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started digging drain


redtop

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A very simple thing I do is to put a value against my time. Let's say £10 an hour for low skilled work, like digging a ditch. Then say we have a job that will take a full week, say £400 of my own labour. 

 

But I could hire some equipment that would mean the job only took two days. Say £150 for equipment hire and my time meant that the real cost was £310. So you've not only saved some "money", you've freed up three days to do other jobs, more skilled work that's worth £25hr. That's how you save money on a self build.

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10 hours ago, redtop said:

... have I wimped out ?

 

I had exactly the same problem right when C-19 struck. That meant about a month digging 35 cubic meters by hand. At the time I cursed a bit. I've already forgotten the irritation,  but I do know - now - exactly what's involved in accurate digging to a fairly precise fall. In brief

  • Keep checking for level - over-digging by hand is soooo annoying 
  • Make sure the width is right, pipe width plus space for one foot either side of the pipe- too wide is as bad as too narrow 
  • Plan for spoil - topsoil one side, clay / whatever else 'other side. Backfills easier that way. 
  • Make a set of trench boards to prevent,  where necessary, collapse- scaffold Jacks to brace between boards on either side.
  • Plan how to drain the trench : thunderstorms.
  • Buy a clay spade. Brilliant bit of kit.
  • Two people digging (machine or hand) speeds  the process significantly.  Debbie helping more than doubled the rate of progress 
  • Plan for where the backfill 10mm gravel is dumped.  It's a much bigger task than I thought. 
  • A laser level really helps.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Conor said:

A very simple thing I do is to put a value against my time. Let's say £10 an hour for low skilled work, like digging a ditch. Then say we have a job that will take a full week, say £400 of my own labour. 

 

 

That's an interesting approach. I like it.

 

To add to this in my case, as a novice in building, I also want to try everything* at least once. There is nothing quite like being hands-on to really learn about something. Moreover, this would then put me in a much better position to know what's-what when I have someone else doing the job in exchange for my money. 

 

* with well-known exceptions, like plastering, brick-laying and electrics.

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22 hours ago, redtop said:

will be going to 1.5m deep in next 5 metres

 

What is your ground like..?That is starting to get to the point where you should be ensuring the sides are supported on poor ground, and also make sure your spoil is a long way from the trench edge

 

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On 20/06/2020 at 08:15, ToughButterCup said:

 

I had exactly the same problem right when C-19 struck. That meant about a month digging 35 cubic meters by hand. At the time I cursed a bit. I've already forgotten the irritation,  but I do know - now - exactly what's involved in accurate digging to a fairly precise fall. In brief

  • Keep checking for level - over-digging by hand is soooo annoying 
  • Make sure the width is right, pipe width plus space for one foot either side of the pipe- too wide is as bad as too narrow 
  • Plan for spoil - topsoil one side, clay / whatever else 'other side. Backfills easier that way. 
  • Make a set of trench boards to prevent,  where necessary, collapse- scaffold Jacks to brace between boards on either side.
  • Plan how to drain the trench : thunderstorms.
  • Buy a clay spade. Brilliant bit of kit.
  • Two people digging (machine or hand) speeds  the process significantly.  Debbie helping more than doubled the rate of progress 
  • Plan for where the backfill 10mm gravel is dumped.  It's a much bigger task than I thought. 
  • A laser level really helps.

 

 

never heard of a clay spade, which one did you use?

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Always go for a man and a machine. The experienced operator will have three time the efficient use of time and can scrape level. The small local chaps are usually really cheap. You can’t get the VAT back on hired equipment but services are zero rated on new build. Just make sure the invoice says ground works services rather than plant hire.

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10 hours ago, Timedout said:

Always go for a man and a machine. The experienced operator will have three time the efficient use of time and can scrape level. The small local chaps are usually really cheap. You can’t get the VAT back on hired equipment but services are zero rated on new build. Just make sure the invoice says ground works services rather than plant hire.

too late, got machine and doing digging myself, took 2 hours to dig out the deep area where the manhole goes, now got 15m of trench to do plus some hand digging so I don't damage the sewer pipe

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right. so digger experience.  dug 20M of drain run, had a bit of a bend but managed to get pipe to fit ? 2M deep at end, about a foot at other but now covered with more soil so a couple of foot or more down. managed to get slope pretty even by eye which was a miracle tbh.  Hand shovelling stone in was hardest part! now all filled in and running fine. Started digging out a slope to create a flat level for garden.  getting ground level with digger is hard compared to digging  trench but a few days work would have taken weeks, at least, by hand. in fact not sure I could have done it given how hard the ground is. best 250 quid ever spent

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