[GBJB]

I am being greedy, and planning on 3 home cinema set ups (in the long term); in the main open plan living space; in the living room; and a more basic system in the master bedroom.

I think we will spend the most time in the open plan kitchen, but with the TV being relatively high on the wall to make it possible to watch when cooking, eating and even from the deck outside, it won't be ideal from a movie point of view, hence the plan for a further set up, possibly with a projector in the living room.

The bathroom, ensuite, master bedroom, guest bedroom and kitchen area will be on a 5 zone music set up using ceiling speakers. Admittedly the quality won't be ideal, but as it will generally be for the radio in the morning, and general background music I can live with the compromise as it will be a while before the novelty wears off!

I am planning what I think is known as 'node zero' wiring, similar to that detailed on Rorton's build. The data cabinet will go under the stairs, and will house some form of music player, almost certainly something with an iTunes server like a Sonos. To begin with that will supply all 5 outputs with audio, so I won't be able to have different music in different rooms. If funds allow I would like to install a further zone player at some point and I am trying to plan everything in a way which makes upgrading easy in the future. In some cases I am putting wiring in which will not be connected for a while until we can afford the equipment! I am also putting cheaper speakers in which can easily be upgraded, as I don't want to compromise on things that can't easily be changed, like insulation, electrics, plumbing and heating.

All the bedrooms will ultimately have the facility for SkyHD as I am putting twin Cat6 outputs by each TV, and a freeview / Sky UHF outlet to use initially.

I am also planning some form of home server, or NAS with something like an AC Ryan as we enjoy watching sitcom repeats. We currently use a PS3 for this, which we will probably utilise as it is so versatile.

I need to learn more about the Xbox 360 as they seem very popular with people on here, but I know next to nothing about them at the moment.

With the house being semi-detached, I am also embarking on a budget sound proofing mission, and will be doing what I can to limit sound transfer between the rooms in the house.

When I look through the above it seems an impossible task, especially when we want to move in around Easter next year and I am planning on doing everything, bar gas work and plastering myself!

[illingworth22]

Originally Posted by GBJB

I am being greedy, and planning on 3 home cinema set ups (in the long term); in the main open plan living space; in the living room; and a more basic system in the master bedroom.

I think we will spend the most time in the open plan kitchen, but with the TV being relatively high on the wall to make it possible to watch when cooking, eating and even from the deck outside, it won't be ideal from a movie point of view, hence the plan for a further set up, possibly with a projector in the living room.

The bathroom, ensuite, master bedroom, guest bedroom and kitchen area will be on a 5 zone music set up using ceiling speakers. Admittedly the quality won't be ideal, but as it will generally be for the radio in the morning, and general background music I can live with the compromise as it will be a while before the novelty wears off!

I am planning what I think is known as 'node zero' wiring, similar to that detailed on Rorton's build. The data cabinet will go under the stairs, and will house some form of music player, almost certainly something with an iTunes server like a Sonos. To begin with that will supply all 5 outputs with audio, so I won't be able to have different music in different rooms. If funds allow I would like to install a further zone player at some point and I am trying to plan everything in a way which makes upgrading easy in the future. In some cases I am putting wiring in which will not be connected for a while until we can afford the equipment! I am also putting cheaper speakers in which can easily be upgraded, as I don't want to compromise on things that can't easily be changed, like insulation, electrics, plumbing and heating.

All the bedrooms will ultimately have the facility for SkyHD as I am putting twin Cat6 outputs by each TV, and a freeview / Sky UHF outlet to use initially.

I am also planning some form of home server, or NAS with something like an AC Ryan as we enjoy watching sitcom repeats. We currently use a PS3 for this, which we will probably utilise as it is so versatile.

I need to learn more about the Xbox 360 as they seem very popular with people on here, but I know next to nothing about them at the moment.

With the house being semi-detached, I am also embarking on a budget sound proofing mission, and will be doing what I can to limit sound transfer between the rooms in the house.

When I look through the above it seems an impossible task, especially when we want to move in around Easter next year and I am planning on doing everything, bar gas work and plastering myself!

While your running Cat cable to the rooms run some CoAx and speaker wire as well!
I ran 8 Cat6 and 4 CoAx to each bedroom and 8 Cat6 and 4 CoAx to the office and lounge. I also ran 2 x HDMI from AV Amp in Lounge to the (Future) Projector as well as 2 x Cat6 to the Projector. All Cat, Speaker wire and Co Ax runs back to the Node 0.
I have a 16 way distribution Amp for the TV, Sat & Digital Radio (Co Ax) so every one of the 4 Co Ax cables is carrying a TV, Sat and FM/Digital Radio Signal!
Have a look at my Sig..... I need to ad a few more photos.

[GBJB]

Originally Posted by illingworth22

While your running Cat cable to the rooms run some CoAx and speaker wire as well!
I ran 8 Cat6 and 4 CoAx to each bedroom and 8 Cat6 and 4 CoAx to the office and lounge. I also ran 2 x HDMI from AV Amp in Lounge to the (Future) Projector as well as 2 x Cat6 to the Projector. All Cat, Speaker wire and Co Ax runs back to the Node 0.
I have a 16 way distribution Amp for the TV, Sat & Digital Radio (Co Ax) so every one of the 4 Co Ax cables is carrying a TV, Sat and FM/Digital Radio Signal!
Have a look at my Sig..... I need to ad a few more photos.

Thanks. I wish long HDMI cables were cheaper as I would run several more and leave them hidden within ceilings for the future. I think I may end up putting a few extra ones in on the basis that it will be cheaper and easier in the long run!

I'm running speaker cable to at least 5 rooms, and coax cable to all rooms. I am undecided on the loftbox at the moment, but the Triax one is the most likely at the moment, unless anyone has any better suggestions?

You make my wiring obsession pale into insignificance! I am planning 6 CAT6 in the master bedroom, but only 2 in each of the other rooms. There will be a wireless network as well, so if I run out at some point I can always fall back on that.

I will read through your thread next!

[GBJB]

Once the foundations had been put in, it quickly reached floor level. I have lived in houses with wooden floors, and houses with solid floors and I much prefer solid floors. As the land slopes away at the back, solid floors were out of the question so I went for a block and beam floor, which is unusual for home extensions, at least around here. The beams are phenomenally heavy, but other than that it was reasonably easy. I didn't have a crane, even to get them off the wagon so it really was backbreaking work to move and install them! I was surprised by the amount of 'bounce' in the beams, but once the blocks are pointed in apparently that decreases significantly.

[illingworth22]

Originally Posted by GBJB

Thanks. I wish long HDMI cables were cheaper as I would run several more and leave them hidden within ceilings for the future. I think I may end up putting a few extra ones in on the basis that it will be cheaper and easier in the long run!

I'm running speaker cable to at least 5 rooms, and coax cable to all rooms. I am undecided on the loftbox at the moment, but the Triax one is the most likely at the moment, unless anyone has any better suggestions?

You make my wiring obsession pale into insignificance! I am planning 6 CAT6 in the master bedroom, but only 2 in each of the other rooms. There will be a wireless network as well, so if I run out at some point I can always fall back on that.

I will read through your thread next!

My distributor for TV?SAT & Radio is the 16 way Triax (I think it is a Triax). The only reason I put so much cable in was we did a complete (and I mean complete) renovation! I also ran two Cat5e cables to every light switch and to one corner of every room. More future proofing than anything else! Also if you plan on doing the cabling yourself you need to make sure there is sufficient spacing between cables, they are prone to leakage! Google running Cat6 and it gives you some info on how best to run the cables.
One more tip, if you plan to run say 6 to one room and 2 to every other buy 2 boxes of cable that way you can pull the runs in 2's

Good Luck!

[GBJB]

Thanks - I need all the luck I can get!

I have just flicked through the first two pages of your build - very impressive. I think this is as complete a renovation as yours, except we are more than doubling the size of the house at the same time. I swear it would have been easier and cheaper to start from scratch!

I wish I had the spare cash for automated lighting. I think I will have to go for an x10 system or similar in the future if I want some form of automation on the lights. You have got me thinking and I will have to do some research over the weekend.

[illingworth22]

Originally Posted by GBJB

Thanks - I need all the luck I can get!

I have just flicked through the first two pages of your build - very impressive. I think this is as complete a renovation as yours, except we are more than doubling the size of the house at the same time. I swear it would have been easier and cheaper to start from scratch!

I wish I had the spare cash for automated lighting. I think I will have to go for an x10 system or similar in the future if I want some form of automation on the lights. You have got me thinking and I will have to do some research over the weekend.

Beg.... Steal or Borrow! automated lighting (Mine is Rako) is the way to go
Go to bed at night and realise you have left the light on iPhone or iPad out and click the light is off!

[GBJB]

The brick and blockwork went up very quickly, and in no time the floor beams were lifted into place, all by hand! The hardest part was punching the holes into the existing walls of the house and making sure the levels were correct. Plus keeping the building control office happy with the damp proofing and ventilation under the floor structure.

We are spending as much as we can reasonably afford on insulation to hopefully reduce our reliance on heating which was a major problem in our previous house which was largely open plan and pretty much un-insulated! We had huge gas bills, yet the house generally felt cold over the winter months.

The walls seemed to fly up!

The front of the house is actually having a pair of windows at each level rather than a single window, but for some reason the bricky has left the post until later.

I had some really good news today as the company I work for announced they are replacing a lot of the IT system only fitted in May this year is being replaced (as was the former IT manager!) and as a result we need a larger data cabinet. I have been told that the old (but practically new) data cabinet is mine so long as I take it away! Very pleased about this as it is more than big enough, but will easily fit in the planned space.

[RedBull]

I like this thread a lot. Great write up and great photos. I'm renovating a house myself at the moment but there's not as much reconstruction as your project.

Best of luck with it

[RobM]

Superb project and great to see the progress as you go along. Good luck to you

[soupdragon]

Great work, love the Garage door and looking forward to the rest

[jjpearce05]

great looking project !

[phil5366]

Your garage door is the same one as mine, just a different colour. Very nice door indeed.
Your garage is looking superb, it is kitted out to an high standard.

For future reference, I would be looking at buying next door if it ever came to market.

The build is going well and looks the bizz...

[imranuk]

Originally Posted by illingworth22

Also if you plan on doing the cabling yourself you need to make sure there is sufficient spacing between cables, they are prone to leakage! Google running Cat6 and it gives you some info on how best to run the cables.

I am intrigued, I assume you are referring to UTP CAT6 and not STP CAT6 cable? I have been running CAT6 through my house and you now have my attention
I wasn't able to find any guidelines as to how the cables should be run, could you point me in the right direction. Cheers

[GBJB]

I will try not to post too much detail about the house build, but if anyone would like any further information about any aspect of the build just say so and I'll do what I can.

The brickwork continued to go up once the scaffolding had been erected:

After this photo was taken, 13 pieces of steel were installed to support the upper floor, and the loft conversion. I managed to design the steelwork so that it is entirely hidden within the walls and ceilings and there won't be any sign that the house has been extended from the inside. Most extensions I have seen fail from this point of view. I had a structural engineer provide calculations and confirmation for the Building Inspector that the steelwork was more than sufficient. I think it has been well over engineered but I think that's the best way to do it. All the steel fitted perfectly, and was welded in place on site. Once all this was finished, the walls could be finished.

[BigStu1972]

Oooh, this is like watching Grand Designs

[phil5366]

Come on, we want more pics of the build!! you mentioned a telly so that means its AV related...Lol

BTW, its looking good.

[skaterstan]

Impressive stuff. That is a big extension!

[GBJB]

Shortly after the above photos were taken, tragedy struck. My builder, after a domestic incident and under the influence of alcohol tragically took his own life. I had spoken to him earlier in the day and we were celebrating a football result over the weekend, and he told me he had just ordered Sky HD for the future games. It obviously came as a total shock to everyone that knew him that later that day he took his life, leaving a young daughter and two step children behind .

The house was initially not a nice place to be, as it made things more upsetting, and for a short while we were concerned that we would not want to live there. But fortunately that has not been the case.

However bad things are, life has to go on. A stroke of luck came with me being offered a new job only a few miles from the house around this time, which gave me the opportunity to take 5 weeks off work between jobs to get the main building work finished. I retained the builder's labourer, who is actually a very good bricky and did the soldier course across the front windows shown above and being on site permanently meant that work carried on and standards did not slip.

My Dad, who is semi retired, did his best to clear his diary for the month and helped me most days. It was an incredibly hard time, not helped by the weather, short days and long hours (this was November 2010). Progress continued to be made:-

Next jobs were to get it waterproof and secure.... although from this point forward nothing went as planned. I should have known that things were too good to be true!

[illingworth22]

That is Tragic news...... Sympathy to his family!

[imranuk]

Wow, that is tragic.. condolences to his family

[Riggy]

I've been following your thread since you first posted this, but that is something we never expect. Nothing but Sympathy to his family.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the end result, I'm currently looking at buying at the moment, but it's finding the property for me and my partner. This is exactly the kind of future expansion I'm looking for in a property.

Good luck mate. Push forward!

[Happy Rich]

Lost my step father to an alcohol related accident at home 2 years ago. It's actually (indirectly) the UKs biggest killer but is rarely named as a cause of death even though it was instrumental.

Very sad, looking at his skills on your build alone it's a loss to the industry as well as his family & friends.

Let the build go on, cant wait to see it finished

[GBJB]

Originally Posted by Riggy

I'm really looking forward to seeing the end result, I'm currently looking at buying at the moment, but it's finding the property for me and my partner. This is exactly the kind of future expansion I'm looking for in a property.

Good luck mate. Push forward!

Cheers

We really struggled to find something affordable, and I don't think there is another house within several miles that would have been suitable, and the odds of anything coming onto the market are very slim. So we were very luck really, especially as we didn't pay a premium for the large garden, which was badly marketed by the agent.

Good luck with your search. If you find anything, go for it as the chances of it coming up again are slim to none!

[GBJB]

Originally Posted by drivinscool

Lost my step father to an alcohol related accident at home 2 years ago. It's actually (indirectly) the UKs biggest killer but is rarely named as a cause of death even though it was instrumental.

Very sad, looking at his skills on your build alone it's a loss to the industry as well as his family & friends.

Let the build go on, cant wait to see it finished

Sorry to hear of your loss. I can quite believe it, as I don't think for a second it would have happened if he was drunk. Judging by the sheer volume of people at the funeral, he had no shortage of friends he could have gone to. Really tragic.

I can't wait to see it finished either, although the updates are almost a year out of date, it's still not finished!

[GBJB]

As I have mentioned earlier, this was the point when things started going wrong. I went for a traditional roof structure with large wooden purlins to ensure that it lined up perfectly with the existing roof, which I am not sure would have been the case with preformed trusses. The joiners I decided to use came highly recommended, and were not cheap at £150 plus VAT per day each. They seemed decent enough guys and my Dad made the mistake of paying them before they had quite finished the roof structure and the dormers. They didn't come back to finish, and the situation deteriorated a little and they became rude and even abusive when we tried to get them back.

Then I started measuring things, and putting a level to things, and unless my standards are too high, they were not top class joiners! The only option was to finish it myself, redoing work where necessary. This did not put me in a good mood, but at least I learned a lot, and in hindsight, I enjoyed the work and the satisfaction of doing it myself.

I was so impressed with the garage roof tiling that I got the same guys back to do the house roof. I had the entire roof removed from the existing building to replace the roof felt with a modern breathable material, and replaced all the battons with pressure treated wood so I should have no worries so long as I am living there. Again I used reclaimed roof tiles as I didn't want the extension to be obvious as I am too impatient to wait years for things to weather in, and even then you can usually see the line between old and new which to me means an extension has failed to a certain extent.

I had three roof windows fitted (two for the loft room, and one at the front to get some additional light onto the stairs) and went for the new Roto windows which I think is a better product than the equivalent Velux, and fit perfectly with the joist spacing which the Velux range didn't. There is an additional loft room over the new extension, but due to the design of the roof height is limited, and access is only via pull down wooden steps. It is still a great storage room though, meaning it should be easier to keep the house straighter once we move in.

Very pleased with the roof, and it looks like it's always been there. The roofers are highly recommended so if anyone needs a roofer in the Fylde Coast area of Lancashire give me a shout!

[ukprometheus]

really loverly work there fella looking good, sad story about your builder too

[GBJB]

Then came my favourite part so far, removing the scaffolding! It is finally possible to see how it will look, but obviously there is still a long way to go.

When funds allow, the existing windows to the front of the house will be replaced, and an open porch built. But for now they are not priorities!

And the roof terrace:

My wife loved the outcome so I was in the good books for once!

Next job is the flat roof, then the stone window sills, windows and doors so that the house is finally dry and secure after around 5 months of being unsecure and open to the elements!

[Rick2102]

Looking good

Really enjoyed reading through this thread and watching the progression, great shame about the builder, tragic

Love the roof terreace, will be amazing in the summer, and looking forward to seeing this all finished

[illingworth22]

Not sure about that roof terrace I mean you will be sitting out on sunny mornings having cups of Tea and pots of Coffee! Just think about the poor Butler having to carry all that stuff up stairs!

Looking mighty fine and what a transformation!

Also Have you considered Windows Home Server? You can pick up the HP Pro Liant Micro Server with or without WHS installed. I have one with WHS V1 but I have just purchased WHS2011. It backs up all my connected computers and also has the ability to serve music to my sonos (iTunes installed on on my PC's and all the music is duplicated using MediaRover, free, to each other iTunes PC and the WHS) Video is also done in a similar way, transferred from my Humax PVR's to the WHS and then watched on DNLA TV's or Media Players

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/20...-100-cashback/

and
http://www.serversplus.com/hp_proliant_microserver

£179 to £199 and then £100 cash back (Which is what I bought)

Just a thought!