The first surprise was that the ground which had been prepared for the crane was so soft that it couldn't even park on it, let alone lift any loads. So the road was used instead, once we had chased the neighbours... Second surprise: by 6.45am the town hadn't yet closed the road - because they don't start work til 7am. Soon after that was sorted, the scaffold builders arrived - they are the ones in the red t-shirts, Hanse Haus workers are in the blue shirts - thankfully they weren't playing against each other - as can be seen in the pictures that follow. Click on pictures to enlarge.
6.36 am. Getting ready to unload the first lorry.
Brand-new crane getting set up and levelled out.
Lorry unpacked. The pneumatic suspension on the lorry and trailer is used to level out the trailer: in this case the cab and rear axle of the tractor unit were lowered almost to the ground and the trailer axles raised about a meter above normal.
Sebastian preparing the rim of the bottom plate / slab with sealant.
The south wall being unloaded,
then lowered into position,
and bolted to the slab. The same procedure was then carried out for every wall - below in quick succession:
Master bedroom and guest room - note scaffolders at work already.
Patio doors in living room wall facing south.
Living room, eastern wall.
Northern wall from left ro right: living room window, double doors, and kitchen window.
Western wall: utility room window, front door, and window of small bathroom.
And finally at 8.10am the large bathroom window. All the outer walls now standing, slotted into each other and bolted to the slab.
And now for some views from inside the "shell". Now it's easier to imagine what it will look like when it's finished, and what the views will be like from the windows.
Looking onto the patio from the living room.
Looking from the living room towards the front door - clerk of works just entering.
Looking across living room from doorway.
The heating system was hoisted into the utility room before the roof went on.
The ceiling being lowered into place in sections - this one has the trap door of the roofspace cut out. Note how scaffolding is progressing. Ceiling was completed at midday.
Time for the first gable end. Scaffolding still growing.
Roof ridge in place, crossbeams ready to be mounted (in the foreground).
Scaffolding complete and banner in place. Temperature by this time was 29°C and very high humidity.
Roof tiles have arrived and are hoisted onto the roof.
Crossbeams being mounted. First they are hammered into place, then nailed: see following two pictures of Timo in action. A good sense of balance is definitely needed:
Then the chimney for the wood-burning stove - made in our present home town of Ochsenfurt - was lowered into place:
And finally, by 7pm, the roof had been covered with moisture barrier - keeps water out, lets air in and out.
Having worked on the house in sweltering heat for 10 hours, the team decided they would have a quieter day today working mainly inside the house with the electricians who arrived this morning to do the wiring.
