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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:45 am
by daysleeper
Having done a bit of a last minute job on our drive last year I bunged down some 2x1 retained by steel pins just to keep the gravel in place. Now I'd like to replace it with something more permanent and better looking.
Can someone just check over my plan :D

1/Lay out site with stringlines etc using tony's guide....
2/Dig out 200mm wide trench to depth of 200mm
3/Lay 200mm wide x 100mm deep bed of C7 concrete
4/Lay 50mm wide x 150 deep wood (6"x2")
5/Haunch with C20 aprox 150 wide x 100 deep.

I reckon there is about 75 linear meters of this to do, needing about 3 cube meters of concrete total half each c7 and c20 so
3 tons of gravel (2735)
2 tons of sand (1875)
825 kg of cement (810)
22 X 3.6m lengths of 50x150mm treated timber.
materials cost of £520 inc VAT so far.

I've allowed 4.5 days to do this all, 1.5 to do all the setting out and digging and 3 to do the concrete/laying kerbs. The spoil is going to backfill a retaining wall I built.

Anything really obvious I've forgotten... apart from my lack of talent and general aversion to hard labour :p

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 9:43 am
by Tony McC
Why are you laying timber edgings on concrete? It's an uncomfortable partnership because timber remains flexible while concrete is rigid.

Normally, timber edgings are fixed to steel or timber pegs, while concrete bedding is used for rigid edgings, such as cocrete kerbs, blocks, etc., or for stone units.

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:18 am
by daysleeper
Well, I was really unhappy with how the 2x1 on 14" steel pins coped over the year. I guess a lot of that was how rapidly it was put down.
I wanted something really solid so I thought concrete would be best though its funny how I'm suddenly having massive doubts. I had considered sawtooth edging with brick/block and the similar fake concrete pieces. Might have to reconsider that.

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:43 am
by Dave_L
What about installing some 50mm wide concrete edgers? Wouldn't be any bigger than wood and will soon colour down.

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 12:25 pm
by daysleeper
wife vetoed the plain concrete edgings... think I will go with wooden stakes to hold the 6x2 in place.
Thanks so far for the advice troops.