Prelims & site setup
With your plans approved, you’ll no doubt be keen to get cracking with your project – but there are a few essentials to sort before the fun starts on site
Tell your neighbours
You are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, but your neighbours are about to undergo a prolonged period of disruption, dust, blaring radios and blocked driveways that will test their patience to the limits. So inform them about what is going on and when it should be completed by. You should also notify them of any potential inconveniences in writing well in advance and drop a note through the door with your contact details and those of the site foreman, encouraging neighbours to get in touch if there’s a problem. You’ll be living next door for a while, so best set off on the right foot!
Secure the site
Once you become the legal owner of your plot, you are liable for anything that happens on it – potentially even for trespassers injuring themselves. You’re also about to have £1,000s worth of materials, tools and plant on site. So as well as arranging suitable insurance (see page 39), you also need to secure the perimeter against intruders. A common option is to erect Heras fencing, with a lockable gate, and to hire secure storage.
Arrange welfare units
As the owner and client on your building project, you’ll be responsible for ensuring builders, trades and visitors have access to essential amenities, including a working WC, running water and the like. The easiest way to do this is to hire site cabins (which could double up as a site office and secure storage, stocked with extra PPE) and a portaloo. Be clear about who’s responsible for keeping these neat and tidy over the course of the works (is it you or your main contractor, for instance?).