Steelwork | Marsh Flatts Farm Self Build Diary

Week 5, Day 2:

The underground pipework for the Ground Source Heat pump was terminated at the house end, filled with its anti-freeze solution and pressure-tested.
- With the pressure-test passed it’s safe to back-fill the trenches containing the pipework.
- There’s a pressure gauge which will be left in-place in the manifold chamber so that the pressure can be monitored during the rest of the build.
The main steel frame got completed, extending around the south-west corner of the house.

Due to technical difficulties I don’t have a photo from my normal camera to show the end-of-day status so here’s one that Steve kindly took on Wednesday morning, showing the completed main steel frame. It’s mainly only the south and south-west aspects of the house that need “help” from the steel to augment the cavity wall structure, because of the big sliding glass doors in those areas removing so much of the blockwork structure.

Week 5, Day 2

Capped-off 50mm GSHP brine pipes which will rise through the floor of the Utility Room

GSHP manifold chamber, pressure gauge reads 2.5 bar

Week 5, Day 1:

A cold and foggy day following equally foggy but much warmer weather all day Sunday.
The most visible progress was the erection of the main steel frame for the south-west corner of the house.
- The top of the steel frame is at the eaves level of the first floor / floor level of the second floor. (The ground floor will be higher than the top of the block-work shown in this photo.)
- This camera position isn’t going to show the top of the roof 🙁
The outer skin of the foundation walls is approaching a consistent four-block height all the way round.
Delivery of some more concrete blocks and some blue engineering bricks.
- The “blue” (dark grey) bricks will go into the outer skin of the cavity wall, above the fourth course of blocks (at finished ground level)

Week 5, Day 1

That’s me (dMb) in the hi-vis, taking the photo below.

Steel column at south-west corner – the bottom plate is packed up off the concrete using thinner steel plates (so it’s at the right height, and precisely level) and then clamped down using the nuts