Down the big long lane...

[Guest Alphonsox]

Great news

[dpmiller]

So the official confirmation letter arrived yesterday. Planning conditions are few, and simple, and just as per the Officer's report:

Start within five years

Obscured glass for the bathrooms

Landscaping following completion

Access works pre-commencement (yup, like already eight years ago)

 

No conditions re levels or ridge height is a bonus.

 

Digger man and his mate called on Tuesday and we've a plan of attack. A couple of land drains to put in (one new, along the short  E boundary with the nighbour's garden and one to culvert the long open drain on the South. Then strip and retain topsoil and put down crushed reclaim over the drive and form clean hardstanding.

 

Still waiting a revised price for the TF...

[Ferdinand]

@dpmiller

 

I think the obscured bathroom window is a little cruel. No view for you from the bath, then, unless you have a Camera Obscura in a black shower cubicle !  I thought you were in the back of beyond with one neighbour and the wild animals.

 

Are they concerned that you will traumatise the squirrels? Will you?

 

Perhaps removable-later obscuring film is called for.

 

F

 

 

Edited May 19, 2018 by Ferdinand

[dpmiller]

Traumatise the wildlife? Definitely!

 

Well, if we want to, all the windows *are* openers...

[dpmiller]

So where are we now then?

 

Selfbuild insurance arranged and in place. First delivery of materials arrived- twenty lengths of 160mm perforated twinwall, and a shiny new gate. The swing off the lane and into the drive is just a bit *too* tight so some fences will need massaging a touch.

Any burnable scrub is torched.

New gate is on.

 

We're ready for the digger to be let loose next week!

[Declan52]

You have had the best 2 weeks weather in a long time. Should have a lovely colour now, was definitely taps aff.

Edited May 30, 2018 by Declan52

[dpmiller]

jaysus the place isn't ready for that!

[dpmiller]

So watching the lorry negotiate the corner from lane to driveway last week made me pause. Then a chat with our nice new neighbour, and following that an hour's work tonight. Result? a few quid for posts and much more room to turn. Excellent.

[dpmiller]

Ooh, it's all getting exciting. Site loo arriving tomorrow, digger and dumper on Friday. TF company contracted.

[Declan52]

Taps still on though???

[Declan52]

Don't put the dunny anywhere near where the workers will have their breaks. As far away as possible

[dpmiller]

Yup, mains water is on.

[dpmiller]

Progress!

Topsoil stripped off most of the site today, and much of it good to reuse. Full plans have gone in to BC so as son as TF guy confirms our baseworks drawings, we're good to dig footings. In the meantime there's land drain to do and crushed rubble to lay.

 

 

[dpmiller]

Paul's been a busy boy. All the stripping is complete, a couple of loads of crushed are down (probably another three or four to go) so we'll have dry standing all round the footprint soon and for re-use later. £6/t with a cert, nice.  Account opened with local quarry, just waiting on final prices. Rock hammer on standby at the Hire  depot.

What else is on the week's list then?  Land drains to go in, big hole to dig for the treatment plant. Water pipe joint to bury in neighbouring field.

Treatment plant to be ordered tomorrow, delivery before the weekend apparently.

 

Oh, but any or all of that can wait if the base drawings arrive from the TF co.

[dpmiller]

Now things are getting a bit busy. Quarry (Northstone) came though with prices for stone, blocks, and concrete, and very good they are too. NIE have finally quoted for the electric, and it's pretty palatable even. Treatment plant is en-route from Cork. Rubble all in place now. Paul is currently contentedly cleaning the back drain, dropping twinwall in and stoning over. Dunno if he'll get started on the other drain today or not.

 

Had a call form BC yesterday to confirm address details and warning me they'd be requesting a breakdown of the cost estimate. Hmm. Why does it feel like they want to up their profits?

[Declan52]

Did you check stoneyford for a price. That's who I got all my blocks from.

http://www.stoneyford.com/services-grid/

[dpmiller]

No, but I have now. Thirty quid dearer than Northstone.

[Declan52]

They used to be the cheapest blocks. Nearly every big builder used them.

[dpmiller]

Dunno. Just called Carryduff and they were dearer still and are generally on the money apparently?

[vfrdave]

Did you try CES quarry, I have always found them competitive. Northstone were expensive when I was pricing.

[dpmiller]

Didn't actually.  But Paul (groundworker) has a tame haulier who pulls out of Craigantlet so even if someone else was cheaper- and we're talking under a tenner for crusher run here- we're still saving on time as it's no distance from the depot.

[dpmiller]

Oh, the treatment plant arrived today. No external controller, the Solido "C" unit has the controller integrated into the lid of the airpump which then sits in the "capsule", a screwtop container like the waterproof ones for emergency kit on boats. This then sits on a shelf just inside the manhole. Just needs an air inlet and 240v.

It's a Hiblow pump, the Duo-80

http://www.maskamwater.com/products/air-pumps-and-blowers/hiblow-duo-6080/

[Ryan85]

Anyone used the Turley Precast tanks. No moving parts i believe and no annual service charge. 

[dpmiller]

Base drawings are in (finally!) so marking out and digging begins on Monday. In the meantime, here's the view from the top of the world (ok, topsoil bing...).

[dpmiller]

And a few days of toil later, we have trenches. Yesterday morning started with us marking out, and then Paul decided which corner to start from. First time the bucket hit the ground, it found rock. The hammer  (that has been booked for a fortnight) wasn't yet available- brand new digger, brand new hammer for it hadn't arrived. So he tentatively tried a different area with more luck and got a fair bit done; the hammer arrived thismorning.

 

So now:

 

Thankfully, that's all the spoil we have so far, a mix of a hardish grey basalt and a brown/blue mudstone shale. A lot has backfilled the back drain- and gained a tidy area in the process. Trenches just to tidy in the morning, BCO to inspect, then lay mesh  and pour.

 

Edited June 27, 2018 by dpmiller