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The Essential Guide » The Planning Stage » When is the Best Time to Apply For Utilities: Gas, Water, Electricity?
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When is the best time to apply for Gas / Electricity / Water / Telecom connections?
There are really two periods to choose from during the project when it comes to getting your service connections sorted out: At the start – or at the end. There are practical reasons why “in the middle” isn’t usually a good time.
Self Build projects normally with either a “demolition” or a “site strip”. Either way you will normally have excavating plant of some description on site. – This plant will then normally disappear until towards the end of the project when it will return. – These are the two most sensible times to consider installing the services.
Whichever option you choose, you will need to make your applications at least a number of weeks before you plan to start work. – the process can be painfully slow
Which would be best for you?
1) At the start:
Quite often, what happens at the start of a Self Build project is that the land is purchased, and at the same time the application for Full Planning Permission is made. Often with a clause that allows the buyer to cancel the purchase if the Planning isn’t successful. Until the Planning Permission comes through you are not sure you are going to be able to build on the land, so it might not be a good time to spend time and money applying for the service connections. – This is time that can be well, spent planning the whole of the contract, but until you know you will definitely own the land shortly and that you WILL be able to build, it’s not a particularly good idea to start to “fork out” your cash. – So, it’s a good time to get all the paperwork together, but not to make the application.
Normally, once the Planning has come through and the purchase is complete, you will want to “get stuck in” to the building work as soon as possible. If you are going to need temporary services such as a water supply for the construction works and / or a temporary electricity supply, you will HAVE TO make the applications for at least those two services at this stage.
So, you want to move on to site to start work a week or so after you buy the land, and you have the groundworker organised to start work. – His first job may be to do some demolition. If not, he will start with the site strip.
When and if the services can practically be installed at this stage depends on the progress made.
Here are two scenarios of progress of the first stage of the project:
1) With Demolition:
The demolition contractors move onto site – This work takes 2 weeks by the time the debris is removed
The Groundworker does the site strip and excavates the footings – 2 days
Prepare and pour the footings – 2 days
Set out and build the brickwork to ground floor slab level – 2 weeks
Form up and pour the ground floor slab – 3 days
Total time taken = 3 weeks 4 days (at 5 days a week)
After this time, the excavating plant will often go off site
2) Without Demolition:
The groundworker does the site strip and excavates the footings – 2 days
Prepare and pour the footings – 2 days
Set out the building and build the brickwork to ground floor slab level – 2 weeks
Form up and pour the ground floor slab – 3 days
Total time taken = 1 week 4 days.
If you started work a week after you bought the land, the two scenarios are completed in just under 5 weeks and just under 3 weeks.
If you are building a timber frame, the next job will normally be to erect the scaffolding on three sides of the building so that the panels can be brought in on the open side and the frame can start to be erected. The scaffold then closes in the structure when the frame reaches first floor level.
If you applied for the services the day you completed, you might find that once you get the application forms in there is a 4 week “lead in” period to connection. – For that connection an open trench may be needed so that depths that the services are being laid can be inspected by the relevant authorities. – This will mean that the process of getting to the “day of connection” can take maybe 5 week+
So, with either the “demolition” or the “straight onto site” scenarios, you will probably have had time on a simple straightforward contract, to complete the work up to ground floor slab level and possibly have erected the scaffolding for the timber frame by the time the services can be programmed to be installed.
The excavator has now gone off site, you will need to bring in materials for the main structural work (whether that be bricks and mortar or timber frame). So, now it gets more problematic to start to think about excavating a trench ( possibly right under the driveway which is the access to the site and will be your permanent driveway, and which may have been covered with hardcore to create a firm access for your materials). Bearing in mind that the trench has to be left open for inspection and then backfilled after the installation is complete.
If you decide, or need to take this option, you may find that you end up having to “hand dig” under scaffolding, and pay for an extra 2 or 3 days for an excavator and driver, just to excavate a small trench and then wait for inspection to be able to backfill the trench. You may also have dig through and then reinstate your newly laid hardcore driveway / accessway.
This is NOT a good choice!
In the circumstances given above I would suggest that if you don’t NEED the temporary services for the building work, that you leave the service connections until the end of the project.
If, however, there is no panic to “get going” as soon as you buy the land, and you have the flexibility to be able to apply for the services and coordinate their installation and connection with your work on excavating the footings, then the start of the job may be a good choice. You could also consider installing the drainage at the same time.
NOTE: Something to bear in mind with installing services at the start of the job is the chance of damage. – There will be a lot of activity on the site. – A lot of large wagons, a lot of digging, a lot of manoeuvring. The land can settle with all the weight driving over it, things can get “hit” and damaged. – Services installed later in the project are less likely to suffer the same fate.
Jumping to later in the project:
The main structure of the house has been completed, the scaffold is down. All the main bulk deliveries have been made, and you are now working mainly inside on all the various installations.
At this stage of the project there is very little going on outside. If you didn’t need to get “temporary service” connections to allow you to build the house, now may be the best time to think about installing both the services and the drainage.
As long as you get everything connected before the Plumbers / Electricians and Telecom Engineers need to connect up to test the system, you will usually find that you have more time, more room to manoeuvre on site, and you are less likely to have problems with things being damaged.
Personally, I like to get a “swift start on site”, and I always try to leave the service installations until the end of the project.
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