Hidden cost is below ground

Q: WHAT comprises 'groundwork' in the construction of a house, and is it a major part of the overall budget?

A: Groundwork is basically everything executed up to ground level - all the digging out surrounding the building of a house, the laying down of your foundations and drainage facilities and subsequent backfilling of everything. That includes excavations necessary for foul and roof drainage.

It might include the preparation of entrances, the digging out and setting up of the septic tank and, most especially, the removal of earth before setting and pouring the foundations.

The foundation is obviously a vital element of the house, and will have to be right, whatever the cost.

This is where a contingency fund might be needed.

What about the rest of your footprint? You might be forgiven for thinking that a few men and their machines would be the thin edge of your finances. How much could it cost to make a few holes and trenches?

Think again. This is highly skilled, labour intensive work and no matter what the ground survey may have come up with, the only really meaningful test for ground conditions is the digging out itself. It is likely your engineer will not be present when things go amiss, and a groundworker will need to be able to contribute intelligently in many varied situations.

In my own case I wildly underestimated the price of Herculean machinery like Hi-Macs and the cost of a filling stone 'trunking.' I also found it impossible to tie any of the men operating the plant to a price when they were operating on a 'direct labour' basis. If the tipper is off dumping earth, the digger operator is forced to wait for his return.

If this 'on the hour' arrangement seems unfair, just remember that the driver does not know what problems he may run into, and if the ground becomes difficult to work, or the site is riven with unexpected seams of rock, he would then have to renegotiate with an already agitated customer.

When you first here that rock is, say, £6 a ton, you might imagine this is the first fabulous bargain on your project. However, many tons 'doth a lorry load make' and, before you know it, a small amount of 'trunking up' can wander into several thousand pounds.

Actually getting rid of the material dug out of the site costs money, too, depending on how far it has to be drawn and where it is going. It's wise to utilise as much excavated soil as you possibly can; for example, as valuable topsoil in the landscaping of a garden.

I enjoyed the groundwork stage more than any other part of the construction process.

Watching the pouring of the foundation is an emotional moment, and you wouldn't believe the graceful moves a man can execute with the slender bucket of a good JCB!

Q: I HAVE a very attractive but dilapidated Victorian overmantle. It was once gilded, but it is now very faded, with chunks of carving missing or broken. The mirror glass itself has rusty spots. Is it worth saving?

A: You might be surprised to hear that it is now fashionable to leave the glass of an old mirror as it is. That sepia bloom you see is a sign of age and is now as highly valued as the soft patina present on an antique piece of wood. Your mirror has character. The air has compromised the thin layer of silver that makes up the reflective surface, and the only cure would be to either re-silver the existing mirror or have a new mirror plate installed.

Both options - especially the latter - will affect the value of the overmantle and its aesthetic appeal. If you look at yourself in an old, distorted mirror by candlelight, the dreamy reflection is generally much more attractive! Not a bad thing to remember if the room is used for gatherings and entertaining.

Now, if you want to use the mirror for a practical purpose, this argument doesn't really stand up. However, if you take the old glass out, put it safely away somewhere as you could replace this nice bevelled original inside the frame. You can take the mirror to a specialist restorer who might be able to re-silver or re-foil areas of the glass, or re-silver the piece entirely. A brilliant, pin-sharp new mirror plate sits uneasily in an old surround.

The frame is a tricky problem, and if you really like the piece and cannot live with its distressed state, I would place it in the hands of a professional. Otherwise you are faced with some tricky DIY work, each stage of which is pregnant with potential disaster.

Missing areas of the frame (timber or plaster) will need to be recast from existing perfect areas. There are flexible moulding materials available from most good craft shops to make a new mould from which to cast new pieces. Gilding with gold leaf (patent or real) is not for the faint hearted but can be mastered if you have profound patience and a very steady hand. Resist the temptation to slap on gold paint or 'treasure gold' unless you can live with the results and the overmantle is set high enough to disguise any botches in colour and texture.