Monday 22nd September
Work starts early on the timber frame kit for the two semis. This is the first 4 x 2 (100 x 45 in new money) wall plate in situ.

Monday 22nd September
At the end of the day Jerry has sorted through the 'sticks' and located enough straight ones for all the wall plates, which are fixed securely in place with 100mm hammer fixings. Meantime Angus has marked the wall plates with the postions of all the studs, cripples, packers, windows & doors.

Monday 22nd September
Joan is attending a conference in Inverness so we spend the night in the Royal Hotel, Cromarty - this is the view from our bedroom window. It's been a good day!!

Tuesday 23rd September
Once the top and bottom rails for the panels have been cut and marked (seen here lying on the wall plates) Angus makes a start nailing the first panel.

Tuesday 23rd September
Meanwhile Jerry sets about cutting 150 studs at 2160 long - not to mention 30 cripples at 2070, numerous dwangs at 554 and several 150 x 45 lintels at 1000! I'm glad Angus invested in a new saw blade over the weekend.

Tuesday 23rd September
By the time Joan returns from her course in Inverness we have 5 of the 18 ground floor perimeter panels completed,

Wednesday 24th September
Panels, panels and more panels. A brilliant day on-site sees Angus (with bit of help from Jerry!) complete the rest of the ground floor perimiter panels ready for errection tomorrow morning.

Thursday 25th September
10.00 a.m. tea break - the first three panels are covered in breathable membrane (or 'sheeted' in joiner speak) and fixed in place with 4" nails.

Thursday 25th September
12.30 lunch - the perimiter of the first house is up.

Thursday 25th September
16.30 - both house frames are up complete with ring binder to hold everything together. Angus is tidying up the corners while Jerry cuts the sticks for the internal construction walls (to be made tomorrow).

Friday 26th September
Good progress on the panels for the internal structural walls - we have one house completed before lunch.

Friday 26th September
We reach our target of completing the ground floor panels and ring binders for both houses shortly after lunch, so tidy up the site and have an early finish.

It's been a good week!