Rather underwhelming

This little concrete-filled pipe is one of the dozen mini-piles that will hold up the shack. I confess I was expecting to be more impressed, as I can get quite excited about the engineering side of the project...

Due to the site's (IMHO excessive) woodland tree preservation order, we were never going to be allowed regular foundations, so this technique was employed instead.

Each pile is 'drilled' down into the ground until it gets 'tight' (sadly I missed watching this bit) - in this case around 4 metres - and then a small amount of concrete is infilled. The top of each pile is capped at the precise right level in the next stage, and a kind of 'foot' joins it to the steel frame what will support the house.

Many mini piles

The foundations of our shack were a big problem in our first (unsuccessful) planning app to build here. The tree protection order slapped on the site immediately after we proposed a new house means that usual dug foundations won't do.
This is where Mini Piling comes in - a fantastic technique whereby slender metal rods with concrete are drilled into your ground (stopping when you get to that really chewy bit) in a matrix which can support your steel frame and house.

The very helpful Anvil made us the best offer for the work and completed our 13 piles this week, the first step in the build. Adam met them on site and reports that - as ever-their staff made a right fuss about climbing the site's slope with their kit (which - incredibly - was a handheld drill) despite them being several decades younger than him.

Before the build ends I'd really love it if one of our contractors came on site and instead said "Gosh what an attractive and challenging elevated site you have found here"....