Window problems (as always with grand designs)

What a beautiful, tranquil scene. However, a few days before this photo was taken, we'd discovered that several (possibly all) of the triangular windows that frame the sliding doors or fill the gable ends were the wrong shape and size. It has meant re-ordering them from the manufacturers in Latvia and a significant delay to some of the work, both inside and out. Those of you who watch the TV Grand Designs will be familiar with this point in most of the projects filmed. Tedious.

This is our bedroom, in a photo taken a couple of weeks earlier than the one above. It shows the sliding door unit still shrouded in heavy duty polythene. The triangular spaces will eventually be filled with correctly fitting, triple-glazing.
The roof has been heavily felted and battened and the slating is about to begin.



This view, from the west, shows where there will be a large triangle of glazing in the gable end. The yellow pipe crossing the photo is leading from Well 1. We've asked that it should be pumped out several times and if the contaminants are reduced sufficiently, we'll use the water for the garden in due course.




This is bedroom 3 and it, too, has a glazed gable end that will have to wait. It's at the north side of the house so we've put two Velux windows in here. The rectangular window below is a mandatory fire exit from this part of the house; we hadn't planned to have a window at this level.




This photo, from within our bedroom, shows a further problem that was revealed once the polythene was removed from the sliding doors. Only one side slides open; the other is fixed. From the drawings, we'd assured ourselves that the sliding door would be the one on the right, so that we can lie in bed and watch the sun come up, or stroll out and have breakfast on the balcony. Hah! The opening door is on the left, so not only would we have to squeeze past the end of the bath (did I mention the beautiful bath we have planned for this room?) but we'd have to leave the table at the other end of the balcony, obstructing our view across the valley. Smallish points, really, in the greater scheme of things. However, as there is a big order going in to the company, we've asked them to replace this unit. It won't add to the inevitable delay.

Let there be light

Why would we block this view (in this case, from the utility room)?

Hmm, so that's how it's done

The Berlin wall

We took our eye off the ball on this one

When the place was first designed, the site was perceived, accurately, as very tight and precipitously steep. Thus, the high walls at the front of the south-facing terrace were planned to stop people falling off and tumbling down the hillside, head over heels.
Since the work has started, it's become very clear that the ground can be "sculpted" by determined men with big digger-type machines. The builders have levelled a useful area around the house to give themselves room to work and to stand the scaffolding. Once we realised that the ground can safely be levelled, we decided to do away with these walls, to extend the terrace a bit and to open up the view from the ground floor again.
The terrace won't be load-bearing, so it shouldn't need sturdy foundations and we plan to make a 45 degree slope down to the next terrace. On this slope we'll plant grass and wild-flowers. The soil will be poor quality, mostly stony brash, which will suit wild flowers.