What methods are available (in the UK) to get building supplies (listed below) to a site at the end of a steep (1 in 2.25 in parts) grass track. Given that a lorry or van would have a near zero chance of traversing the track in its current state, as the grass is far too slippery.
I will access the property day to day by quad-bike with large shallow tread tyres to prevent the track turning into a mud slide. As this domestic only access will mean at most a couple of trips a day, the track shouldn't get churned up. However repeated trips in quick succession with vehicles carrying heavy building materials would quickly damaged the grass track. I would like to keep the grass track at all costs, so laying down a concrete or aggregate surface is not a popular option with me.
The project is a renovation. The building that is on site is in relatively good repair (awaiting structural survey) and only internal work will be required (fingers crossed).
The property is 520 metres (±15 metres), as the crow flies, from the nearest public road. From the road there is an overall vertical drop of 35 metres (±2 metres). Any zip wire would have to cross a valley which at its deepest would be 60 metres (±2 metres) below the height of the zip wire. Such a zip wire passes over the land of a landowner who is happy to have a zip wire flying overhead but not with any structure on the ground that interrupts their grazing animals. (Added this detail in response to A. I. Breveleri's greatly appreciated answer.)
I would be grateful if you could provide these 3 things: A description of the solution, An order of magnitude cost, Any other information or experience you feel is relevant.
The building supplies will likely include:
- Windows [I am most nervous of this]
- Small timbers, for floor support
- Breeze blocks
- Concrete (in it's liquid form) for flooring
- White goods
- A kitchen (Not pre-assembled obviously! However funny for everyone watching that would be.)
- Doors
- Carpets
The building supplies will not include:
- Bricks or stone for external stonework (there is a building on site already)
- Roof tiles/slates (the roof on the building is in a good state of repair)
The (possibly crackpot) ideas that I have had are:
- Cover the track in a temporary road surface, which would provide grip and hopefully prevent the grass from being damaged.
- A zip wire of sorts with a bucket or other container to hold materials.(There is line of sight between a public highway and the property)
Best Answer
This may seem a bit 'out there', but you could consider helicopter delivery if you can get all the materials assembled for a single day's move (multiple smaller deliveries would be more expensive).
This is often used for path building in remote areas of Scotland, like the Cairngorms
Supplies would need to be packaged up appropriately- e.g. helicopter bags
I don't have details on costs, but heard a report recently on Radio Scotland about path building and remember thinking costs sounded surprisingly reasonable compared to the alternatives.
Particularly if you have an airfield relatively nearby (to keep transit costs to a minimum), it might be worth investigating.