Thursday was fine first thing, then heavy rain stopped the work
Retaining Wall and Steps
Step progress 2
Step progress
Wall progress
Wall progress 2
Day 32 – Wednesday 24th August 2016
Roofer and builder here today. Photos below of progress
Roof progress
Roof progress 2
Wall and Step Progress
Wall progress
Work concentrated on the retaining wall behind the new kitchen and the new step area that will give us quick access to the garden. The soil is clay and heavy, and although it has been well compacted over the years before its disturbance for this build, it needs to be held back with a strong wall.
Digger to remove remaining soil for steps
As the height of the garden from the new patio is well above the ground level, about six steps will be required. This means more digging out to create space for the steps, also taking into consideration the width of each step and the drop of each step.
Digger removing remaining soil
View from bedroom
2nd View from bedroom
Rain! Heavy! No proper rain for a few weeks, till last night and this morning, just as all roof tiles have been removed – typical!
By lunch time rain was so heavy, the builder and his mate went home. Rain stops play again.
Filling back of retaining wall
Retaining wall
Removal of roof tiles with bat ecologist on site
Ecologist on site
Tile Removal with supervision 2
Tile Removal with supervision
Progress of retaining wall
Ground drains
Inside Kitchen Area
Top of patio doors
Top of patio doors 2
Breach of Bat Licence
This is an extract of the email we were sent: I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that any breach of licence is considered to be a breach of the legislation, and we have a duty to act upon such cases, as this was reported timely and works have now halted to allow for the ecologist to be present, in this case please consider this a warning.
Should any further breaches occur we will have no option but to refer this matter to the police for investigation.
Therefore no work has been carried out, but can now continue once we have been supervised during tile removal.
Work today on the retaining wall
Progress on New Kitchen Roof
Progress of roof
Progress of roof 2
Progress of roof 3
Retaining Wall and drainage
Work continues on the permitted part of the new roof. No parts of the old roof may be touched without supervision from a bat licenced ecologist.
Work on retaining wall begins
Retaining Wall
New retaining wall
Our property is in an area that has potential for bats, therefore it was deemed necessary that we should have a bat survey carried out before any work could go ahead on the roof of the property.
We had dawn and dusk observations completed last year. During the first bat activity survey, Springdale was identified as a transitional/ day roost for a low number of common bats.
Therefore a Method Statement was drawn up which instructed us on how we must go about our new extension.
In hindsight we now understand what we did wrong.
This is what happened.
Some work to the roof has already been carried out without supervision of a bat licensed ecologist contrary to the licence conditions.
Everything is on hold. No further work can be carried out to the existing roof without supervision.
We have breached planning conditions and have been reported to Natural Resources Wales.
We must await their decision.
If anyone out there is in the same position, a word of warning – do not go ahead and touch the roof without a bat licensed ecologist being employed on site prior to works commencing and during any removal of roof tiles.
Read the Method Statement carefully. Our report was 29 pages long. The Method Statement was on page 17. So it is advisable to read it all.
The local authority have now also been informed of our breach of planning conditions.
We now also have a Shwegler 1 FE Bat Box on the garage as recommended and we will need to install another three on the front of the house on completion of the building.
Kitchen Roof Construction
Kitchen roof so far
Kitchen roof so far picture 2
Kitchen roof so far picture 3
Progress day 23
Progress day 23 picture 2
springdalegarden 