Hi,
Many thanks for your interesting and welcome replies.
You certainly made me smile with your comment about "crooked string"
@TalismanRich it's a corker of an excuse; the main thing though is you and your brother built the wall and it still stands 50+ years later; well done you could set a trend. Thanks; yes it's good to be handy; the only job I don't do is gas work; everything else I do with my wife's supporting mugs of tea. I wonder if anything else is taught in school these days other than how to use a mobile phone. There's too much easy money around making many people lazy and in order to save the planet we seldom repair anything this will also apply to electric cars once their battery needs replacing in years to come when it's cheaper to scrap the whole car than buy a new battery.
I couldn't agree more with you
@Slouching Raymond I wonder if I'll bother insuring our bungalow again because it's a waste of money; car insurance is required by law though. Yes it's possible further subsidence could occurr at a later date but I'm ready for it; I've allowed for movement in the extension to bungalow roof joint; the walls being a bungalow are not too difficult to repair apart from being mostly random stone; the bungalow and extesion are built on clay and this recent extremely prolonged hot weather has obviously dried the clay hence the whole two roomed extension let go from the bungalow; I know the extension foundations to be solid because years ago I had to use a jack hammer to break through 19" thick concrete to access drains; this wasn't bad compared to when I removed the huge laurel hedge at the top of the garden wanted to install wooden posts and a mesh fence; who else could find a 36" deep concrete ledge just where the post holes needed to be; I really enjoy all this punishment. Thanks for your kind words; I've been working even before leaving school and going down the pit; I used to be out of bed at 5am for my paper rounds in all weather.
Fingers crossed your pipework and foundations stand the test of time but don't rely on insurance if anything goes wrong. My wife and I have saved a fortune over the years doing everything ourselves; we watch tradespeople at our neighbours these usually having a mobile phone to their ear whilst wandering around in the middle of the street; how they get anything done is a mystery to me because I always need to use both hands. Things aren't what they used to be; we're encouraged to dump rather than repair but then few know these days how to repair. I'm a dinosaur taught through a top class apprenticeship how to be a mechanical engineer; if a part isn't available we make it unlike fitters who only fit; I can make anything and repair most things even making machines from scratch.
Over the last year my violin playing has been more punishment than pleasure due to constant demands on my time; last night my wife and I were watching a movie on YouTube it having just one minute to go as the judge was passing sentence; there was a very loud bang just behind us; we think it must have been another pigeon flying straight at the glass; I couldn't see the pigeon but given the huge mark on the glass it must have hurt itself; like the extension breaking away everytime I want to relax something has me on my feet again; it never ever lets up but this morning I declared all out war and have at last enjoyed a full hour in the studio; it was wonderful and I'm about to spend the rest of the day in there.
I hope the repairs to yours and your neighbours sewers are fully sorted out
@TalismanRich the reason I had to break through 19" thick concrete was to reach our buried pipework from the toilet; bath and kitchen etc; the low life builders who built the rear extension many years ago must have broken one of the clay couplings and their repair was to stuff the hole with supermarket plastic bags; I installed flood defences and replaced the clay pipes with new 4" dia plastic pipes. I bought a new cement mixer through eBay kept it 6 weeks looking after it then sold it on only losing £20 I never hire I buy then sell on then I'm not under more pressure to complete big jobs.
As the years passed by water started to gather under the bungalow floor when it got to removing four buckets at a time in winter enough was enough. Water was gaining access at the wall to foundation joint so I repointed.
Here's the repair under way; having repointed the joint I then made absolutely sure I wouldn't be doing this again. I bought a cement mixer and installed new flood defences; we have a very steep rear garden discharging water directly down to the rear of the bungalow. Here I've laid 4" thick concrete; to the right is to be added a 4" dia plastic soil pipe.
plastic sheeting used as membrane.
Any water getting into the new channel will harmlressly divert to a runoff to the bungalow side. Engineering bricks used.
Whilst repairing the failed mortar joint and adding new flood defence cannel why not also replace the original clay pipes.
Who would guess the large amount of work that had been carried out under the patio; when I do a job I spend a lot of time researching and dreaming up better ways if possible. Please note the exposed pipework; we used to have two clay hoppers for the kitchen & gutter downpipe to drain into but these used to stink and we're debris traps with lots of unpleasant slugs; here's my answer to the problem it being entirely my own idea and it works a treat whilst being extremely neat; we have an automatic air air vent located in the extension. Another big job sorted with my wife's support and only costing materials.
35 years of hard graft never lets up living here; About four years ago when I was much younger aged 70 I removed a 60' long 30' tall hedge of mostly cherry laurel these were huge; here's one of the stumps I dug out by spade. I must have been a really bad person in a former life.
This morning I got out of bed without a pressing job hanging over me; I can't be accused of being lazy or hanging around; have I finally broken through after 35 years of non stop hard work?
Jobs done in 2022
March. 15 very tall trees felled and disposed of.
Garden bench fully dismantled and repainted.
Front metal railings painted with end secured to bottom flag.
Loose clicking flags lifted and re-laid on new mortar; done twice because of trapped cat.
Both garden huts given 3 coats each of BM paint (£300).
Dangerous steep flagged path converted to steps with new fencing and handrail.
Second but original steps; posts; fence and handrail replaced all painted.
Top meadow rotavated; raked and broadcast with new wildflower seed.
New middle meadow created in area now vacated by the tree removals.
Violin studio created and kitted out.
Serious subsidence damage to rear extension fully repaired.
More top meadow work as follows;
Buried brick & concrete pathway removed.
Full length top edge dug by spade to clear more tree roots; stones & grass.
Bottom full length dug by spade to clear lots of couch grass and more stones.
Area adjacent the conifer hedge rotavated and raked throwing up many stones.
Top meadow rotavated and raked ready for next springtime.
Front door and both garage doors repainted due to rare intense heat opening beading joints.
A number of patio joints re-mortared.
Rotten timber fence posts replaced with galvanized steel posts.
Top of meadow fence posts treated.
42' handrail to pathway repainted.
Full gardens & hedges maintained.
Howard Bulldog rotavator due as a winter restoration project.
It's now 24th September.
Can I now please spend a bit of time in the studio before the next big heavy job wants my attention. Just for interest and as a project I've bought an Howard Bulldog petrol rotavator which I'll subject to a full restoration this coming winter; I'll spend time in the studio and in the workshop. I'm always very busy indeed.
Enough of this it's time I got this thread on track as I gain experience using all the new studio kit. Thanks for your interest.
Kind regards, Colin.