May be starting work on a garden retaining wall in the depths of winter was not the best idea. Like breaking eggs to make an omelette things can be a bit of a mess until you get to the finished article.
Our builders had to dig out what felt like mountains of earth with a mini digger to create the base for the gabion wall. It was all dumped in the parking area so they could use it to back fill behind the gabions once they were full of stone. The gabions are installed in decreasing steps to the top so the downward pressure of the earth on the larger steps at the bottom helps to give the wall its stability. Given it’s been very wet every move churned up the earth making it look like a disaster zone. Alongside this we had deliveries of stone and hard core which just added to the mess. Wearing wellies was essential every time we went outside and slipping over was a constant risk.
Digging out the bank has been a slow process as, understandably, they were concerned it didn’t destabilise too much and risk falling in on them. Thankfully the bank proved to be very robust and, despite the weather, stayed put – probably helped by a mesh of ivy roots. Each gabion basket needed to be built from the flat metal mesh delivered from the suppliers then filled with stone. Finally, after about four weeks of three guys working on it full-time, our wall was up and finished and looking good.
That meant they could get started on building our garden shed. Initially they were just going to pour a slab of concrete and we were going to buy a shed to put on top of it. However, they talked us through the challenges of making sure it doesn’t end up standing in water and so we asked them to build it for us. With long lead times for garden sheds we also thought we would get it done more quickly.
Not ones to do things by halves our builders started by putting in footings and a proper foundation for the shed. As the frame went up it looked more and more like a mini version of our extension, which they built for us. We are certainly going to end up with one of the most robust and comfortable sheds I’ve ever seen with insulation, double glazing and even a heater!
With the gabion wall done they were also able to turn their attention to clearing the car parking area. This included putting in a soak away as when it rains we were ending with lagoons of standing water. Not much fun when getting out of a car with heavy shopping.
They also laid a drainage pipe from the French drain installed in front of the old house more than a year ago which has been sticking out of the ground ever since. We had the challenge of trying to identify where the gas pipe had been channelled as part of building the kitchen extension so they didn’t accidently dig through that. It’s a good thing I take so many pictures – I had an accurate record so they knew which part of the drive to avoid.
Now we are back to some sort of normality with a much clearer car park and the shed frame built. It still needs a roof, windows and door which hopefully will be done in the next couple of weeks.
Already I’m having to turn my attention from this work to the next stage of the renovation of the old house as the restoration builders start with us on 7 April. Before then I’m getting the black paint stripped off the beams in the old kitchen and spare bedroom above where they will be working. As both rooms are full of stuff – books, clothes, furniture – yet again we’re having to move things around the house to cater for the builders and no shed yet to use as swing space!
Regular and eagle-eyed readers may have spotted some changes in this blog. I’ve finally learnt how to insert photos side by side. It had always been my plan to learn how to use the wordpress tool that hosts my blog site and actually turn it into a proper website. I finally signed up to a course and started it last week. In the second module I learned about different layouts so expect more improvements in the weeks to come.
The first module focussed on the reasons for starting a blog and the intended audience. It’s been very helpful to take a step back after nearly three years and think about the purpose. I always wanted to share our journey on the project to renovate our period home with family and friends. I also wanted to share the experience with people who may be embarking on something similar as I have found others stories incredibly helpful for us. However, the title of the blog is From life at the desk to living the dream which is much more than this project. I have blogged about the garden, travel and village life and I am still working from a desk, although not full-time. So there are other stories to tell and I’m hoping developing my blog site will make it easier for you to follow and navigate. All feedback welcome!
From life at the desk to living the dream 