The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Tue May 10, 2005 4:33 pm**

My subbase is finished and my flags have arrived at the BM's and I can have them delivered any time.

Never having done this type of thing before, I've got a question about how to handle the storage of goods and the best way to move both the bedding material and the flags to the site where they will be layed.

I live in a standard 3 bed semi with a block paved drive about 10 metres long. The patio is located at the rear of the house, accessible through a 1 metre wide gate at the side of the house. The wagons delivering can use the crane and place items a couple of metres onto my drive way and I therefore usually park the car on the road during this time.

Now... I live in a decent area with not much crime - would it be safe to leave Â£1000 of indian sandstone in crates on my driveway for the duration of this project? or is it recommended to move flags to the back of the house asap after delivery? There's 4 large crates of flags to be delivered and god knows how much they weigh... would it be possible for 3 blokes to drag a crate along planks or are they just too heavy? I guess the only other way is to barrow flags individually to the rear of the house :O

Just to complicate matters I also need to think about the 4 to 5 tonne of sharp sand that needs to be delivered. I'm wondering if I should only order a couple of tonne at a time to avoid running out of room on my driveway. Once again would sand be safe left out near the road or should it be moved to the rear of the house?

Any advice on how to proceed is gratefully appreciated

.

Posted: **Tue May 10, 2005 8:26 pm**

Paving left unguarded on a driveway does have a tendency to walk, but it's usually just a couple of pieces rather than whole crates. I'd suggest that, if you have the room at the back of the house, get it around there asap. Each of these crates weighs around a tonne, so there's bugger all chance of you dragging the crates: you'll need to unload the flags and cart them around one or two at a time.

A little sack trolley is ideal for this (Costco are doing a great one at the moment, complete with pneumatic tyres and only 21 quid plus VAT). Try to keep the flags on the edges when moving. If you can't get a scak trolley and have to rely on a wheelbarrow, make sure you keep the flags FACE UP to avoid damaging their most important surface. If stacking them in/on a barrow, use bits of twig, bubble wrap, old towels or summat similar to prevent them being marked in transit.

Stack flags on their edge, leaning them against a wall with spacers between. If no walls are available, use bags of sand, piles of bricks, or stacks of smaller flags laid face-to-face and back-to-back as a support. Try to protect the upper face at all times.

Bags of sand are much less prone to going walkabout, but bear in mind that as well as charging you a made-up price for each bag you have delivered, the BM will also charge for each delivery, so you can save a few quid if you can take it all in one go. It is possible to stack agg bags of sand up to two high, and that saves a bit of space, but, no matter how well you plan it all, you will definitely end up going back to the BM for summat. You'll run short of cement, or you'll need a new line, or you'll foget the dye for the pointing ... no job ever goes to plan!

Posted: **Tue May 10, 2005 10:43 pm**

Thanks for the prompt reply Tony. I will cart them to the back of the house a couple at a time and leave the sand at the front, bringing a barrow at a time when mixing up the bedding.

Just need to gamble on taking a week off work when the weather will be fine :;):

The Brew Cabin

My flags are ready for delivery - Question about logistics