St. George’s Day 2014 and the bluebells are blooming. It is extraordinary to think we are now less than two weeks from seeing our eco house and guest accommodation assembled on site over a matter of days. This has been four years in the making! We first saw the plot back in 2010 since when we have had innumerable exchanges with architects, house building firms, renewable energy suppliers at EcoBuild, Lewes District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, local councillors and the MP for Lewes Mr. Norman Baker, not to mention countless meetings with ground-works managers, garden designers, eco-lighting and interior designers, and of course our old friends the utilities companies. It is wonderful to think of all our hard work and choices coming to fruition as we approach the Day of (house) Deliverance on Tuesday 6th May.
We’re almost ready. The Baufritz project manager has signed off the accuracy of the 13 drainage points and channels for the mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system (phew!) and the slab has received its third pour. Joe and team are now building up the two retaining walls that back onto the chalk escarpment. These are made of Stepoc blocks filled with concrete. They are coated in bitumen, covered with a damp-course and insulated with Perimate styrofoam. Runaway pipes will be laid on a slight slope covered by shingle. The gap between the back wall of the house and the chalk will then be infilled with MOT and chalk, making a solid join between the house and the ground it is cradled in. This house is going to be wonderfully insulated and energy-efficient because of its partly earth-sheltered position and geothermal benefits.
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to live in a brand new eco house? Come and experience it for yourself when we launch our sumptuous and sustainable guest accommodation in early 2015. We are looking forward to welcoming you.