Extending/Remodeling a 1960s dormer bungalow - part 5: New Garage

Well, there was Christmas, and then work resumed. The foundations for the new garage were dug, and the based was levelled: The damp proof membrane was laid out:
Then the concrete was poured down a carefully constructed extended chute:
Then it was levelled:
Then the plain back walls were built:
And the front walls, complete with door and window:
And then the weather had other ideas:

This cold snap delayed things by a couple of weeks, as you can't lay bricks below 2 degrees! But eventually things began to progress again and the walls were upto plate level and the roof trusses were lifted into place:

Meanwhile, lots of things had been happening indoors...

Extending/remodelling 60s Dormer Bungalow - part 5 - internal

Well, things have moved on at a pace. The upper doors are now fitted, and awaiting the Juliet balcony, as I decided to design something bespoke rather than going with the standard 'prison bars' style railing.

Inside the extension we've overcome the technical challenges of moving the electricity connection and meter (after paying e-on the outrageous price of £541 for 90 minutes work) and moving in the oil-fired boiler, from the temporary shelter they preserved when the garage was pulled down and into the new utility area. The electrics have been put into place very efficiently.

They have put up the stud walls for the utility and cloakroom, and plastered the walls. They are also prepared to cut through a new door to the dining room, although they aren't doing this until the window of the cloakroom is fitted and the whole building is secure and weather-tight.

Upstairs they have sectioned off the en suite bathroom, plastered the new master bedroom, built some large wardrobes, and created a corridor between the two smaller existing bedrooms to access the new room.

I saw them cut the first hole through from the old house to the new:

Then they blocked off the bedrooms and corridor to prevent dust and draughts, so I was left with frustrated curiosity!

Then they revealed they had put up the studs for the corridor. This looks great as it lines up exactly with the existing landing, and also with the wall of the en-suite (the latter I'm told was a happy coincidence). The light coming in to the new room is great, through the big windows and the skylights:

The sanitary ware has been delivered and is being plumbed in, and the en suite is being tiled. Again, I've taken a creative option, as we are leaving the squares in the ventanas and the border until I've had a chance to see whether I can make something cool in my glass kiln. In the meanwhile we do get some awful karaoke for free :o)

Now they are working on door frames, and plasterboarding the corridors and the new walls to the two existing bedrooms either side:

There is a lot going on, but it is well organised chaos! As John always says "no dramas".

John and Neil have remained polite and cheery, and seem to strike a good balance between asking for my input and getting on and doing things autonomously. They seem to have a lot of friends who cover all the trades to draw on, which is reassuring as they all seem to hold the same high standards. I'm getting used to the work pattern of an early start, a late breakfast at the local cafe, coffee in the afternoon to keep them going, and a finish somewhere between dark and 8pm. As they are keen to make the extension habitable by Christmas, they are working most weekends too!

Extending/remodelling 60s Dormer Bungalow - part 4 - extension walls and roof

So, I've shown images of the garages disappearing and new groundworks being laid, here are the images of the new walls and roof going up!

First the new floor slab is laid and levelled:

Then the blockwork for the section of the wall that will be rendered is built:

Then the windows were laid out, and the exterior bricks and interior blocks were laid up to that level: There were regular deliveries of building materials:

Then when we were up to plate height the roof trusses were delivered, and hoisted into place by a crane:

The trusses were attached in the right places:

Then the peaks were added, and they started to add the white waterproof layer that goes below the tiles:

Then the roof started to take shape! They walked around fearlessly on those boards!

The velux roof lights were set into place, and suddely it felt like an enclosed room inside:

The downstairs room was fully enclosed with gaps where the windows would go:

The gable end was built up, so there was a wall all the way to the top:

The downstairs windows were fitted. Suddenly we could see how the south face of the house would look:

And from the close you could see the size and shape of the extended house.

Now the front of the extension section needs to be rendered, the upstairs windows need fitting, and there are 12 half tiles needed to complete the roof around the velux windows.

Extending/remodelling 60s Dormer Bungalow - part 3 - rear dormers

This is a bird's eye view of our house from a mapping site, as I didn't take a picture from the right angle prior to the work starting. You can see the front dormers in the first entry to the blog, and the rear ones are pretty similar although less central on the roof and less wide: This is the first pitched gable structure being constructed over the bathroom window (as seen from a driveway further down the road):

This is the wider pitched gable being constructed over the bedroom window:

This is them working up on the scaffold, starting to prepare the new gables for tiling:

This is the front of the wider gable which has been completed in wood reclaimed from the garage roof:

Here the first coat of the white stucco has been painted onto the small gable, and the sides have been completed too:
And here the wider gable has been painted with the stucco:

And here they have barge boards and gutters, and are completed:

There are two more to do on the front of the property, and two velux roof lights to insert to complete the roof works. The scaffold has been moved round the front of the property for when they have a chance (and good enough weather) to do the rest.

Extending/remodelling 60s Dormer Bungalow - part 2 - demolition

They remove the doors (which I give away on freecycle) and start to pull the roof off the garage.

Then they start to remove the boards (which they are able to later re-use) and the rafters (which will later be the edges to my raised veg beds).

They box in the boiler, then the electricity junction and fusebox into temporary housing, whilst we arrange for them to be moved.

They start to reclaim the good bricks, and demolish the walls.

Almost all of the garage is gone within 3 days work.

Then the digger starts to remove the foundations and drive.

Then a grab removed the rubble.

They dig trenches for the new foundations (to depths specified by building control) and fill them with concrete.

Then the walls start to go up again, after careful planning how to make them level, when the original house no longer appears to be!

Then the first fill is added, a radon sump (to scare off naughty gases) and two layers of insulation.

Then the concrete for the floor slab is poured and levelled. Unfotunately the boys forgot their welly boots!