Another planning/build thread

[chrisga]

Latest project is the gardens. Rear was basically an allotment. We took out tons of concrete slab paths and rubble when we moved in but hadn't touched it since, other than a couple of strimming sessions. It had become a right mess:

2016-08-28 13.22.25 by Chrisga, on Flickr

So we cleared as much as we could and then brought in the heavy machinery:

2016-08-28 14.19.06 HDR by Chrisga, on Flickr

With help from my Dad we set about rotavating the whole area:

2016-08-28 14.47.14 HDR by Chrisga, on Flickr

The soil is lovely. We live in a heavy clay area but the previous tennants must have spent years transforming the soil for their vegetables patches. It seems such a shame that we are going to turf it but will look a lot better. After raking flat with a bit more weed picking out to do:

2016-08-28 19.13.02 by Chrisga, on Flickr

The idea is to put a sleeper parallel to the front of the shed and gravel behind it with a raised bed for some veg of our own, and to make some raised beds across the front of the garden at the patio edge.

I also scratch built a wood shed thing to sort of help keep the worst of the rain off drying wood. Not sure how effective it will be:

2016-08-07 11.55.23 by Chrisga, on Flickr

[chrisga]

Then work started on the front garden. One of the main reasons (other than being in budget) we bought the house was for parking. We had nasty neighbours at the old house who despite parking legally at all times took umbrage to our van.....

Front garden before work started with parking for two and a half vehicles on the actual drive behind each other:

2016-08-29 10.02.53 by Chrisga, on Flickr

Anyway, the garden had a random hedge that meant when you parked on the drive you had to then walk back out of the drive round the hedge to get to the front door so that is being changed.

2016-08-28 16.11.57 by Chrisga, on Flickr

So this was the first thing to go when the driving contractors arrived:

2016-08-29 10.49.39 HDR by Chrisga, on Flickr

After the first day we ended up with a massive pile of spoil:

2016-08-30 14.59.58 HDR by Chrisga, on Flickr

Which was taken away quickly:

2016-08-30 16.19.09 by Chrisga, on Flickr

Yesterday the area was dug down, stoned and compacted:

Untitled by Chrisga, on Flickr

Hopefully will be blocked and finished by the end of the weekend.