Supporting the old and building the new

It's August 2014

We arrive at The Fleepit to find metal props holding up the rafters.

The ceiling was removed during the asbestos removal and since then we've been happily sitting under the unsupported beams. This is slightly unnerving but nobody died so let's move on... 

In this photo you can see where the RSJ is going to be installed. A couple of breeze blocks have been removed from this corner and the opposing one. Load-bearing slabs have been added to provide beds for the RSJ.







And here's the RSJ, resting on it's bed with the rafters resting on the lower lip. Our extension roof is now supported across the gap! Phew!






The stud walls inside the external walls are next to go up, including the new bathroom walls.

Studding in bedroom

Open plan Loo

Although the cistern has had to be removed, the WC is still usable with the aid of a bucket of water, assuming one is prepared to risk someone peering through the windows. It's not line-of-sight to anywhere public, but still...

Time for the plumbing and electric first fix.

New windows

It's July 2014.

We're away at the New Wine summer conference when I get a phone call from 5 Star Windows. They can start tomorrow! But we're away!

We work out that, as they're replacing the windows & doors, they have the tools to break in! It seems a bit mad but they're happy to go ahead. I let Simon the builder know. He lives down the lane so he can reassure the neighbours if anyone's worried.

By the time we get back, it's all finished.

The spare room, utility room and garage windows have been a straight like-for-like replacement.

French doors in bedroom

The lounge sliding patio doors have been replaced by French doors with side panels. The doors go nearly back on themselves and can be hooked open. We did look at bi-fold doors for the lounge but I didn't want the maintenance of wood and uPVC doesn't really fold flat. Having metal bi-fold doors would have doubled the overall cost of all the windows & doors. It's out of our budget.

The window in the bedroom, at the back of the bungalow has been opened up and also replaced with French doors, identical to the lounge. This is a real luxury. Who needs French doors in a bedroom? But they make me really happy.

Yes, there really is a window here!

Another major alteration is replacing the back door and porch with a full-height non-opening picture window. With the arched opening of the removed outer doors, I really love the picture formed by this window and the external niche it forms. If I keep it very clean, it just looks open which some people find unnerving but I'm very pleased with the effect. Just what I was hoping for.

The wall between the WC and bathroom has been removed. Only one window is needed an we plan to put the shower where the bathroom window was so Simon the builder has bricked that up. The WC window was narrow so the opening was widened to let in more light.

In the photo, you can see that the WC has been replaced & the sink has been moved to the new position

I would have loved an oak external door because they look & feel lovely but I have seen too many that have suffered too much weather & I know I'm not good at maintenance. Maybe it will be a future luxury... Until then a white, uPVC one will have to do, opting for this cottage style with a small window. The back garage door is the same, without the window.

Next up is the building work - the RSJ and studding.

The Plan

It's June 2014

The internal asbestos has been removed. The Fleepit external walls now consist of a brick outer skin and a timber frame with asbestos cement sheets between them. There is minimal insulation and the asbestos needs encapsulating so as to be inaccessible to normal domestic activities.

We also want to get double glazing installed with some of the windows & doors being altered

Simon the builder is great, looks at the situation, considers the possibilities & restrictions and comes up with a plan.

Simon says:

• A steel RSJ will be put in across the extension to provide the necessary support for the roof;
• The windows/doors get replaced/altered
• A 4x4 timber frame will be built just inside the existing timber frame.
• New wiring and plumbing will have a first-fix through the new frame

• Kingspan insulation boards will be packed into the frame
• The lounge ceiling and all walls will have plasterboard and be skimmed
• The bathroom walls will be rebuilt, making it one room with the WC, skimming the ceiling to cover up the pre-existing wall marks and have a new door
• The electrics and plumbing will be completed.

Once done, all the remaining asbestos will be approximately 15cm behind the plaster so that only drilling right through the walls will be an issue. Hanging shelves and normal domestic DIY will be perfectly safe. Although totally removing the asbestos would have been the ideal, this is a good compromise and puts The Fleepit on a par with any home built before 1999 which may well have asbestos as part of it's construction.

This "making-good" was all considered as part of the original budget for the asbestos removal and the quote for the work is very reasonable. We give the go ahead and Simon schedules the work to start alongside work on a barn conversion he's doing. Our work will be indoors so ideal for when they're struggling with wet weather.

I'll be liaising with our existing plumber plus the electrician and window fitters that Simon has recommended.

The RSJ is the first item on the schedule...

Click on the blog update email box if you want to continue reading the story of this renovation project.

Asbestos Removal

It's mid-Jun 2014

Safeline Environmental arrive to take out the asbestos first thing in the morning so it's been an early start to get over to The Fleepit in time.

I've set up garden chairs, a table, & tea-making facilities in the garage. They have a good look round to check what the plan is and wave me off. I leave them to it.

That afternoon I get a phone call. There are actually 2 layers of asbestos sheets, one either side of the original panels. The internal one can be removed easily but the outer one, between the timber frame and the brick outer layer, can't be removed without dismantling the whole house. We agree that they go ahead with removing the internal layer and that we'll assess the situation once that's done.

2 days later, we arrive at The Fleepit as Safeline are clearing up. It's a hot day and they've been cloistered in sealed rooms to contain the asbestos so they're ready to sign off. The bungalow has been thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed and we get the certificate to say so.

Finally we can see how the bungalow has been constructed.

In the photo above, you can see the panels that have been slotted into a timber frame. Each panel is 2 layers of asbestos concrete sheet fixed to a wood border, enclosing a mixture of straw and cement. 

Close up of internal cement/straw
with a lens cap for scale

When they were originally constructed, the panels would have been manufactured off-site and assembled really quickly. A brilliant solution to the housing needs of the time. Not only was asbestos weather-proof, it was fire-proof too. Not banned in the UK until 1999, it was hailed as a wonder material when first discovered.

As agreed, the lounge ceiling has been removed and we can see the spider's web of wiring as well as the lack of a proper support beam across the extension gap!

Now we know what's there, we need to consider options. Removing the outer layer of asbestos sheet is not possible without demolishing the house and we've not got the budget for a total rebuild. Time to get Simon the builder round.