The cabin is in place and used with great pleasure so now we improve the landscaping around it.
The cabin has 2 sliding doors meaning one corner of the cabin can be completely opened. Unfortunately the garden slopes away from the cabin so the step up into the cabin from one door is quite high and the step out of the other door is more of a jump.
The plan was always to address this with a bit of landscaping and now we have springtime I am making a start.
The Plan
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LH5.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM The Starting position
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LH3.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM
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The first bit of digging before drizzle and bacon sandwich stopped play
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More to follow over the coming weeks
Your hose reel is making a break for it.
Lol!
Don't whatever you do put in some (slippery when wet) decking, you know what that does to ankles.....
Christ-alive - that padding at the far end looks a bit precarious.
Just bought a concrete/cement mixer to make the job easier.
Hopefully I can get the job finished in the next few weekends.
If anyone wants to buy it from me when I have finished this then just let me know and we can sort a price
Where is the pampass grass going again?
[i]Where is the pampas grass going again?[/i]
Bend over and I will show you
😉
If anyone wants to buy it from me when I have finished this then just let me know and we can sort a price
Where are you Mr LadderAccidentHotTubDeviant? I (seriously) have much need of such a thing soon.
Hurrah.
I would use sleepers to frame the step out of the love tub.
And then get a couple of tonne of muck delivered in a bag.
If it rains all will the muck slide off the tarp?
Looking forward to the updates.:-)
What is the point of the tarp?
So you can get all the soil back up of the turf and not just have a muddy patch
[quote=sharkbait ]What is the point of the tarp?
To keep the earth of the eart... aye what is the point?
[quote=duncancallum ]So you can get all the soil back up of the turf and not just have a muddy patch
Is that soil not staying there then?
S.YIMG.COM I'm loving the tiny terraced lawn. You'll be able to transplant all the grass you currently have to there.....
Southampton for picking up the mixer
Tarpaulin to reassure the wife that the bit of grass we are about to bury won't suffer before it dies.
Things look worse before they start getting better right?
A nice building site in the middle of my garden
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LH5.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM A slight change in design resulted in the rubbish pile growing into a rubble pile
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LH5.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM But at least the concrete footings are mostly down down and, despite appearances, at the levels they need to be.
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The only wood I had for shuttering in front of the cabin wasn't long enough so once it has gone firm I will have to extend it along to meet the other footing at the corner of the cabin
I still need to do the steps and the footings for the wall around the grass area but will let these go off first and hopefully lay the largest area of slabs tomorrow.
From 9:30 to 5:30!
So much time for so little progress
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LH4.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM Yes, the level is level and a lot of the time was loading the blocks and stuff into the truck, driving it home and unloading. The only way to get the material around the back is by hand and with uneven ground and knackered ankle that is quite slow.
Anyway, just popped a couple Tramadol and about to relax in the tub
That's Ace.
Clearly you have too much time on your hands but it's well spent time.
So, so we're all only interested in a STW global invite to the Tub Opening Day.
Where's the invites 😆
You missed the opening party I am afraid
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Is it my eyes or is there a sag in the brickwork?
You had better have just forgotten to put a smiley face at the end of that comment. The brick work is perfect!!!!
Well, as good as I can do 🙂
Just looking at the picture and planning the order of tasks for tomorrow. The trouble is that the tarmac path is the route all the materials need to be carried down. If I start laying slabs as the end of it I wont be able to get more stuff in and out of the site very easily.
😀
10am - 5pm and the only difference in the picture is 11 slabs!
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LH3.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM Makes me wonder where the hours went and why I ache so much.
This build feels like a cross between slo-mo and spot the difference photos
The run of bricks leading to the drain pipe aren't straight. Other than that, good job.
[i]The run of bricks leading to the drain pipe aren't straight[/i]
Nor is the wall against which the slabs will be laid. The wall I built is however 135cm* from the wall that the slabs will be laid against.
Thanks for the encouragement. It still looks like I have done nothing to deserve the aches and pains I feel
*Yeah, okay there is a bit of a wobble in it
Nice patio
Do we need to search Southampton lost & found for missing people or is it all kosha?
I'm just ribbing you. It's far more than I would take on. Especially given my OCD for straight lines 😉
Just around the next corner (possibly several days) is that moment when it all comes together. Keep up the good diy work!
The run of bricks leading to the drain pipe aren't straight
Matches the sag 😉
Someone else who has a yard full of different bricks, different levels, steps and paving slabs. Yay. 😐
Not sure why people feel the need to critique the design or the work, I think its a bloody good effort for a DIY solo project.
hooli - Member
Not sure why people feel the need to critique the design or the work, I think its a bloody good effort for a DIY solo project.
banter innit
Don't worry - I am happy with the comments.
I use this as a useful way to get possible suggestions on how to do stuff and the remind myself of what I have done.
Sort of like a build-blog.
If you don't want people to take the piss then don't post your efforts on here. Plus a lot of the comments make me smile.
Thanks for the nice words and defense of my work though!
If you don't want people to take the piss then don't post your efforts on here. Plus a lot of the comments make me smile.
You do seem to manage to be both an inspiration (with the projects) and warning (with the accidents) to us all... I know I always click the threads for a look-see - keep up the good work and keep out of hopsital!
My mother said I should always strive to be an example to others...
... I just don't think she meant and example of what could go wrong
You're an inspiration to me chap. You tackle jobs head-on. However you also do injuries to the max.
It's a difficult balance.
Did your hosepipe make it?
[i]Did your hosepipe make it?[/i]
No, it stuck back and tripped me over when I was coming back from the hot tub last night.
Falling forward towards the new patio all I could think was "Don't upset the level slabs" so I grabbed the door and swung back towards the cabin. Unfortunately the door is a sliding door so quickly decided to slide away from me dumping me on my arse in the mud. On the bright side, I didn't disturb the bricks or slabs.
[i]I'm loving the tiny terraced lawn. [/i]
That is a seating area. You can sit on the step with your feet on the grass while watching your little children run around the lower garden. It also has a power point mounted on the wall for music when we have the swingers round. The other reason we did it was so we can see the lower garden from the house rather than just seeing the concrete balustrade.
So many levels, so few ankles.
Last meeting of the day was cancelled so managed to get a couple of hours work done and finally seem to have made progress.
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LH6.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM I would have got the patio slab bit completed if one of the slabs hadn't broken its corner.
Never mind, something for the weekend I guess
looks good, just need the grass to grow now and get the raised beds in!
Once we have the walls in place for the raised grass area we will be re-seeding the lot.
looking good Nic, don't forget to build in the bike wash area to the back of the love tub for Thursday nights eh 😉
Bike washing will be on the slope against the wall (yet to be built) so that the water and mud run down to the magnolia tree
Thos slabs still look a bit wobbly and uneven but I do like the way that you have them terraced. Is the plan to have the same style all the way up the side of the house?
Okay, the slabs aren't perfect but I am in IT and work with software, not hardware 🙂
The view from the house shows the upper garden in half lawn, half patio. It is also a mess as everything is just piled everywhere. It was all patio when we moved in but looked awful, a big square of grey concrete
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LH4.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM The view down the long steps to the cabin. The slabs on the steps were the same colour as the new ones when laid but they soon get a certain patina
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LH4.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM The view up towards the house showing the drop in elevation. The slope is at an angle to the back of the house and this photo is at the lowest point facing up the slope. We have the dropped terraces to maximise the usable space for people with knackered ankles who can't cope well with slopes. Try to keep grass areas where grass will grow and slabs where grass dies
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Impressive diy work! Those steps look like fun to ride down... If it goes wrong just aim for head first into the hot tub 🙂
I'd chuck some turf down. I reseeded the rear garden and it was a pain in the arse. Between weeds taking hold and cats shitting in it I'm surprised it ever grew.
Front lawn I got some turf, instant green!
Lots of tripping hazards after a few pints of Scruttocks Old Dirigible I reckon
I haven't posted for a couple of days but the longer evenings have let me make some progress on the terrace for grass a=on the long side of the cabin.
Multiple changes in design along the way. Most deliberately done to make my life harder
Double the length originally agreed - Tick
Heavy dense block work - Tick
Curved wall instead of straight - Tick
Single large drop terrace instead of smaller ones - Tick
Volume of dirt requires side laid blocks to double the amount of work - Tick
Still, quite pleased with the results of 3 evenings work (it rained on other days).
Feel free to mock the uneven gaps and the amount of cement that has squidged out but for my first (deliberate) attempt at a curved wall I am pleased.
Just for the record - the wall DOES NOT lean outwards. It IS VERTICAL. It is just the camera angle that makes it look that way
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I see the tarp really saved the grass there!
Good work fella*
*assuming you are incident & injury free!
The tarpaulin is filed y lessons learned
just wondering, do you have any guttering or will the rain run off onto that bit with the wall? Would it be worth putting a drain through the base of the wall, particularly at the far end where it is deeper and putting some gravel in behind the drain to stop it blocking with soil?
[i] will the rain run off onto that bit with the wall?[/i]
Thanks for reminding me about that.
Yes, the rain drops off the roof onto the top of the wall.
At the moment the wall has no topper on it but the plan is to find some kind of gutter tile that doesn't look too ugly and can be trodden on.
It doesn't really show but the wall slopes very slightly down from the corner nearest the camera to the far end. The hope/plan is that the water will fall from the drip plank on by the roof down into this 'gutter' and run away off the end of the wall.
I am really glad you reminded me of this as I couldn't remember why I hadn't ordered enough of the coping stones used on the patio side.
See, it is worth sharing the progress.
At least I've done something useful today! 😀
Another thing, watch out for that cut edge of the cladding sucking up water, especially as the treatment starts to lose it's effectiveness. Might need to stipple a bit of extra treatment in before the rest of the cladding needs it.
There is an air gap between the cabin wood work and the patio / wall to allow venting and prevent water soak up. Thanks for the thought though.
Well that was a busy Saturday. Wall finished. Coping stones on. Scratch coat of render* fixed.
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LH4.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM Today I shall top coat the render before disappearing down my mates allotment to dig a hole for the IBCs to be half buried. Hopefully next weekend it will just be a case of wheel barrowing three tons of top soil to fill the bed and then seeding to lawn. Job Done!
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*I hate rendering walls with a passion. It never feels right, it never looks right and I hate every aspect of it
Good job
Some times 3 tonnes is just not enough...
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LH6.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM I reckon another couple of bags should allow me to get a decent layer of dirt over the old lawn about as far up as the shadow of the cabin. Something for tomorrow though
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LH6.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM PSA : 6mm ply is rubbish as a wheel barrow ramp 🙂
Any weep holes in that wall BTW?
Yep you def need drain holes in the bottom of the wall to allow excess water out other wise you it may end up cracking. Ideally you build a bit of pipe in and then gravel on the inside to stop it getting clogged - but obviously you're a bit far down the line for that!!
Good for you for getting stuck in though.
There is a hole up the far end with a 2 inch piece of PVC pipe (perforated) shoved in it. Hopefully that will do something as I was too far in before I realised.
The bottom 3 courses are laid on their side so quite solid. Drain is above these as I didn't have a long enough bit to drill through them
PSA : 6mm ply is rubbish as a wheel barrow ramp
PSA : 'previously enjoyed' scaffold boards from a reclamation yard make ace wheelbarrow ramps
Previously enjoyed scaffold planks were 'diverted' to another thread
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LH6.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/well-it-seemed-a-good-idea-after-a-few-beers
It took 5 tonnes in the end.
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LH4.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM The top terraced bit is seeded and watered. The bottom needs a bit more raking
Looking good .nice one.
having seen it first hand in the light this evening, bloody good effort sir.
when mine is finished, if it looks half as good, i'll be well happy.
A little bit of woodwork to stabilise the down slope gave me an excuse to play with the chainsaw which is always exciting
Not too intrusive when viewed from the main garden
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LH6.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM Not too bad viewed from the bottom of the garden
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LH6.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM You???
WCA with a CHAINSAW??!!! 😯
Can you get someone to check you've still got the correct number of limbs?
And here it is when the grass has started to grow. Project complete.
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LH6.GOOGLEUSERCONTENT.COM Bang tidy, good work.
Indeed. Enjoyed that. Nice work sir.
Good one. 8)
Nice!
Trust you've made sure the pampas grass is visible from the road?
Great effort that man.
Looks great. Is the Jizz-Filter™ holding up after all of the sexy parties?
There seems to be some sort of missile half buried on the bottom right of the picture. Is your next project to start your own secret army?
Hose reel properly chained down to prevent further escapes.
Good effort - very impressed.
Outstanding!