flanagaj

"the topsoil you skim off where the drive is going you can put where the concrete came from to turn back into garden" - great tip

So I spent 3 days with an excavator and pecker, and finally broke up ~ 250m2 of 4" non reinforced (thank goodness) concrete slab. It was absolutely mind numbing, but glad it's done. I did originally consider getting a concrete crusher in to crush it, so that it could be reused for hardcore, but you are looking at £700+ for the hire of a crusher and 5 tonne excavator to load it. I did consider contacting local farmers to see whether any of them might want it. What have others done? I also have huge amounts of garden waste from hedge removal / tree felling, and once again I am not sure what the most cost effective method is for getting rid of it. I suppose it could always be burnt, but once again, there is a lot of it.

Given the water bill, it must be close.

This might sound a bit daft, but given the recent news that OfWat is apparently allowing water companies to hike bills, I started to wonder whether instead of getting a mains connection which is around 3.5k, I instead pay the monies now and get a bore hole installed. Yes, it's an expensive initial outlay, but you could say exactly the same about solar panels. The wife is notorious for high water usage and no matter how much nagging, she's not going to change. At least with a borehole, you are not at the mercy of the PLC water company.

Thanks Conor

I want to get a water connection made to the mains, and my initial plan is to simply run the laid pipe to a temporary standpipe a few meters from the mains connection. As I am going to lay a conduit as part of the ground floor slab, repurposing of the temporary feed can be done when the build is quite advanced. The question I have surrounds the use of joints underground. Repurposing the temporary supply will require the 90 degree elbow to be replaced with a straight joint. Is it ok to do this. as I currently don't see how I can avoid any joints, unless I get the water company out to remove the original pipe and connect in a new section. Will they effectively have to do two inspections?

I popped up to site earlier. Slab is 4” and the overhead HV are very high. You would have to be a complete tool to manage to reach up, and I’m not sure it would reach that high. photos below. Image 3 might just show the HV crossing across.

The hire company had either a 1.5 tonne or a 7 tonne. I just don't want to be sat in a machine for a week trying to break up a slab. I've no idea how well a 3 tonne machine will break up a slab.

Because I don't want a garden consisting of 200m2 of slab, and it's also where the house is being built

Thanks all. I have contacted SSEN and they are sending someone out to advise.

Sorry, but what is RAMS

I doubt very much that breaking up 200m2 of concrete slab including the disposal is going to cost £1k I suspect the job alone will be in excess of 5k Both the HV and LV are above ground.

The ground directly under the line is a flat concrete slab, so the excavator will always be on solid level ground. Regarding line height, that is a question that I cannot answer.

Am I not able to do my own H&S assessment? I was hoping that I could simply follow the guidelines as per document Avoiding danger from overhead power lines GS6 (hse.gov.uk) so long as the excavator boom / dipper cannot reach the overhead line and provide enough clearance, is that not enough?

Ok, thanks. It's ***** expense after expense. I imagine that said expert is going to be £££.

I was planning on hiring a 7 tonne excavator with a pecker to break up 200m2 of concrete slab. I was conscious that there is an LV line that runs along the north boundary and a HV line that runs across the far east side. I was hoping that I could simply crack on and spray hazard markings on the concrete where the HV line runs over. As I am using a pecker, there is no requirement to be extending the boom vertically, so the likelihood of any incident is very small. I am just conscious that if I have to request that it is isolated then once again, I am going to be paying thousands and it's money we don't have. The plan of the concrete that I need to remove is shown below, circled in red. The original plan was to hire a 1.5 tonne machine, but I don't think it will do the job. Any thoughts on this one.

It basically states the following. Struggling to understand why the pole being moved back requires a new HV pole further down to be replaced. What we will do: LV Diversion Works required. Quote subject to wayleaves and third party consents. Client is building a new bungalow and the LV pole adjacent requires relocating. SSEN to dismantle 1x LV pole and 1x LV span of single phase LV. SSEN to install 1x new section pole and transfer 1x span of LV overhead, Install 1x Span of 95mm single phase ABC (out of balance stays maybe required and to be determined on site. OCU have been to site and advised they have to replace 1x HV intermediate pole I simply want to move the circled pole to the red line (about 1.5 -2 m)

So, the survey was carried out by SSEN, and to move the pole 1.5m to our boundary they have quoted us 25k. Do I simple now write to the wayleave department and give them notice to terminate? I am obviously not paying 25k and given the pole that is on the plot is very old and did not get replaced when the others were done a few years ago, I think they are being a bit cheeky.

Yes. I am laying the pipe inside our boundary. I have just discovered that it is the council that is robbing me re Traffic Management. They charge £2100 + vat for a road closure.

Never considered a 5t one. Thanks

I have considered buying a 2.7 tonne machine, but they are ~ 17k and the wife is having none of it. I did a 3 day excavator course last week and I was using a Kobelco 1.7 tonne and that did the job ok, so not sure whether I really do need a 2.7t machine.

Has anyone found a reputable company that can provide hire in plant insurance? The hire company has said they can provide it, but it will be about £100 to £150 for a week, or I can simply take a punt or get my own. Not willing to take the risk of not having insurance so was hoping I could find a company like one of those that provide collision damage waiver when you hire a rental car.

Best not get me started on the electrical connection. I've been told by the surveyor that to move the pole 1.5m back to our boundary is going to be in the region of 15k. They say they need to isolate the HV which is one LV pole away, in case the cable 'pings'. 7k charge just to isolate that. I'm just going to serve notice on SSEN regarding said pole.

They really do take the ****** ****! So I paid another £90 and submitted a revised application for our water connection, as I was hoping that having the connection in the driveway would negate the need for traffic management, but instead, they have now added on a £1000 for a nesting bird survey. It makes my blood boil. Is there an ombudsman, as I feel like these companies are just ripping the consumer off?

Not yet. Hoping to go very soon though.