RandAbuild

More activity - this is our site after 4 days. 70 tonnes muck away, 40 tonnes stone bought in. And a toilet. It's starting to look like a building site!

Thank Jan. Looks like we're on for £1800 too. We are using the same firm - perhaps that becomes the standard cost? It's the total disinterest they have in interrupting the construction process that also bugs me. They made us excavate / reduce levels to our garage right at the front of the plot, and didn't find anything. This will be built last, so now we have to backfill it with stone, which will then have to come out when we build the garage. When I pointed this out to them, they had no response.

I was being ironic, but can now say what's turned up. They've unearthed a stone drain - in reality 2 rows of stones with a lid of stones on top. Origin unknown, but probably late 19th Century. Doesn't look at all much to me, but the someone from the County Archaeologist team wants it all recording - drawings, photos, measurements, depths etc. This has taken a further day and there will be 2 of them tomorrow. It is also holding us up a bit as we're having to work round them.

So far, so good Terry (welcome back by the way). We winched up the trees overhanging the drive using ratchet straps (just as well we did - the skip lorry just got under one branch). The dry weather helps. Getting 20 tonners up and down might be a different matter.

Frogeye - we're near Northampton. Have loads of topsoil - excellent stuff it is too

Priceless!

We have to pay her to stand there, 'continuous monitoring' they call it. When the digging stops, we'll see some serious trowel action. She thinks there is evidence of a stone wall. Could date back to 1950. How this is adding to the sum of human knowledge is beyond me.

We also had an archaeologist monitoring the dig. Here she is hard at work

Good progress on site today. Nice weather and about 160 tonnes moved. Before & after...

I'll pass on the newts, thanks Ian I first came across GCN when building in Peterborough 25 years ago. I learnt they are very rare, but seem to be found everywhere. Strange that.

Here's a panorama we took at the back of the site today.

Like many others who placed huge value on eBuild and were shocked to see it close, I am very pleased to see it back in its new guise. Particularly as we start on site tomorrow! So thanks for all the hard work by the Forum Foundation Group to get the new forum up and running so quickly again.