Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jul 16, 2008 9:52 pm We have serious drainage issues at the front of our property and also want to make it safe and appropriate for our children to play in, so we are looking at completely redoing the front garden. I'm posting this to see if anyone has any ideas about how we can save money by doing it ourselves or doing certain bits another way. I'm also sort of posting this for myself so I can see just what we have to do and also to ask questions if I have no idea. I've included a pic of the garden as it is atm.
Here's what we plan to do: 1. excavate and level the front garden up to a point where we could build a one metre retaining wall (thus giving us a large flat area and not having to get the wall approved by council) - we have the use of a bobcat and truck for taking the soil away and have the name of a driver who would do it for a good price. We're also going to take the old structures down and take the plants out ourselves. 2. Remove an old asbestos fence that is cutting our garden in two. We have been told that we could do this ourselves if we hosed the asbestos down, wore a mask and double-wrapped the asbestos. Apparently the sheets would come out clean and there shouldn't be any dust. 3. Fix the drainage in the front by putting in ag drains. I'm pretty sure this would be best planned by a professional but surely we could dig the trenches (and possibly lay the pipes) ourselves? Do we need one right next to the wall and then one in front of the house? Or would one next to the house be enough? 4. Build a retaining wall - I'm into dry stone walls. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I know dry stone walls are more expensive but surely they can't be much more expensive? Any recommendations for other types of retaining walls? It's going to be about 10 metres long. 5. Pave/concrete/grass the flat area. My preference would be for paving but unfortunately it's the most expensive. And the least expensive pavers are those concrete disgusting things that turn grey over time (bit like the second pic). Any recommendations? 6. Fence the entire front and side garden (including a gate over the drive). We are pretty sure we want an open fence (possibly an aluminium 'pool-type' fence) at the front and a wooden fence at the side (for privacy). Not too sure about this as I know it's going to eat into our budget pretty significantly. I know my dh can dig the holes for the fence posts but is it advisable to erect himself? Any ideas/recommendations? We have to have a fence to keep the kids off the road. 7. Either a small verandah going the length of the front of the house or a small porch verandah. We are undecided about this. Hmmm... 8. An awning structure of some sort. This will come (much) later methinks. Thanks in anticipation for your thoughts and recommendations. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Structural landscaping on a shoestring budget 2Jul 16, 2008 9:56 pm Can't help on the landscaping side of things but nice cat! Happy at Home Re: Structural landscaping on a shoestring budget 4Jul 20, 2008 7:36 am I will reply point by point , your front has a very similar layout to ours !!!
1. excavate and level the front garden up to a point where we could build a one metre retaining wall (thus giving us a large flat area and not having to get the wall approved by council) - we have the use of a bobcat and truck for taking the soil away and have the name of a driver who would do it for a good price. We're also going to take the old structures down and take the plants out ourselves. ... answ... good point if you want usable space for yourselves and your kids, though it might create an area like a basement flats in Europe. 2. Remove an old asbestos fence that is cutting our garden in two. We have been told that we could do this ourselves if we hosed the asbestos down, wore a mask and double-wrapped the asbestos. Apparently the sheets would come out clean and there shouldn't be any dust. .... hm.... in Wa one cannot do it themselves. You have to hire a special team in what my daughter calls space suits and it has to be disposed off on a specific site... this is just legal stuff, now what about health stuff... asbestos is a nasty product, causes nasty cancers, if you are not worried about your hubby and yourself what about your kids??? and if either of you gets sick how will your kids take it??? Money is just money, you have only one body and you have to look after it. Sorry, had to be said. 3. Fix the drainage in the front by putting in ag drains. I'm pretty sure this would be best planned by a professional but surely we could dig the trenches (and possibly lay the pipes) ourselves? Do we need one right next to the wall and then one in front of the house? Or would one next to the house be enough? ... answ... First what is the main structure of your soil and subsoil? .. if it is sand you will have less problems but if it is clay drainage is paramount. Drainage must be behind the wall, if you do not do it it might collapse with the amount of water from behind a 1m high wall and the drain should lead to a storm drain, the same with the second drain next to the house especially if you put paving there, you might put gravel or blue stone like it is widely practiced throughout Europe but because the house is so low you need to take the rain water away. 4. Build a retaining wall - I'm into dry stone walls. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I know dry stone walls are more expensive but surely they can't be much more expensive? Any recommendations for other types of retaining walls? It's going to be about 10 metres long. ...I am no engineer but I am afraid a dry 1m high retaining wall will collapse in your situation. A dry wall needs to be wide at the bottom and narrower on top and lean away from the house. I think it is a very involed building process and needs a very skilled stone mason. You might think of those manmade blocks you can buy that lock together, so you might have had them in mind not an actual dry stone wall like Edna Walling built . 5. Pave/concrete/grass the flat area. My preference would be for paving but unfortunately it's the most expensive. And the least expensive pavers are those concrete disgusting things that turn grey over time (bit like the second pic). Any recommendations? ... grass not a good idea, the area seems too small for grass, if it is shaded in winter, grass will not grow, you will end up with a wet muddy patch (been there done that ), pave or concrete but remember about drainage, you do not want to end up with a swimming pool in front of the house. 6. Fence the entire front and side garden (including a gate over the drive). We are pretty sure we want an open fence (possibly an aluminium 'pool-type' fence) at the front and a wooden fence at the side (for privacy). Not too sure about this as I know it's going to eat into our budget pretty significantly. I know my dh can dig the holes for the fence posts but is it advisable to erect himself? Any ideas/recommendations? We have to have a fence to keep the kids off the road. ... I would fence with the same even where you want privacy, in these areas plant hedging plants like viburnum tinus tough plantdrought resistant lends itself to regylar trimming, grows to about 3m if you let it, has pink buds and later white flowers in winter, fast growing and quite dense, you will have your green fence in no time. And I think you can do your fencing yourselves, just have you post plumb and you have to cement them. 7. Either a small verandah going the length of the front of the house or a small porch verandah. We are undecided about this. Hmmm... yes this is an excellent idea, would love to have one myself but we do not have enough space for one. 8. An awning structure of some sort. This will come (much) later methinks. Maggie Re: Structural landscaping on a shoestring budget 5Jul 20, 2008 11:08 pm Ah, it seems I have so many questions now that I'd better start several different threads.
Thanks for your reply, Maggie. Maggie wrote: ... answ... good point if you want usable space for yourselves and your kids, though it might create an area like a basement flats in Europe. SP: Yeah, thanks for pointing that out. You've got me thinking. I'm now thinking of incorporating more garden area in the lower level. Hmmm... Maggie wrote: ... hm.... in Wa one cannot do it themselves. You have to hire a special team in what my daughter calls space suits and it has to be disposed off on a specific site... this is just legal stuff, now what about health stuff... asbestos is a nasty product, causes nasty cancers, if you are not worried about your hubby and yourself what about your kids??? and if either of you gets sick how will your kids take it??? Money is just money, you have only one body and you have to look after it. Sorry, had to be said. SP: I just looked at this site (I'm in NSW): http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/waste ... /index.htm And it doesn't say anything about not doing it yourself. This is a fence, it's not inside our house. Our kids wouldn't be anywhere around. It's not likely that my dh is going to get sick from removing an asbestos fence in sheets, using a mask, gloves, an eye mask, wetting it down and double-wrapping it - if he got himself a space suit he'd be just like a pro. When he was a kid they removed some asbestos from inside his house and apparently the contractors were throwing the sheets from the roof into the garden while the kids played around. Also, apparently cars and trains used to have asbestos brakes. Lovely. That means I was exposed too. Besides, he's just given up smoking after 35 years. Methinks he's more likely to get sick from that. But thanks for your comments. You've prompted me to look further into it. Maggie wrote: ... answ... First what is the main structure of your soil and subsoil? .. if it is sand you will have less problems but if it is clay drainage is paramount. Drainage must be behind the wall, if you do not do it it might collapse with the amount of water from behind a 1m high wall and the drain should lead to a storm drain, the same with the second drain next to the house especially if you put paving there, you might put gravel or blue stone like it is widely practiced throughout Europe but because the house is so low you need to take the rain water away. ...I am no engineer but I am afraid a dry 1m high retaining wall will collapse in your situation. A dry wall needs to be wide at the bottom and narrower on top and lean away from the house. I think it is a very involed building process and needs a very skilled stone mason. You might think of those manmade blocks you can buy that lock together, so you might have had them in mind not an actual dry stone wall like Edna Walling built . SP: No, definitely a dry stone wall like Edna Walling's. I'm in love with them. They are fine for retaining walls apparently. We might end up doing a terrace (two smaller walls) but not sure. Apparently they are very good for drainage as the water can seep through and won't build up behind. I've been researching this tonight. Apparently you build a drain a little bit behind it, then pack it behind with gravel (or some such material) and then build a drain at the bottom. Then another drain just in front of the house to take the run-off away. Maybe that's overkill. I get the feeling more drains are better than less though. I'd much rather overkill it than have water running under our house like it is now (I mean that literally as it is pouring with rain right now LOL). Good point about the clay soil. Must check but I'm pretty sure it's alright. I've been also researching DIY dry stone walling. Seems it's not too complicated. You just have to take certain very important steps to ensure it is stable. I'm getting excited as I'd love to do it myself. I seriously love stone! Maggie wrote: ... I would fence with the same even where you want privacy, in these areas plant hedging plants like viburnum tinus tough plantdrought resistant lends itself to regylar trimming, grows to about 3m if you let it, has pink buds and later white flowers in winter, fast growing and quite dense, you will have your green fence in no time. And I think you can do your fencing yourselves, just have you post plumb and you have to cement them. Very good point. I think one fence all round would be the go. If we go with an aluminium fence I think it will have to be a contractor, no? Re: Structural landscaping on a shoestring budget 6Jul 20, 2008 11:14 pm Here's more info on asbestos removal: http://www.nsw.gov.au/fibro/brochure.asp
And disposable overalls: http://www.bigsafety.com.au/category17_1.htm Only $2.20 or $7.50!!! Re: Structural landscaping on a shoestring budget 7Jul 21, 2008 11:05 am I like your approach SP, doing all the reasearch before jumping into the project. Personally I do not have any experience with removing asbestos but my daughter had that when her ex removed asbestos fences and eaves in their 60s house (must say it was a disaster and lead to a break down of their relatinship).
Ah, how I understand how you feel about drywalls, I love them too, and ours are dry. I will have to ask DH to post me some pics (two computers in the house ). We need to improve our wall as it has been built higlety-piglety 23 years ago, just limestone rocks collected from the site to keep the soil at bay but now the soil has built up and is above those rocks. It keeps seeping through on to the paving. The wall is 2.5m from the house so in my experience after 23 years, not enough space but we are on pure sand and it drains pretty well. Also we hardly ever get huge downpours like over East. I love these walls/rockeries frow Kew gardens and want something like this http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 2684epJePG We have built a sort of little courtyard on a higher level and it is lovely especially now in winter with the sun on it and above rockery would look good there, I will just have to convince hubby that I can do it with my son's help. At this stage of his life DH is not taking such a project upon himself. Maggie Assuming you've modelled the TB8, TB10, TB12, TB2 & J1 joists/LVLs there, it appears as per drawing to me. There maybe should be an additional J1 between TB10 and T12 if… 3 31702 interesting situation what happened after builder issued final invoice? did you list as defect or not does the building surveyor have any responsibility? ie. issuing… 13 46765 |