Our euphoria at getting planning permission was also quickly dashed with the arrival of Structural Engineers and Building Regulators. Unhappy with the structural designs and taking one look at the thick pure clay, the Building Inspector closed the site down. We had builders on site ready to start digging the foundations!
The clay
(and its non porous qualities), a huge Weeping Willow, Lleylandii
and our proximity to flood plains mean that the foundations have to
be very very deep. Too deep for normal concrete foundations. So
we've now had the clay tested for its Plasticity – which came back
as 41% or High – and we are going to have to pile our foundations.
I've watched enough 'Grand Designs' to know that this means more time
and lots more money. Piling means the creation of stilts that go
deep down to hit the bedrock for its stability. Ours will be 8 –
10m deep with heave boards which allow the clay to
move/expand/contract without cracking the building.
So our
lovely builders are off the job and we need to find a speciality Pile
company (am I the only one who secretly sniggers Miranda-like at the
word 'pile'?)
Separately
we have had to part ways with our original Engineer and recruit a new
one. Our initial drawings were called into question and combined
with his lack of service skills meant he was difficult to work with.
All very stressful.
Upshot
of this all is that we won't even start foundations until Jan 14 and
at greater cost.
We have
progressed the converting of the house - it is now a shell; all internal
walls have gone. Steel joists are on order to create a larger living
room and utility room. The house is split into two by a block work
wall; to get in one side you have to climb up into an external door.
To get to the living room you have to take down a temporary MDF
shuttering so we go there very rarely.
Halloween
passed without the Boggy Creek monster getting me in Eric – phew!
A close friend's sister is a forensic specialist – and she offered
to look at the bones we'd found. I'm glad to report that non are
human! Two are a calf's right knee joint; there's an adult dog,
possibly an adult goat and finally something smaller like a pig or
sheep. So no plague pits then, thank goodness.
With the
winds of the storm in October, the last vestiges of autumn have gone.
In its place is mud, mud and more mud. I've banked the Disco Bus
in the mud once already; much to Jules' horror. (It did come out
after much effort on his behalf). Getting anywhere from Eric and
Ernie is becoming treacherous. We are employing several strategies
at once to keep the garden stable; carpet, gravel, garden slab and
MDF boards to name a few. I'll report on the efficacy of each
material in future blogs.
Living
in Eric is getting harder too. Keeping him dry is proving
impossible; we are currently sharing him with small mould cultures
and a damp sheen on virtually everything. So we've upped the
heating; preferring electric oil heaters rather than the expensive
gas bottles. I'm trying dehumidifier gel pellets but I've read that
it's like trying to dehumidify the sea.
The best
bit of the last month has been the digger. The builders gave me the
key and a short lesson prior to the weekend and off I went. I've
demolished two robust sheds and dug a 30m trench for a new hedge. It
was just brilliant fun; quite addictive and absorbing. The best bit
was when the builders complimented me on my trench thinking I'd done
it before (or do they just want more work?!?)
We all
had a go; the kids all drove it around and dug up some of the rubbish
piles. I have to say the females were really good; calm and
methodical. The younger males were more erratic and wouldn't listen
to instructions!
We
celebrated Livvy's 11th birthday with a sleepover in Ernie
– so the girls had the run of their own caravan which would've been
perfect except for the regular loo trips into Eric throughout the
night. William lost another tooth as a result of munching into one
of our pears. This was the second tooth in Over; the first got caught
on the trampoline net mid jump and was yanked out. It got lodged in
the netting!
Lastly
the head gasket (don't ask me what that actually is) in the Disco Bus
has finally broken meaning that instead of buying a double cab Pick
Up Truck that I was coveting, we've bought a people carrier as our
main car. In true Lerway tradition we've gone for another Japanese
Import with blinds, double bed and two man tent awning – the Bongo!
With
much sadness the Disco Bus is relegated to Refuse Dump trips until it
finally gives up the ghost. I'm not emotional about cars usually but
he has provided us with some fabulous memories. RIP Disco Bus. I'm usually recognised locally by the Disco Bus so if you see another space wagon with a mad woman waving to you; it'll be me!
