The original plan was to remove the railings next to the gate; remove the concrete mess atop the stone wall and drive the digger into the garden straight from the trailer over the top of the coping stones on top of the dressed stone. The next stage would have been to excavate behind the wall to relieve pressure on it, removing as much soil and rubbish as was necessary to lower the overall height of the garden by about two foot. It all seemed pretty simple, but... we'd all reckoned without the wall itself, which had other ideas and was determined to have its own way 
So - the whole wall had to come down, displacing the rats who had taken up residence behind it (oh dear, what a shame) and also displacing the shrubbery which was something we'd been hoping to avoid. It was an interesting day, as you can see. A few weeks later, and it dawned on us that if we were going to build a concrete block wall behind the level of the original stone one we would need to have some more of the garden removed. These are the photographs referenced with 'pt2-##'. The gas pipe gave us some heart-stopping moments as the side wall threatened several times to collapse on it (which would have broken it, sending gas everywhere), but in the end the wonderful men from Orchard succeeded in removing everything above the original level of the land sans mishap. Now all we have to do is to tidy and clean up the house, so that we can have a sheddi wallmolishingmoot... Fit the third - photos referenced pt3-##: Eventually we gave in and commissioned Dave-from-across-the-valley to build a proper wall for us. We decided we'd have it in ordinary concrete block, with a straightforward render to hide the concrete blockedness. Some nice new red bricks would be used for the pillars, and the original name brick and coping stones would be put back where they belong. Once work started it didn't take long. This turned out to be just as well, because Dave-from-etc had only just finished the work when it snowed. And boy, did it snow. Schools were closed for two days and roads were impassable. Of course, this being the UK the snow cleared almost as fast as it had come... There was a gap of nothing much happening, and then fit the fourth happened. Fran decided she wanted a garden. So, off to the appropriate place for some of that semi-permeable membrane to cover the expanse of mud in front of the house. Fran also bought a trio of cherry trees (vertical twigs) and some other stuff, including some bark chips. Sooner or later it is hoped that a garden will rise, phoenix-like from the uneven pile of mud... |
OK, so this clearly isn't the front garden. It's the reason the immersion heater stopped working. For all I know the cylinder and heater are fine and could have stood another few decades of use, but just look at that wiring! Sheesh! 960x720 001-imm-htr_wiring.JPG.jpg 2006-02-23 11:23:50 Buy Print |
Just before this was taken the trailer was in front of where the wall now isn't. With the trailer parked inches away from the wall, it was the only thing holding the wall up after the combination of the weight of the excavator and the vibration produced by same made the centre rows of dressed stone collapse toward the pavement... 800x502 01-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 13:07:21 Buy Print |
... which in turn meant that the whole lot would have to come down. 1024x757 02-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 13:08:07 Buy Print |
Eeep! 960x1280 03-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 13:08:36 Buy Print |
It's suddenly a lot lighter going up the path though 960x1280 04-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 13:09:12 Buy Print |
View up the road 1280x960 05-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 13:10:41 Buy Print |
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Oh my. 424x493 07-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 13:12:13 Buy Print |
It looks very bare now 640x480 08-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 14:13:58 Buy Print |
Hello house! 640x480 10-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 14:46:53 Buy Print |
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The pillar didn't put up any resistance at all for some reason 960x720 12-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 14:52:06 Buy Print |
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And now we can see just what was inside the concrete mess. Well, not a lot actually. No wonder it was starting to fall down. 561x720 15-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 14:54:55 Buy Print |
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We were determined to save the house name plate (the white brick in the pillar) 960x720 18-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 14:59:15 Buy Print |
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Please don't damage the name plate! 591x572 20-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 15:00:58 Buy Print |
View from across the road 960x720 21-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 15:04:41 Buy Print |
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Gently does it... 960x720 23-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 15:06:34 Buy Print |
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Those coping stones are enormous and weigh - if not a ton - then lots. 960x720 25-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 15:15:32 Buy Print |
The name plate was saved! 850x597 26-gdn.JPG 2006-03-03 15:16:06 Buy Print |
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The following day we were able to survey the land properly... 960x720 28-gdn.JPG 2006-03-04 14:54:57 Buy Print |
... well, when I say 'properly'... 960x720 29-gdn.JPG 2006-03-04 14:55:57 Buy Print |
... I mean we looked at it. 960x720 30-gdn.JPG 2006-03-04 14:56:25 Buy Print |
Interesting reflections here - wonder what they are? 960x720 31-gdn.JPG 2006-03-04 14:56:53 Buy Print |
Oh my. Charlie's more or less vertical; therefore that wall - isn't. And just look what it's (not) made of! Oh yes, that thing at the bottom, by Charlie's feet? It's the main gas pipe leading to the house. Oh joy :-( 515x831 32-gdn.JPG 2006-03-04 14:59:37 Buy Print |
A few weeks later, and back with the excavator... 1280x960 pt2-01.jpg 2006-04-06 17:29:05 Buy Print |
...much to the delight of the children 1280x960 pt2-02.jpg 2006-04-06 17:29:26 Buy Print |
A fair bit was removed from the front... 1280x960 pt2-03.jpg 2006-04-06 17:33:00 Buy Print |
...so we should be able to build a concrete block wall behind the level of the original stone one. 960x1280 pt2-04.jpg 2006-04-06 17:33:40 Buy Print |
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Cor! 1280x960 pt2-08.jpg 2006-04-06 19:09:30 Buy Print |
Mind that pipe! 1280x960 pt2-09.jpg 2006-04-06 19:13:18 Buy Print |
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Even Mr Next Door was worried. Actually, I don't blame him in the least. The gas pipe was threatening to crack at any moment. 1280x960 pt2-11.jpg 2006-04-06 19:14:02 Buy Print |
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The morning after 1280x960 pt2-20.jpg 2006-04-08 15:06:25 Buy Print |
Thomas is standing there to give an idea of the height above ground level 960x1184 pt2-21.jpg 2006-04-08 15:06:47 Buy Print |
Dave from over the valley is a builder 1280x960 pt3-01.jpg 2007-02-03 22:05:23 Buy Print |
Dave from over the valley is also a darned good worker 1280x960 pt3-02.jpg 2007-02-03 22:23:07 Buy Print |
It didn't take long once he'd started... 1280x960 pt3-03.jpg 2007-02-03 22:32:59 Buy Print |
...and the first part of the new wall was up. 1600x1200 pt3-04.jpg 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Buy Print |
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The red bricks are in place for the new pillars 1600x1200 pt3-07.jpg 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Buy Print |
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Here's the name brick that was so carefully saved a year ago 1600x1200 pt3-09.jpg 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Buy Print |
Of course, the children wanted to help! 1600x1200 pt3-10.jpg 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Buy Print |
Ooh lookee, we've got our very own landfill! 1600x1200 pt3-11.jpg 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Buy Print |
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It's looking good 1280x960 pt3-13.jpg 2007-02-03 21:57:55 Buy Print |
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1280x960 pt3-19.jpg 2007-02-05 02:39:52 Buy Print |
