Off grid house build Orkney

Magical. Good energy from you and your house if you’ll pardon the pun👍🏼

Haha yeah that’s pretty good actually, I’ll allow it 👍🏻 Cheers John!

I don’t want to just post “everything is going well” aspirational photos as there have been some struggles throughout as well. We’ve had some major winds and rains the last few days (easy 60mph gusts) so a lot of time has been making sure anything that could be blown away was weighted down. The force of the wind seems to be moving the glass in the frames so that some water is getting in the frames between the pane and frame and being forced out the back of it into the house. Not a massive amount but more than any of us would like. We even went with their fancy windows, wooden frames clad in marine coated aluminium, so I’m hoping the external cladding not being in place may be creating this flex and it’s not an issue with the windows. I’ve got in touch with the kit company (who make their own windows) to see what’s up and what they can do. It’s been rough but the weather gets significantly worse than that up here so needs to be better. The worst of the puddles around the door is because they haven’t been completely fitted yet as require the cladding and things..

Also, some more of nihil luxuriating..

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All your updates are appreciated, even the tough ones.

Who made the windows? Weather proof seals typically get worse over time, so I'd consider asking for replacements?

Thanks so much bud, that means a lot! Not too stressed as things will dry out and windows will get sorted but don’t want it to push things too far back (we won’t be able to fit plasterboard and things like that internally until we know there’s no water coming in behind anything)..

I popped out again to get another couple pictures of it and noticed this on the top opening window closest to the back door. It doesn’t seem to be sitting flush to the outside and the seal has been damaged by the bit inside the frame. It only seems to be happening on that one side like it’s dropped a little or something and the wood on the frame on that side isn’t quite flush. By the time I’d looked at that one inside and out it was too dark to check the others properly but I’ll try and get that today. I think this might be a separate issue as that isn’t where the water is coming in though, it seems to be from between the frame and the pane..

@JonoMarshall completely agree! It’s the frame company Norscot that make their own windows so I know it will get dealt with internally fortunately. I’ve forwarded all the photos onto them and it’s being passed around to see what can be done.

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Wouldn’t be happy with the leaky windows, hope that gets sorted. Are they triple glazed?

Yeah I’m crossing my fingers for a quick resolution on that. Feeling quite lucky to have been off on Tuesday to spot it before anything progressed any further internally. There’s only certain wind and rain strength and direction that would have made it come through like that, it was like 50-60mph with really heavy horizontal rain at that point.
Anything there’s been something wrong with, or scratched on the way here, they’ve either sorted or replaced, they’ve been really good. They’re a small family run business right up near here so still wee enough to care.
No, double glazed, but thick toughened glass and a deep cavity between the two which does about the same in terms of thermal bridging as triple glazed I’m led to believe.

it was like 50-60mph with really heavy horizontal rain at that point

Sounds like my memories of a childhood visit to the Orkneys

Haha yeah it can be such a mixed bag up here.. Unfortunately, I bet days either side of your trip were beautiful..

I took the day off work as things have been pretty tough in there recently. Decided to take a wee trip along the beach to cheer myself up and found a washed up puffin.. there’s been a huge die off this year, all breeding age, my heart hurts.. I’ll bury it next to the seal pup this afternoon.

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I visited Orkney once many years ago in July. It was so windy and cold.
I was amazed to see the locals sea bathing and swimming whilst I sported about 3 layers of clothing! Loved the food and beer though!

Haha I’m still there mate, got some thermal leggings on right now and have done since about October 😂

Guys are back and working on the roof today. They insulated and overboarded the big internal wall yesterday as well. Will try and get some pictures but between starting and ending work in the dark it’s tough.

Got this for a coffee table for the living room though! They’re only sending the table top so I can put shorter legs and a shelf underneath. Sits at 92” long so just wider than the couch and just narrower than the big windows. Reckon it’ll sit quite nicely!

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What's the internal structure of the project going to look like?

Also, don't forget to sign your names somewhere hidden like behind a wall or written into the concrete floor. Someone I knew put a pentagon under the carpet in their bedroom to mess with any future diy-ers

pentagon

I'd be properly freaked to find a massive US defence facility when I was putting in new floorboards. Or even a pentagram.

good point

*pentagram

Do you mean in terms of layout or design? In terms of layout that central space is staying vaulted like that, in the photo in the last post I’m standing in what will be a galley kitchen, diagonally across from me we’re going to put a wood stove (https://www.esse.com/the-ironheart-range/bakeheart/) which will do heating and cooking when we aren’t producing power. Directly across from me in the photo there’ll be space for a wee dining table and our couch is going to sit right in front of the windows. Happy to do loads of chat about design too. Trying to make it not feel new so loads of repurposed wood (scaffolding board shelves, pallet wood kitchen cabinet doors, whisky barrel stave lighting fixtures, live edge bathroom sink shelf and hopefully more!) grey limestone floors and pretty bright in the central space but thinking about doing that kitchen wall kind of a sagey colour. Think that wall being dark will make the windows facing bit even brighter.

Was gutted I didn’t get something in the founds before the slab was poured but will have to hide something somewhere!

Haha, they sold it inexplicably and for much cheaper than market value weeks later, it hasn’t been lived in since..

Went a wee walk after work with pal today, the nights are fair drawing out! I know it’s just the builder’s lamps but lovely to see the light coming from it!

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Haha, they sold it inexplicably and for much cheaper than market value weeks later, it hasn’t been lived in since..

Feel like I've missed a step. What does this comment relate to?

Enjoying seeing the progress as always.

Oh sorry, that was just a poor joke about @ChainBreaker ‘s friends and their pentagram house..

Thanks very much, slowly but surely.. rest of the roofing sheets were tied and weighted down again, 50mph winds expected again for the next couple of days.

Managed to actually take a lunch today and get up to see it in the daylight. Here’s the progress on the front side of the roof they managed before the wind picked up, think getting everything tight and sealed around the velux is tricky with tin. Weather has been rough so they’ve moved inside to start the overboarding. Been told it seems small at this point as the walls get thicker and that once the plasterboard and paint goes on it starts to feel larger again. There’s been this ongoing contraction and expansion throughout. The founds outline looked tiny, then with the concrete slab it looked big, then the frame brought it in a bit.. hoping it balances out to feeling the right size when done!

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The founds outline looked tiny, then with the concrete slab it looked big, then the frame brought it in a bit.. hoping it balances out to feeling the right size when done!

When my folks built their place when I was a wee lad, we experienced that too! Its so weird.... But yes, it'll settle down and you'll get accustomed too it quick enough.

That’s reassuring bud, thank you! Haha, fortunately we were warned about it by the builders as well. I remember standing inside the footprint with them one day saying “fuck, we’ll never fit our things in here.” And then a week later when the next stage happened it felt like a cathedral inside, eyes and perception are very strange!

The workshop outline and slab has never really felt small so think that might feel quite big when finished. Between bikes, art stuff and a lot of batteries going in for the storage whatever size it is I’m sure it’ll get filled pretty quickly

Things are starting to move pretty quickly now.

We’ve secured the plumber for first fix starting next week, the sparky should be out the week after for his first fix and the renewables folks are coming out on Friday to put the foundations and ducting trench in for the wind turbine.

Internal progress has happened too, the main space is all battened for the plasterboard, we’ve ordered all our floor tiles, some nice antiquey limestone for porch, main central area, utility and bathroom and the oak effect porcelain for the bedrooms. And, our first ceiling went in today too!!

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The sky is on fire tonight, constantly amazed by this place..

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Better hurry then!!!!