I'm converting a garage to kitchen and the existing gas meter is on the outside wall of the house (inside the garage space) with the supply pipe rising from the concrete floor. As part of the conversion work, the existing garage will be demolished (but NOT the wall where the meter is located - but it will become completely exposed) and on rebuilding, I want to relocate the meter in a meter cupboard on the new external wall which is only about 1m from the present location. The floor level will be raised by nearly 200mm as part of the construction work, so the supply pipe 'could' be cut off near the floor, with a length of new pipe running in the new floor to the new meter location.
I've looked at the National Grid's 'indicative pricing' for disconnecting the supply (mandatory with a demolition?) and moving the meter. Every time they cough, they charge £1k, and they would be coughing several times, but perhaps I've misunderstood. Do I need a 'service disconnection' at all, or is there another way of making the supply and meter 'safe' during the build. Someone said to me that if I took some of the builder's blocks and built up off the floor up to and around the meter to form a temporary 'mini room', I could then demolish everything around it and no harm done - but that sounds a bit fanciful. Is there somewhere accessible where the supply can be 'turned off' (like a water stop tap), or is the meter the only thing between me and the gas main? If a meter is removed, is the supply pipe capped - and if you can't 'turn off' the supply, how is it safe to remove the meter at all?
This can't be an unusual requirement: how do builders manage (or is a very large bill from National Grid 'lost' in the lump-sum quotation)? I got my PP just yesterday, so I haven't yet approached any builders, but I'm trying to 'think through' the main issues and costs, to have a better understanding of the scope of work involved. Any comments welcome.
I've looked at the National Grid's 'indicative pricing' for disconnecting the supply (mandatory with a demolition?) and moving the meter. Every time they cough, they charge £1k, and they would be coughing several times, but perhaps I've misunderstood. Do I need a 'service disconnection' at all, or is there another way of making the supply and meter 'safe' during the build. Someone said to me that if I took some of the builder's blocks and built up off the floor up to and around the meter to form a temporary 'mini room', I could then demolish everything around it and no harm done - but that sounds a bit fanciful. Is there somewhere accessible where the supply can be 'turned off' (like a water stop tap), or is the meter the only thing between me and the gas main? If a meter is removed, is the supply pipe capped - and if you can't 'turn off' the supply, how is it safe to remove the meter at all?
This can't be an unusual requirement: how do builders manage (or is a very large bill from National Grid 'lost' in the lump-sum quotation)? I got my PP just yesterday, so I haven't yet approached any builders, but I'm trying to 'think through' the main issues and costs, to have a better understanding of the scope of work involved. Any comments welcome.
