So I had 2 online quotes for the base and one Romanian guy that came round. The 2 quotes were around £700 but when I queried the detail suddenly they didn't want to quote any more... the third went away and came beack with a quote of £4,500 ouch... just for the base!.. I asked for a breakdown and was told materials are £1800. Hmm, well my ebay costings suggest 1/2 of that. But that means labour is £2700 for 3 people for 5 days... well I suppose if you're going to dig it all by hand... well thats way outside the budget.... so might have a rethink there... anyone got a microdigger they could lend me for a couple of days?

The tree roots aren't a problem.. as long as the tree is thinned about 40%... thats another £700 :(