The site is getting busier, and the services are being fitted off, Ralph talks about the challenge of working and sequencing this stage of the build. The solar panels have all been mounted, but not without some help from some very specialised lifting equipment!
For more video interviews head to our YouTube channel BarleyStore for the full Construction Diary Interviews playlist.
Archive for April, 2015
Interview with Ralph Alphonso – The Month of April 2015
Video Diary: Plants Installation
The plants brought some fresh live to the construction site. See an installation video below, or head to our YouTube channel BarleyStore for the full 5×4 Hayes Lane Project playlist.
Planter box install
Today Creative Earth Landscaping planted the edible plants into the planter boxes provided by Décor. They then assembled them into the window sills according to a plan worked out by Phil Withers, a landscaper who focuses on edible plants.
Our little building, the 5×4 Project, is starting to look like a home!
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- Hot chillis can be picked at will!
Window Screens Install
The screens have been installed. In the bedroom they’ll be used to block light and provide privacy, while on the deck level they’ll also shield the wind.
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- The screens on the bedroom floor
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- On the deck, the screens shield from the wind
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- The screens sit on the outside of the building
Flyscreens arrive
The flyscreens have arrived and are gradually being installed.
Being such a tight build, windows are a important part making the 5×4 building feel spacious, even more so when they are open. Flyscreens will help keep bugs out while the windows are open. They were also made by Paarhammer to fit the windows exactly.
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- Window flyscreens waiting to be installed
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- Top story flyscreen door installed
Edible plants layout meeting
Sam from Creative Earth Landscaping and Phil Withers (Phillip Withers Landscape Design), met today at the 5×4 site and made some planting decisions about which edible plants will go where and in what order within the 5×4 planter boxes.
While Phil Johnson (Phillip Johnson Landscapes) designed the garden with the help of Phil Withers, Sam will maintain the plants in the coming weeks and educate Ralph on how to best care for them.
Phil Withers, collaborator of Phil Johnson Landscapes, talks with Sam from Creative Earth.
Second coat of stain
With a second coat of dark stain being applied to the wooden floors, stairs and bench tops, the patterns in the ASH timber are starting to come into their own.
The stain comes from a dilution of stainless steel soaked in vinegar. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity though – it’s quite hard to apply uniformly, but Timber Care were a match for the task.
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- Jan from TimberCare prepares the floor for staining
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- The stain drying
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- The finished product; 2 coats of stain and a coat of wax for water proofing
Alfasi boom lift
It was time for the side solar panels to be installed on the western wall of the building, to make up for the lacking roof-top space.
Alfasi Hire took up the challenge in providing one of their many machines for hire, which needed to be able to fit down our little lane way whilst still being able to reach up and around the 5×4 building.
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- Sqeezing down the lane
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- We had to move bit by bit
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- Finally the boom was parked
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- Building without side solar
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- The reaching arm of the boom
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- The final solar installed
Wire-brushing the floors
The floors received a (rather noisy) wire-brushing from Timber Care, which scrapes away any soft wood, leaving hardwood behind for durability and the smooth finish of floorboards.
Electrical Wiring
Over the past few weeks there has been focus on the electrical side of things, with wiring being installed on all four floors by The Torus Group.
This electrical stage has been more complicated at FivebyFour than the average build because a number of extra products are being installed, including an energy monitor, DAS Home Security and Yingli Solar Panels.
It’s a slow and difficult process. Not only dealing with large amounts of tangled wiring but also working with the delicate membrane of the wall systems in an effort not to effect the airtight factor of the building.
