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Ebrin_devon

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  1. Thanks @saveasteading. It certainly is one of the big companies. They can try to blame whoever they want, but they are ultimately the party responsible to deliver a product that meets specific quality standards to someone who has made a great financial commitment! Would be good to see if, as you suggest, there is someone on this forum that has experienced a similar situation. After having raised this issue over a month ago, I might consider sending a letter to the CEO. So far, the developer's "technical team" are still dealing with my queries... There are thousands of new homes planned in my area for the coming years, so I reckon the local press would be an interesting route. I could also consider raising awareness amongst my neighbours!
  2. Gents, thank you very much for your prompt responses. Thanks @joe90. I'd have to read in detail what the British Standard says about the clay content and the drainage capacity of the soil, but it could be that the first batch you "bought" from the local farmer may not have been something that met the BS requirements? The fact that the soil is located on the top stratum does not mean it can be classed as "topsoil". At least that is my interpretation of this very confusing topic. Thankfully we haven't had any flooding, but puddles do form here and there, so it's not great. Thanks @Ralph. Agreed, not great being on clay! I wouldn't be surprised if we found random stuff buried in the ground... Thanks @Mr Punter. Good point about the paving. We'll certainly have that done eventually. However, we're thinking of getting a puppy sometime soon, and I can already see myself running around the lawn. Regardless, provided the top layer is not comprised of very fine particles, i.e. clay, this shouldn't compromise the ground's ability to drain? Thanks @Thedreamer. I am pretty certain the material was site-won from the excavations of the foundations and general earthworks on the actual development. Interestingly, the garden was originally meant to be two-tiered, but what we found is a completely level garden. We prefer it being level for obvious reasons, but I'm sure this was done to take advantage of the amount of excavated material. The fact is that I wouldn't mind if they used site-won material... My concern is that such material is not compliant with the aforementioned British Standard. Garden is roughly 90 sq. m, so I reckon 20t would be needed for a thickness of 150mm. However, we also need to factor in the excavation of the material currently in place, which is no small task! Don't know how the contractor would do it due to the fact that the garden is completely fenced off (can't bring in a digger).
  3. Good morning all, Thank you for allowing me to take part in this forum. Just to introduce myself, my name is Eric and I'm a newbuild homeowner. The reason why I am writing on this forum is to seek guidance from other more knowledgeable users in regards to landscaping. I am based in East Devon, in an area which is predominantly very clayey. The land where my development was constructed used to be farmland, and so I assume that it is quite fertile. Anyhow, I think I'll just start off describing my concerns in chronological order: At reservation stage, the developer provided us with a standard specification setting out finishes, colours, etc. One of the items in the spec was the finish to the garden areas (back garden and a strip out front along the facade). The spec stated that the ground would be finished with a 150mm thick layer of topsoil. I was quite glad that this was the case, as my concern was that the underlying clay would challenge the garden's ability to drain rainwater. Fast forward to completion, we get the keys to the house and to my surprise, the garden was topped off with site-won material, i.e. clay. In addition, the plot was plagued with stones the size of fist. To me that didn't look like topsoil... However, the next question I asked myself was: what is topsoil anyway? Doing some research, I found that there is a British Standard entitled "Specification for topsoil" (BS 3882:2015 - in case you're interested). This standard sets out the requirements for a soil to be classified as topsoil. One of these requirements is that the "maximum coarse fragment content" greater than 50mm has to be 0%. In other words, stones greater than 50mm in diameter should not be present at all, which is something that my garden clearly doesn't meet. I have gone back to the developer with this (it's been more than a month already) and they are still figuring out what to respond. I am not trying to be picky here, but I've paid a large sum of money for my new home and I will always try to make sure that I obtain a quality product that meets the minimum standards. I should add that the NHBC standards specify that gardens should be finished with a minimum of 100mm of topsoil. NB: my neighbours have placed a ver thin film of topsoil on their garden after picking out the majority of big stones. They then planted some grass seed and it's growing well. However, I think as soon as they start transiting the grass, the clay will compact and it'll become boggy with rain, which will eventually compromise the health of the grass, etc. I would be grateful if others could share their views/experiences on the matter, as I'm not sure if I'm making this a bigger issue than what it really is? Thank you very much, Eric
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