Front garden and drive revamp

[woogas]

So whilst on furlough, and having a workshop project on the go and in it's final stages (see other post), i also had plenty to do out front too.
Stuff that would take me 2yrs of weekends needed to get done and still work in progress.
I had bought a parcel of next doors garden some 7-8yrs ago and created extra block paved parking and since the kids were still below teen years, kep an area for grass.
Now the kids drive and needed a new arrangement.
Also, building of a couple of new build bungalows in neighbours back gardens meant that i had several different fence styles. One especially unsightly since they had painted their side in grey and it's seeped through.

 

[woogas]

So this is my starting point.
Next door neighbours had already ridded of their raised bed and fitted an unsightly cheapo fence which was already starting to drop and lean after a few days.
Fencing needs to be disguised, rid of historic half boundary wall, rid of grass, rid of raised bed, rid of tree and side gates.

 

[woogas]

I had some contractors we use at work come to price me for the new tarmac, but i had to clear the old brick boundary wall (recycled), decking, kerb edging (recycled later) and the brick and blockwork around the raised planter.
When they were going to get their digger in, for about £300 extra, i got them to clean and cart away the soil from the raised planter. Way more spoil than i expected so was happy with that price.
The recycled bricks went in the hardcore for the slab for my workshop. The breeze blocks salvaged would be used later for the sub base for the block paving later. The kerb edging would also be re-used for the new edging for the paving.
You get now to see just how ugly the fencing all round is!

 

[woogas]

So, with the digger in, they got rid of the soil from the raised planter and all the grass.
The idea was to keep the kerb edging at the block paving and when works are complete, i'd ramp up the block paving to meet.
Little would i know that 4 x these big wagon trips would take place and caused a lot of my drive to become uneven.

 

[woogas]

Tarmac top coat done.
As you can see, the kerb edge is too high for the block paving, so the paving will be taken back about 2.0m and slowly ramped up.
The fence is evident.

 

[woogas]

This is the fencing i went with.
WPC with posts that have an aluminium core.
The guy i got it from was almost like a Dragon's Den scenario. He had been to China 6-7 time, got all the mouldings, designs to his own taste after having worked for Jackson's Fencing for 30yrs, so knew all the elements he wanted to have.
He was supposed to have the container arrive in time for the ideal home exhibition, but that got cancelled with Covid, so he needed to sell.
Normal 6' scetions of WPC composite are very basic, with a post and about 16 slats, or variations.
However, i liked the detail on these, see pics.
They come with a gravel board, the reinforced post at 9' long and then a frame detail all round that accepts the slats and then a capping.
Very well engineered and nothing else like it out there at the moment.

 

[woogas]

Setting out was made easy once i had a cut off to space accurately.
I will need to break into the new tarmac so wanted to get the spacing between old and new fence right.
I spray marked the location of each post and then string lined the front edge.
I angle grinded the front face of the hole so that would determine my post position as well as not making too much visible disruption to the surface.

 

[woogas]

I also got some of his lights. He had fitted in the posts but because only the front face of my fencing would be visible, i decided to fit in the gravel board.
The holes in the gravel board needed to be router out so that the flange still has a fixing. The first one was time consuming with the mix of angle grinder with 1mm disc, recip saw and the router.
They got quicker afterwards.

 

[kingandy2nd]

Very nice fencing indeed... any reason for not fitting the posts before the tarmac went in?

 

[woogas]

Yes. They had not arrived, also slightly change of plan.
When doing the sub base, they were not originally going to go all the way to the old fence but finish about 18" short. They found it easier just to carry on to the edge.
It was actually very easy in the end and worked a treat.

 

[woogas]

Breaking the tarmac was easy with clean cuts and my kango.
Putting the posts in was not strictly how to do it normally. Instead of cutting off the bottom and stringlining the tops, i found it easier to just insert the posts. The level off the gravel boards as this is where the whole visible integrity would work from. Finally, when knowing where the tops would finish, cut of the posts to level and fit the capping.
I had to bespoke fit the fencing above my planter to carry on the theme.
My mirrored neighbour took a liking to the fencing and asked if i could fit between our two bungalows.........................to follow

 

[woogas]

With he perimeter fence done, i had bought a second load to do the boundary between both bungalows.
With theres being slightly set back, the ramps up to the door ways differed, so a lot of working out had to be done to settle on gravel board levels since we both did not want any stepping down in the fence height.

Test run to see what height we are both happy with

Posts all to be trimmed after

Can't do the final panel yet as planning on having new gates and dont want to disturb new post if if gets fitted now.

 

[woogas]

Fencing nearly done, so now to deal with the extra paving.
Thanfully, a bungalow round the corner was building a double garage and posted free brindle blocks to uplift and collect.
Managed to get 750.
With another 200 blocks from Wickes, it got be cover everything i needed.
Ended up buying a wacker plate as have more paving works to do later.
First, needed to remove all the debris, the large tree and previous old stumps and the side gates
Recycled the kerb edging
Fitted some spare 50mm waste pipe as ducting for cable runs for proposed new gates

 

[woogas]

Pretty much on the home run as managed to get all the blocks laid.
Still some lifted to allow power from the garage.
Still the new automated sliding gates to come, finish the fencing and other paving rectification works to be done before all complete.
Thanks for watching.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Good work.

Loving all the pictures.

Andy