doing hopefully tomorrow. 

At the weekend I am hoping to get the plasterboard up and taped and maybe even start on the joint compound


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## markblue777 (14 Mar 2016)

Hi all not had an update in a while but thought i would provide on now.

So the outside is pretty much there now just the final trim bits and fitting new lights and bells.
















the inside is also almost there now as well. I have gone through and plasterboarded is up and started to tape and joint. I have to sand the walls down and do another coat of compound which hopefully wont take me too long to get on. below are a few shots of the plasterboard up (before joints were taped and compounded.

It is getting quite close now.
















Cheers
Mark


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## Bm101 (15 Mar 2016)

Looking good Mark. 
Have you got enough screws in that plasterboard?  I've just realised you're not far away from me at all (I drive home up the crooked mile most days), and wondering if I should be worrying about an upcoming tornado season you're preparing for that I know nothing about. :-" 

Nearly there mate. 

Cheers
Chris


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## markblue777 (15 Mar 2016)

Haha Chris, well I had a box . Of 1000 and wanted to make a dent in it lol. Yeah I drive down there if I'm going Harlow and such. Prefer it to the a10.


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## markblue777 (4 Apr 2016)

Hey all,
not posted on here recently as been doing various bits and bobs. However, thought I would give a quick update on what is going on with the porch. 

It is pretty much there now. The pics below are a little old now as have done a couple bits out the front (including starting the landscaping of the front garden, well the misses is mainly doing that)

Really you could call it finished as it is just the trim work going up now (I installed the built in show rack but no pics yet and needs trimming and finishing)

Anyway, here are a few shots so you can see what it is like now

Exterior trim work 





















a little old now as I have put the side fascia on and that has neatened it up even more (just the front left to do and the dry verge)

A couple interior shots of the walls painted (after plastering, never again will i attempt plastering, easier to pay someone; definitely did not enjoy that job.)











Lino laid





(I have a couple bits of skirting on now as well but need to finish the rest.)

More images will come soon as bits are completed

Thanks for reading 
Mark


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## Bm101 (4 Apr 2016)

Hope you scribed those internal skirting joints Mark.  Looks good mate. You should be proud of yourself.


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## markblue777 (4 Apr 2016)

Thanks Bm,

Is it nest to scribe or mitre internal joints? are scribed less likely to open up?

Cheers
Mark


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## Bm101 (4 Apr 2016)

I think internal corners are scribed more for the reason that generally it's unheard of to have a straight line/angle between walls and floor and your internal corner. In reality, houses are not 'square'. So the scribed joints will be true to the real angles. You can mark out the true angles and mitre them and that works fine on the horizontal plane as long as your floor is perfectly level not so much on the vertical. You're contending with a 3 angle cut so to speak. In a small space like your porch, If you've already cut your skirting I'd leave it personally but I'm no carpenter. I think it applies more along longer lengths of skirting. By scribing the joints you're fitting the skirting to the real angles of the house rather than some theoretical 90 degree. This was explained to me by a proper carpenter over several pints of guinness years ago with much head scratching on my part as he tried to describe scribing. Then he drew it and the light went on straight away. Its a bit like cutting coving where you have to do it upside down and back to front. After 3 days I still couldn't get my head round it. I could do it but everytime I went to cut a bit I had to turn my brain off because it couldn't accept the cut was right if I thought about it.

Edit, over time that'll end up with your joints less likely to move and crack so it's a movement issue too.

Hopefully someone who knows what they are doing will be along to explain properly.


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## markblue777 (4 Apr 2016)

ah yeah makes sense really. I need to get the skirting so open to discussion haha.


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## Bm101 (4 Apr 2016)

Youtube it fella. It's not hard to do. Depends what you want of course to match your house, but it's a good argument for mdf simple pattern skirting in my humble opinion.


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## markblue777 (4 Apr 2016)

well i have a chamfered design when the silver tape is infront of the door so will go matching with that just deciding on the width at the moment as wondering to beef it up or go with what is there as the moment.


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## markblue777 (19 Apr 2016)

Hey All,
Here are a few more pics of the build from the inside. The inside is not far off now (90% complete really just need some paint on the skirting, door frame and window frames and sills and put up the coat hangers (yet to find ones we like yet), and need to fit some trim in some places but not sure what I am using yet (it is to cover the plaster stop bead ends as I did not take into account when framing and setting things up but you learn by your mistakes and it is not a major one). So overall I think I will call this done and will just update a pic of when it is all painted inside.

Skirting in















Built in shoe rack all painted (just some caulking left to do)





Shoe rack actually being used for shoes






Left to do is fascia on the front of the porch, soffit install at the front and dry verge install. Once that is done (hopefully this weekend if the weather holds out) then this W.I.P will be complete and then can get on with the landscaping out the front and install of guttering and working where that will run off too.

Cheers for reading
Mark


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## Bm101 (19 Apr 2016)

Thanks for posting Mark. I've enjoyed this wip. I keep the peepers open now for a blue porch when I drive home your way. 
One thing I'd say, and it's just my experience and sorry if I'm teaching the sucking of eggs etc. Might you be better using a mastic rather than caulk? Where you have a fair bit of temperature change you might find caulk is a bit more prone to cracking over time. Might be someone who does this for a living can clarify and tell me why I'm wrong and I'd be pleased to learn. I've just found it to not hold up that well. Intumescent mastic is used as a fire sealent for a variety of uses but it also has a high movement rate. Its stretchy. Again a professional might say I'm doing summat wrong but I like it. It's a little dear but cheaper than doing it all again in 2 years time, My experience with caulk at least.

If you use caulk or mastic with masking tape you might find you get an irritating line the thickness of the tape when you remove it. Never tried it with caulk so I don't know if it works but with mastic get a little plant spray bottle and fill with water, add some fairy liquid. Your looking to get a 'degreaser' so not too much soap. Scientific measurement is a 'squidge' Get a teaspoon with a handle just the right size and curve for your joint and required bead. Oooh, and loads of old rag/kitchen roll to hand too. Pack any big gaps with rag or newspaper it's cheaper than mastic.
Mastic an even line all the way round your joints. Getting an even and steady amount will save you hassle later. Then give it all a spray. Get your spoon, hold it by the eaty end and using the handle start at a corner, push the mastic into the joints and draw down the line keeping it at the same angle. As the excess mastic builds up on the spoon, wipe it off, then start again above where you removed it to maintain your nice smooth finish. Always draw it away from corners. Once you're all done you can give it a light spray again if where you're masticing is dusty to protect it. Leave it all to dry out and wipe it all down with a damp sponge. A few times if you've added too much soap the first time you try it lol.  If you do it right, and you will, very quickly, you wont have much excess left at all. Second time you probably won't have any. Wait till it dries and get a sharp razor blade to remove any exess gently.
There you go, you need never use masking tape again except for keeping the kids quiet. Perfect masticing skills learnt in 10 minutes. That means more time for mastication.  

Cheers Chris

If anyone from the Plumbers Guild turns up asking questions, you never saw me.


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## Graham Orm (19 Apr 2016)

Mastic outside, caulk inside. You can't paint mastic but you can caulk.


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## Bm101 (19 Apr 2016)

Don't want to seem argumentative (really), but I've painted over mastic many times and it's held fine Graham.


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## Graham Orm (19 Apr 2016)

Bm101":1oj1cnd4 said:


> Don't want to seem argumentative (really), but I've painted over mastic many times and it's held fine Graham.



No prob, each to their own.


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## Bm101 (19 Apr 2016)




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## markblue777 (28 Apr 2016)

So another update.

Here is the fascia and soffit installed on the front.
I put some little white caps on the screws since this picture so makes it look a bit cleaner now; well I think so.

I need to put some sealant to hide the little gap between the soffit and fascia (well I don't really but it will make it look cleaner and i'm fussy like that) 

I then need to get the dry verge system and get that installed and that will be that. 

A lick of paint around the door frame for a nice white gloss finish (and then again around the windows as they are looking a little dirty now)

I have tomorrow off now so a nice 4 day weekend and I am hoping to get the outside fully done including changing the guttering and fascia on the lower part of the house and also getting the landscaping done (so flattening the soil and grading then weed fabric down and gravel down, as long as we can get it delivered)












More pictures should follow after the weekend and hopefully with it done as long as the weather stays nice (or at least dont rain)

Cheers
Mark


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## Halo Jones (28 Apr 2016)

Good luck on getting it finished. Up here we are forecast snow over the weekend :roll:


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## markblue777 (28 Apr 2016)

so far the forecast is looking alright down here at the moment, so fingers crossed it stays that way


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## markblue777 (6 May 2016)

So the long weekend came and went. 

I managed to get the fascia and guttering done but did not get all the landscaping complete.

The stone we wanted for the driveway was a special order so we could not get it on the Friday so after that news I put the grading and landscape work on hold, there was no point laying the weed fabric as it just risked getting ripped. However, we got a little pond area done complete with cat platform and tunnel. The stone should be with us tomorrow so here is hoping that I can get all the front finished tomorrow.

The fascia and guttering went fairly smoothly apart from the fact that the fascia that held the guttering was 200mm width instead of 150mm, the part I measured for above the porch and around the corner was 150mm so I had to take a dash down the selco to get the right size, although I could not cut it to the length I needed as it would not fit in the car so I had to put a couple bits up to finish the run (it is not too bad as the guttering hides the join so it is not as obvious).

Did have an issue that I will detail with a pic further down.
Fascia on without guttering






The front with the guttering fitted






the corner that caused a nightmare!





The finished corner






The photo refereed to as a nightmare was as such because in trying to take it off the misses said the roof was moving a bit as she was watching. Turns out that they had nailed the cement board to the fascia so the fascia was in fact supporting some of the corner of the roof. I got to a certain stage of removing the old fascia and then had the make a couple of supports to hold the roof as it originally was and then basically box it in with the new fascia. 

The old fascia was also sitting on the wall that allowed moisture not to escape and therefore made some of the mortar behind the fascia fail. So I had to clean up a few bricks and re-bed them in and do a bit of re-pointing. I also had to re do some of the verge's motor (you may be able to see in the photo)

As there was now a gap between the new fascia I had to put some spray foam to ensure no birds decided to make the roof space there a home (venting is dealt with at the front of the house). This was of caused trimmed and I actually even gave it a lick of paint to allow it to blend in white a little more.

I still need to get the guttering on the porch (just deciding how I am going to run it off so want that settled before drilling any holes) and I have to get and fit the dry verge system so not to much left.

bonus shot of the front garden work






one of the cats sitting on the tunnel





The decking boards give 2 functions to keep the soil off the house and to give the cats a tunnel to sleep in and something to walk about on as well. The sun hits the area in the afternoon so they usually sit on it and get their tan on haha. The tunnel is open on all sides so there are 3 openings/exits.

Cheers for reading. Hopefully by Sunday the front landscaping should be done and maybe even the dry verge as well, depending on how things go.
Cheers
Mark


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## markblue777 (8 Jun 2016)

Hi All,
Not been on here for a while, other commitments and all. However thought I would pop on and show the front with the driveway now in place
















Still have to do the guttering and dry verge on the porch but it keeps getting put off due to other bits (Just redecorated the kitchen at the weekend). 

I will get an updated pic of the internal as that is all complete now and in full use.


Now my next stage is to get the plans drawn up for the extension and get some quotes on how much it is to get me a water right building so I can do the innards myself

Cheers
Mark


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## Bm101 (8 Jun 2016)

Looks very tidy Mark. You should be proud of yourself mate. Get yourself down the pub for a pint or two over the weekend and have a break for a couple of days mate. ccasion5: 
(BTW. _*If*_ you are in need of a reliable roofer for the extension nearer the time, send me a pm fella. The Mrs cousins hubby is a good guy and in Enfield. He's doing my loft extension if I can ever beat the plans out of the architect. No pressure and only if you need it of course.)

Well done fella
Chris


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## markblue777 (8 Jun 2016)

Cheers Chris,
Yeah may well need one to be honest. May even have to get him around to advise on a couple of bits and give us a quote. I wanna get quotes for as a whole and myself project managing and getting the various trades in.


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