we dont lay eggs just bricks and slabs

We finished the curved wall ready for the patio and tops to go down/on. But after the first day the progress was halted by the weather. we bed our slabs on a compacted ground, which is then covered in sharp sand and finally the slabs go onto a solid base of mortar. No dot and dabbing or just on sand! This process helps prevent any movement over the years. It does take a little longer but the job is a more satisfactory one all round. The weather has a hand in the laying as the mortar needs to dry out naturally, too much sun and the moisture stops the slabs sticking and too wet and they sink. Because we joint up as we go we also cannot allow surface water to form as it washes the cement out of the joint allowing it to crumble. The jointing as we go helps the slabs to bond to the mortar underneath and between them thus forming a solid base. That's the idea!

The week just gone, rain and campers

After a great start on Monday it seemed to be all down hill after that. rain on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday stopped play. The patio was started, the holes dug for the fencing and all the materials were on hand to finish the job. Just not the weather!
Though the vw camper did get back onto our rubbish roads which made the sun come out at S1, don't think any of us have stopped smiling yet. A few teething problems but its full air cooled away now.
Having completed odds and ends over the past few weeks of various description we are still taking in work at a steady rate. At the moment pricing for works on a church after helping complete the survey on it. Will be a very interesting one. Walls, windows, roofs, ramps, chimneys and a new maintenance contract for the team to get stuck into over the next coming months.
Oak flooring down, oak doors up and a custom cupboard made (check out the highlighted grain on the run of the mill pine)
If your looking for windows or doors check out the link on our blog! its a money saving chance.

rotten felt and blown tiles

Here we have an old pan tile roof abutting up to a conservatory that had water getting in through rotten felt into the soffit and fascia area.With the bottom of the existing felt rotten and patched up by others over the years the owners thought the only alternative was to strip back the first three rows of tiles and install new felt! Not quite so! There usually is some product lurking in a corner in a builders merchant that's there to get you out of a tight fix. This product was a gutter tray which slides under the bottom of your felt and laps into the gutter. This then provides a plastic lip for the water that gets under the tiles through holes/gaps etc to run into the guttering and not the soffit and fascia areas. Its cheaper and quicker than replacing the felt also. Then the tiles were bedded on a solid row of cement to stop birds and rats from entering under the first row. The plastic anti bid guards are no no good at stopping rats. Then there was the task of changing tiles all over the roof which had been damaged by frost. The owners supplied the tiles which were a mixed bag and colours, most people think a tile is a tile and do not realise that there are so many different profiles available. All parties happy and a job well done.

down came the rain and washed poor s1 away

After setting up the levels and laying the first slab the rain stopped play.
The slabs are supplied by Travis Perkins from the old town style range.

Any fancy some protein? Its nature lesson time

 Whilst digging the base for the wall and for the patio we came across these strange grubs , not unlike the ones the Aborigines eat ( Wichita). We all decided to pass on trying these as the fangs locked onto fingers and drew blood, so its was not going near any of our mouths. They are the larvae of the cockchaffer  beetle, the furry ones that buzz about usually in june. About the size of the end of your thumb.


Its a flying frog! One of the many kits at the Hunstanton kite festival that was on at the weekend.



We also dug up a great crested newt which we put into the next doors garden for her to come back the next day! Its the female as there is no crest on its back. Well that's the end of our Nature lesson today

its nice to be appreciated

Popped round to visit a client the company is working for and they gave us this. Its great to be appreciated.

help fight prostrate cancer

Local lad Dean is giving up his time to do the "Great Northern Run" so he can help those out there that know they have or are yet to find out they have prostrate cancer. Its a big one for the guys so even a small donation would be gratefully appreciated as it could be you one day that people like Dean are giving up their time for!
PLEASE DONATE A LITTLE OR A LOT

update

thanks for the interest on the flint but its gone to a good home to be used round a pond.
been busy tidying loose ends up and getting no where fast. slabs for the flint wall are being delivered on monday so back to bedrock. big clear up! posts in! patio down! soil down and levelled! pathway in and then the fence panels! home for tea and maybe a celebration beer or two?
so busy having time off that its been difficult to sort out any updates with pictures! but will sit down the weekend and get on with it and the rest of the news that's relevant to a builder or maybe not?

Free left over flint for anyone?

We have a pile of flint left over that we are going to either give away (you collect it or we can deliver for transporting costs) or have to dispose of.
 Please use our contact details! Great for edging the borders !!!!

its finally finished!

Today after getting soaked through and and bedding the tiles on the top of the wall we could stand back and sigh with relief and smile at the final structure.
To date we have finished the wall, the base for the shed and have the fence and patio to complete (for the time being).
We hopefully fixed a leaky roof to a pre school, which had nearly as many holes a sieve.

We also laid and oak floor today which came out well. The joints will tighten up when the wedges are fitted and the boards acclimatise.
finished the shed base for installation tomorrow  (some extra slabs to go to the side after installation).

its been a long weekend!

Last week saw us down to three days due to the weather and whitenoise. So the wall has all but been completed, last panel and a bit to do and its down to the last bit of flint to complete them so all parties are happy.
A leaky pop up bath waste had to be replaced as the water found a breach and soaked the clients floor. Easy little job and quite painless for us both.
The footings for the new dwarf wall and patio were started today (a new job at the site we are on).

The new website is in full working order and its looking great! s1buildersltd so now you can look at earlier work we have completed and follow new works progress.

new website

all tested and proofed the new site is now being loaded for you all to have the opportunity to browse watch out for the uploaded site post