A site investigation can be as simple as a walkover and trial pit or as complex as a series of bore holes and student loan consolidation faq samples taken away for analysis. Picking the right site educational loan consolidation not always easy but it is far better for you to put some time and effort into a site investigation in order to choose the right location.
Every site must be checked for problems or potential hazards. The depth and scope of this investigation will depend on several factors.
· Location of site.
· Filled sites
· Does the site slope
· Type of soil and vegetation
· Water table
· Historical data
· Legal Issues
SITE WALKOVER.
Location of site.
In many cases a simple walkover of the site can provide a number of clues as to the nature of the site. There are a number of items that you need to be on the lookout for. If you are buying a green field site you need to look at the vegetation on the site. Are there any plants that would suggest marsh or poorly drained soils? What condition do you find the top surface in. Is it wet? If it is has it been raining or mainly dry?
If it is a brown field site, what was the site used for before. Was it a storage facility? Factory? Car park? It has been know for brown field sites to be contaminated with chemicals due to spilt waste. Any site that is know to have been a storage facility or factory should be checked with a qualified geologist who will perform a series of specialised tests that will help to answer most of your questions?
Please be aware that while these tests are designed to be as accurate as possible it is not unknown for hazards to escape detection. You must simply be as careful as possible and if in doubt do more tests.Sites likely to be contaminated include but are not limited to the following:
· Chemical plants or storage facilities
· Oil storage and distribution sites
· Tanneries
· Railway sidings and depots
· Mines, smelt works, foundries, and metal workshops
· Sewage farms and sludge disposal sites
· Any industry using wood treatment
Filled sites.
Is there any evidence that the site has been filled in at any time in past? Filled sites need to be checked carefully. Indiscriminate dumping into a filled site can leave any number of nasty surprises waiting for the unsuspecting self-builder. Gases can build up beneath your home over time creating a distinctly unhealthy environment to live in.
Another problem is that of building wastes been buried. This can range from anything like concrete and building blocks to metal fences, drums and plasterboard wastes. This problem is not the concern it once was as health and safety and environmentalists have clamped down firmly on this kind of indiscriminate dumping. But it still goes on.
Sloping sites.
Slopes can offer some of the most attractive sites where once built the extra height offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Slopes also add additional cost to your foundation expenditure. You will either have to dig out part of the slope in order to reach you foundation depth, which ensures extra cost for earth removal or you can step your foundation into the slope giving yourself a house of two or more different levels. This can be an effective means of achieving a distinctive design but once again can have implications on cost as the extra detailing and labour costs can be significant.
Type of soil and vegetation.
There are many factors to take into consideration when assessing soil conditions. The ground conditions can vary from hard rock to soft clays to peat. Local conditions such as the proximity of rivers, lakes and mining operations can have an additional bearing on the type of foundation you will require. They may indicate possible sub surface subsidence or ground weakness that can only be verified by extensive tests.
All possibilities must be considered when assessing ground conditions, as the result of foundation collapse is expensive both in financial and emotional terms.The top surface of a site can often be revealing of soil type, prevailing ground conditions or potential hazards. Good grass growth, shrubbery and or trees usually signals good car cheapest insurane quote ground that is absent of any potential chemical hazards.
A wet surface particularly when accompanied by water growing species such as reeds, usually indicates a poor quality site that most likely will require extra work in the foundations, possibly even piling.
A site however that is barren and does not have plant growth or very patchy growth is very likely a filled site or possibly a site that contains some potential hazard.
Trees and root systems.
Are there any trees on the site that would Arkansas Lemon Laws to be in your way? How close are the trees to where you are planning to place your base. Any design process must take into consideration the proximity of any mature or growing trees. Degradation of the foundations and or drainage system due to tree root growth is a very real problem. One that can cause you a lot of money to fix.
A good rule of thumb is to assess the height and spread of the tree canopy. If you measure out two and a half times the radius of the canopy spread. This should allow you enough distance to be clear of any root spread. However it pays to assess the likely possibility of any future abnormal root growth. This can take place for several reasons.
· The ground is very rocky forcing the roots to travel further outward to obtain water.
· There is a high water table. Roots will not grow below the water table.
· An excessively wet area on the site that may attract root growth to it.
Generally roots that have sufficient room to grow pose little risk to the main foundations of your home. However they can still cause damage to smaller structures such as a garage, porch or conservatory. Drainage pipes can be at risk from uncontrolled root spread as they are easily penetrated by the fibrous roots and can be broken, pushed upwards etc by the encroaching root system. Surrounding your pipes in concrete is a satisfactory solution but you must ensure that the ground around the pipes is capable of bearing the weight.
Sites that require a raft foundation or piling will need some other form of engineering solution as the weight of concrete around the pipes would not be supported by the ground.Cutting trees down is a matter of last resort and it is recommended that you plant at least two for every one that you cut down. But other problems can result from cutting trees down. Tree roots can expand a great distance from the main bole of the tree and in heavy clay soils can be a serious problem due to heave and shrinkage.
Because the tree is no longer absorbing water from the soil there can be a problem with over saturation of the ground. This however can be prevented quite easily by the use of adequate land drainage.
Water table.
On any given site there is a water table. This is simply the top level to which water will rise under its own pressure. The level of this water table fluctuates between the wet and dry season rising to its highest level in the wet season. (Oct - Mar)
A trial pit will establish the water table. Simply dig your pit and leave it exposed overnight. This should be long enough to allow the pit to fill with water seeping from the surrounding ground. The depth of this water below the existing ground level is how much allowable space you have for your foundations. If that depth is too shallow you will have to consider either abandoning the site or using other foundation techniques such as Piling.
A site where the pit begins to fill in immediately is considered to be waterlogged. There will probably need to be considerable care taken designing foundations and drainage systems to allow for the extra pressures within the soil.
Historical data.
It is always prudent to medications the history associated with a site. This means checking for any activities that may or may not have taken place on or near the site. Was the area associated with mining? Is or was the area prone to flooding in the past? Has the land always been used for agriculture? Ask the local residents, as they are sure to have some knowledge of the site especially if there may be some potential problems.It pays to double-check everything about you potential new plot. Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions, as they could be the difference between making a smart buy or an expensive mistake.
Legal Issues.
Legal issues are always the most difficult to solve. A lot of the time they are petty and while they often do not seem to be a serious problem they can turn into a major headache if not dealt with properly and quickly.Examples of issues to be aware of include but are not limited to the following:
- Right of access
- Shared access
- Planning Restrictions
- Condemned orders on derelict buildings.
Right of Access.
Before you buy any land you need to know are there any restrictions to your right of access. There have been numerous cases where land has been sold without this important inclusion. The problems that can occur from not having right of access is that you won’t be able to build your access road into the site. Therefore you won’t get planning.
The owner of the access strip basically has a gun to your head and it will all depend on what type of person they are. They may simply grant you access, they may sell you the required access for a price or they just refuse to allow you any access at all.Not a pleasant position to be in. This needs to be resolved prior to buying the land. One final point, never ever take any persons word that they will allow you access at a later date. Get it in writing. A verbal promise is not worth the paper it’s written on.
Shared Access.
Shared access is a slightly smaller problem and it usually does not crop up until such time as you have to sell your home. Then it may become a selling point with the buyer unhappy about having to share an access drive. Simply make sure that the right of access can be transferred along with the property and you should be fine.
Planning Restrictions.
Always check for any planning restrictions that may be in the area, these can include but are not limited to the following:
- Protected routes/roads, will mean you cannot build an access road directly to the main road. If you don’t have any other options, planning will be refused.
- Conservation areas are difficult to get planning in unless you have an exceptional reason for living there.
- In green belt areas, planning may be refused due to excess build up. Check with the planning authority to find out if this may be the case.
- In the UK “PPS14″ precludes building in the countryside, so unless outline planning already exists do not believe anybody if they should tell you that planning will not be a problem.
- Excessive overlooking of a neighbouring property will result in a planning refusal unless you can come up with a proposal to solve the problem.
Condemned order on derelict buildings.
This may seem a strange one but I have come across it several times. Many people look for derelict or abandoned buildings in the countryside, in the expectation that the planning authorities will look favourably on the application. Most of the time this works out just fine, but every now and then you will come across a derelict building that has a condemned order on it.
This order means that you will not be able to get planning permission or a replacement grant without some severe financial hassle, not to mention the time involved. And worst of all there is no guarantee that you will succeed in the end.
So to conclude, check all the issues and never take anybody at their word. If you tick off all the right boxes then you may just have found your dream site. If you don’t you may just find yourself in a nightmare you can’t get out of.
Ed Gordon is a Timber Frame specialist with a keen interest in Energy Efficiency and reducing the construction Carbon Footprint. Ed does not manufacture timber framed kits but he does help his clients by preparing planning permissions on a NO Win No Fee basis and ensuring that they make an informed decision between timber frame and masonry construction and helping clients to find the best value manufacturer or contractor to perform any work. For more information go to gts-timber-frame.com gts-timber-frame.com