Hiley Website

This is the story of how a patch of garden was transformed in seven working days.

We have been wanting to add a nice summer house to the garden but following a sudden phone call those plans we brought quickly forward.

Our plans were also modified by the fact that the building we decided on was too big to deliver through our garden gate

so it had to be constructed on site. We planned to have it installed sometime during December but . . .

" There is a free week ahead for the guys and could they come and build it on Monday next ? "

Time for me to build a shed base . . . double quick !

The location was decided by the garden itself . . . a small group of Leylandii, one of which had died, needed to go.

The location was decided . . . the greenery (and brownery ?) cut away . . . now to remove the stumps.

The job was done in the dampness of Saturday, the first day.



Now to fill the base with a ton of hard core . . .	. . . shipped by hand (and wheelbarrow) from our paddock next door.



Topped out with new 20mm stones . . .	. . . levelled and tamped down by machine.

	- - - - o o o - - - By Sunday afternoon we were ready. - - - o o o - - - On Monday the lads turned up and made a start. The galvanised base was laid and levelled. All the supplies and timber were delivered and stored away safely either in the shed, the greenhouse or under a tarpaulin sheet in the garden. Why was it battened down so well ? Monday night we were forecasted to get really bad weather due to ex-hurricane Ophelia blowing through. - - - o o o - - -

By late Tuesday morning the pod has started to take shape.

The end walls, pre-fabricated at the workshops, were now raised to the vertical.

The side timbers were secured and the build was well under way.

Storm Ophelia had passed by (leaving a sixteen hour power cut) but the construction progressed well that afternoon.

There was still rain in the air so the tarpaulin came in useful once again.

Rain over, the inner tongue-and-groove wall was added.

Plank upon plank it climbed up the inner batons, each secured by a blast from the nail gun,

each of which sent the birds scurrying to the security of the hedge from the nearby bird table.

The pod was was to be fully insulated to modern building standards . . . the warming fibres set within the larger framework.

Day two ended with a protective layer of breathable membrane over the structure.

On Wednesday we thought we'd offer the guys a sunny day for a change so they could fit the front and rear arches in comfort.

These were manufactured back in their workshop at Carnforth near Lancaster and brought up in the van.

Doors and a rear window slot quickly into place.

Day four . . . sees the roof panels being fitted and internal dividing walls located inside.

The pod is fully weatherproof in its own right tonight.

Now I had to dig a trench for the power supply ready for tomorrow.

Inside the floor construction was built up.

We thought we were having a wall heater . . . but the latest specification included under floor central heating.

First a thin bed of polystyrene, then the carbon-backed cellophane sheet is laid and electrically connected.

That was topped with a protective sheet and then oak laminate floorboards and we're sorted.

The electrician also spent the day working alongside the other lads to fit lighting and sockets.

It looked finished but inside there's just a few final jobs to complete after the weekend.



Our first visitors, Dee and John, came to inspect the new structure . . .	. . . and helped us decide on soft furnishings and accessories.

The final day started with a rain shower at the top of the Buttermere Valley

but soon the bright sunshine reflecting on the surface of Crummock Water heralded a dry working day.

The skirting board is being tweaked at our request

and the whole structure was sanded down and checked before it is officially handed over.

We have the door keys . . . we have the sunshine . . .

now to get the summer warmth and and who knows . . . a glass of something to relax alongside.

Full marks to Lune Valley Pods and the guys who built it for us in such a short time.

Josh, Liam, Roger, Ollie, Ash, Jack the electrician . . . and Sam Westward, the boss.

- - - o o o - - -

Added Extras . . .



Seats by Sofabed Barn . . .	. . . they convert into long benches . . .	. . . with space behind for a caravan porta-poti.

The little alcove will have a curtain in due course, as will the back window and door.



To have somewhere level to sit in the summer . . .	. . . a little decking will solve the problem.

Not only will the chairs be level but the 'lemonade' on the table won't fall off !

The steps in the garden needed a little attention and a new handrail . . . so we had an official re-opening.

- - - o o o - - -

Night time . . . and the sensor light on the front porch lights the way to the door.

- - - o o o - - -

If you like the idea of a Pod in your garden and want more details, do let us know.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Panasonic Lumix TZ60, or my Panasonic Lumix Gx8 Camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a band of willing workers.

Previous walk - 16th October 2017 - Sideswiped by Storm Ophelia

A previous building project - October/November 2002 - Oak Cottage 'reformation'

Next walk - 27th October 2017 - Holme Woods and Crummock

Now on sale . . .

The Loweswatercam Calendar 2018

For this 10th anniversary edition we have been looking

back at the year to bring you twelve months of

Loweswater pictures, Lakeland scenes

and your favourite mountain dogs.

£10 a copy (plus postage + packaging if required)

£1 of every calendar sold goes to support

the Air Ambulance and local Mountain Rescue.

Click here to see the full details and to order your copy.


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