does any one know how to "dry-site" a twin static/lodge?

[Tom]

Hi all - we're trying to sort out our on-site accommodation now that our house sale seems to be going through and we'll be homeless soon. Access is narrow - 12ft gateways, but only just, so we are limited to 10ft wide realistically. We're looking at twin lodges that come in two 10ft wide sections and are then joined back together. We're getting transport and siting quotes but the figures being thrown around for "siting" i.e leveling and joining the two together are £2000+ - which seems a lot of money to me. What exactly is involved? Is it reasonably DIY-able? Leveling is presumably just a bottle jack and stands, then joining together I guess with bolts and perhaps some repairs to roofing felt, inside some cosmetic tarting up, relaying floor etc. Is that right or am I underestimating the amount of work involved?

[ProDave]

For a twin unit you want a very good base. you don't want any differential movement between the ground each half sits on.

 

You will need jacks and possible air movers to align the two halves together.

 

Really best done by laying a concrete slab in one go large enough for both to sit on together.

[Tom]

We have virtually no flat land anywhere so plan to level a good sized area near to the build (where the services already are) and put down 100mm Type 3 well compacted - I've been told that this should be sufficient (what do you think?). Each half is on wheels, same as a standard static, so should be possible to move relatively easily but can imagine getting them to line up well will be tricky - but two thousand pounds worth of tricky?!

[Bitpipe]

5 minutes ago, Tom said:

We have virtually no flat land anywhere so plan to level a good sized area near to the build (where the services already are) and put down 100mm Type 3 well compacted - I've been told that this should be sufficient (what do you think?). Each half is on wheels, same as a standard static, so should be possible to move relatively easily but can imagine getting them to line up well will be tricky - but two thousand pounds worth of tricky?!

 

Would you be able to use this area for something post build or would it be incorporated into your final landscaping plan. A big concrete slab may or may may not be that useful post build whereas hard standing can be knocked about and the area returned to soft landscaping etc..

 

Our caravan sat behind the build area as we had major groundworks (basement) and needed crane for the frame erection etc and did not want to be in the way of any of this. Just about squeaked it out post build so keep that in mind also

 

Proximity to services is key, foul drainage is probably the trickiest as power, water and telco can be made to go anywhere.

 

We paid £500 to get our van sited and levelled, it's a skilled job and as Dave says, doing it for two halfs is even more critical.

 

[ProDave]

I sited my (single unit) on 300mm of compacted MOT1  Even so one of the wheels did sink in a bit as it was driven onto the spot.  the danger with a twin unit is you are trying to park 2 units side by side mm perfect and touching.  If one wheel sinks a bit they could clash.  Hence why I believe they use air movers or similar to push them sideways together.

 

I sited mine on piles of concrete blocks, but all the twin units I have seen are supported on a forrest of jacks, that look very much like adjustable axle stands.  the point loading on those might want something more solid than just MOT1, perhaps a small paving slab under each one to spread the load and make them more stable?

[Russell griffiths]

Do you have an excavator or a land rover to move one unit around. 

 

I would get them both both on site but only one in position

level the first one exactly, then manoeuvre the other up to it, I think having both in the way could cause problems. 

[Gus Potter]

Hi Tom..

 

I'll have a stab at this.

 

Assuming the following... You don't have designs on turning the temporary living space into some holiday let later?  It's just temporary accommodation for say 18 months.. less but you use it for storage for a while.

 

Let's also say you are not on peaty ground, say clay or better ground.. even some of what is called expansive clays.. sensetive clays.. these are clay soils that can swell, shrink by several inches. Also assume that your "lodges" are temporary and that you don't mind if the paint, finishes etc get a bit cracked.. not massive cracks but more than what you would accept in your finished house.

 

A bit of technical stuff..Take a softish clay as a reasonably worst case. This would be a clay soil that can be easily moulded with firm finger pressure. This type of clay may well be able to support a house that loads the ground by about 40 kN/m sq. Now that equates to roughly 4 tonnes per square metre or ~ 400 kg per square foot. I'm mixing units here but the point is that this equates to about 4 large folk per square foot on an isolated "pad" foundation. This type of loading could.. all things being equal.. result in some 25mm of settlement? Maybe not so good for a house but ok for temporary accommodation so long as you account for it as the seasons change and the ground swells and shrinks.

 

Here are some suggestions / food for thought, the tools, equipment you may need. The key here is to try and use stuff that you can recycle.. sleepers, hard core etc.

 

1/ Make a water level, I have posted about this before how to make one yourself but can't find it. It's basically a hose pipe with some clear pastic tube fitted to the ends. also by say a trolly jack.. usually a 1.5 - 3.0 tonne SWL jack is fine or just borrow one..think carefully before put your body under the structure when jacking.

2/ Dig a couple of holes where you want to put the temp home.

3/ If soil looks ok.. you should already have an idea as you have site info for the house. then scrape the site level.

4/ Put down a bit of hard core.. say 100 mm type one and give that a whack with a whacker plate.. don't over do it.. lots of folk try and whack it to death and wonder why it start's to go soft again.. storey for another day.

5/ Get some sleepers and lay them reasonably level, don't bed them on sand as this can wash out. Try and get the tops of the sleepers to say + / - 10mm. If your hard core is reasonably flat that will do. The sleepers will bed in. Make sure you measure carefully where the lodges need supported. Cut some timber ply wood packers.. call these shims and lay them on top of the sleepers.. make them all level. Don't fix the shims down as you want to be able to take them out later to drop the level if need be.

6/ Lift the lodge into position.

 

Now you are nearly there.. but... you often need to tie these things down as the wind can get under them and lift them. Make sure you don't make the packing too thick.. keep the things say less than 450mm off the ground as the sideways wind will start to cause a problem.  The simple way is to buy some lorry straps and put them over the roof, tie them down to some one tonne bags of concrete / building sand.. put some compost in the top and grow some carrots while your at it or veg that likes some free draining soil. As an aside if you go to a static caravan park you'll often see the underside side boarded in.. this is to try and stop the wind getting in.. primarily to stop wind uplift and also to keep the floor a bit warmer.

 

Join the two units together with a cover plate so they can move independantly.. after all when you come you sell them someone may only want to buy one so try not to damage them.

 

Every now and again you can jack the think up a bit if it settles. make sure you insulate the water pipes and if say in Aberdeenshire the soil pipe too!

 

Once you move in use the sleepers for the garden, the hard core for the greenhouse base and the sand with the compost for that perfect lawn.

 

Hopefully you can do all this for a bit less?

 

Oh, and if it settles, one end rises a bit due to the ground swelling then get the jack out, slacken the straps and add a shim or two, then re tighten the straps. It's easier if you have a couple of slip sleaves etc on the soil pipe, and plenty slack in the electrical connection, broad band, gas pipes etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Gus Potter
Missed a bit

[Tom]

Gus, thanks for your detailed reply mate, however what we're looking at getting is a twin unit, which is designed to join together and give you a 20ft wide lodge with pitched roof. Each half has the same metal chassis as a standard static and seem to be levelled with adjustable stands at various critical points. If I was going down the route as you suggested I can see that costing £2k as it sounds quite involved - but for a unit that is designed to fit together in the first place the quote just seems a bit steep.

 

Can I ask re the MOT grades though, I have been told Type 3 to allow good drainage, but you mention Type 1. Am I right in thinking Type 1 is a lot finer? When would you use one and not t'other?