18 July 2016 - Week 74, the FINAL WEEK!!

Well, what an adventure but we are here and should be moving in Sunday 24 July 2016.  Just a few last minute bits to do and we can start meetings!

I'll post a final set of pictures in a few weeks but you can see how good it looks now! 

18 May 2016 - Halve way through week 66

I normally wait until the end of the week but so much has happened over the last few days I felt it was important to have an update!

• Walls and ceilings are finished in the entrance, cafe, nursery and toilets
• All lights are fitted in these areas
• Door frames are in for these areas too (and doors in some cases)
• Floors are in the toilets
• Cubicles are built in toilets and sanitary ware is partially fitted
• Main Auditorium walls are painted, second coat going on tomorrow
• Main Auditorium wall lights are fitted and working
• Main Auditorium ceiling has been started
• Air conditioning units have been fitted
• Kitchen walls and ceiling are finished

So, as you can see... a busy couple of weeks!!

8 May 2016 - End of week 64

The building continues to change on a daily basis both inside and out with work internally progressing at a rapid pace.  We have electricity now which has allowed the generator to finally be retired and the site is surprisingly quiet.

The outside has been cleared right the way round in preparation for the finishing surface to be laid and the inside has transformed again in two weeks with the main hall getting it's plasterboard coat (nearly 500 plasterboards installed in a week!).

The wall connecting the main auditorium to the building has also been lined with special sound boards to prevent sounds (and fire) spreading into the main building.

Lights are being fitted next week and the plastering will start on the main hall.  It's taking shape fast.

24 April 2016 - End of week 62

The last four months have seen huge changes inside the building.  The outside is almost completed now (apart from the car park) but the inside is just starting with electrics, plumbing, heating, walls and ceilings all being installed.

The team working on the inside are moving at a phenomenal pace and we could see the ground floor finished by the end of May.

We are keen to start using the building so the first and second floors will be left unused for now whilst we concentrate on getting the ground floor completed enough to move in and start having meetings.

Some more pictures and a video showing the progress to date.

18 March 2016 - End of build week 57

Very good progress has been made over the last four weeks with windows being installed and now the scaffolding is starting to come down.  We've even got the name NLRC on the building now so it has an identity!

We should see the rest of the scaffolding come down in about 4-5 weeks and the inside is starting to take shape too.

It's exciting seeing the scaffolding removed, it's like seeing the building properly for the first time... and the sun came out for the occasion.

Here are some pictures and a video showing the time lapse for the scaffolding removal.

21 Feb 2016 - End of build week 53

Well, it's the end of February and we've been doing this build now for over a year.  It's all starting to take shape now... the roof is on and some of the windows are in.  Every day it looks a little bit more of a building and less of a construction site!

We've had a few minor delays which means that the building project has been pushed back (even though the video mentions end of April!).  In reality it's looking like the end of June 2016 before we can use the building but we've waited over 20 years for this moment so we can handle an extra month or two.

Here are a few pictures and a video showing the progress so far.

31 December - End of Build Week 45 (and end of the year too!)

So we say goodbye to another fantastic year and the NLRC building is ever closer to completion.  Here is a short video showing the progress so far, it's exciting to think that this could be ready for use in the next six months.

Happy New Year!

6 December 2015 - End of week 32

Progress on the building has been steady and this week has been monumental!  The roof has gone on and we can finally remove the crane from site which has been a permanent resident for many months. Now we can look at getting the building watertight and start work on the inside but that will probably have to wait until after Christmas now due to weather and holidays.

Here are a few pictures of the roof being installed and a video of the roof being started.

29 October 2015 - End of week 36

So, the structure has moved along very swiftly over the last six weeks and the main auditorium is pretty much build not with the ground and first floors taking shape.

I wanted to update this Blog every week but I've just started a new job which has prevented me having as much spare time as I used to!

So, here is a picture to show where we are at... more to follow shortly.

13 September 2015 - End of week 30

Lots has been going on at the site over the last four weeks but this week has seen the start of the timber frame structure going up.  It's obviously a very exciting time to see the building start to take shape and the main hall walls and roof are already on after the first week!

For those that haven't had a chance to get down to site here is a short timelapse for the first 4 days.  The last day (Friday) which hasn't been captured saw the roof installed onto the frame.

I'll try to update on a weekly basis now with a time lapse for every week.

16 August - End of week 26

This was a fantastic week! On Thursday members of NLRC had a chance to walk onto the finished foundations and place their feet onto the floor of our new building.

Only two weeks to go before the timber frame arrives and we start to see the building grow up!

Short video below from the visit this week. Best viewed in 1080p HD!

2 August - End of Week 24

Still lots of activity at the site, the foundations are now nearly completed.  All the waste pipework is in as well as the lift shaft.  The front portion of the foundations has all the metal work in place and just needs to have the concrete poured in.  Once this has been done the foundation slab is complete and work can start on the timber frame (should start around end of August) and the walls.

The site manager is arranging as chance for members of the church to walk onto the site on Thursday 13 August between 19:00 & 20:00.

That's a lift shaft...not a baptistery!

16 July - Week 22

The building continues to take shape with the foundations and floor at the back of the building completed.  Drainage work is taking place now around the perimeter of the building because the clay based soil is so good at holding water that we have needed to invest in some special drainage to remove surface water.

The timber frame work is looking set for the end of August now so work is continuing on the rest of the foundations, drainage work and service ducts.