Tradesman recommendation please.

Tradesman recommendation please.

Author
Discussion

Sixpackpert

Original Poster:

4,708 posts

221 months

Wednesday 23rd October 2013
quotequote all
Evening all.

I need a decent tradesman to put in a drop kerb for us.

Any recommendations in the Stroud area?

Ta muchly.

ManOpener

12,467 posts

176 months

Wednesday 23rd October 2013
quotequote all
Vehicle or pedestrian? On private land, or backing onto a public highway? If it's on a public highway, ask Stroud District Council as it's their responsibility to put them in. Otherwise, I'll ask who did my parent's as they did an excellent job.

Sixpackpert

Original Poster:

4,708 posts

221 months

Wednesday 23rd October 2013
quotequote all
It's for vehicle access from a public road and the pack I have received states that it is not the councils responsibility to put them in and I have to find a tradesman that complies to their requirements. They cannot recommend any tradesmen.

I also have to contact all utilities companies prior to work starting to ensure that there are no services under the path that would get damaged.

Ballache.

ManOpener

12,467 posts

176 months

Thursday 24th October 2013
quotequote all
Sounds to me like they're being incredibly obtuse.
The tradesman I was gong to recommend sadly passed away earlier this year.

Sixpackpert

Original Poster:

4,708 posts

221 months

Thursday 24th October 2013
quotequote all
That's a shame, I will keep looking.

Here is the requirements.

http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/article/109977/P...

parksie

303 posts

213 months

Friday 1st November 2013
quotequote all
You need a Contractor not a Tradesman, a company that is from the approved list of Contractors each & every council will hold, these contractors have proved suitable experience in works on the Public roads & just as important carry the correct Public liability insurance, these contractors will also be able to contact the service providers on your behalf.

Sixpackpert

Original Poster:

4,708 posts

221 months

Friday 1st November 2013
quotequote all
Thanks for the info, will give the council another call.

TorqueVR

1,857 posts

206 months

Friday 1st November 2013
quotequote all
The dropped kerb has to be installed by somebody able to comply with the council's specification and AIUI they have to confirm to the council that the job's properly done, after all they are digging up the council's footpath. We had one done a few years ago and used Greentrees Surfacing from Siston near Bristol. Here's a link http://www.greentrees-surfacing.co.uk/

DevonPaul

1,296 posts

144 months

Saturday 2nd November 2013
quotequote all
Firstly, will they actually give you permission to do it where you want. You would be amazed how many people think it is OK to punch a hole in their garden wall in the middle of a signallised junction and then get miffed when you tell the to put it back. Also some people demolish half their back garden when we could just give them a pedestrian pushbutton in their existing drive to let them out!

Plymouth's take on things is here
http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/transportandro...
there might be some info there that is more useful.

For any work involving excavation on the highway, you first need to get a Stats enquiry (gas, leccy, water, phone, streetlighting, traffic signal, etc). For someone with access to the correct database (ie someone in the councils or their highways contractor), this actually takes about 10 mins.

You also need a NRSWA compliant contractor - any of the subbies that the Council use or allow should be fine. Dive around and see what is written on the side of the vans digging up the road, but people like May Gurney, Hawk ( http://www.hawkcontracting.co.uk/ handy for you), rjdance, Ryearch, etc.

Look for civil engineering companies on Yell.co.uk

However, most Local Authorities will do all this for you, provide a design and build service through their contractor, cost usually £1-2k. The people that write the packs and process the paperwork and write the websites are often far removed from the people who inspect the work and issue the certificates, and very often it is much much simpler to actually manage to talk to someone in the highways dept (preferable one of the engineers) who are generally only too happy to help. However be warned, Councils now have to track and log enquiries, and consequently will go to great lengths to prevent you from actually speaking to the person you need to. Persevere, get hold of a local Civils company and ask them who they liase with in the council.

This is because it makes their (my) life far far easier if we speak directly to the client and make sure that what he wants is allowed and to spec, than get something built that is not quite right than spend hours sending drawings back and forth and argueing the toss, before eventually getting something wrong put in, then going through all the hassle, expense, and legal process of getting it put right.

Good luck.