Bungalow - Phase 1b commences with force...

[Tim Watts]

Right - been a while. Hernia operation, general business with job etc etc.

So now is the final push of finishing the place. We have avery finite amount of money in the bank...

I have booked a roofer to strip and relay the tiles. The roof is a bit decrepid but might have made another few years.

However, this way, we can get 75mm celotex between the 4" rafters (I'll add

25mm underneath inside). This is only possible due to replacing the sarking with breathable membrane - otherwise the insulation could only be 50mm. Also, it turned out to be virtually impossible to apply celotex from inside.

Retiling will include dormer verticals too - 50mm celotex between 3" studwork.

So the usual sage - talk to 6 roofers, 2 gave a quote, one was sensible (quite good value AFAICS) - 9k for a hipped roof + dormer walls, new tiles, celotex, breathable membrane, new gutterboards of red cedar, strip and refit Alumasc gutters replacing the 25% iron parts with new cast aluminium. Soffit boards in PAR softwood (these run dry, no rot risk) all screwed, not nailed so I can get in them later.

Couple of subsudiary jobs - add ventilation to dormer gutterboards and fix

1m of rotten wallplate downstairs.

So I think 9k is pretty good.

Saved nearly 1k by electing to change from flat tiles to interlocking with round hips instead of bonnets. The bonnets and tiles are very labour instentive apparantly, with 60+ tiles/m2 vs about 16ish/m2 for interlocking.

I'd never though of that, but looking around 1/2 the houses have interlocking tiles...

I will fit new windows in conjunction with roofers so they can dress the lead in.

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I am now running a new spreadsheet to cost the final phase which is

New dormer floor boards

Strip dormer plasterboard.

Extra dormer insulation inside and insulate under flat roof

Re plasterbaord

Plaster

Kitchen

Back shower - needs floor screed, tiling and fitting out.

** Run out of money about now **

Central heating - this will be the last and ongoing driven by saving money from our wages. I'll lay all the radiator feed pipes upstairs now so I do not have to lift the entire floor, just where joints are. Bring online with electric driven store driving hot water first, then add to incrementally...

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Photos etc to follow in a few days/weeks...

[Andrew Gabriel]

If you're stripping off that far, is there any way you could put the celetox on top of the rafters so you have a warm roof? That would be my preferred option, given the choice.

Having laid floor tiles, and gone for small ones (200mm squ), I rapidly realised that, to a first approximation, it takes the same length of time to lay each tile regardless of the size, so they took over twice the time of laying 300mm square ones.

Yes, or even in advance. Helping a friend who needs new dormer windows and work doing on the roof, and all the roofers have said get the windows done first (or together), as they'll disturb the roof if done later.

[Tim Watts]

Hi Andrew,

I did invesigate that option, but it would change the geometry too much (particulary intersections with 4 bay flat roofs and the 2 dormers) - according to one set of roofers I asked - so I discounted that and did not persue as we are trying not to disturb the leaded rooflets which are in excellent condition. But yes, for a plain roof it would be a good option.

I put up around 1000 100x100mm tiles in the bathroom and it took ages. Glad I did not count them until the end!

My guys said they wanted the windows to come out just as they were doing that face, so they could get new lead under the new windows - right now the flashing is just poked under a bit.

I'm glad to be doing these - the old ones were 2 rotten wooden "flip" windows (dong you on the head type) and the other 2 were cheap white uPVC but inexplicably one had zero openings and the other was just a casement, no transom.

My new ones that I ordered from windowsanddoors.co.uk (who seem very helpful as well as having a good online specifying/pricing service) are all casement+transom+small-fixed-pane under the transom, in rosewood finish.

In addition I have specified egress hinges and a slight offset on the center bar to get building regs egress compliance. I'm not even sure if I technically need it but as the escape route is so good (slide down 1.5m tiles onto bay flat roof then clamber to ground) it seemed foolish not too.

Now I will have 4 small transoms that can be left open all the time and 4 large casements for total ventilation in summer (gets hot up there).

I'm really getting excited about this bit - it's a big hurdle. I do hope my choice of roofing firm was not a c*ck up in the making, but I will be watching them nearly the whole time and the BCO wants a look in too...

Fingers crossed... Fine weather next week and the week after would be helpful too :)

[meow2222]

They rot alright.

NT