saveasteading

The official ones tend to be better. Sharper points and fins. Its worth having a few quality heads too. Boarders go through a lot so it must be important, and that's why you can buy a big pack of them. 25 dewalts. How flash is that?

I had one job where the running surave stone just kept disappearing despite being thick and on a membrane. The local stone haulage company suggested a particular rubble for the bottom, and another mix above, All from crushed concrete....and it worked. So I suggest a chat with your local haulage company. As for the membrane. This is essential between the ground and the stone, and will pay itself many times over. I find that non-woven works much better than woven. It looks like felt or plate scourers rather than cloth. Shop around.

A big impermeable hole will hold more water than a small one. The water also has more surface area to shake into, however slowly, especially sideways into the strata. In time your tree roots will break through to a greater depth and loosen the clay. Or if the first tree drowns the second one will finish the job. I freak from experience. Our garden clay is like brick in summer, almost impossible to dig. But it is like plasticine in winter.

It would be reasonably easy to reduce water demand. Reduced flow / spray taps and showers. All metered. A fixed sum up to a limit, then rather expensive,esp in summer. Huge discounts on water butts. Any other suggestions?

...pilchards. You are certainly doing your best to discourage tourism.

Who are "they" The EA has been reduced to where it can't infuence policy and is beholden to government. Planners genuinely don't understand it. They aren't scientifically minded. I'm afraid the real "they" are the usual suspects. Landowners, developers. The City. On which: DEFRA are supposed to uphold standards and have plans. I see they have instructed the sewage companies that dumping has to be improved by.......2050, and, asked for proposals. They are being challenged to try harder at the High Court tomorrow.

Cranes have multiple axles, and put down jacks on sleepers. They tend to be on the more relaxed side a drivers being used to construction. Ditto concrete wagons but both will refuse to enter at all if they fear getting stuck. Then you have problems.

No, we need economically active people to serve the nation. Children will be these people. A despot would allow in all the boat people and lorry hitchers as being full of endeavour and courage, and kill off the over 70s.

You mean it was never lifted?

Where there is already a hosepipe ban in Kent and E Sussex. Still 100 000 houses to be built but there is no plan for water other than to take it away from places with plenty. Or for sewage other than feed the existing system

It's OK by me and the reinforced hollows will resist any pushing from the bank. Another thing just noticed.. if I was the bco I'd say you have a choice. Dormers and build it as an occupied space, with insulation and headroom, because that is surely your intention. Or no dormers.

Just seen this from way back. Yes because it will be 100 thick whereas the others are 200. 2 blocks laid flat is just as strong, esp when mortared together.

REVIT is in a class of its own.

I will abstain from the politics of this, which isn't for here. But isn't most migration an escape from war or famine? Almost any documentary about the demise of a civilisation will end saying it was water....too much or too little. To end with a tease. In any documentary or travel programme about the Highlands, there will be 90% English accents. Probably all legal, but perhaps have relocated for the reliable water supply.

I thought I had. 23m turning circle, or bellmouth shapes using that radius. Anyway, you will find that bm lorries are chosen to get on construction sites, and the drivers well used to it. But they are road going vehicles with normal tyres. If the site doesn't look solid enough, flat enough or big enough they won't risk it and you will have the stuff offloaded at roadside. With other lorries, esp artics, they are even more particular. It can be very expensive to prep the site for lorries. If you do it half baked then you will need to keep putting more stone on top. Of you have a favoured bm, perhaps ask the rep to visit.

Yes I agree it is important to know that many people you meet will agree with this, either instinctively or moulded by its influence. Also to see that another chunk of the nation mostly want to know more about Diana. I miss the chance to see the Sun and Star in the site huts.....clearly telling their readers how to vote, and whk to hate, mixed with childerns comic content . I was employing these people!

Exactly. Loss for anyone other than the bank. I'm just saying don't assume L o C is an easy answer. I did them for 10 years. When the order turned up it then lay on someone else's land and was still at risk. Then you build it and the client doesn't pay. Can you take it down and away? No. English law is apparently the worst in Europe for anyone other than landowners. Can you stop work? No, you must give your client notice, but carry on. Don't ever go into contracting. There you are, some sympathy for the kit suppliers. They have an unknown client every time.

Aaarghhhhh. 1 they are horrible to admninister 2. The bank wants collateral. Cash or your house.

The term raft is used many ways ( discussed a few weeks ago) so I'm avoiding being particular. To me it is a very heavy structure. To some it is just a slab. But I am saying that ground reports should be done before designing or deciding on the method of structure. The only reason for a late survey is probably for ticking a box.....survey done, ground not too bad. Hence it may not need to be an extensive or expensive survey....and the SE should advise and be considerate on this. BUT what about these extreme examples....it us found to be an old peat bog or landfill with minimal strength....OR it is solid stone. What happens?

Anonymous yes. Willing to learn is not dumb....the opposite.

Excellent reading. Well done. The reinforcement doesn't sounf excessive to me 10mm is just a heavy wire. Small poker packing in. Yes vibrating pokers are the business. But never underestimate the ability of a long 2x2. It won't shift so much air out of the mix, but it will get flow round and into corners, and combine successive bucket loads.

Plan C, buckets. Do you mean finding 20 helpers with buckets for " to you, to me" Indian style until dark? Plan x is to spread the remaining concrete along your access road? I worked on some huge infrastructure projects. Plan b was of built-in redundancy...use 2 small cranes rather than one large. Plan c, to locate another machine on site. Crane/ hiab whatever. Plan d was usually to stop at an agreed location and construct a "stop end". The joiners shuttering skills came to the fore, added to Engineers' understanding of where stresses will be in a finished bridge. @Jenki how much was a thought out contingency, and how much was instinct or problem management? I'm really interested

If they have a standard design to suit all possibilities, then it would have to be heavily constructed. Then on a site with perfect conditions it would be overdesigned. I had a competitor once who overreacted to any site problem. Basically how can we stop this ever happening again? His solution, not being an Engineer or building expert was to make every building the same, at great expense to themselves or their client ( he was a good salesman, if good means making sales). My stratagem on the other hand was to design to suit the site. He probably thought this was perverse. On previous discussions here I have made the case that heavy rafts are used too often. I agree there is a case to be made for increased certainty at a cost. I try to avoid saying to anybody you have made a bad choice and have wasted lots of money. BUT to choose a raft and much later insist on a soil survey seems perverse. What can they do with any very good or very bad results?

+1 @Gone West you have an SE What do they want and need. It seems strange that they "need" a soil survey from you. On most of my projects we dug a hole, either manual or machine, with our SE in attendance if appropriate, or just me reporting. If they are local and experienced then they should already know what to expect. If not then why not? If they don't need several boreholes then it would be a waste of money. Let's go back a stage. You are building a raft. Therefore you must already know that the ground requires a raft? How so, without a ground report?

When the pipe jams it is a big deal. The concrete is stopped in the pipes and hardening by the minute. The professionals who pump concrete every day can clear it in 20 minutes, with a lot of mess. I wouldn't fancy it happening on a self build or with groundworkers. It needs a plan b, but I have never known that be a standby pump.