Ralph Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 We're due to break ground on our plot in August (only 4 years late but never mind) and I'm starting to think a little about landscaping. The contractors will be scraping and grading where the house and driveway is going but the there is still a lot of area, about an acre, that is very lumpy and uneven. I think cows grazed on it decades ago. Currently it's a lightly wooded field with a couple of clearings. I'm not after a prefect lawn or anything, just something we can walk around without tripping. Any thoughts on the best way to achieve this? I don't want to scrape too much and spend a fortune turning it into the Somme. Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoveringbuilder Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 You might have soil from your dig out which could be used to level it off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Can you get them to scrape just the very top 100mm off the drive and house footprint and pile this in the other area? Then they can do the rest of the reduced dig and muck it away. It is nice to have an apron around the house about 1.5m wide with hardcore for scaffold. Hopefully we will have a nice dry summer and you will be able to come to site in your white linen suit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Just now, Christine Walker said: You might have soil from your dig out which could be used to level it off? We will have but most of it will be going to build some berms alongside a stream. I'm currently thinking a chain harrow pulled by a garden tractor but I don't know if it will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 How big is the digger that will be doing the work. Anything over 5t could spread any topsoil over and then track it in. Don't put the clay you dig out for the founds over it and try and rake that out. It will be too stiff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Just now, Mr Punter said: Can you get them to scrape just the very top 100mm off the drive and house footprint and pile this in the other area? Then they can do the rest of the reduced dig and muck it away. It is nice to have an apron around the house about 1.5m wide with hardcore for scaffold. Hopefully we will have a nice dry summer and you will be able to come to site in your white linen suit! Dry summer would nice, white linen suit may set the wrong tone for the staff though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Just now, Declan52 said: How big is the digger that will be doing the work. Anything over 5t could spread any topsoil over and then track it in. Don't put the clay you dig out for the founds over it and try and rake that out. It will be too stiff. Not sure on the plant that will be working it, we have to be careful of the trees. Good point on the clay as there is a lot of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 We just dug all the topsoil and put that in a pile and all the subsoil (sandy clay) in another pile. Then spread the sandy clay first then the top soil then grass seed. Job done. Nothing left site, flat lawn at the end all done with my 3t digger. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Just now, ProDave said: We just dug all the topsoil and put that in a pile and all the subsoil (sandy clay) in another pile. Then spread the sandy clay first then the top soil then grass seed. Job done. Nothing left site, flat lawn at the end all done with my 3t digger. So just spreading the subsoil and topsoil over the existing grass is enough to smooth it out? Cool, sounds like plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 10 minutes ago, Ralph said: So just spreading the subsoil and topsoil over the existing grass is enough to smooth it out? Definitely, then either turf if you want an instant lawn of seed if your not in a big rush. Both of these do need final levelling / raking depending on how good you want the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Just now, Cpd said: Definitely, then either turf if you want an instant lawn of seed if your not in a big rush. Both of these do need final levelling / raking depending on how good you want the finish. We're looking to keep it "natural" rather than like a putting green. We also have quite a lot of wildlife including tasty, tasty pheasants that I would like to come back after the upheaval of the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 The pheasants won't come back if you eat them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Don't get me started on pheasants... Some may recall that we had this cheeky sod banging his beak repeatedly at our front door last year: Well, he's back... I'm getting fed up with opening the door and chasing him away. It seems that he can see his own reflection, assumes it's a rival, and then sets about head butting the window. The bugger's far too dim to realise that he's not banging his head on another cock pheasant, so every time I shoo him away he comes back for another go ten minutes later. Not only that, but he's crapping all over our front steps. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoveringbuilder Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 I hope you’re not going to eat him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 2 minutes ago, Christine Walker said: I hope you’re not going to eat him? No, I was put off pheasant for life, having eaten it damned near every weekend as a child (my father was a keen shooter, so the house was always full of things he'd shot, and as children we had to eat them). Full marks to my mother, as she must have invented dozens of different ways to cook pheasant, just because we all used to do the "Oh no, not pheasant again..." thing most weekends in the season. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simplysimon Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 2 hours ago, Ralph said: Not sure on the plant that will be working it, we have to be careful of the trees. Good point on the clay as there is a lot of it. put in surface drains, plough it and when it gets a bit dry, it will at some point!, harrow and re-seed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Well you should be looking at seeding it with a wild flower meadow mix, would be great. I have a huge sprawling garden that I have created from heavily grazed sheep land, it’s a work in progress but I’m six years in....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 2 minutes ago, Cpd said: Well you should be looking at seeding it with a wild flower meadow mix, would be great. I have a huge sprawling garden that I have created from heavily grazed sheep land, it’s a work in progress but I’m six years in....... I like the sound of that. This is what it currently looks like from the clearing. Those hill are mostly shooting estates, hence the pheasants everywhere. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 3 hours ago, Ralph said: I like the sound of that. This is what it currently looks like from the clearing. Those hill are mostly shooting estates, hence the pheasants everywhere. Lovely views @Ralph, where in the world is that. It looks like it could be North Northumberland / Scottish Borders? 4 hours ago, JSHarris said: No, I was put off pheasant for life, having eaten it damned near every weekend as a child (my father was a keen shooter, so the house was always full of things he'd shot, and as children we had to eat them). Full marks to my mother, as she must have invented dozens of different ways to cook pheasant, just because we all used to do the "Oh no, not pheasant again..." thing most weekends in the season. And @JSHarris, we too are just beginning to embark on a pheasant fueled diet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 @Ralph forgot to mention. Your plot looks in a very similar state to ours when we started out - have a look at my blog and you well see how it transformed over the summer months. It starts here - https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/blogs/entry/127-base-camp-finally/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted March 23, 2019 Author Share Posted March 23, 2019 10 hours ago, Redoctober said: Lovely views @Ralph, where in the world is that. It looks like it could be North Northumberland / Scottish Borders? Thanks, it's actually in Angus, that's a view west towards the Cairngorms. That's a cracking location and house you have there yourself. It must be very satisfying to be finished, although I don't suppose that you're ever truly finished. We've had to go back to a complete redesign, new planning, new architects the lot. It's a massive amount of stress but I just need to spend a few minutes on the plot to recharge the positivity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 8 minutes ago, Ralph said: Thanks, it's actually in Angus, that's a view west towards the Cairngorms. Ha! I was looking at those hills really hard and thinking I know those bloody hills...... I kept thinking Cairngorm but could not get the placement, well that’s because the only place I have never viewed then from is Angus ! Never even been there. Spent many years building walking tracks, dry stone walling and timber cutting in the Cairngorm and if I was not working Them I was playing, winter and summer climbing, snowboarding, hill running, shoooting, Fishing etc... it was always going to be there or here that I lived and in the end the ocean won and I settled in Argyll. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) May be best to build the berms out of the clay that you have loads of and dress it with topsoil, we had tons of thick solid sticky yellow clay and dammned near impossible to do anything with it, I still have about 80 tons to find a home! Edited March 23, 2019 by joe90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Can you build a landscaped backdrop berm against which to shoot errant pheasants safely? That would use up some soil. Not being a shooter I am not sure of the details except that it must be done safely and within your own land or with permission from the landowner. F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 If the purpose of the berm is to stop the stream flooding the site when in spate, then building it out of a clay core sounds a good plan. I guess we sort of did that, we raised the ground level on the house side in the process of leveling the plot, but left the ground level on the other side of the burn at it's original lower level so can be a mini flood plane if the burn ever over tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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