ToughButterCup

That's a generous description. I'll take a few minutes tomorrow to jump up on the rig and take a few close up photos. It looks like a lot of hydraulic gubbins are needed to grasp the probe in the first place and then shake the living daylight out of a tonne of stone plus the weight of the probe - and ram both four meters into the earth (6F2 to. 38 of a meter) . The ground visibly bulges like a bow wave around the probe as it descends, perhaps bulging by 50mm sometimes more. I'm told the power plant is an 8 litre beast.

That's a very flattering comment. Thanks. It's an issue that needs to be addressed. How do we make the complex simple? Online stuff needs simplicity at its core.

You see before you an extremely relieved person. 64 piles in, done, dusted, testing happening now. I'm trying to remember when I was so nervous for so long.... and can't. Tucked up warm and comfortable on our bed, and lying in the crook of my knees, the cat growled - he's never done that before - a car had parked outside the house and stopped at stupid o'clock. It was the pile driver chappie arriving a day early. Swiftly followed by a 42 tonne rig.... thus; and before you could say 'That's Big', this happened The piling probe (called a poker) that sits on the front of the rig looks like this Big innit? So how does it work? The rig picks up the poker (heart-in-mouth-stuff), and when positioned correctly, vibrates the poker into the ground to a predetermined depth: in our case 4m or less if refusal occurs before that point. But the trick is to tip some stone into the hopper at the top of the probe. Pull the probe back up a bit, reinsert the probe (into which more stone flows), compact, and do that a few times until the pile is made. Now, this thing vibrates. A lot. So for fun I did this with a bowl of water and some Vimto. Cos frankly, it worried me.... there's a water pipe running very close to 4 of the piles (2m) Not much, but it's hardly a scientific test. Town And Country Vibro set up a wobble meter (forgotten what it's proper name is) which is connected to a modem so the Head Office can see how much wobbling is going on. For comparison I went up to my office and had a look at my wobble waves there. None, or almost none. That did absolutely nothing to allay my fears of bursting the water main. We had prepared properly, though, thus; Man was I relieved when the vibration stopped. No leak, No fountain, no bill from United Utilities. That's not going to stop me taking photographic evidence of the pipe and pit when the road plates come off on Monday and it gets back-filled. Only to bump into a cliff-hanger on the last pile The probe had hit a glacial boulder smack in the middle and split the stone such that the remains filled the exact diameter of the probe. So none of the stone fill could flow into pile hole. Jammed. Solid. Four lump hammers and one sledge hammer all hitting the probe at the same time. Me hitting it as hard as an old codger can; which was a sight harder than the lads were. Too much invested in this pile.... Plop. Out it fell after 5 long minutes. Angels sang Heavenly music when the 8 litre engine stopped and the foreman jumped down. "Ya weren't worried were ya whack?" he asked grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Naaah" I lied. Ian

Grass was invented by wimmin to keep men out of the way for a few hour every week. I'm with you on this one. How many hours of my life have been wasted by grass? And I'll never get hem back

My God it was brilliant fun. Just fabulous. Its so stable and smooth. And easy to nick the track with the bucket teeth because it's got a quick hitch, and so the arm's that bit longer. The controls are exactly the same, except for foot pedals which makes spinning off (is that the right term?) much much easier. 37 tonner due to tomorrow with a stonking great big vibro thingy on the front; the contracts manager has promised me a go on it. It's their smallest machine. (!) And @MrsRA choses today to go to Copenhagen for a girls bonding session. When she could have had a go on the the piler. Oh dear. Never mind, what a shame.

like this.... Rig arrives tomorrow - a day early ! More pics then. Ian

Mine is on Saturday. We are just digging round the water pipe now and suspending it so that the vibration has less effect. Keep us posted! Ian

Smells like a bit of a try on? Care needed.

Mmmm, lovely. Except those that were from the compost heap.

@JSHarris, your hard evidence is not what sales folk want. But it is exactly what I need, so as usual, thanks. With, in my case 60+ years of being told to put-another-log-on-the-fire, and a few years of Uncle Tom Cobley and All looking at me in disengaged disbelief when I talk of Passiv standards (about two cat's worth of heat per per meter squared per annum), I have come to realise it's HARD for anyone to get their head round how little just a little heat is (Apologies @SteamyTea) And when the listener has nothing, nothing at all invested in your house, disengagement on the part of the listener/ reader is the norm. @Redoctober's summary of the arguments is interesting. The psychology related to warm wet feet appears to be important. We (almost all) have very little experience of ablutions where we have warm soles, but cold lower legs - because yer legs are wet, and your soles warmed by ufh. An expensive Afghan rug would have the same effect -but be really stupidly impracticable. What @Nickfromwales, you've got two afghans (his 'n hers) in your shower? Soz mate!

@PeterW, I look forward to your missive.

@MrsB. Read. Network. Read. Worry. Read some more. Go down the pub - forget Rinse Repeat. Ian

I'd missed that one. Thanks. Ian

It's the whole point for us....... and we usually end up cringing. With embarrassment.

Morning @MrsB. Welcome. Is this too early to nudge you into thinking about one or two things? I am guessing- please forgive me if I'm wrong. You might be some way away from a main sewer. I read the words '...viable...' above. No foul drainage, no house. Get that issue sorted early on in the development. Have a read of this Please don't confuse my status as Admin with expertise. I am not an expert. But my heart was in my mouth the moment I realised that lack of a foul drain would mean no house for us. Don't worry too much; at this stage finding out the exact details in relation to drainage will useful information in preparation for an eventual exchange of contracts. When there's a hiccup, come back to us and we'll all pile in to help. Ian

I think one important factor to add to the decisionmaking process is your degree of personal involvement in the build. I am very involved, and so I am doing a good deal of interpretation of the architects submission to the BCO. For example this week I have decided we need a simple table of levels to which everyone (all trades) can refer. The information is available in the drawings, but it's difficult to extract because it's to be found spread over several separate drawings, some from the architect, some from the SE, and (in our case) from the piler. Reading that material with care has been most instructive for a first time self builder like me. No matter who drafts which drawing, there will be a need for coordination. A professional colleague being 'just-down-the-road' could be an asset. But proximity is no substitute for good interpersonal chemistry.

I am not concerned to gain Brownies. I like them, but at my age it doesn't matter....

The Method Statement which you have been asked for needs to relate to Protected Species: Newts, Bats, Teenagers? Which?

We did, stuff the Brownie points. And (sod it he beat me to it), I'm copying @PeterW

Neither can I .... lazy bit of coding : HTML 4.01 instead of the more recent HTML5 Keep hold of your browser a bit longer Dave. Ian

Wilkommen bei uns.... Everything and nothing has changed. One simple phrase changed everything '... presumption in favour of sustainable development...' (Gorgeous George) And Builders are as conservative as they always were. If you are cold, put another log on the fire. Insulate? Naaah.

Be glad you have a choice, @jamiehamy.....

I was lying Dave. That's a 16 tonner. Puts my little 3alpha in the shadows somewhat. I'm going to have a go on it tomorrow. Can't wait

Yeaaaah..

This looks like this today I had a look at my records: January 2014 was the moment we first thought we might have a go at a planning application because our colleagues told us it was worth a try. Many times we were advised (correctly by estate agent friends and others) not to bother. @MrsRA bought the orchard (which the digger is now levelling) in 1985. It's nearly 30 years since there was a glint in her eye about getting a house built here. When we've built the house we'll reinstate the orchard. Put your orders in for Damson jam quick as you like. I can't tell you what a relief it has been to get to today. Piling mat will be finished Wednesday, and the stone columns go in on Saturday. The BCOs (Approved Inspectors) are having a CPD session at our place on that day , so a couple of inspectors are coming to see the stone columns go in, and the piling company Town and Country Vibro is also having a company training session at the same time. Better go and buy some more tea bags.