James May Lego House update #2

So Sunday we popped back over to Dorking (to the Denbies estate) to see what the progress was on James May's Lego House project (our previous visit being something of a let down), this time (thankfully) there was *much* more to see, starting with the signs leading you (on a bit of a roundabout) route up to the site of the house itself -

- on a ridge, high above the complex below -

- the walk up took about fifteen minutes I guess (although that is at my brisk walking pace), the terrain is somewhat uneven and rocky and the paths do get quite steep in places (especially when you reach the house itself), so if you are planning a trip it's probably wise to bring some sensible shoes (and perhaps something to drink if it's a hot day) -

- there are a lot of grapes you could try and eat if parched, but I'm not sure Chardonnay grapes are good for eating (I didn't try)...

Anyway, reaching the house itself, it's clear that it's not *completely* made from Lego, if you look up towards the top (where they are still building) there is a very obvious timber frame in evidence (not exactly cheating though, as my normal brick house also has one, I guess) -

- there are also a *huge* number of boxes laying around, which (I'm guessing) used to contain Lego bricks...

If you look closely at the walls, you will notice that they are peppered with "window" bricks, just to afford a little ambient light inside, but also the odd very large crack -

- where the bricks are starting to come apart (possibly something to do with the use of various different colours of bricks, which would, most probably, expand and contract at different rates as the sun warms them up) -

- there was also, inexplicably, one small section where the uniform use of colours has been thrown out the window, and random colours were used...

...oh and (of course) James May's signature on one of the corners (with the year of construction), hinting that the structure might be a semi-permanent feature of the estate, perhaps... ;)
Around the back (necessitating increasingly long looping uphill/downhill walks around long avenues of vines) -

- you can see boxes of the larger blocks used for construction -

- if you check out this shot you get the idea -

- each of the larger (hollow) bricks is constructed from the smaller Lego bricks, they have then been laid in rows around the timber frame and then, perhaps, filled with builders expanding foam (well, that's what I would do, anyway)... ;)

So there we go...if you fancy popping along, that is all you can expect to see, don't think you'll be able to run up and down the Lego stairs or flush the Lego toilet - James May has posted security guards (really) to keep everyone at a safe distance...

Oh, and it was only upon getting back down from the ridge that I spotted the wally trolley (presumably) taking people up to see it in more leisurely fashion...Oh well... ;)

More pictures here on the Lego House Flickr Stream (if you like this sort of thing)...

It was all going so well!

It sounded a bit like one of the radiators was coming up to the boil (same noise a kettle makes), but in fact (now the hot water is under the same level of pressure as the cold water) it had sprung a leak! So he's coming back to replace it...also the taps in the bathroom won't stop dripping, so I'm not sure they are quite up to taking the pressure either (however, I am told that they might well settle down after a couple of days, so I'll just keep half an eye on them for the time being)...

Anyway, little problems aside, it's all in, job done...hot water on demand, no more flicking a switch and waiting, no more timers - just boiling hot water at the twist of a tap...I had a lovely long soak to celebrate... ;)

Now if I could only find my mobile phone and my PSP, both of them seem to have gone missing in the chaos...

Update - found them both tucked safely in my camera bag...phew! ;)

1000th Post!

Another little landmark - and it just so happens - post **1000** on Finkblog turns out to be about plumbing (hrm)! ;)

Anyway, a brief break for an 18th birthday celebration last night (congratulations Anna!), work resumed at about 9am this morning -

- the boiler came back out for a while for the elaborate pipework to be installed -

- the hot water tank lost it's jacket -

- and got kicked out into the road -

- where someone down a few doors spotted it and promptly negotiated it's removal for scrap value (saves us a dump run) -

- the naughty old boiler came out and joined it (but no-one came begging to take it away, tellingly) -

- and then the floor started coming up...

I'm trying to ignore the other noises coming from upstairs (which are ranging all the way from creaky, saw-like, hammer-murder and clanky to chainsaw, hammer drill and Jason Donovan on the radio)...best off sticking to being "coffee bitch" and keeping out the way, I think...that combination could be dangerous! ;)

New boiler update - work in progress!

Well, it's all happening here (note to self - got to be careful, just noticed I'm on post 999, next post must say something about this landmark!) -

- anyway, the big toys came out (diamond blades!), time to make a hole through the wall of the outside cupboard -

- about 3 minutes of drilling later the guide poked through -

- and then the blade started to appear (with lots of smoke and dust) -

- and almost before I could focus on it (well, okay, before I could focus on it), out it popped -

- "Bit of PVA on there mate and you got a pretty unique door stop" (think I might do that!) -

- Anyway, here is the hole -

- and poor Santa and Snowman (who got a bit of brick dust, but should be used to "light dustings" of things, if you ask me) -

- and then, even as I was flickr'ing the last bunch of pictures, I got a call, it was in already! -

- the inside looks like a bloody motorbike engine -

- believe it or not there is a spark plug on the injection system (yes, injection system!) which super heats 80 meters of micro-size aluminium tube (which loops the round bit at the top), then the bit at the bottom is a massive heat exchanger (*exactly* the same technology used as a heat sink on a PC processor, but reversed to work as a heat dump)!

Amazing stuff! Learning a lot here... :)

Plumber arrived and work has commenced!

Well, after a cup of coffee anyway... ;) That's the boiler in the big cardboard box (a "one man lift" apparently, so no strained backs today) -

- equipped also with an absolute mountain of copper fixings -

- meters of copper pipe, and about 5 boxes of tools (useful for holding the doors open, if nothing else) -

- First job is to drain the system down, which he said he was expecting to "be like treacle" but turned out to be as fresh as a mountain spring (this is very good news apparently!) -

- he even tasted some, but I managed to resist the temptation -

Outside Cupboard - Before

This is where it's going to go when it's installed, the spur for the power is already there (that was done during the week) just below the shelf -

Preparations complete - New Boiler

So, we are ready! For those of you who have ever dared to look inside our cupboard by the front door, be amazed! Yes, you can take your hands from where you were covering your face to stop the avalanche crushing you, for all of Flyingpops' shoes have migrated into the hall! -

- the freezer (once lost under piles of winter coats), is in the living room (where I will defrost it later, if I find time, as it's not been done since we moved in) -

- all the myriad complex hanging contraptions have gone from around the broken old boiler, here you can also see the (now illegal) flue arrangement... -

- The bathroom is standing by (hopefully he will fix the toilet so it actually fills itself up too, although I have to congratulate us on how green we have been as a result, recycling the bath water to flush the toilet is commendable, but getting just a little tiresome now)...

Perhaps normality can resume soon...it will be truly wonderful to be back in a house with hot water, central heating and freely flushing facilities...even if it is costing us our entire savings for doing the bathroom up, oh well...gotta be done... ;)

More later...

Broken Boiler

We are obviously lined up for all the good luck at the moment, had the fellow round to take a look at our boiler and it was basically written off as a death trap, to make things all the much more convenient, it's now illegal to install a boiler inside a house connected to the outside only by a flue (in case it becomes blocked and forces carbon monoxide to vent into the house, thus killing all the occupants) so it can't go in the same place...(I suppose at least giving us a large new cupboard space to use)...anyway, after much poking around, the outside cupboard was decided on as a new destination (as I find it rather tricky to get up into the loft if the pilot light ever went out or anything)...so, the water supply, electricity etc. is all having to be re-routed, and all this is going to happen over the weekend, starting tomorrow...

Pics later...wish us luck!

Dorking Window Company update #2

...well, could I be more impressed? Probably not...and that really says something...quite honestly, if I had been tasked with doing the job myself I couldn't have done any better, the attention to detail, the clean lines, the perfect "make good", it's just the very best service I have been yet privy to...even considering the cold, cold weather-the utterly professional staff worked a swift and perfect miracle...Awesome... :)

Hailstorm!

Hailstorm!
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

Argh! The skies have gone black and hail has thundered down on our position, leaves are blowing through the house, and still the is no glass on the back wall...(on the ground floor at least!)...

Finishing off...

Wow, look at that! Perfect finish... :)

Cleaned up and treated...

Cleaned up and treated
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...all ready for the builders filler to go down...(much better!)... ;)

Ant sign...

Ant sign
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...discovered under the doorway! The plastic will keep them out, but as a precaution I'm going to pepper the ways with Ant powder...

Back window gone...

...so now we just have a huge gaping hole as the back wall of the house...oh, and it was nice to find that with the removal of the sturdy posts from beneath the slightly bent lintel that the house didn't subside even a millimeter.... :)

Demolishing the back door

Demolishing the back door
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...It's getting a bit cold in the living room now...brr...!