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On 29/10/2019 at 15:06, YHallSaint said:

 


What sort of size is it? Seems a pretty reasonable price

 

The bit that's getting dug is about 25 m2 I reckon.

need to hire a skip at some point as well, knock a wall down, get it dug out, build a new fence, build all the retaining walls (sleepers) between the 2 levels, decide if I want artificial or real grass on top level.  Slab the full bottom level, build a decking part for seating (around 12.5 m2) and that's all I can think of at the moment of the top of my head.

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The bit that's getting dug is about 25 m2 I reckon.
need to hire a skip at some point as well, knock a wall down, get it dug out, build a new fence, build all the retaining walls (sleepers) between the 2 levels, decide if I want artificial or real grass on top level.  Slab the full bottom level, build a decking part for seating (around 12.5 m2) and that's all I can think of at the moment of the top of my head.
Its cubic meters not square meters when digging out, is how they work it out.

Mini digger hire c/w operator starts around 200-300/day, depending on size of digger. If you fancy a go yourself rather than getting an operator, it will be cheaper. Not as easy as it may look, unless you have experience.

Skip hire is around 150-200 depending on how close you are to landfill.

Could you not get a friendly farmer to take waste soil? Much cheaper than a skip.

Hippo bags are another alternative to skips or get a grab truck, Google them, both probably cheaper than a skip.
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On 29/07/2019 at 17:11, G_Man1985 said:

So old boy decided he wanted to get a fountain feature (x2) in my garden. Not gonna say no so yeah let's go for it.
Put it in an area kids dont really go near.
Bricks I have left over ( white anes) I wanna do something we them.
What however I'm unsure. Suggestions are welcome.
20190729_144758.jpeg

Looks beautiful. I would like to have a small fountain too, but unfortunately my backyard looks like this.

50800554_1493381000795460_2918114515529364336_n.thumb.jpg.6905ea8a77e84b43ab75f554de08498a.jpg

Moreover, my father suggested me to buy a tractor like this instead. Always wanted a tractor, but I guess I should need a bigger yard. 

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On 11/03/2019 at 09:06, Nkomo-A-Gogo said:

Shed update... Have the weather board, roof and felt on.

Was frosty this morning so glad I don't have spuds out yet. Still chittin in the house. I have them getting full sun on a windowsill which is probably wrong

IMG-20190310-WA0002.jpeg

I was getting ready to have a dig at your previous pics but that looks pretty decent tbf.

 

 

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  • 4 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

really am finding Gardener's World's Frances Tophill increasingly appealing; here she is extolling the virtues of damson gin (very nice) and cheese (very, very nice) - if it turns out that she's in to italian football (not Vicenza), making her own curries and dubious 90's music, Mrs H has got a real fight on her hands...

image.png.06976ed28be6d7526d150945b2d6ea8a.png

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should be fine; sow the grass seed on the topsoil, cover it with another half an inch or so (handful of compost won't go amiss either) then firm it all down with a bit of board to ensure the seeds are in good contact with the dirt, but leaving it a bit proud of the existing ground level; then water it, every day, for six weeks, first cut when it gets to a couple of inches; throw a decreasing amount of seed on the existing grass too, for three or four feet around the patch - when you get the mixture of existing and newly germinated grass together, it'll make for a more gradual transition in colour from old to new, rather than just have a sudden transition from existing lawn to a bright green patch that'll stick out like a dog's knob !

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On 15/04/2020 at 21:58, Herman Hessian said:

should be fine; sow the grass seed on the topsoil, cover it with another half an inch or so (handful of compost won't go amiss either) then firm it all down with a bit of board to ensure the seeds are in good contact with the dirt, but leaving it a bit proud of the existing ground level; then water it, every day, for six weeks, first cut when it gets to a couple of inches; throw a decreasing amount of seed on the existing grass too, for three or four feet around the patch - when you get the mixture of existing and newly germinated grass together, it'll make for a more gradual transition in colour from old to new, rather than just have a sudden transition from existing lawn to a bright green patch that'll stick out like a dog's knob !

 

10 hours ago, John Lambies Doos said:
On 15/04/2020 at 18:53, LincolnHearts said:
I've got a couple of really dry/bald uneven patches in the garden.

Can I just turn these patches over, put a bit of topsoil down to level them off a bit then throw some grass seed down?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Yes

Thanks gentlemen.

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The guy who had our house before us had planned the garden well, we get stuff blooming from early spring right through to autumn.  We have not planted a single thing in the six years we have been here.

I know nothing about gardening but really appreciate the effort that the previous guy put into it.  Here’s some of what’s flowering already.

001337AA-1A15-49A6-8D70-22B6F98C0DC5.thumb.jpeg.7fdbaef1a394879e23219aaa49343d22.jpeg08CC5102-B28E-4D56-B6F1-456BA32D928C.thumb.jpeg.caea95ebc24243e9edc79a781486ee0a.jpegDD74BCA2-23E9-455D-84F7-DF808B63D096.thumb.jpeg.6fa7b924fc2c86fbd71fe1e82faa3d86.jpeg7A01187B-1E07-48CE-BBEC-96850D17DA22.thumb.jpeg.58c6a0dec2be7df133920d422f934bd7.jpeg

 

Edited by Granny Danger
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  • 4 weeks later...

right - this can go in here as it was happening regardless rather than being a lockdown achievement, but here's five weekend's worth of graft replacing some thoroughly knackered raised beds of sorts that were here when we moved in last autumn...

the original bombsite; had tree saplings and all sorts to start with that have been cleared over the winter:

IMG_4504.JPG.3a0e2334f49ca5e89116078cf20bd019.JPG

original sleepers mostly rotten and not much good at all other than foundations and retainers...

IMG_4505.JPG.e8c0e3110a2a65fecd46f25d140609c6.JPG

a fine excuse to buy a mattock - what an excellent bit of kit that is !

note the spirit level and measuring string to give the appearance of care and accuracy

IMG_4506.JPG.1263d9066f95827cdc295288196c68cd.JPG

bog-standard half-lapped corners and some fucking great big coach bolts....

(that's a tesco bag btw - not some union bears/princess of hearts nonsense or owt like that !)

IMG_4513.JPG.1e38593644f63632d679fde734dfdd99.JPG

repeat a further three times, stick a couple of flower troughs at one end and lash up some steps...

IMG_4552.JPG.2193d9814e0c514e5dab996cbf27d4c0.JPG

soil's very good but was full of bindweed - whole lot had to be dug over to a depth of 18", picked clean and sifted - b*****d of a job

just gotta get some turf to fill in the gaps now, drop a few pavers in there and job's a good'un - shame i don't like vegetables really....

 

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14 minutes ago, Nkomo-A-Gogo said:

What's the tall canes for?

madame is growing climbing french beans up 'em by all accounts - the 'squeaky' thin ones, which i'll eat if they're covered in vinegar and black pepper

wqs a bit cross with them, as it happens - given the geometric perfection (sort of) observed during the raised bed construction, she's just thrown them up all on the piss and a bit shoddy, like - hoping for some unseasonal high winds so i can sneak out, knock them over claiming unforseen meteorological intervention and then set them up again - properly...

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1 hour ago, Herman Hessian said:

right - this can go in here as it was happening regardless rather than being a lockdown achievement, but here's five weekend's worth of graft replacing some thoroughly knackered raised beds of sorts that were here when we moved in last autumn...

the original bombsite; had tree saplings and all sorts to start with that have been cleared over the winter:

IMG_4504.JPG.3a0e2334f49ca5e89116078cf20bd019.JPG

original sleepers mostly rotten and not much good at all other than foundations and retainers...

IMG_4505.JPG.e8c0e3110a2a65fecd46f25d140609c6.JPG

a fine excuse to buy a mattock - what an excellent bit of kit that is !

note the spirit level and measuring string to give the appearance of care and accuracy

IMG_4506.JPG.1263d9066f95827cdc295288196c68cd.JPG

bog-standard half-lapped corners and some fucking great big coach bolts....

(that's a tesco bag btw - not some union bears/princess of hearts nonsense or owt like that !)

IMG_4513.JPG.1e38593644f63632d679fde734dfdd99.JPG

repeat a further three times, stick a couple of flower troughs at one end and lash up some steps...

IMG_4552.JPG.2193d9814e0c514e5dab996cbf27d4c0.JPG

soil's very good but was full of bindweed - whole lot had to be dug over to a depth of 18", picked clean and sifted - b*****d of a job

just gotta get some turf to fill in the gaps now, drop a few pavers in there and job's a good'un - shame i don't like vegetables really....

 

Raised beds are brilliant. Good choice. The key is to keep them watered, even though they're only 5 or 6 inches high they can dry out quickly.

If you don't like veg then you could use the beds for cut flowers.  Saves on dosh and you can keep the Mrs happy with a home made bouquet on birthdays. Sweet peas, iris's, roses, anything she likes.

You can even turn a raised bed into a small poly tunnel by bending some plastic piping over and covering with a few sheets of clear plastic to protect and get earlier crops / flowers. Either that or use some shade netting to keep the wind and heavy rain off them as much.

Will also give you a tip - bindweed is indeed an absolute b*****d to get rid of, even if you've riddled the soil. I'd advise you buy yourself some glyphosate based weed killer (roundup) and a small paint brush, wait till it comes through and at the stage it has 5 or 6 leaves paint it straight on the leaves. Keep doing this till you're free of it.

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1 hour ago, Herman Hessian said:

right - this can go in here as it was happening regardless rather than being a lockdown achievement, but here's five weekend's worth of graft replacing some thoroughly knackered raised beds of sorts that were here when we moved in last autumn...

the original bombsite; had tree saplings and all sorts to start with that have been cleared over the winter:

IMG_4504.JPG.3a0e2334f49ca5e89116078cf20bd019.JPG

original sleepers mostly rotten and not much good at all other than foundations and retainers...

IMG_4505.JPG.e8c0e3110a2a65fecd46f25d140609c6.JPG

a fine excuse to buy a mattock - what an excellent bit of kit that is !

note the spirit level and measuring string to give the appearance of care and accuracy

IMG_4506.JPG.1263d9066f95827cdc295288196c68cd.JPG

bog-standard half-lapped corners and some fucking great big coach bolts....

(that's a tesco bag btw - not some union bears/princess of hearts nonsense or owt like that !)

IMG_4513.JPG.1e38593644f63632d679fde734dfdd99.JPG

repeat a further three times, stick a couple of flower troughs at one end and lash up some steps...

IMG_4552.JPG.2193d9814e0c514e5dab996cbf27d4c0.JPG

soil's very good but was full of bindweed - whole lot had to be dug over to a depth of 18", picked clean and sifted - b*****d of a job

just gotta get some turf to fill in the gaps now, drop a few pavers in there and job's a good'un - shame i don't like vegetables really....

 

Very nice but what did you do with the other 4 weekends?

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17 hours ago, Herman Hessian said:

right - this can go in here as it was happening regardless rather than being a lockdown achievement, but here's five weekend's worth of graft replacing some thoroughly knackered raised beds of sorts that were here when we moved in last autumn...

the original bombsite; had tree saplings and all sorts to start with that have been cleared over the winter:

IMG_4504.JPG.3a0e2334f49ca5e89116078cf20bd019.JPG

original sleepers mostly rotten and not much good at all other than foundations and retainers...

IMG_4505.JPG.e8c0e3110a2a65fecd46f25d140609c6.JPG

a fine excuse to buy a mattock - what an excellent bit of kit that is !

note the spirit level and measuring string to give the appearance of care and accuracy

IMG_4506.JPG.1263d9066f95827cdc295288196c68cd.JPG

bog-standard half-lapped corners and some fucking great big coach bolts....

(that's a tesco bag btw - not some union bears/princess of hearts nonsense or owt like that !)

IMG_4513.JPG.1e38593644f63632d679fde734dfdd99.JPG

repeat a further three times, stick a couple of flower troughs at one end and lash up some steps...

IMG_4552.JPG.2193d9814e0c514e5dab996cbf27d4c0.JPG

soil's very good but was full of bindweed - whole lot had to be dug over to a depth of 18", picked clean and sifted - b*****d of a job

just gotta get some turf to fill in the gaps now, drop a few pavers in there and job's a good'un - shame i don't like vegetables really....

 

I’m looking to do something similar, but not as extensive, later in the year.  Will be using 10” x 2”.  Do you think the half lap corners are necessary?  I was just going to butt the end and use big screws.  Though I’ll have an intermediary stud in mine to give stability.

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16 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

I’m looking to do something similar, but not as extensive, later in the year.  Will be using 10” x 2”.  Do you think the half lap corners are necessary?  I was just going to butt the end and use big screws.  Though I’ll have an intermediary stud in mine to give stability.

Half lap wont matter on 10" x 2" boards. Just put a 2"x2" post chapped in the ground in each corner and screw in.

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