ones.
REMOVING TURF
Use a tape measure, stakes and string to mark the area out on the ground. Use a spade to slice the whole area into a spade-width grid. One square at a time, hold the spade at a low angle and slice under to remove the turf.
MOVING EARTH
As the precious topsoil always needs to finish up on top, start by using a wheelbarrow and spade to put the topsoil safely to one side. Use the subsoil to fill in holes or boggy areas, or to build up banks. Spread the topsoil over the subsoil.
DIGGERS
A rented digger will certainly get the job done fast, but will it fit through your gates? Will it damage the drive, lawns, trees and/or shrubs?
FORMWORKS
A formwork is a box-like frame – made from 1 in (2.5 cm) thick planks – that is used on soft ground to hold back the sides of a foundation hole. The formwork can be left in place.
FOUNDATIONS AND DEPTHS
A foundation is a construction below ground that distributes and supports the weight of the structure. The basic rule is the greater the load (the weight and size), the larger the foundation needs to be.
PATIOS
A basic foundation for a patio that is being built on firm, well- drained ground.
WALLS
This diagram shows a basic foundation for a small garden wall.
Garden Construction
WALLS, FENCES, HEDGES AND GATES
Building walls, erecting fences, planting hedges and hanging gates are all little-by-little procedures that involve you doing your best at every stage. Of course, you might have trouble to start with, but if you follow the directions and remember to take your time, then not only will you end up with a good finished product but you will also have lots of fun along the way. The best advice is to take it slowly – undertake a small project over several days.
What are the options?
BRICK WALLS
There is something very enjoyable about building a simple brick wall – the process of trowelling slices of smooth soft mortar, and placing one brick upon another, is amazingly therapeutic. If you want to enhance your garden with an attractive, traditional, easy-to-use, long-lasting material, then you cannot do better than go for bricks. The procedure involves putting down compacted gravel, laying a slab of concrete over the gravel, and then bedding a pattern of bricks in mortar on top of the concrete. A basic two-brick thick wall is a good choice for most garden walls, but single brick thickness can also work well.
A low garden wall incorporating a tile and soldier course feature.
You will soon get the feel of how to apply the soft mortar with a trowel.
A low, single-thickness brick wall with a concrete and gravel foundation.
STONE WALLS
Dry-stone walls are a good option for gardens – they are easy to build, strong and long-lasting, they can be built without cement or mortar, and of course they are wonderfully attractive. The traditional technique, developed over many thousands of years, involves stacking stone upon stone – with earth and small stones as an infill – so that the resulting wall is broad-based with the sides leaning in. The procedure is to dig out a trench for the foundation, put compacted gravel in the trench, and then start stacking the stones. Stone walls can also be built using mortar, in the same way as for brick walls (see above).
A mixed-stone wall with feature stones for pots.
A stone wall topped with brick can be attractive.
A double-thickness stone wall with a planting cavity.
A traditional dry-stone wall can also be used as a retaining wall for a raised bed or border, with plants in the gaps.
FENCES
Wooden fences are a good option. Not only is there a huge selection to choose from, but better still they can be up and running in the space of a weekend. You can have traditional white-painted pickets, trellis, close boards, horizontal lap panels, interwoven panels, woven wattles, ranch-style fences, and so on. You have the choice of self- building or employing a specialty company. If you choose the latter, you need to watch out for poor- quality companies. The best advice is to ask friends and neighbors if they can make recommendations.
SETTING POSTS
A new wooden post is best set by digging a hole deep enough to meet your local codes and tamping dirt around it a little at a time until the hole is filled. You could also pour concrete to fill the hole. Metal post supports driven into the ground are often not very sturdy.
Fence repairs
Remove the broken panel complete with posts and fixings. Set the new posts in place, standing on gravel in holes. Clamp the panel in place between the posts and make adjustments,
