I’m excited to say that the ground has been broken at our Graven Hill plot and the Golden Brick phase is now well underway!
This will create the foundations of the house and ground floor slab and connect us up to the drainage system and future services including gas and electricity.
We spent four weeks back home in the Unites States during August and September. It was great to see all our friends and family and introduce them to our new baby, but we’re glad to be back in the UK and focused on our build.
Graven Hill’s contractors were about to start work on the retaining wall along the eastern boundary just as we were getting ready to head to the States. It definitely felt like progress, although breaking ground was still an abstract concept!
We knew things would pick up pace while we were away and we were very excited to see the first pictures of our new home when we came back. Seeing the outline of the Golden Brick in the ground really turned an abstract concept into a reality.
Groundworks are often the riskiest part of a build, so it’s nice having the peace of mind of knowing we’re paying a fixed price no matter what the ground conditions are on our plot – or the impact of the British weather!
I had been hearing from others on the Graven Hill Self Builders Facebook group that, once underway, Golden Bricks were being completed ahead of schedule. And we’re excited to be told by our Facit Homes architect, David, that they expect this phase to be complete within two weeks. Now it really feels like the ball is rolling in the right direction!
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We just visited Bicester to see a nursery that one of our children may attend. Making the most of the day, we decided to stop by the site to see how things are going – which was incredibly exciting. Meanwhile, Facit Homes are busy manufacturing the chassis that will form the shell of our house so it’s ready to be transported to site in the next few weeks.