machtucker

Hi everyone, I have a digger coming next week and I'm going to excavate the soil so I can complete the gravel patio area and clay paver path etc. I have a rotating laser level which I can use to initially check dig depth etc. What's the best way of making sure I get the correct dig depth? I'm guessing it's just to keep checking it with the staff etc. Then I think I'll put in a few stakes to the the finish height depth as datum pegs so I can easily set up string lines to gauge subbase depth etc. Cheers, Ed

On this topic does anyone know where I can buy MOT Type 3 aggregate from? Doesn't appear to be as popular as Type 1

Yes that's how I will do it, just like I did with the patio. I was wondering whether I could get away without a fall though. I did read something on Paving Expert website that talked about a suds compliant solution which requires a different subbase with fewer fines.

Hi everyone, Well the weather is looking to be better next week and I'm on leave so planning on doing a bit more landscaping in the garden. I'm going to excavate the bottom part of the garden (bounded by the yellow line in the model). There is a clay paver path to be laid on top of sharp sand bedding layer and also 6mm gravel in the other areas with a stabilisation layer and 10-15mm bedding layer of sharp sand. I'm planning to use a 100mm MOT Type 1 subbase layer for the whole lot. The question is should I put a fall on it or will it be OK level for drainage purposes? Many thanks, Ed

Thanks, yes that’s what I thought. That’s what did when laying the edging sections for the patio area but saw something recently which seemed to suggest you can lay concrete on the sub soil. It won’t take long to dig a shallow trench so I’ll do that. 👍

Hi, I’m mulling over the best way of laying clay paver edging at the perimeter of my garden (by the fence). I will be laying decorative gravel with a stabilisation grid and want the edging to restrain the gravel. Can I lay the edging on concrete which is laid directly on top of the soil or do I need to lay the concrete on a sub base? Basically deciding between option 1 or 2 below. Any recommendations/advice? cheers, Ed

Yes that sounds like a plan. I could put a number of stiffening cross beams along the length.

Of course, I could buy more legs!

Ahh I see. No the supports are a square section, so yes you're right they could be. I'm slightly concerned that there will not be enough strength in the cedar battens so might need to make a stronger frame for them to sit on underneath. This is the maximum span in the photo below:

Hi! Thanks for the comment. Can you explain what you mean here please?

Hi everyone, I'm planning to make a corner bench out of cedar like the one in the picture. I have a lot of spare cedar (18mm x 44mm section) from another project which I can use for the slats. I'm now looking into how I will assemble it. Cedar is very soft and I want a sturdy bench so I'm wondering whether it is best to use a different wood for the cross supports (indicated by the blue arrows in the second picture)?. What do you think? In the shown model I have used 18 x 68 mm section cedar but these cross supports won't be on show so I'm thinking of making them out of another material. The supports are directly attached to the legs Ed

Yes, I think this is the best way to ensure consistency of panel. We are going to planting flowers around bottom too so should be hidden. I will just have to reduce the height of the inserts to fit

Hi everyone, I'm ticking along with the garden landscaping and now starting to make up the cedar panels for the screen/pergola thing (See sketchup image).... I used a number of 150x150mm oak posts and made a frame that sits on the insides of the posts (See photo). The cedar battens are 44mm wide and with a 6mm gap between successive battens the planned height of each screen is 1794mm. I therefore made the frame 1794mm tall. I was toying with how I would make the screens and in the end I wanted a modular design so that I could remove the panels easily if I need to do maintenance on the fence etc, otherwise I could have installed each batten directly to the frame insert. Initially I was going to make each screen like this: Option 1 - https://youtu.be/isQc31uW2_0?si=PNjtrbVbdzPNVd3I. Here the vertical battens are marked with a tape measure where each horizontal batten should go and then the battens are positioned by eye on the marks before being screwed. This would ensure that the screen was perfectly the right height at the expense of getting an absolutely identical gap size. After chatting with my wife (not blaming her!) we discussed another method: Option 2 -whereby I used a 6mm spacer to lay the battens one by one and build it up that way. I opted for this method in the end to ensure a consistent gap size. However.....due to tolerances in the batten sizes etc the final panel size has come out at 1740mm for one panel and 1750mm for another. I kind of new this was going to happen so not sure why I opted for it. Anyway, the panels look great and the gap size is consistent but they are not as designed and will potentially all be different sizes. Given that I have 150mm Oak posts between the panels I think I could still use the panels as the difference is 10mm but I would have to modify the frame insert, which is doable. This could potentially be different for every screen and something inside of me doesn't like it, it'll basically be a bodge and rely on the viewer not noticing the difference in size of panel. I'm now toying with the idea of going back to option where I measure where each batten should be then manually place them at each location which will ensure the panel is the correct size. I should be able to reuse all the battens as everything is screwed from behind so you wont see any existing holes etc. Any recommendations/comments? Ed

I think I will install sleepers along part of the fence and gravel boards behind the pizza oven. The inspection chamber will be accessible as I will make the shelf removable.

Hi everyone, I’ve levelled my garden by creating a small retaining wall between an upper and lower level - see pic. I will need to dig down about 20 cm from the current ground level by the wall on the lower section in order to level it. I’m then planning to gravel the bottom area up to the fence but I’m guessing I will need to install some edge restraints, especially on the area where I’ve dug down in order to stop the earth falling away and to also keep the gravel from migrating etc. Any ideas of a good way of doing this? I’m planning on building a pizza oven (see image) which will have rendered blocks so that will provide some restraint. Maybe using sleepers would be an idea? That would also provide and raised bed around the fence. Any suggestions ideas appreciated. Cheers Ed

Went with the Saxton blade and it’s very good. Lovely cuts so far.

Hi! I'm having some cedar battens delivered tomorrow and will be starting to make the panels shortly. I have an Evolution 255DB+ compound mitre saw which has worked well for me so far. I currently have multipurpose blade that came with the saw on it. Do you think I should buy a fine wood cutting blade like this? https://shop.evolutionpowertools.com/collections/evolution-blades/products/255mm-fine-wood-blade-60t Seems fairly pricey. I'm setting up a stop block which should aid the cutting process. Any guidance/comments welcome. Many thanks, E

I plan to excavate around 6.5m3 of soil form the area bounded by the yellow line.

Hi everyone, I’m currently mid garden redevelopment and I have a fair amount of waste (bagged soil, wood, concrete, general garden waste) (see photo). I am soon to start excavating the area shown by the yellow boundary and am looking for micro diggers and dumpers etc. what is the best way to get rid of the current waste and the soil from:the excavation? Skip, muck away or something else? Any recommendations appreciated, Ed

Hmm thanks maybe I will buy a couple and see what they are like. I also need advice on length of runs etc. Is there a max length or can I just keep daisy chaining as long as I’m below approx 80% of the transformer power rating?

Hi everyone, I’m starting to think about designing lighting for my garden. I’ve considered a mains powered system however I like the idea of being able to install myself and to be able to add to it in the future. I’m now considering a low voltage lighting system with elements of it plugged into mains sockets which I will get installed in the garden. I can’t find a definitive guide to best low voltage lighting products. Are there some good ones people can recommend and some avoid brands too? I have Phillips hue lights in my house but they are very expensive. I do however love the fact you can control each light individually from your phone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Ed

Hi! I'm looking to get buy some red cedar battens 18mm x 44mm x 1830mm. What I am trying to achieve is shown in the pic. As ever there seems to be lots of different suppliers and it is very expensive but I'm happy to pay fofr the finish/longevity/looks. I was wondering whether anyone can recommend somewhere to buy from? I did find an online retailer that had clearance battens which were one good face and eased edges, which would be fine as noone can see the back and I would just chop a little bit off each end before installing. However....they seem to have all gone. Something similar would be good. Even seconds Many thanks, Ed

What diameter of screw do you recommend?

Thanks for the comment. Yes I’ve heard they are softer. I will try and use a normal steel screw to fix then replace with stainless steel as well as a generous pilot hole.

Hi everyone, Well the installation seems to be going OK. I have 5 out of the 6 posts in the ground. I'm now thinking about the fixings (cross beam to the post). I'm going to use stainless steel screws and then use Oak dowels to cover them up. The question is what size screws should I use? An image of the two pieces to be screwed is shown below. Any recommendations greatly received. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm guessing I should drill the cross beam holes big enough so the screw goes through without biting? I will pre-drill the oak post with a pilot hole so it's not too hard for the screw thread to penetrate. Cheers, Ed