Render

Despite still being wrapped in it's temporary exoskeleton of scaffolding, the building's external appearance is now changing dramatically with the application of the render. One of three main external finishes, the ivory render will sit alongside the kalzip roofing and timber cladding, covering up the blockwork construction and giving the new building it's distinctive contemporary look.

Barn Dance

The good news is that there are still tickets left...but get hold of some quick to avoid missing out on what is sure to be another great night and a fun way to raise funds for the building.

First Fix

First fix of the electrics has started, with the back boxes and conduit now being installed into the chased walls. Meanwhile the window installation continues, including a great full height corner window in one of the first floor offices, as you can see in the photo below which was taken a couple of days ago.

This space will be partitioned off into offices and a meeting room.

Chasing

Okay, so it's not the most exciting photo. But after mentioning in the previous blog that other trades would be starting soon we thought you might like to see that the electricians are now on site.

In order for the Electricians to do their 'first-fix', when they install the backboxes for the electrical sockets and the conduit through which they run the electrical cables, they have to 'chase' the walls. This involves the unenviable task of cutting channels in the blockwork to agreed socket locations - in this case it's for sockets within the Cafe area. Once they've done this they can install the backboxes and the conduit, before the plastering starts.

Glazing

If you've ever seen Channel 4's Grand Designs you'll have seen plenty of projects where they rush, but ultimately fail, to get the building weathertight before winter sets in. The two most crucial aspects to achieve this are getting the roof on and the windows in.

So with our unexpected late summer weather over, and autumn returning, it's great to be able to report that much of the final roof covering is now installed along with the first of the windows. The photo below shows the roof of the preschool, with the bulk of the external roof cladding inplace and the skylight opening formed ready for the glazing. If you look very closely at the righthand side of the photo you'll see that the windows for the offices have just been installed.


The rest of the glazing will be installed over the next few weeks, helping to make the building weathertight and allow other trades to start work inside.