Below is a slideshow of recent pictures 
(on mobiles and smaller devices scroll to see all images).
 For a selection of images, with captions, from earlier stages of the build see Photo Diary.

It's March now - have we moved in yet? Not quite, but we have begun to move in some furniture....

Inside: all of the decorating is complete, except for the upper and lower porches, which had damp issues and are waiting for final threshold details to be completed and and ventilation grilles to be installed (these are outside the airtight passivhaus envelope of the house). Carpet has been installed on the stairs and mezzanine floor (the only carpet in the house, as it would act as a barrier on the concrete/tiled floors, stopping them from warming up sufficiently). 

Mike has installed all the lights, switches and sockets and the kitchen hob, ovens and dishwasher. He's now working his way through the remaining electrical jobs, such as internet and aerial connections, and then he'll move on to connecting up the MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery) unit, which will deliver fresh air into all the living rooms and bedrooms and extract stale air from bathrooms and kitchen.

The MVHR extracts heat from the outgoing air and uses it to warm the incoming air. The system we're using here also has a small heat pump on the incoming air duct, so we can pre-warm the incoming air in very cold weather. We'll need to make use of that in our first few weeks in the house as the structure has not warmed up yet and the internal temperature currently stands at about 12ºC. Once we've moved in we'll begin putting heat into the house via cooking, computers, television - and our own body heat. Sunny days will also contribute, of course, and as we go into the summer the core of the house will begin to warm up, storing that heat until well into the following winter. 

We're still waiting for the water company to connect our supply - months after the pipework was installed - but we do now have an electricity meter, so there's less chance of blowing a fuse.... 

The deep clean of the rooms is well under way. As soon as that's complete we can move more of our furniture in - and perhaps even ourselves....

Outside: the landscaping has been largely completed and the final surface of the drive (tar planings) has been laid - although we're (still) waiting for a roller to become available to roll it flat.

Construction of the disabled ramp, steps and patio began at the end of 2020, but work came to a standstill just before Christmas and hasn't yet restarted - we're not quite sure why.

We're also waiting for the proper downpipes to be fitted and one or two snagging issues around the windows to be finished. There's also a replacement for a cracked pane in the south-facing windows to be fitted, which we understand is on order.  

The foundations for the garage (behind the house) have been laid, but construction of the garage itself is on hold until funds allow.