Well despite the weather and the huge amount of snow that we've been grappling with, we've been determined to carry on with progressing as many of our projects as we can. One of our new projects that has been proving very interesting is a new commission to design the conversion of a derelict listed farm house and steading not far from the office. 
We were approached last year by our client to prepare a feasibility report that looked at the pros and cons of tackling such a big conversion (in total the plan is the convert the house, build a separate groundsman's cottage, and split the steading into three large 5 bedroom houses and a sizable business unit). The site is spectacularly located with southerly views over the River Don, and a backdrop of the Bennachie mountain range looking towards Mither tap.
We were approached last year by our client to prepare a feasibility report that looked at the pros and cons of tackling such a big conversion (in total the plan is the convert the house, build a separate groundsman's cottage, and split the steading into three large 5 bedroom houses and a sizable business unit). The site is spectacularly located with southerly views over the River Don, and a backdrop of the Bennachie mountain range looking towards Mither tap.
Our client has been successful in securing the site, and we are now in the process of lodging a number of planning applications, for the conversion of the house and steadings. There have been a number of investigative studies that we have been undertaking during the last month, including looking at the state of the foundations for the house, checking for bats, finding a suitable location for the septic tanks and soakaways by carrying out percolation tests, and most recently assessing the capability of the site to provide its own water source, with sufficient capacity to serve all the dwellings/units planned for the site. There was an existing deep well that needed to be measured on the site and additionally we felt it prudent to explore other options for the provision of private supplies, knowing that water can be a fickle thing at the best of times - it is either usually where you don't want it, or is not where you really need it! 
To find where there might be potentially good borehole spots around the site we have employed the services of a water diviner. The sceptic in me still finds it mildly amusing/rather unnerving that anyone can find water with a twig and copper rods, but on this particular occasion, John had a rather unusual experience with the diviner that makes me wonder that there must be more science to it than witchcraft!
To find where there might be potentially good borehole spots around the site we have employed the services of a water diviner. The sceptic in me still finds it mildly amusing/rather unnerving that anyone can find water with a twig and copper rods, but on this particular occasion, John had a rather unusual experience with the diviner that makes me wonder that there must be more science to it than witchcraft!
Essentially the diviner walked the site, and assessed the current borehole which was pronounced "nae much use", having explained that it was located on a single underground vein of water, rather than a connecting node point which is where a number of veins come together. He proceeded to walk the site and find several other better "node" points that he felt would have a better yield, and these were marked with pegs and later on digitally marked with GPS and plotted onto a drawing. And despite there being a number of buildings and trees in the way, the pegs all line through the site in an almost dead straight line!
The weirdest thing that happened was that after the diviner let John have a go with the copper divining rods, which duly flapped away merrily when John was in the right location, he produced from his bag what can only be described as a "y" shaped twig, which he then proceeded to use, and which, when he was in the right location, pulled very strongly indeed towards the ground. He passed the twig to John for him to try and nothing happened, but then instructed John to put his arm around the diviners waist, whilst the diviner held one part of the "y" and John grasped the other. Lo and behold the twig started pulling like mad towards the ground, John described it as like having a fish on the other end, and when the diviner let go of his twig end, the thing sprung back up like the fish had escaped. All really rather odd, very enjoyable and the proof of the pudding will be in the borehole drilling later on this year. Now all that I need to find out is if they make those twigs that can find oil.... or gold!
The new company Landrover Defender was just the right bit of kit to have, and made mincemeat of a foot of snow, and 400 yeards of unmade track to get to the house. Not the first time we've thanked our lucky stars we bought it. It's snowing again tonight, so no doubt it'll come into its own again this week.
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