Mulberry View

So, here's what British Gas installed... I've bought an Earth Rod with which to provide a TT earth at the Caravan. I've pulled 45m of 10mm 2-Core SWA Cable. I have a metal-clad 40a Switch Fuse Disconnector on the advice of my sparky for the sole supply of the caravan, I presume I can earth that to the PME? Assuming I'm only using one phase for now, which I anticipate will need to feed the Caravan and maybe a TBS for the house. I might want to fit a consumer unit in the Kiosk, but none of that is decided yet. Should I split the live of Phase 1 with a Henley Block, then split the Neutral with a second Henley Block? This would allow me to connect to the Switch Fuse to supply the Caravan and be able to add further loads to that phase later on if required. What size gland kits for the 10mm SWA? I've got both 20 and 25mm here. I have a plastic junction box to terminate the SWA in the caravan, isolating it from the TT earth that I'll have installed. As a reminder, my sparky is one of my mates, as I said above, he will be round at some point to check this all over, but I don't want to keep bombarding him with questions!

The kiosk has a large OSB 'door' that gets screwed in place while I sort the permanent doors. As for the connection, do I need to do anything before BG come in respect of the switch fuse or can I just figure it out based on what they leave me with?

Here's my kiosk, with 3-Phase installed. It's 35m from the base of the pole. The house will be a further 40m ish on from this. Our caravan needs 45mm of cable from the kiosk. British Gas are coming later this week to install the meter, I think they'll leave me with a 4-pole isolator, unless others disagree? The caravan has it's own consumer unit. So, what will be needed in addition to make the connection? Or can the isolator be connected directly to the CU? My sparky suggested 10mm SWA, presumably 2-core? I have asked him, but his replies are painfully slow! I guess I need a TT earth at the caravan. Does anything need doing with the earth terminal on the side of the 3-Phase head? Is this for me to use to earth the SWA?

Like Rocking Horse do-doo's. Apart from Speedy Plastics, anyone know where I can get one?

Yes that looks like it. To be clear, I do not expect it to be a 'shipping container', but these are a similar price to a metal shed, whilst being bigger and FAR easier to assemble. So, I wonder if it's at least as good as a metal shed? A timber shed this size would be double the cost.

There's a local guy selling 20ft 'Flat Pack' Storage Containers on FB Marketplace for £800. It seems ideal as a site-office/workshop while we build. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/297152758628048?ref=product_details&referral_code=undefined They're cheaper than a 20ft rigid container, plus we can't easily get one of those in through our access. Also much cheaper than a similarly sized shed. Anyone know anything about these?

Following @Conor's topic, do you have any tools that you recognise as being 'impossible' to lose? For me, it's a Drill/Driver adaptor and a small Electrical Screwdriver. Both have been with me since our first renovation in 2004 and both have, on numerous occasions come crazily close to being lost forever. I can't often tell you where either are, but they always turn up.

Sorry for the barrage of questions. I'm just designing the foul drainage run for our project. The run requires about 60m of pipe and therefore 3 inspection chambers. These will be at a depth of around 750-850mm, so they need to be 450mm chambers, right? Are they preferable in the middle of the driveway or outside of the driveway area altogether (if possible)? One of them falls nicely in the middle, but the other two are more favourable outside the driveway area altogether and more likely in a shrub border. Is this sensible? Furthermore, are all 450mm chambers these fancy multiport affairs? A couple of mine only really need to be straight through, one-in-one-out, so it seems such overkill to have so many redundant ports! Finally, what rating cover/frame should I use for the ones that are in the driveway?

Hi We are now having to install a driveway of geocell for tree protection measures ahead of actually building. We are worried about bringing a digger up it once its laid, would you say its an issue, does it tear it up? Thanks

Anyone got any pearls of wisdom on who to use for Building Control? In our area (Norfolk), the Local Authority entity is 'CNC', they've quote around the £900 mark. A third-party company (Vantage) that came highly recommended has quoted £1550. Did you use a third-party company? Are they worth the extra cost? We don't have our Technical plans yet, so aren't really ready to move forward with Building Control, but we need to get the drainage up to the build area in order to be able to connect the caravan, I'm guessing this will need to be inspected?

Thanks for your help everyone. I think that's the decision made regarding 3-phase. As an additional point, is it worthwhile shopping around for the connection? We've had UK Power Networks quote for everything so far...

3 phase appears to be making about £500 difference. My sparky tells me that it'll make an immediate impact in terms of having to use 5-core cable from the boundary box to the house, but also additional equipment/boards etc. I like the option to futureproof, but need to consider if we'll 'ever' need it? So there's no real issue in the extra distance the cheaper pole is from the house?

We're building a 4-bed ICF 'forever home'. We plan to have MVHR, ASHP/GSHP, PV/Car Charging etc. I had quotes to go for 3ph for the Mains connection after several people recommended we do, but my sparky (a good friend) disagrees. He says that the likelihood of me surpassing the capacity of a 100a 1ph connection is almost non-existent and doesn't stack up against the clumsiness of having things on different phases which don't play well with the PV. I have 2 poles I could connect to. Pole 346 is the first pic is in the back of a Church Hall. 20m of trenching is needed and legal complications mean I cannot dig it, UKPN must This factor adds a good chunk of money to any connection that uses that pole. However, this pole is a bit closer to the house. (the plan doesn't really properly represent where the box will go) Pole 345 is only about 18" into the garden of a private homeowner, thus no expensive UKPN trenching. However, it is about 15m further from the property. 3ph from Pole 346 is £4300 3ph from Pole 345 is £2700 Firstly, should I go 1ph or 3ph? Secondly, which connection would be best from the viewpoint of performance/voltage drop and can I make up any weakness in the cable that goes from the boundary box to the house? They have also offered a 'Mains extension', but I guess this will be fiercely expensive.

We are about to start work to bring water into our plot. While we are there, we are going to replace the existing lead main for the original Bungalow before we sell it. Here is our approximate run for these pipes. The existing bungalow is to have a 25mm main, the new one a 32mm main. What size ducting will I need? I had thought 63mm would do it, but my groundworks contractor is suggesting 100mm due to the length of the run. I know ducting isn't essential by the way.

Our is in the far side of a narrow street. I can't see how moling will help the way it helped you to be honest. AW are a shower of shit. Their new connections staff all seem brain-dead. If only they had the common sense I have had from UKPN.

I withheld a little bit of the story for ease. Our plot is part of a split. They are actually doing 2 connections at the same time. One for the new build and one to replace the lead water main for the old house. The old house is about to go on the market, we want the new water main done and dusted by the time we exchange contracts on a sale. The water mains will run in tandem up the shared drive, where they will split off with one heading for the old house and the new build one then has to be moled under some trees to get close to the build area. I have a delay in getting a contractor to work in the shared drive and onwardly another contractor to deal with the moled aspect. All in all, if I am to get all this done before AW will get cracking with their 3-month notice, we will miss the Summer selling season for the old house, and it's the landscaped garden that will sell it, in the Winter it's just not the same!

Our plot is at the end of a 60m shared drive. Our water connection requires a highway closure, so 3-months notice required. I had hoped they would let me do my pipework during the 3 months that I'm waiting for them to come and connect, but alas, no. They want all my pipework in and then 7-working days notice for an inspection before they'll even start the 3-month notice. We have a lot to do to get the water pipe to the build area, even as a TBS, it's going to really screw our timeline if we can't get cracking with the 3-months notice. Someone mentioned getting it connected to a TBS installed in the shared drive, just up from the highway boundary. Sounded absurd, but it would really solve my problem, will they do it? In essence, by the time they come in 3 months time, my pipe will be where I want it, but I need them to have something to inspect to kick of the notice period.

Speaking of lasers. Presumably I could do with some sort of buildings level/laser scenario? Any tips on that?! Should I buy one?

Topo didn't measure inverts because I didn't instruct them to at the time. I'm having him back, but he can't get here for at least 2 weeks and I can't wait that long. The Groundworks company I had been hoping to use are talking of a pump, but I think it might be a way to play for time a little because they're busy and they know I'm desperate to get the first phase of our groundworks done as the sale of our the old place depends upon it. I imagine with the fact that I've challenged them will now mean I'll lose their interest and we'll be back to square one.

In all honesty, even the untrained eye on-site can see that there is no issue between chamber B and the mains chamber. But even A to B looks more than enough, so I cannot understand the suggestion of needing a pump. Both properties are to connect to this newly installed run, but they are both visibly uphill from it.

It's ground level data from the topo, I assume its altitude above sea level?

Due to the distance and terrain of our plot, we had planned for a Treatment Plant, though since clearing the plot a lot, a solution to connect to the mains seems more likely. Here is a plan of our whole plot. The ground level in the vicinity of where 'New Foul Chamber (A)' is indicated by a red 'X' is around 11.8 The ground level in the vicinity of where 'New Foul Chamber (B) is indicated by a red 'X' is around 10.9 Chamber A and Chamber B are separated by a distance of around 44m The ground level in the vicinity of the 'Existing Foul Chamber' is around 8.8 and it is positioned around 32m from Chamber B I am being told that if we are to achieve a mains connection then a pump will be required. which I'm struggling to understand. It looks to me as though 'New Foul Chamber (B)' has plenty of scope to be as deep as is needed, owing to the fall from that to the existing chamber. The tree labelled T38 is now earmarked for removal. The G6 pair are staying and clearly present a problem, which I am hoping we can mole under (a distance of around 15-18 metres), though this is yet to be confirmed and I would appreciate any input into. Thanks in advance!

As I said above, the 'fence' is just some chicken wire that the neighbour put in to limit the passage of Deer. He weaved it around stuff and nailed it to whatever he could. It is by no means a reliable fence and hasn't prevented the Deer. We had planned to install a Jacksons Timber Palisade fence to divide the old new plots, adding the piece on that splits us from the neighbour discussed above for continuity. It's lovely fence, but really ought to be straight. I think I'm going to seek the fair compromise I mentioned above and hope that he accepts losing a few plants, just as we have to.

This is a very long boundary, we share 200 feet with this guy and that's what you see on the above plan. There are various separate plantings along it's line, not one specific hedge and they sit all over the place. He admits that not all of his Laurels were planted together and accepts that they are not all in a straight line. I know I've raised this to sound like a dispute, but we are some way away from falling out over this. He's a bit 'old school' though and can't visualise how a straight fence will work in practical terms. A fence is desired by both of us to limit the passage of Deer that are decimating both of our gardens.

I've got his Title Register and Plan, if that's what you mean? Cost me £6. It has a simple LR plan with red outline. Doesn't reveal much that we don't know. We have a plot plan with measurements, but he doesn't. It's hard to tell where our plot actually sits without getting much further into it. ?