instagram cross-post

[andrewducker]

While we were away for a week the builders started work. That's the garden excavated to make room for the extension! If we're lucky it'll all be done in six months!
Original is here on instagram.

Comments

[armiphlage]

I'm always amazed that you don't need deep footings in your area to get below the frost line.

[andrewducker]

Apparently the frost line in the UK maxes out at 45cm (17") - but I suspect that that was in much colder parts of the country than Edinburgh. How deep is it where you are?

[armiphlage]

The minimum is 1.2 metres in my area, but most homes have a full basement - if you have to excavate, might as well increase your available space.

[channelpenguin]

ARE there many (populated) parts of Scotland that are much colder than Edinburgh? I mean, some central Highlands sure, but hardly anyone lives there (Dalwhinnie is the coldest place). You gain a bit from the sea keeping things up but you must be colder than most places in the UK as a whole.

[andrewducker]

Depends how populated you mean. Braemar has definitely been a lot colder than Edinburgh.

And Inverness was throughout the winter this year, as was Aberdeen. I'd expect them to have generally more sustained frosts. Whereas Edinburgh I expect to go below zero for maybe a week max, and usually by not more than a degree or two.

[wildeabandon]

Ooh, exciting. I hope it all goes smoothly.

[andrewducker]

Thank you!

[zippybeta]

I live in Upstate New York and our frostline is 50in. We all have basements too.

[channelpenguin]

Good luck! You know the law of project estimation just as well as I do - building seems to be no different to software. But I'm sure it'll be great when it's done.

[anef]

Exciting! Good luck - let's hope they get most of it done over the summer.

[andrewducker]

Getting as much as possible done by September, before we move out for 3 months and they move the internals about!