Off grid house build Orkney

Have you considered an ICF building, as you could achieve passivhaus standards of insulation and then just need to produce electricity and store it for non heating related duties?

I am considering a building project using Nudura ICF and have done their basic online installation training. It’s quite interesting and looks like Lego for adults.

@dancing james Ah I’m so sorry I missed this bud! That looks super interesting but we’re way too far down the line for that unfortunately.. got an email to say the frame is nearly ready and will be dropped on site august 2nd. We ended up building just below passivhaus to save the need for, and cost of, an mvhr system.

I haven’t updated in a while as there was a massive concrete shortage up here (don’t know what it’s like elsewhere) so took some time to get the founds done. They’d limited making the concrete blocks as well due to the shortage. Founds are now poured, concrete blocks arrived today too and should be starting on them tomorrow.

A few update pics, sorry @kl no dogs in these, we’ve got our cute wee cat nihil we want to be an outdoor cat in time, so are training our neighbours dog not to come into the field any more. Got one photo with my new trackshark build so that hopefully makes up for it a little!

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@kl I checked the maths and can confirm nihil>dogs

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Sweet banjo! Do you play much of the trad Scottish stuff?

I am now a confirmed nihilist.

Haha, she’s been embracing the joy found in the spaces created by nothingness since she was just wee

@owl not quite yet, was just starting off and the house build took over.. got into it when I was over in Canada with friends playing folk punk and old americana so want to do a bit of that but friends with a fiddle player up here so would love to learn some old stuff to play with them.

Nice! That should be a fun project - certainly looks like you need something to keep you occupied over the next year or two.... ;)

Well he can still do it on and off at his convenience and so it may became two or four years…. :)

@owl @marcom you’re completely right.. don’t have a project manager to save cash and we’re going to be trying to make all the kitchen cabinet doors and shelving, and doing the internal decorating.. haha wrong time to pick up a new hobby..
I quit smoking earlier this year so figured I’d treat myself to something I’d wanted but never bought with the money saved. I’ll get round to it properly at some point but have at least learned most of my rolls so far

No idea how this slipped past my radar. Amazing project! I’m no use to you re any of the technical bits but will be following in envy like the rest of the bunch.

Thank you very much! Getting very exciting and pretty real now! It’s been years of discussion and decisions without anything tangible or physical but now there’s blocks showing where the corner of the house will be and the first part of the frame is showing up next Monday!

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Whohoo, must feel great and maybe slightly surreal after all that planning?
Sailed to Orkney/fair isle/Shetland a couple of times, the landscape/nature/people are amazing IMO.

Oh completely! Haha I’m still waiting for some angry farmer to tell me to get out their field or something, never mind the fact that we drew pictures of a house a few years ago and people are actually making it a thing now.

Yeah it’s beautiful up this way isn’t it?! And I’ve become absolutely fascinated by all the seabirds and things around here. I’d always thought of it as just some barren rocks in the middle of the North Sea but it’s so much more than I expected! My partner came up to do STEM outreach here for science week a few years ago and came back in love with the place. Took us about a year and a half of visiting and checking out possible properties before finding this spot. Outer isles are so much cheaper than the Orkney mainland.

Some more of the blockwork went up yesterday and beginning to get a proper feel of room size and things.

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Just checking in to follow this.
Looks like an amazing project. Good luck!

beautiful up this way isn’t it

Totally. Just realised I've actually been to Shapinsay, just to look at the castle etc (a nice Polish guy showed us around, slightly dissapointing as I was hoping for a mad baron in a kilt) plus I think I did an oil change on the boat in the harbour there before we went back to Norway. Anyway, keep us posted as this progresses!

Thank you very much! Should get some video and some pictures of the frame coming off the ferry and down the road on Monday, can’t wait for that!

@russmeyer wow really? Yeah that’s the one! When we’re you here. Such a quaint wee village street off that harbour too! Still haven’t been round the castle grounds in case I get in trouble.. haha can you tell there is a bit of underlying imposter syndrome going on with me, I thought I’d be renting a bike oil covered shithole in a city for the rest of my days, nothing like this..

Think it must have been 2005 or 2006 I was there last time (my my how time flies). Castle was nice, remember it as a lesson in abuse of power, the baron had apparently forced the villagers to chop down all the trees on the island so they could heat the greenhouse and eat peaches in February 😂

(I don’t think they shared the peaches)

Edit: yup, the pier across from the ferry.

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Haha, like the old wine gums advert..
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rxrlFU1xZw0

Hate to think what the others were like, even with that ridiculousness he was one of the “good” barons..

@kl haha took this second photo and posted just for you 😂

Should have some more photo updates today. The truss and first load of the house frame is getting delivered today. Due to the shortages the groundworks aren’t quite ready so it’s going to have to sit in the field for the next couple weeks until the concrete slab is poured and cured..

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Bits and pieces have arrived and the place is looking like a proper building site now. Couple pieces damaged on arrival but nothing major and have photos for sending off to them.

The sky turned gorgeous last night so snuck up to get a moody shot, told the builder he could use it in his ads for a discount haha

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Excellent - he's looking for his new cat pal.

Wow!

I've only just found this from your Trackshark thread and as I said, wow!

SUUUBBBED!

Our next door neighbours moved up to Orkney (Stromness) when I was a but a boy and we used to visit most years. Really loved it up there when I was younger, would love it even more so now. So much history as well. Absolutely need to get up for a skoosh around on the roadie n relive some memories!

I love people like yourself that go for it and get it done.

Ah no way, for how small and out the way the place is there’s a surprising number of folk with some link to up here! Would have been amazing to see it at that point before the tourism gentrification occurred.. a high street with shops for locals rather than jewellers and art prints (still lovely and quaint mind and lots of handmade loveliness, support local etc). Stromness is almost its own wee time capsule though and is quite a nice place to spend time. The view across to the hills on hoy from there is just stunning!

We got so lucky getting up here when we did, I’m not sure if post covid this land would have still been available, or affordable! Pretty much everything on the market went sold unseen in the last year..

Haha not quite counting chickens yet though, think it’s going to be a long slog until next spring or so before we’re in.. almost there though in the scheme of things..

@kl a long way from pals yet but hoping we’ll get there!

@fc haha thanks so much bud! Bitten off quite a lot this year but it’s coming together! Pink bar tape ordered by the way!

Not much difference from previous photos but cycled back to this after work today which never ceases to blow my mind! I think the blockwork on the workshop is next.

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