Sorting out the drainage in the lower field and other gubbins. An apprentice digger driver writes.

[LKSF]

It's been a busy Summer with the weather being so good. The rain is on the way so time for a catchup. One day i'm going to do the track in and yard with Setts as they're popular in the old streets around here so will sit well outside the house. Out of interest 'cobbles' are random stones like pebbles, Setts are dressed and have 6 sides. The ones round here are like a loaf of bread. I'm liking them because they're a bit rough and hardwearing, i'll be able to drive over them in the digger and not worry.
That's all in the future though, right now I have more important things to do (like stopping the house from leaking!), but when 30T of setts came up for good money I just had to snap them up.

That was two loads btw.
I'm going to bung them in the corner of a field somewhere till I get time to lay them (in a few years time).
They're a bugger to pick up with my small digger. I can't get the arm over the other side to get under and lift them, trying to dig in results in more damage, digger going up in the air and about 6 in the bucket, the rest get scattered about like skittles. I actually resorted to loading the bucket up by hand and lifting them into the dumper.
I'm wondering if the best way is to try and pull some away so I can get under them?

 

[diggerjones]

It's been a busy Summer with the weather being so good. The rain is on the way so time for a catchup. One day i'm going to do the track in and yard with Setts as they're popular in the old streets around here so will sit well outside the house. Out of interest 'cobbles' are random stones like pebbles, Setts are dressed and have 6 sides. The ones round here are like a loaf of bread. I'm liking them because they're a bit rough and hardwearing, i'll be able to drive over them in the digger and not worry.
That's all in the future though, right now I have more important things to do (like stopping the house from leaking!), but when 30T of setts came up for good money I just had to snap them up.

View attachment 39033

View attachment 39034View attachment 39035View attachment 39036View attachment 39037

That was two loads btw.
I'm going to bung them in the corner of a field somewhere till I get time to lay them (in a few years time).
They're a bugger to pick up with my small digger. I can't get the arm over the other side to get under and lift them, trying to dig in results in more damage, digger going up in the air and about 6 in the bucket, the rest get scattered about like skittles. I actually resorted to loading the bucket up by hand and lifting them into the dumper.
I'm wondering if the best way is to try and pull some away so I can get under them?

What about buckrt on other way round. Face shovel.

 

[diggerjones]

Oh and to put them down is very very time consuming, herd work and expensive. If like me they will be in your field till you sell them or die

 

[Rob65]

I’m sure those that actually know the right way to do this will be along shortly to explain.

In the meantime my method is to position your machine as close to the pile as you can and slew so the pile
Is then to the side of you. You can then pull the bucket along the bottom edge of the pile picking up the loose stones off the ground and as you do so more will roll down for the next bucket full.

There may well be better ways but I’ve shifted building stone using my 1.5 te mini digger like this.

 

[LKSF]

Will have a look at that Rob. Jonesy, will the bucket fit on backwards on my 803? If so will it still lift enough to get into the dumper?

 

[diggerjones]

Will have a look at that Rob. Jonesy, will the bucket fit on backwards on my 803? If so will it still lift enough to get into the dumper?

Not sure if bucket will fit on other way round but i would think so. Of course if will lift it, 2 at a time

 

[LKSF]

2? I can chuck 'em in by hand quicker!

 

[Giles]

What was good money for two loads? I could do with them got 25m2 to lay for a path on a job safe me riddling through the big pile at home. Biggest machine you’ve got helps with moving setts, struggle with anything under 5 ton

We’ve had ours down for over 25 years or more very hard wearing get 16 ton machine and 40 ton wagons over them and they hold up well

 

[LKSF]

I think it's irrelevant and a bit unfair to ask what I paid, but as you did it was £100 per ton delivered. It's irrelevant because:

Someone will say I was ripped off because they paid 10p.
The guy is a grab hire so may have got them for nothing subbing for whoever dug the road up, therefore he's quids in for an afternoons work.
He had 4 x 40 min drives to deliver and go back.
This is the place to go for advice on pavings etc and their suggested price is low (out of date?) https://www.pavingexpert.com/setts01#coverage
" gritstone setts are cheaper, starting at around £40 per tonne (£12.50 per m²) for uncleaned, unsorted low-grade stuff. The price for reclaimed materials is highly variable, with significantly higher prices being charged in the SE of England."
I have a huge amount of respect for that site, but wouldn't expect a sett to be made from gritstone.

Whereas here: https://www.salvoweb.com/3534-recla...ts-stone-cobbles-220-per-bulk-bag-approx-25m2
suggests £220 PT + VAT (£264) + delivery.

That's quite some difference.

 

[JD450A]

I think it's irrelevant and a bit unfair to ask what I paid, but as you did it was £100 per ton delivered. It's irrelevant because:

Someone will say I was ripped off because they paid 10p.
The guy is a grab hire so may have got them for nothing subbing for whoever dug the road up, therefore he's quids in for an afternoons work.
He had 4 x 40 min drives to deliver and go back.
This is the place to go for advice on pavings etc and their suggested price is low (out of date?) https://www.pavingexpert.com/setts01#coverage
" gritstone setts are cheaper, starting at around £40 per tonne (£12.50 per m²) for uncleaned, unsorted low-grade stuff. The price for reclaimed materials is highly variable, with significantly higher prices being charged in the SE of England."
I have a huge amount of respect for that site, but wouldn't expect a sett to be made from gritstone.

Whereas here: https://www.salvoweb.com/3534-recla...ts-stone-cobbles-220-per-bulk-bag-approx-25m2
suggests £220 PT + VAT (£264) + delivery.

That's quite some difference.

£100 a ton is cheap enough regardless

 

[Giles]

I think it's irrelevant and a bit unfair to ask what I paid, but as you did it was £100 per ton delivered. It's irrelevant because:

Someone will say I was ripped off because they paid 10p.
The guy is a grab hire so may have got them for nothing subbing for whoever dug the road up, therefore he's quids in for an afternoons work.
He had 4 x 40 min drives to deliver and go back.
This is the place to go for advice on pavings etc and their suggested price is low (out of date?) https://www.pavingexpert.com/setts01#coverage
" gritstone setts are cheaper, starting at around £40 per tonne (£12.50 per m²) for uncleaned, unsorted low-grade stuff. The price for reclaimed materials is highly variable, with significantly higher prices being charged in the SE of England."
I have a huge amount of respect for that site, but wouldn't expect a sett to be made from gritstone.

Whereas here: https://www.salvoweb.com/3534-recla...ts-stone-cobbles-220-per-bulk-bag-approx-25m2
suggests £220 PT + VAT (£264) + delivery.

That's quite some difference.

I think it's irrelevant and a bit unfair to ask what I paid, but as you did it was £100 per ton delivered. It's irrelevant because:

Someone will say I was ripped off because they paid 10p.
The guy is a grab hire so may have got them for nothing subbing for whoever dug the road up, therefore he's quids in for an afternoons work.
He had 4 x 40 min drives to deliver and go back.
This is the place to go for advice on pavings etc and their suggested price is low (out of date?) https://www.pavingexpert.com/setts01#coverage
" gritstone setts are cheaper, starting at around £40 per tonne (£12.50 per m²) for uncleaned, unsorted low-grade stuff. The price for reclaimed materials is highly variable, with significantly higher prices being charged in the SE of England."
I have a huge amount of respect for that site, but wouldn't expect a sett to be made from gritstone.

Whereas here: https://www.salvoweb.com/3534-recla...ts-stone-cobbles-220-per-bulk-bag-approx-25m2
suggests £220 PT + VAT (£264) + delivery.

That's quite some difference.

You did well I’d expect to pay £2 each collected, Tony aka pavingexpert is a top guy. Him and his dad were first class street masons but illness took Tony off the tools his family basically did all the street masons work in Liverpool in the 60-90s

Few of the guys on here started on the forums there before cef think I’m still a moderator over there and been lucky enough to do quiet a few product tests and photoshoots with Tony.

When we did ours I was a kid but it took 10 years of wagons running into yard from all over greater Manchester and beyond tipping s**t to maybe get 10 cobbles out a 20 ton load.

We didn’t have riddle bucket back then dad would pull through pile and me and my two neighbour mates would grab any we saw in exchange for sweets still got a clean pile in yard of about 200 tons that’s handy for jobs,

All ours are gritstone some granite thrown in

 

[TiltyShaun]

I think it's irrelevant and a bit unfair to ask what I paid, but as you did it was £100 per ton delivered. It's irrelevant because:

Someone will say I was ripped off because they paid 10p.
The guy is a grab hire so may have got them for nothing subbing for whoever dug the road up, therefore he's quids in for an afternoons work.
He had 4 x 40 min drives to deliver and go back.
This is the place to go for advice on pavings etc and their suggested price is low (out of date?) https://www.pavingexpert.com/setts01#coverage
" gritstone setts are cheaper, starting at around £40 per tonne (£12.50 per m²) for uncleaned, unsorted low-grade stuff. The price for reclaimed materials is highly variable, with significantly higher prices being charged in the SE of England."
I have a huge amount of respect for that site, but wouldn't expect a sett to be made from gritstone.

Whereas here: https://www.salvoweb.com/3534-recla...ts-stone-cobbles-220-per-bulk-bag-approx-25m2
suggests £220 PT + VAT (£264) + delivery.

That's quite some difference.

Totally down to what the purchaser is prepared to pay and sees as worth putting his hand in his pocket for!!

 

[LKSF]

True, but I was going in virtually blind, I had no idea of the value of a sett, only what I could see on the 'net and look at the difference in those.
I would say these are sandstone, like Yorkshire stone, normal for the streets of Yorkshire and Lancs. There is probably different types or grades of gritstone, the stuff we have round here you would not want on a road. It's coarse and loose, if I put the right lance in a basic diy power washer I can take the face of it easily.

 

[diggerjones]

Drainage. Dug these up the other day. Also dug a double horse shoe up.

 

[LKSF]

Where did the chap with the concrete overcoat come from, a bridge support on the M1?

Reversing the bucket did the job thanks

 

[6feetdown]

Where did the chap with the concrete overcoat come from, a bridge support on the M1?

Reversing the bucket did the job thanks

View attachment 39108

 

[LKSF]

This year I have been restoring the two most exposed faces of the house. Cement pointing might be the wrong thing for this house, but it was certainly put on well, it's like bloody granite!

Some French lime turned up:

I went round the local builders merchants and a quarry to get the sand colours right before buying a couple of tons:

The basic tools needed are:

Bucket trowel for measuring out and mixing, two converted mastic trowels will do to put it on and a churn brush finishes off.

The front is done here, new gutter and downpipe too. Gable done up to eaves level.

We get a lot of wind driven rain here, it blows hard and for so long it drives the rain into the porous stone. It comes in in various places, mainly where those cheap extensions have been put on. I took the flashings off, got the stihlsaw out and cut them in deeper. Then I found something called 'Stormdry cream'. It's obscenely expensive, but quite advanced. It stops rain from going in, but lets water vapour out so allows the building to breathe. I bought some and slapped it on and initially it seems to have done the job. It's early days and we'll get far worse rain, but so far we're leak free

 

[Giles]

This year I have been restoring the two most exposed faces of the house. Cement pointing might be the wrong thing for this house, but it was certainly put on well, it's like bloody granite!


View attachment 40385

Some French lime turned up:

View attachment 40386

I went round the local builders merchants and a quarry to get the sand colours right before buying a couple of tons:

View attachment 40389

The basic tools needed are:

View attachment 40392
Bucket trowel for measuring out and mixing, two converted mastic trowels will do to put it on and a churn brush finishes off.

View attachment 40393

The front is done here, new gutter and downpipe too. Gable done up to eaves level.

We get a lot of wind driven rain here, it blows hard and for so long it drives the rain into the porous stone. It comes in in various places, mainly where those cheap extensions have been put on. I took the flashings off, got the stihlsaw out and cut them in deeper. Then I found something called 'Stormdry cream'. It's obscenely expensive, but quite advanced. It stops rain from going in, but lets water vapour out so allows the building to breathe. I bought some and slapped it on and initially it seems to have done the job. It's early days and we'll get far worse rain, but so far we're leak free

Keep your lime pointing covered for a week or two with hessian this time of year, keep it misted as well. Are you mixing with paddle mixer or tumble mixer like belle etc

 

[LKSF]

Keep your lime pointing covered for a week or two with hessian this time of year, keep it misted as well. Are you mixing with paddle mixer or tumble mixer like belle etc

Yeah i've done a bit with lime before.I think Autumn and Spring are the best times to point with NHL. Summer was worse as it was too hot, it dries out too quickly, shrinks and lacks strength even when you soak the wall and cover it. Winter it has a chance of freezing and spalling.
I wet it and covered it up, but you're fighting a losing battle against wind, sun and freeze. Right now it's damp and still often at night so is just right.

I've mixed it with a plasterers whisk and also by hand with a trowel or shovel, I've noticed no difference between the two.
I read that quicklime is much easier to work with in this respect as it sets completely differently.

 

[fred]

domestic version of setts are making a comeback, marshells do a manufactured set where the bottom half is a block paver and the top is a sett so they can laid on a screed fast. They look good as well. Flowpoint grouting and its a fast job.