Volunteering

Typical Work Activities

External Work:

Site clearance and landscaping – it may be cold and wet, but you'll work hard. Beware of hazardous waste and materials buried on site, especially the gas/electric/water connections and drains.

Concrete Floor Laying:

The ground floors of the houses consist of narrow concrete beams with ledges to carry lightweight concrete blocks laid between them. The beams are heavy, but many hands make light work. The gaps are then grouted up with mortar.

Timber Wall Panel and Floor Construction:

The main construction of the houses is a timber frame, assembled according to our drawings from timber studs, nailed together and lifted up into place. The walls are then clad with a layer of plywood, nailed on. The floors are laid from interlocking sheets of high density chipboard.

Roofing:

Once the roof frame has been built, interlocking concrete tiles are nailed to wooden battens. As long as you have a head for heights, it's an interesting job, and the view's great too. Of course you need to take extra care working on a slope, but there will be safety rails all round.

Battening:

Is fixed to the upper external walls in a criss cross formation.

Insulation:

Rockwool insulation is cut to size with a knife and wedged into the panels. Protective mask and gloves are needed to avoid skin irritation. A vapor barrier of polythene or building paper is stapled to the inside and outside of the walls to prevent moisture getting into the timber frame.

Hanging Plasterboard:

Sheets of plasterboard are care­fully cut to size and attached to the walls and ceilings with nails or drywall screws. The joints are then covered with filler to give a smooth finish. Sanding filler cre­ates dust, so a mask must be worn and ventilation provided.

Carpentry:

Door and window surrounds and skirting boards are carefully fixed in place, as well as shelves, boxing in pipes and all kinds of fixtures.

Weather Board:

Weatherboard is fixed to timber battens in a 'ship lap' configuration using screws.

Painting and Decorating:

The plasterboard surfaces are coated with a special sealer and two coats of emulsion. The woodwork is stained or painted with eggshell finish paint. Surfaces should be carefully prepared for painting, filling any gaps and rubbing down woodwork until it is quite smooth. Ensure adequate ventilation and follow instructions for using paints and stains, and for cleaning up afterwards.

Of course there are many other jobs a volunteer can help with on site and in the office, depending on your skills and experience – let us know if you have a particular skill to offer. As we are currently in between builds we are determining tasks for Phases 4 and 5, specifics will be listed soon! Watch this space!!!