We were hired to build a seamless left extension to this house given the engineer plan.
The house needed to be solid, well insulated, and also blend with the style of the original building.
Later we were asked to build the client’s patio as well.
We insulated and prepared the base for the floor, adding 15cm of subbase, placing waste pipes and adding 3cm of sand above. The area was the compressed before installing a DPM (damp proof membrane), then 3cm of concrete followed by 3cm of insulation.
Foundations
The foundations were dug and built to specifications using our extensive ground work skills.
Installing windows and doors
We fitted a cavity enclosure around the window and door openings, and insulating lintels on top.
Floor
The floor was insulated and the plumbing put in place
Building the walls
Then we started the brick lane to build the wall. On the top of the first brick lane, we fitted a DPC (damp proof course).
We then installed steel reinforcement for the wall according to the plan and the Engineer’s instructions.
We installed a damp course and also wall ties to keep a link between the walls.
The walls built were all cavity walls, with a 12cm gap and 10cm foam insulation; we also placed condensation vents of 60cm width on the external wall.
We used regulation wall ties to join the new wall to the original building.
Installing the roof structure
After we finished building the walls, we installed the roof structure, with insulation between the counter battens, a breathable membrane, more battens and then the roof tiles. For this project, we spent lots of time looking all around Oxfordshire for old roof tiles to match the original house tiles. A bit time consuming, but it was worth keeping the beautiful old character of this house.
Plastering, lighting, painting and decorating
We fully finished the interiors with plastering, lights & electric plug sockets, radiators and flooring. And of course painting and decorating.
Clearing up
We hired skips to remove the waste at the end of the building work, to leave the place clean and cleared, and ready to be used by the family.