ToughButterCup

Doing that, you know who your mates really are eh?

Ah! Technique matters then.... ?

Clay spade! Thanks! Ian

Lo! The narrow bucket on my digger runneth over! It has had it's fill with clay, and when it has had it's fill with clay , it doth make a mess of the trench. I can't be the only person really fed up with clearing out a bucket full of clay - in my case it needs a crow bar to get it out. What I need is a cheek-less bucket. Is there such a thing? Or do I get going with a grinder?

I winced when I read your post, and agree with @CC45. Maintenance of that pipe will be an issue too. And that's not always easy. It took me a nerve-wracking year to sort out a similar problem formally Me too. Because the land drain 'discharge' might be the subject of some third person's ire. Keep the two systems separate at all costs.

@Gimp I agree. Some of the houses were a bit 'rarefied'. But if you abstract some of the ideas contained within those builds , @MikeSharp01 's idea above, and apply them to your own build, then maybe the oblong boxes would be a little more palatable. And that's achievable on most budgets.

I'd be interested to read your conclusions @iSelfBuild

Oh Gaud.... the windows, the windows... from Austria.... argghhhhhh.

Consider two first aid boxes ..... Ours is in the cabin but that's often locked. So I've bought a second First Aid box and put it in my Land Rover: no point in trying to lock that. So you might want to have two first aid signs. I'm about to put up a prominent sign telling everyone where the eye wash is. Yes, a gust of wind the other day blew a load of ash from the site fire (from the old shed) into my face as I walked by. I was wearing safety glasses. But with my recent record of bad luck and bad judgement, I thought it prudent to get some eye wash. Consider a Keep Out sign I can't remember where I read it, but if you don't formally tell people to keep out of the site (and fence it off) then anyone might reasonably assume that they have permission to enter.

Just before I go and buy a wheel lock for my trailer, anyone got a recommendation, or an on-no-account-buy-this-one? Thanks! Ian

Spend £1000 on advice. Work out who is the sharpest self-employed planning consultant around - by reading their applications and looking at the results of their applications. A real eye for the nitty gritty detail is what you need. Then go down the pub and listen. The go to the local golf club and listen. Not all on the same night Ian

Yes, me.PM me for details. Ian

OK, me with my spaz hands : got eight fingers of which only six work properly and two just get in the effin' way all the time, I'd just love to have the excuse to buy one of these magnetic hammers. Picking things up to hit with a hammer like as not results in bloodied thumbs and fumbled miss-hits. Yes they're overly expensive, and yes, it'd get nicked, but everyone knows that my lad's the local copper and his missus is the local CSI. In frustration and sheer anger I bought £300 worth of pure joy - a DeWalt nailer, so the £50 these costs is peanuts.

Good luck with that. I find a simple way of making your problem 'real' to administrators is to say something like; " If you were in my shoes, knowing what you know about the internal workings of your system, how would you resolve this particular problem"?

Oh a little learning is a dangerous thing. Sounds like a few phone calls are need today. Thanks for the nudge Dave. The guidance in Working Platforms for Tracked Plant: good practice guide to the design, is clear . I need to get a Competent Person to design the piling mat. The question remains, however, to what extent is a piling mat similar to the base of a passive slab? I need to know exactly what a passive slab is. Glad it's raining today..... don't feel guilty about desk-based research

Making a sensible guess at what it might cost We already know from the previous Blog Post that , at the moment, Stone Columns is the preferred method. So, it's straight to SPONS for a look-see. Here's a link to the book, it's expensive, but it's saved me more money than I care to count - and here's the twist - it's increased my level of confidence no end. Because I know what a reasonable price is likely to be. Here's the link to a post I made about it recently - goes into more detail than I do here (I don't want to repeat myself, people get bored so I'm told). This blog post will illustrate how useful the book can be: or how useful it is to me. SPONS - the hardback book has a few pages on piling (Chapter 7 p.238 et seq), and when you buy it you also get the licence for an online version - and that allows you to search for 'piling' across the whole book. Suddenly you are aware of all sorts of things to do with piling, as well as the charges directly attributable to piling. So, for example I find that a CFA team consists of 3 blokes (sorry 'people'), their rates of pay and so on. Very absorbing. And that's useful because it begins to redress the 'expert' , 'customer' imbalance. Fuller information promotes partnership and engagement. I accept that some may not want that, but I do. Many piling methods need a piling mat. Some don't (Surefoot for example) See also my previous blog post So the key for me at the moment is how to sort out the piling mat. The Basics There are two elements to piling: the piles themselves and the piling and the area which needs to be prepared for the rig. It's called a ' Piling Mat' A piling mat is simple: its a level area about 2 meters wider than the plot so that the piling rig can strut its stuff. (I'll post the exact specification later) So in our case that's about 14 meters by 14 meters. That needs to be costed. Here goes: area affected - (10 by 10 plus two meters each side for wriggle room , that makes 14 by 14), say 200 sq m, lets keep it easy for those of us who only just passed maths O Level. The SI report makes it clear that we have at least 2m of made ground everywhere. What's the spec for a Piling Mat? Well, if you pay £45:00 you can find out. BRE (2004) Working Platforms for Tracked Plant: good practice guide to the design, (etc.) For costing purposes we can have a look at SPONS now (page 163) '...excavate to form piling mat; supply and lay imported hardcore – recycled brick and similar to form piling mat...' Spon's Architect's and Builders' Price Book 2016. CRC Press Assuming the site needs to be dug over to a depth of 1 m and then compacted, I need a price for 200m cubed . That translates to a price of £1600 to £2000. First quote £11,000. Yeah, right. The piling itself: The SE will tell the piling company what they need to support, and the SE needs the Soil Investigation and the Topographical survey To Be Continued

@Daedalus £7,000 as opposed to way over double that No, it isn't in the price and when the next blog entry comes (soon - betcha can't wait!) be prepared to be shocked, stunned and not a little amazed. Thanks to you I have downloaded the Design Guide. (Need a copy? I'll only charge double what it cost) I deliberately went up to Darkest East Lancs to look at a piling mat, and realised I had been looking at them for years - all over the place. Thanks again for the nudge.

Neither did I. The subject is very interesting indeed; piling has a long history too. And locally we don't have far to look for evidence. On especially low tides at Lancaster, in the Lune river, you can see stumps of the piles used by the Romans when they stomped about up here. Wonder if they were vibro(s)?

Here she is Declan. You a Led Zep fan too then? Blow me down it just had to be a German rig didn't it? and if I ask the driver very very nicely he might let me drive a pile or two. But then Declan, size isn't everything as many people have said to me. I can just see @MrsRA wanting a go too now she's a part-time digger driver.

Here you are......

'Forewarned is fore-armed' say some. Others 'do your due diligence'. Bottom line - do some background research. Here's mine. (With as many internet links links in as I can to help you with yours) If you can pick a hole I what I write, or see that I've missed something, I'd be so grateful if you could tell me. Method We already know that we have to pile. Does the SI report give a hint at which type of pile? Have a look at this Phase 2 SI Report: Concrete Design page 12, point 7.4: (SI = Soil Investigation) Phase 2 S.I. Report - Bay Horse, Lancaster - G15002b.pdf '... therefore the most practicable foundation type would be a bored pile solution [...] on this basis, concrete in contact with the ground may be designed to ACEC Class DS-1 AC1s of BRE Special Digest 1 - Concrete in Aggressive Ground...' So now we know: they need to be concrete of a certain spec (Help!... no idea what the spec means) and that the piles should be '... sleeved in the upper portion to allow for ongoing settlement of the fill...' (Point 7.3 page 11). What a difference a bit of research makes........ read on There's no substitute for a good SE: one who engages with the customer's needs rather than merely doing the job (PM for details if you like). One line in their email to me suggesting we use a form of piling that is a good deal cheaper than traditional piling (Surefoot). And, in one sentence the SE had potentially saved his fee. They cost about half or less than traditional steel piles. Initial conversations with the company lead me to go and have a look at an installation. Here's what piles (if you can call them that) of that sort look like. So, after checking that there was no conflict of interest between the supplier and the SE, we sent the detailed information to Surefoot. Disappointment. Our ground (see the SI report above) is too 'made-up' . Hmm, back to square minus-a-few. Lesson learned? Keep looking. And that means hours on 'Tinternet. Hours of time apparently wasted. Hours of time which at the time that 'feel' wasted which could be spent doing a million other things . And then a post from @Calvinmiddle suggested I look at national piling contractors. And that lead me to Town and Country Vibro . Instantly another set of unknowns and another research blizzard. Blizzard? Yes, that's how I feel.... I can see a few millimeters in front of my face, I can just about read my compass, I know where I'm going but there might be a crevasse one step in front. What in heaven's name is a stone column? Can it really be as strong as a pile? Why the Heck does the SE specify a safety factor of 2.5(ish) What is 'ground improvement'? How much? Why all the sales guff full of well-know management waffle? What does it actually mean? I really wish there was a Course in every Management Department in every British University which had a compulsory course called Cut_The_Shite_Out _Of_Sales_Speak. It just gets in the way. So, it's hours of YT videos.... bottom feed (my favourite) top feed (mehhhh) vibro (hmmmm) Gordon Bennett is it that quick? A few phone calls later and I'm standing on a building site somewhere in deepest east Lancs with Dan. For reassurance you understand. And a chat with the rig driver. Which lead to a quote. (Cheaper than Surefoot) Which lead to a site meeting at our place, which was well handled: there was a proper check list - whereas up to now a site meeting went something like this... "Well mate y'll need 5 meter piles and we'll do the calcs for ya, 'kin SE's they're a waste of time and money" A swift, polite Bye Bye. Or (and this takes some believing) "Your plot's the same as all the others round here: you'll need four meter piles , and I reckon the jobs going to cost you £20K" He had neither asked for nor seen any SI information - it was offered but he said "No need to bother son". It was the epithet 'son' which really got me. On arrival on site, he got out of the best kept top-line Mercedes I have seen for a long while. I was almost rude in showing the contractor the door. Almost. Piling design: TCV did that, and sent to our SE (Tanners) and that's where we are now. Stone columns (ground improvement) is the method. We need a piling mat: and that's another story.

Unbelievably useful post in terms of getting my head round what needs doing. For example; '.... but all it required was four lengths of timber to prop it in place, then backfill with a dry mix concrete / fill the plant with water. ...' @Stones, how much of your digester will be proud of the ground? I ask because @PeterW arranged things so that all of his is hidden (somehow, must ask him) @Oz07, what's a shadow gap?

Vigorous aerobic exercise for an hour will sort the irritation out.

That's the size of our house............

Nothing deters them. One tippy-toed through our kitchen the other evening. Bless her. Stunning dress on: orange against black, kept her peace, just looked beautiful. Lesson there somewhere.