Friday 27 June 2014

New project started

Hello all,
Well it's been a fantastic bout of weather here in the UK with glorious hot days. That spell seems to have passed for now and it is grey and significantly colder, but I'm really enjoying the Summer (especially as I am not working away from home for the first Summer in 18 years).

So I have begun a new project which for me is the most head-scratchingly difficult I have attempted thus far so anyone who has any knowledge and tips will be welcome to give advice.

The slope that leads down from my garden proper to my greenhouse is annoying and unmanagable in bad weather and so I have started the groundwork to create steps down and a path along the side of the greenhouse, this should make trips down there in winter or when it is wet much better.

I have started by doing the initial groundwork of cutting out the turf where the path will be


and then I started to cut out where the steps down will be


Finally leaving me with the complete area cut out.



Now that the site is cleared I need to move onto stage 2 as there is no going back now.
My plan at the moment is to put in wooden sides and posts along the path and then to fashion the steps using wooden sides and posts also, three steps down to the path should do it. When that is all in place I will put down hardcore, sand and then concrete and hope that the whole thing works and is stable. It's at times like this that I wish I had a friend with knowledge :-)

I will continue to mark my progress but the next stage will certainly be careful measuring and wood purchase.


8 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have done enough research and now know what you can do. Best of luck. Can`t advice as I don`t have that much knowledge myself.

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  2. Good luck - sorry can't advise but I am sure it will all turn out fine!

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  3. Trial and error! More error than trial here lol x

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  4. You tube is your friend. Put in 'How to make steps on a sloping garden', for instructions and ideas. I've just had a look, there should be something for you.

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  5. Try Pinterest too, often good ideas and tips on there and sometimes more frugal ways too!
    Good luck!

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  6. Looks good.

    Just consider though, that the path may need drainage chips. With the slope of the ground meeting a (solid) concrete path there may be a water (flooding) issue.

    Just a thought :)

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  7. Good luck. It sounds like a very interesting project. I think Dani above makes a good point. If the drainage is not perfect, with time the concrete will break up.

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  8. Start at the bottom with a concrete slab, then form the next one with a couple of courses of brick set on the slab. Using bricks forms the retaining for the next step and stops the concrete above from slipping down the slope when the wood rots.
    That's the way I've done it and it works OK

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