Llama Croft
Janna & Seb Laan Lomas (AKA the Laamas) moved to Hereford, an idyllic part of the world, in 2022, and are creating their dream home and garden together with Janna's parents on a rural plot of 1.5 acres. Passionate about regenerating the land, supporting wildlife, building resilience, and integrating strongly with the local community, here they share their story and invite you to join in.
Building work predicted timeline:
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Jan 2024 - dismantling of the old cottage and garages, reclaiming materials for reuse, and levelling of areas for building
Feb - installation of foundations (steel ground screws) and glulam timber ring beams, while the timber panels get made off-site in a factory, and the overgrown cypress tree gets a big haircut
Mar-May - timber panels arrive on site and fit together to make the walls, floors and roofs. Scaffolding goes up to enable working at height
Jun-July - the timber framing is finished and the buildings get wrapped in an insulating wood fibre board which covers all the joints. Then the roofs get covered with slates.
Aug-Sept - cellulose insulation (made from old newspapers) gets pumped into the walls, floors and roof, filling all the spaces between timbers, and the windows get installed. Then the buildings are tested for airtightness, and the walls are lime rendered onto the wood fibre board or clad with timber.
Sept-Dec - the scaffolding comes down and inside the first fix of carpentry and plumbing is installed, along with the services including air source heat pumps (ASHP) and ventilation systems (MVHR), and outside the drainage is dug. The walls are plastered using clay dug from the site, followed by the second fix of joinery, plumbing and electrics.
Jan-Feb 2025 - after another airtightness test and decoration, the buildings will reach 'practical completion' in early 2025
Expect a house warming party in the summer of 2025, followed by a lifetime of finishing touches!
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is part of a worldwide effort to link visitors with organic farmers & gardeners.
Visitors, or 'WWOOFers', get free bed & board with their host and learn about organic agriculture, in exchange for spending about half of each day working on the farm or smallholding.
