Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Log Cabins In The Rolling Hills Of Sutton Veny, Warminster

  in the Wylye Valley, Wiltshire

Hello again, we're much nearer to home this time ...

picture courtesy of Sutton Veny's blog site. 

We are here to install a Kippen 4m x 4m cabin; again this is one of our popular 2.5m height range of log cabins, thus eliminating the need to apply for planning permission providing its not too close to your boundary.

Day 1

Lovely morning - chilly, but the sun was up

10 am - the spot chosen, the turf cut - ready to mix! 

Well that was quick! - 2.30pm - just clean up and an early finish for once...

Day 2

Cabin kit arrives promptly and off we go - tanalised bearers down complete with DPM strip

Late lunch and we're almost upto the rafters - grey and 'numb finger' cold today

3.45pm the sun finally peeped through and we're nailing on the roof  T&G boards

Day 3


Midday and first fix electrics are complete - roof complete and trims to go on, we still have a trench to dig though...

The cabin construction is complete, now to get the electrics and network connected to the house...

Day 4


Yesterday, the customer realised that his new shed with its basic roof just doesn't cut the grade - could we, 'while you're here' sort that shed roof out please? 

it seems about time then for another round of strong tea (2 sugars please) and flapjack to make an appearance!



Both shed and new cabin now have matching bitumen shingle roofs - the trench is filled - the electrician is busy 2nd fixing and fitting the new consumer unit into the cabin



2.40pm day 4 - There we have it - a superb new garden office

We were given much admiration by the steady stream of neighbours who just 'happened' to be passing by - I'm sure the numbers of people increased as the week went by...

many thanks for the copious tea Tim !


Next time its Wantage and the 'full Monty' with a lowered Liverpool cabin and a full options package








Monday, February 25, 2013

Iver Heath- Uxbridge

The 1st Cheltenham cabin of the year (Our best seller for 2012)

Not the most auspicious of starts I think you would agree! glad I didn't consider packing away my 'thermals' too soon...

Day 1

Mmm, yes that 'is' where the cabin is going to go! A 4x3m cabin never had a tighter fit

Day 2

Unfortunately the garden soon took on the look of a Glastonbury festival outfield 


The Cheltenham log cabin not only exudes contemporary splendour but very fine joinery to boot...



close up's of the turn and tilt hardware for these lovely long windows - quality!

Day 3

Roof boards in place - Onduline roof panels over that and 50mm Xtratherm floor insulation completed; with plenty of tea, things are moving along well - still bitterly cold though

Day 4

The best of the front shots, gives decent view of the front windows, trims and double doors


Electric cables ready for the electrician to fit sockets & lights and connect the underfloor heating
Laminate flooring and plasterboard ceiling compliment the 'full options package



A sweep around inside, clean the glass and tidy the garden and we are complete, really not sure how the back of that cabin will get painted though! only hope they get on well with the neighbours...

Next week we are closer to 'home' in Sutton veny - Deepest Wiltshire
with a 4m x4m Kippen log cabin - drop by to check it out 





Sunday, February 10, 2013

Bingley - and a whistle stop tour of Salts Mill-Saltaire

2nd 'Low' Liverpool cabin of the new year 


Our week gets off to a rather snowy start as was predicted - This time we are just east of Bingley - Gilstead Hall, an 18th century hall divided into 3 homes with fine crenellations!

Day 1

its a steep driveway with limited access - we weren't sure we'd drive out so easily!

The garden wasn't a lot easier! - the whole cabin was transported through to the back garden via the customer's kitchen (their suggestion!) access was always going to be a major headache...

The cabin arrived late due to the weather, so we got it all into the garden ready for a fresh start the next morning...

Day 2

everything went through the open doorway on the left - everything!

The 44mm solid Pine 'logs' stacked in place - ready for the 'off'!


8.45am
The bearers go down and the first row of timbers are set down on top - so glad the base was already laid!!

11.15am
We had the cabin built to rafter height (about an hour on from this picture) before the snow came in with a vengeance, and by the time we had got the roof half on, in came the coldest sleet I can ever remember together with very high winds - that was enough for one day!

Day 3

A lunchtime view on day 3 from what used to be the original Hall's tennis court upto the cabin - hard to believe the day before gave us snow, sleet and high winds - today broken cloud, blue sky and a log cabin looking splendid in its new elevated position.


this one has the full 'works' - roof insulation (50mm Xtratherm boards) followed by plasterboard ceiling (taped and jointed), floor insulated (50mm Xtratherm), underfloor heating, electrics and Cat5 networking - with double glazed windows as standard, we think the customer is going to have a toasty new office.

sunshine at last - snow seems almost a distant memory

Day 4


Electric underfloor heating element, bonded to a reinforced fabric mesh and coated in tear resist foil to keep heat in the floor - there's 50mm of Xtratherm below that and 18mm solid pine floor beneath that!! 

a splendid new Canadian Elm laminate floor over the top of the electric underfloor heating mat - electric cables are left loose for the electrician to complete his second fix tomorrow.

This is what 4 days of hard work and numerous cups of tea can achieve!


A majestic sight - on a majestic site!

Later that day....

we had an earlier than expected finish due to the improving weather and so took a quick trip down to Salts Mill - Saltaire  before it closed for the day

we had just enough to time to enjoy a brisk tour of the Hockney exhibition and the rather grand elevations of Salts Mill (a world heritage site no less).


Here's one of my Hockney faves...anyone know this period?

A great interior view of the 2nd floor of the Mill - erm.. no, that is not a Hockney on the left! but a wonderfully colourful (and huge) mill interior perspective none-the-less - wish I could remember the artist....

We say 'farewell' to the hills and dales of West Yorkshire, and head home south

Iver Heath coming up shortly and we are installing our 2012 best seller the Cheltenham -  stay tuned and thanks for stopping by !





Saturday, February 9, 2013

'Windy' West Midlands - Stourbridge

A 'Low' Liverpool cabin - 4m x 3m x 2.5m high 


Well, what a start to my year !
+Fraser and I started our first install together in very blustery Stourbridge, (w/c 28th January)
 I (Terry) have just joined Cabin Living -  installing log cabin kits, blogging, emailing, and generally trying to look busy - its that 'new' job honeymoon period where you get to do so many new things without getting into too much trouble !!

That's all the timber needed for a 2.5m (ridge height) Liverpool cabin - my son is great at Lego but was I?


3 hours later - base timbers are down, walls going up, door frame in place - Mmm going nicely I think...

then the rain began, it rained, and rained, and... - well you get the picture!

Day 2

Nice action shot of Fraser (the boss) 'looking' busy! - well it's me with the camera so clearly I'm not being a lot of use right now

Second day; walls fully up, all the frames and windows in place, roof joists etc and Fraser busy nailing the roof timbers in place


4 hours later - roof felted and finished, just waiting for trims...

then the rain began again, and it rained, and rained, and... boring !

Day 3

9.30am day 3- coming along well now - the final furlong, roof trims in place, doors on, floor going down

by midday main floor is down - 50mm Celotex insulation down, laminate in place, skirting's pinned - just a tidy up and a clean down...

 
1pm and we are done and dusted - a pretty garden office don't you think? 

a bit of corner detail - and finally BLUE sky! I had forgotten just how good that looked


Lovely canopy detail 

gives you a good sense of the warm timber feel inside

Thank you for stopping by...We'll be in Bingley next week - snow forecast!