From the Ground Up – #27

Tight Access Solved, Roofs Tied In and Footings Down

An old conservatory is down and new footings are in at Southsea, walls and roof are on in Southmead, and footings and drainage are done in Staines-upon-Thames. Three sites, three stages.

Right then, here’s how the week went on site.

• The old wooden conservatory has come down. It looked like it went up with the house, so this is a proper modernisation rather than a repair, turning a room nobody used into usable space.
• New footings are in and we are rebuilding the wall on the right hand side as a cavity wall, built to current standards rather than what was acceptable when the original went up.
• Access was the real problem here. It is a Victorian terrace with nowhere to put a skip, so we worked it the way these houses have always been worked. Everything came out through the garage, straight onto a van, and away to a skip off site.
• That kept the street clear, kept the site clean and kept the neighbours out of it. On terraces, how the muck leaves the property matters almost as much as what goes back in.
• If you are looking at a tight site and assuming it rules a project out, it usually does not. It just needs planning, and that is the sort of thing we work through on a free 30 minute consultation before anyone commits to anything.

• Blockwork walls are up with a full fill cavity. That is what makes the difference between a room used a few months a year and one used all year round.
• On top of that we have a lightweight flat roof and an orangery roof structure with a lantern. It will pour light into the new space without stealing it from the kitchen and lounge behind, which are both bright rooms the customer wanted to keep that way.
• Working off a bungalow meant stripping the existing house roof back, tying the new flat roof in, then dressing the rubber and the tiles back down into it. That is the join that has to be watertight, and it is also the join people notice, so it needs to look right as well as work.
• This is the detail that decides whether an extension reads as an extension or as part of the house. We would rather spend the extra day on it than leave a line across the back of the property forever.
•  Render goes on next week. After that this one is going to look like it has always been there.

• Work has started on an extension that will give this family a lot more usable floor space.
• Proper footings have been dug, and the drainage needed adapting because the extension pushes out to the front. We have reworked it so their existing outside tap goes back on the front of the house and still drains away properly.
• All the layers are now in, including the damp proof course and the oversite. None of it will ever be seen once the floor goes down, which is exactly why it gets done properly.
• The site gets sprayed down and cleaned at the end of every day. It sounds like a small thing, but a tidy site is usually a sign of a well run build, and it makes living alongside the work a lot easier.
  
• Walls next. This one should start to take shape quickly now the groundwork is behind us.

That’s a Wrap For This Week

That’s it for this week’s round-up! It’s always exciting to see these spaces take shape. From first foundations to final finishes. Whether you’re mid-project, just getting started, or simply gathering ideas, we hope these updates give you a clear view of what’s possible.

👉 Book a free 30-minute consultation with one of our team. We’ll help you explore ideas, understand the process, and see what’s possible for your home.

Check back next week for more real progress from real homes – From The Ground Up.