Lab Build: Day 8 - 27/03/17

Another extremely successful day today. Over the weekend more bricks arrived as well as the beams and bracing for the roof. As usual we spent the day shoveling soil but with a difference, the end was in sight and we knew in a few hours the task will finally be complete.

Just before dark the last wheelbarrow was loaded and tipped into the skip. It took us over a week but the entirety of the soil dug up for the 1 meter deep footings had been moved by us and us alone into skips; 3 and a half to be exact.

After another KFC, we spent the rest of the evening moving the final pieces of scrap metal/wood and debris that I have had lying in my garden for a long time into the skip. Not only is all the hard boring work out of the way but the garden looks better then ever (minus the big patch of dying grass).

And as promised, here are some picture of the structure so far.

Now that our work is complete, there is not much for us to do until the builders finish meaning the blog posts and video logs will be uploaded and updated less frequently. Don't worry though, I'll be sure to upload any part of the construction process that is interesting as well as keep you all updated with any other progress made. Estimated time until completion is about 3 weeks, then the fun can commence.

Luckily we had a good few dry days to move the majority of the soil and let the builders lay the bricks, however as you may tell from the pictures the rain is setting in once again. For this reason, construction may be delayed until it warms up a bit.

Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for video logs documenting the entire project - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbYNLXCvqlCoLev-WvJ37oQ

Lab Build: Day 6 & 7 - 23 & 24/03/17 

Another couple of successful days of digging soil, were so close to finishing now! The builders are making excellent progress as well, every time I go down to have a look the walls are another layer higher. The insulation has also started to go in between the walls, before long it will be time for the roof to go on.

On Monday the skip will be replaced yet again ready for the final load of soil and some of the old pavement slabs we don't need anymore. After that the hard labor is done and we can move on to more exciting things.

Sorry for there being no pictures for today's blog post, as we have been making time lapses of us moving the soil, the camera hasn't been available for use to use to get pictures. Now that the soil is pretty much done there wont be anymore time lapses for a while so i'll be sure to get many photos for the next post tomorrow.

In the mean time, check out the video logs for more detail of our activities:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbYNLXCvqlCoLev-WvJ37oQ

Lab Build: Day 5 - 22/03/17

If there's something worse then shoveling tonnes of soil, its shoveling tonnes of soil in the pouring rain. It rained like cats and dogs all day long but as the skip was due to be emptied tomorrow, there was no choice but to push on. 

We spent the majority of the day trying to shelter ourselves by setting up a tarpaulin over our work area but that was made redundant as the sun finally came out just as we finished putting it up.

Needless to say it was quite a dismal and unproductive day. At least we got some of the work done.

Lab Build: Day 4 - 21/03/17

A new milestone has been reached, the first layer of bricks have been laid!

The wall is now around 5 bricks high all the way around, forgot to take a picture when the workers finished but should have some in the next blog post.

For the rest of the day and night we once again continued perilously lugging the mounds of earth and soil (and a ton of clay) to are newly emptied skip. Due to a later starting time we didn't manage to fill it all the way up, that's tomorrows job. 

This is also a great time to announce the Half.corp youtube channel. My main channel Halflife390 is mainly for gaming but I used to put video of all my projects on there. I have now decided it would be a good idea to set up a second channel purely for my science based content. What better way to start a new channel then with a video series documenting the construction of the lab where all the future videos for the channel will be filmed.

Half.corp science/engineering projects (Second channel) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbYNLXCvqlCoLev-WvJ37oQ

Main gaming channel (For those who are interested) - https://www.youtube.com/user/halflife390

Stay tuned for more updates and subscribe to the Half.corp youtube channel for video logs on the lab project.

Lab Build: Day 3 - 18/03/17

Big day today as the footings were completed and it was time to fill them in with concrete. Clay soil made the digging difficult so some more workers were drafted in to finish the job.

The concrete pumping truck arrived and set up a pipe running all the way from the drive, through the house and down the garden to the footings.However, the concrete itself was no where to be seen.

After a few hours of waiting we discovered the concrete truck had broken down. It did turn up in the end and started pumping before the next problem set in. It was getting dark.

Once again, my friend saved the day with his work lights. Might be about time I invested in some.

Until the concrete is set, no more work can be done so Sunday is a day off for all of us. On Monday, the masonry builders will arrive and the first bricks can be laid.

Lab Build: Day 2 - 17/03/17

First thing in the morning was the delivery of the bricks and concrete blocks. Digging continued all day and the footings were nearly complete. At 2 o'clock I then decided to start the laborious task of carting all the soil from the garden to the skip. My friends were going to help me but didn't turn up at the agreed time so I became a one man work force. To make matters worse, all the wheelbarrows were in use by the builders so I had only a bucket to carry the soil in.

(Sorry for bad lighting, didn't get a chance to take a picture during daylight hours)

Things took a turn for the better though as my friends eventually turned up with wheelbarrows and as the builder got off at around 4, we could use theirs and their better shovels.

We continued for as long as we could until the skip was full enough that its door needed closing. This gave us load more room for soil but made it very difficult to empty the wheelbarrows into it. We fixed this by creating a large ramp using some of the concrete blocks that arrived in the morning as well as the doors from the old shed.

We pressed on even though it felt as if are limbs were about to fall off until it got dark. Knowing how big the job was encouraged us to get as much done in the time we had available so it was time to get out the extension cables and set up lamps. My friend made the job much easier as he rushed back to his house to grab his work lights. 

Eventually we filled the skip to a point where no more soil could fit in it so we had a rest, grabbed a KFC and called it a day. My friends left and I dismantled the ramp so our cars could get back on the drive. By the time all the extension cables were back inside and everything was packed away it was 10 o'clock; we had been lugging soil for nearly 8 hours. 

Just another 2 skips to go and we will be done.

As the skip doesn't get emptied until Tuesday, no more soil work can be done.

Lab Build: Day 1 - 16/03/17

Work commenced early Thursday morning, I was out for a few hours and was surprised with the work that had been done in such a short space of time when I returned. The tree in the middle of the site was cut down, the shed was torn apart and its concrete base was being jack hammered away. The skip arrived then the digging of the footings started.

In an effort to cut costs, it was agreed that the builders would leave the excavated soil in the garden and it would be upon me and my friends to transport it all to the skip out the front. This sounded fine in theory but not when we saw just how much we had to move.

That isn't even half of the footings dug. Looks like there's a LOT of work ahead of us.

Lab Build: Day 0 - 14/03/17

My lab has always been on the table of projects to be started, but it wasn't going to happen for a while as plans had to be submitted and the builders had to become available. However, only a few days ago we were informed that the builders had a job cancelled on them and so could start the lab build that same week. Before the footings could be dug, the entire area needed clearing and tidied to give room for the work to commence. The back of my garden is full of junk metal, slabs, wood, old gardening equipment and a shed that all had to be cleared. There was also out fire pit that needed emptying and have its surrounding brick layer removed.

Me and my friends spent the following 2 days clearing the area and moving things up the garden into the house. The entire shed was emptied too.

Damn you storm Doris, taking out the wrong tree!

The garden was only half the work. The entire back room (which was my temporary workshop) had to be completely emptied so the builders could get all of their equipment through. My tools and projects are now spread about the house.

Official construction can now commence tomorrow.