Landscaping - another challenge!

Landscaping. A major task. First a path was planned for wheelchair access. It was finished with chukkies in [recycled] plastic retaining grids, which make it wheelchair friendly. The path had to fit various specific requirements of

• easy gradient, 
• level platts for rest every 10m, and 
• not to disturb the tree roots of the various trees with Tree Protection Orders. 

 The completion of the path was further delayed, since it went over ground that had been exchanged to the Council with a right of access retained. The Council were to build an extension to the car park, which was eventually engaged in november 2017, followed rapidly by snow, ice and otherwise conditions unfavourable to completing the access path. They were persuaded to build a new section of wall which provided one side of the path when it had descended to that level. Elsewhere the path was built with hefty slabs of timber edging in treated larch, and a fence was added to discourage people from falling off into the road. And finished with chukkies. Gate for gateway currently under construction.

 Here is part of the large order of plants from wholesaler, with some images of the planting out.

 The timber edging for the path shows the challenge of constructing the path at the appropriate slope.

 And a more formal structure for the planting in front of the studio.

 With the triangular raised beds filled with aubretia grown from seed for planting on elsewhere, and annuals for a bit of colour.

The steep bank beside the gabions facing toward the High Street. Difficult to dig and plant here!

 Here is the story of the wardrobe doors, eventually ordered from JLewis because I preferred the smoke grey to the IKEA offering, and they appeared to be identical in size. When installed, they fitted the IKEA frame fine, but were blue, which I thought was a bit funny, but I decided was rather good after all the white of the rest of the house. However when the protective covering was removed, they re-emerged as...smoke grey.

 

First sna to reach Auchlossen

 which has interrupted the Council work on the car park extension, which includes the foot of my  access path...

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Inside finishes and external landscaping

Here are two images of the front door, with wood panelling on the left, and a large doormat in the later pic.

 Without a washing line and a compost bin no home is complete: here is the whirly in fine action:

 And the cardboard and carpet liner protection has finally been lifted to reveal the slate flooring.

 But the real progress this week was that I received back the chemical analysis of the soil to be imported, and it is considered to be of acceptable quality for covering over the contaminated ground. So a lorry load was rolled in, and 20tons spread over terram sheet with warning tapes on to a depth of 300mm, with the aid of Bill and his digger/dumper combo. The soil was pretty claggy, so the finishing was hard going on the poor long suffering body.

An historical digression

On 11 Sept 1709, the Duke of Marlborough won the fourth of his great 'victories' in the War of Spanish Succession, in the company of various allies fighting against the French.
Unfortunately he lost more than half his men in the fight, and whilst he held the battlefield at the end of the day, the French withdrew in an orderly manner and lost less than half of the Allies' dead.
Whilst there were Scots fighting on both sides, it is likely that Captain Francis Ross was employed in the British Army. He was amongst the 17,000 casulaties on the Allied side.
His estate was sold to pay his creditors, his wife remarried to Carnegie of Lours, and his only daughter died without descendants.
Capt Ross is an ancestor on my mothers side. So this house honours his memory.
Auchlossen is an area some 8 miles up the Dee valley, with some interesting spatial and historical features, which I may bore you with at some later date.

Anyway suffice it to say that I have moved in to Auchlossen, and I am trying to sort out my possessions redeemed from store, and the landscape, as well as finishing bits of painting, fitting wardrobes, blinds, tv aerials etc.

And today, a little more than 3 weeks after the due date, Openreach successfully connected me to fibre - hooray.

landscaping and interior developments

 Garage door now fitted and forecourt levelled prior to surfacing, before pavement dropped.

Granite paving outside the front door.

 Paving of patio at sunny rear

Raised beds between house and studio

oak wall panelling beside front door

External works

Some early pics of paving in progress outside.

 And here the oak hall bookcase is being installed.

Storm crates being placed in the forecourt for drainage of water from garage roof. A similar system is used to dispose of rainwater from the house.

Internal finishings

Second fix is in full swing this week.
Tiling of bathrooms and floors was completed previously.
Now the washbasins, showers and loos have been fitted, so now it starts to function like a house.
Electrician has also been in to finish wiring up lights and sockets.
Many trips to the recycling centre with cardboard and rubbish.

Bamboo flooring in studio