It's got to happen this year...hasn't it..........? as it turned out....no!
When it was time to come out and play again, the bottom fence was the first job, having started fixing new posts in the ground during December. I had asked Sash and Mia Whitman, who lived below, if they minded me replacing the fence. They were pleased that I was doing it, and offered to help pay for it, good of them to offer, but I was happy enough to fund it. It's a shame all neighbours aren't as honourable and right minded......but that's another story.
I concreted in all the posts whilst the original posts and rails were still in situ, although this involved pushing and pulling the old fence where it was no longer upright. Once that was done, I took off all the old palings and rails, and finally took out the old posts. Along the inside line of the posts, I dug out a shallow foundation, and laid a concrete footing. Upon this I laid 4" blocks that had been split down the centre (to create a two course bond), with the top forming the correct height to lay the concrete paths. I also introduced surface water drainage hoppers linked to the soakaway.
Once I had laid the concrete path to the level of the blocks, a ring of Concrete Pavers was laid on top. This would be higher than the concrete slab surface that will eventually be laid on top of the concreted area, and direct rain water in to the surface drains.
That completed, I cut the lengths of 100x22 timber into fence palings and nailed them onto the rails. It was now the beginning of March, and longer days and improving weather meant that I could visit the quarry again and start building the stone sections.
After first building a box to enclose the outside tap (saving it from the worst of the weather), I put up vertical planks for corner guides either side of the entrance to the steps, to make sure the line was as clean as possible even though the materials were all 'rough'. I took the trailer up to Darley Ford Quarry near Upton Cross, and bought a number of granite quoins. This would give a robust corner to the wall, and give a nice contrast to the rustic browns of the local stone. It was mid-March, and the weather was perking up nicely, enabling good progress and 'clean' working. When the mortar stays dry, it is much easier to work up, and there is much less cleaning up to do. I also find there is far less efflorescence longer term.
Having finished the main two faces of the retaining wall it was now mid-April, which as most gardeners will know, is a good time for planting most vegetable crops. I built the last timber raised bed against the wall, and all beds had now been filled with earth. I thought I had better start making use of them, as well as the greenhouse base, and also the earth back-filled above the wall.
We planted a variety of crops, and even though the soil was on the face of it, quite poor quality, it was certainly worth doing, although as I found out fairly quickly, the 'beasties' certainly take their share of your efforts!
Next was the fence up the West boundary which was leaning all over the place due to rotten posts. I had assumed this was our fence, and went to the neighbour to ask their permission to stand on their garden whilst I was working on it. They did not object, or offer any help with the cost, which I did not expect as it was my fence.
I had started the first section of fence from the bottom up to the lower end of the ramp at the beginning of the year whilst doing the bottom fence, as before digging out post holes and concreting new posts in whilst the old fence was in-situ (no arguments over stealing ground that way!). Once they were all done and the concrete cured, then the old rails and palings were stripped off, and new rails secured. As for the bottom garden, I dug out a footing along the inside of the posts, and laid a wall of cut blocks to the level that the ramp concreted surface would be.
Next, I set up shuttering to lay concrete for the ramp in sections, it was easier to get the correct levels by using a levelling board up and down rather than side to side against the wall. I made up the ground levels by compacting hardcore of broken out concrete from around the old shed at the top corner of the garden.
After laying all sections of concrete, a row of concrete block pavers were laid along the edge as in the bottom garden, and the timber lengths were cut into palings and nailed on to the rails. It was at this point it became clear that we would need a further section of ramp to achieve the correct level at the top, and so a footing was dug, concrete foundation built, and blockwork extended.
Next job was to continue with stonework, firstly the walls either side of the steps, and the faces of each tread. This was completed by the beginning of July. The ramp walls followed, preceded by bolting the 75x75 posts onto the face of the blockwork.
By the end of September the walls were complete, and the garden had pretty much progressed as far as was practical. The work was so extensive, much more than I had imagined, it was good that it had been done in advance of the house, not just because of access, but because I might not have had the same level of interest in it after going through a house build immediately before it. I would of course have to return to it for the finishing touches, such as covering all the concreted areas, plus the ramp and steps, with slabs.That would give me something to do later.
I moved on to thinking about what I could do on the site to prepare for the go ahead, without spending too much money. There was still plenty to do, and much of it could be done by hand and without cost. Nothing wrong with a bit of heavy manual effort, as long as the back holds out at least!
