An orange surprise

We were over in Manchester today, seeing one of our children's family and doing odd jobs. This morning's planned working visit to the house by the heating engineer, plumber and electrician having been postponed to tomorrow, we  dropped by the house on our way home at tea-time without expecting very much to have changed since yesterday's surprise of finding that Ian and his apprentice had fitted the large skylight over the dining area, having also done more work on the timbers of the garage roof. However, the sprinkler team had obviously been at work. I should explain that Wales is unusual (unique, perhaps) in now stipulating that all new-build properties, domestic and business, be fitted with a fire sprinkler system. This adds thousands of pounds to the cost of the build, and, depending on the local water pressure (not known until the mains supply is connected via a roadside meter, which Welsh Water haven't done yet) may require a tank in the loft and an electric pump to deliver the fire-quenching deluge through multiple shower heads in the ceilings around the property. It also means that our ceilings are a couple of inches lower than usual, as a matrix of timber battens has to be fitted below the joists to facilitate the routing of the 33mm pipes - it wouldn't be safe to drill the joists for this size of pipe the way they can be drilled for other, smaller services.

this is the corner of the garage where the water supply will enter the property and begin its journey around the sprinkler system

the garage itself qualifies for a sprinkler head (it seems only the ensuites don't)

further joinery on the garage

looking from the study to the back of the house

our plumber has neatly taped the domestic water pipes where they will be behind plaster (copper can react with gypsum)

here is the skylight above the dining area

the sprinkler pipe rises from the ground floor through the wall of bedroom 1's ensuite

even the large upstairs cupboard is protected

we've had a delivery of steel rain water pipes - I guess they will be in the sitting room until the exterior is rendered/timber-clad

the ensuite fan will be vented through bedroom 1 to reach the soffit north of the gable

Ian Hendrewydd's team still at work in the early evening harvesting the maize (as seen from bedroom 1)

the sprinkler route from bedroom 2 to bedroom 4

we hope that we shall never have a shower in the family bathroom

looking from bedroom 2 across the dining area roof (the skylight will be surrounded by planting)

looking back from bedroom 4

careful drilling, missing the underfloor heating pipes, will take the waste pipes from bedroom 2's ensuite and the family bathroom

extraction ducting, photovoltaic cabling, and other bits and bobs

on a day when I paid over £100 for a small amount of timber for shelving at Wicke's, it's heart-warming to see that our joiner trusts the local community with his supplies overnight


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