Community GreenHouse - nearly done!

Snagging

When you get to the "snagging list" you know a building project is very nearly complete.On Wednesday we went round the Community GreenHouse with Terry the site foreman and Guy the contract administrator making copious notes. Decorators, landscapers, plumbers, carpenters and electricians are hard at work on the finishing touches. The underfloor heating is roaring away with the ground source heat pump. It is exraordinary to think that the heat for the house is all coming out of the field.Now that the walls and ceilings are painted the house feels large, light and airy. Just a month ago it felt small, dark and damp - the stage in a construction project when you wonder if it has all been a ghastly mistake! The other 'eco' part of the project is the sedum/grass roof which was sown last month. It was fascinating watching all the layers of the roof being built up, then finished off with soil and sown. Now we just wait for it to grow. On Thursday it will be ready for a 'builders' clean' and then we take posession on Friday.

Growing Community

We have built the Community GreenHouse in order to provide additional living and working quarters for the Sheldon Community. Our ministry has been growing in recent years as we have invested in guest accommodation. Now we are serious about growing the Community. Carl and Sue will be the first occupants of the GreenHouse having lived in the Farmhouse since they arrived at Sheldon 38 years ago. Hillary will be moving into part of the Farmhouse and the rest of it will become the private meeting and domestic space for the Community. We have recognised the need to have more of a central hub if we are to welcome and integrate new members into our life and work at Sheldon. Early in 2015 we will be putting together application packs and role descriptions as part of the recruitment process. In the meantime we are discussing and praying together, and asking our Friends to pray too.

Funding

The appeal to build the GreenHouse is following fairly close on the heels of the actual construction work. The total project cost is £350,000 and so far we have raised £276,000. Interest free loans from Friends are covering the shortfall while we continue fundraising. It's more expensive than a simple house of the same size built as part of a housing estate for a variety of reasons. The cost includes an access track and services to the site, substaintial excavations to tuck the building into the hillside because of the grade two listed setting, the investment in green technologies, and the careful design to allow a variety of potential future uses and occupancy configurations. We are enormously grateful to all those who have supported the project so far.