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That looks much better now and will look great when the wall is finished and some planting is done.I hope next door follow your lead and finish off the bit of land they have dumped rubble on to the same high standard you work to, and don't just leave it looking a mess. Always good to see an update and the big improvements you are making to this garage, inside and outside. I kind of hope the bloke next door will do some proper landscaping, too, but I'm not sure if that's in his plan. By and large he doesn't seem to care too much about that kind of thing. The line of bare trees between his property and mine (but on his side of the line), which you can see in many of my photos, are all dead. They are (or were) Leyland Cypresses, a hybrid tree which is notorious for growing too big, too fast. Old Google photos of my garage show those trees as very large, taller than the building. I would have trimmed them down and kept them as a hedge, but someone killed the lot - not sure how. Spraying them with Agent Orange, or something, maybe. I haven't asked my neighbour if he did it, but I think he probably did. I've seen him roaming his land with a back-pack weedkiller spray. It's how he does gardening... Anyway, now there's a line of dead trees along the boundary line, and they look like a real eyesore. But they're his trees, not mine, and if he wants to give his house the Dead Hedge Look he's entitled to do it. A few strands of ivy are starting to grow up the trees now, so within a few years maybe it'll turn into an ivy hedge. That would look decent enough...as long as Weedkiller Man doesn't decide to spray it all again. In time grass and other vegetation will grow over the new ground he's bulldozed along the front of his property, so it won't look like a tank regiment has just passed through for ever. I might 'encourage' the process along by throwing a few handfuls of grass seed in that direction! Here's a Google pic from 2009, showing how things used to be. 21 years later I think my side of the fence is starting to look better. On his side...not so much...  |
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Leylandii trees are one of the worst invention ever created by man. Rapid growth rate and used particularly here in Norfolk and other Eastern Counties. Provide ideal shelter belts around isolated houses in places such as The Fens; that is where they should stay.
The remains on your boundary could well have been killed off by being on the receiving end of over-enthusiastic pruning. Once mature Leylandii are given a good haircut and reduced drastically in height, this is often the death knell. They do not re-grow from such activity.
As you could well find out; be aware of ivy (the plant, not some old biddy). Once that gets hold, yes it will provide a green screen by climbing up the remains of said trees; however if it migrates onto your property and gets established, it is a b****y nuisance, and takes some getting rid of.
If you are not into the use of sprays, straight forward white-vinegar sprayed onto ivy leaves has a remarkable effect, but won't last that long. Some times needs must and 'Round-Up' or similar is the only way to go. That stuff only works on the plants that it is sprayed onto; it's neutralised once it hits the ground.
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Leylandii trees are one of the worst invention ever created by man. Rapid growth rate and used particularly here in Norfolk and other Eastern Counties. Provide ideal shelter belts around isolated houses in places such as The Fens; that is where they should stay.
The remains on your boundary could well have been killed off by being on the receiving end of over-enthusiastic pruning. Once mature Leylandii are given a good haircut and reduced drastically in height, this is often the death knell. They do not re-grow from such activity.
As you could well find out; be aware of ivy (the plant, not some old biddy). Once that gets hold, yes it will provide a green screen by climbing up the remains of said trees; however if it migrates onto your property and gets established, it is a b****y nuisance, and takes some getting rid of.
If you are not into the use of sprays, straight forward white-vinegar sprayed onto ivy leaves has a remarkable effect, but won't last that long. Some times needs must and 'Round-Up' or similar is the only way to go. That stuff only works on the plants that it is sprayed onto; it's neutralised once it hits the ground.
I've got no problem with ivy. This is what the back of my house looks like!  |
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Well ya keep a nice trimmed bush I must say
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Can't be doing the brickwork any good.
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Can't be doing the brickwork any good. I knew someone would say that! It's one of the biggest myths of building: that ivy somehow damages brickwork. If the brickwork is already in poor condition, with cracks or blown-out mortar joints, ivy will certainly take advantage of that, and its aerial roots will find their way in to any little gap. But if there aren't any gaps, the aerial roots will not create any by themselves. I've lived in this house since 1989, and I built a period-style extension out the back in 1992. My mum gave me a couple of pots of ivy, and without really thinking about it I planted them at the base of my new extension. It took about 10 years to grow up over the back of the house, but it's been as you see it now for at least 25 years. During that time it has given me no trouble at all, and the brickwork is fine. Of course, you can't see my period-style extension any more. But I know it's in there somewhere. Every time I clip the ivy (about 3 times a year) I randomly check areas of the wall, by going right through the ivy and looking at the brickwork behind. It's all good. It was in good condition before the ivy grew up, and it's still good now. It had never been re-pointed with cement mortar, so the original lime mortar joints were undamaged. Cement pointing is the thing that really damages old brickwork, and yet it's done as a matter of routine by clueless modern builders. Fortunately nobody had touched my back wall (the front wall, unfortunately, was another story...) At one time the ivy did start coming in through a gap where the fascia boards didn't quite meet the brickwork, but that was my own fault for not clipping it on time. It's normally clipped to the top of the window reveals (the traditional style). I've since re-set the fascia boards with a good seal to the wall, so it won't happen again. This is how it looks now. The drain pipe is original cast iron, and in order to make it fit modern plastic guttering it seems it has to stand off the wall. I don't really like this - it's too much of a bodge - but the pipe is on my neighbour's side, so strictly speaking I can't touch it. Un-strictly speaking I may put some sort of spacer block behind the bracket next time I'm up the ladder. My neighbor probably won't even notice. He didn't notice that I'd painted the pipe!  Meanwhile the ivy protects the wall from damp. A few years ago the guttering along my end of the terrace blocked up, and water went cascading down my neighbour's wall, soaking right through and making a mess of his wallpaper. My walls were bone dry, because the water just trickled down the ivy. It's like putting the house in a Gore-Tex breathable raincoat. It's also good insulation. Ivy traps a layer of still air against the wall, which doesn't by itself keep the house warm, but it does keep the chill off. It's like putting the house in a string vest. I'd recommend a layer of ivy to anyone. But make sure the wall is in good condition first! |
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Slightly late to the game regarding fence-gate, but the answer (apart from whatshisface mr highways agency being a bit of a bonnet, as evidenced by his other stupid posts) is really simple, and has been alluded to already.
If you are building a fence to keep something IN (bulls, irate horses, mother-in-laws, etc.) The spars go on the inside of the posts.
This is so aforementioned scary creatures can’t kick them loose and escape.
If you are building it to keep people/things OUT, the spars go on the outside. As almost all fences are built to define boundaries these days, the spars will almost always be on the outside as you have found.
I do have to say as I’ve not commented previously, this is one of my favourite threads on here at the moment though. Makes me look forward to doing my own development i have planned.
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It’s a cracking read in that it’s not your average build a box at the bottom of your garden and call it a man cave. Just the fact that it’s a major commute to do anything really shows dedication to the cause. There are loads of people on this forum,me included,that at times during this time of the year couldn’t be ar**d to walk the 100 steps to the garage 🤣
Keep at it 😊
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I’d love to walk the 100 steps to the barn, but when I get there I find it’s full of immobilised Mk3 capri belonging to mk2 son, so currently I’m (not) working on the drive 🙁
Still massively enjoying being along for the ride with this though!
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Jem45
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,021
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Someone should film this thread. Heavy spanners - fancy a part in your own docu-drama? It would make top chill out TV for a Sunday night.
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Carbs 'n chrome
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adam73bgt
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,998
Club RR Member Number: 58
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Just spent a couple days reading this thread through, love it! Someone should film this thread. Heavy spanners - fancy a part in your own docu-drama? It would make top chill out TV for a Sunday night. Instead of "Escape to the Chateau", "Escape to the Former Yugo Garage"? |
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Jem45
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,021
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Just spent a couple days reading this thread through, love it! Someone should film this thread. Heavy spanners - fancy a part in your own docu-drama? It would make top chill out TV for a Sunday night. Instead of "Escape to the Chateau", "Escape to the Former Yugo Garage"? Yeah! How much better would that be?! |
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Carbs 'n chrome
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Yeh - but then you would need an idiot producer / director & editor who all think they know what appeals to the TV viewing audience - you will also need a couple of mouthy shouty fools too - and a script that deviates to nothing like what the real world actually physically is - nearly forgot you will also need a false front buyer just in case you need to sell anything but not really - you know the one that agrees to purchase the car you are selling but in reality its all just made up for the camera - heavyspanners is far too honest & straight to put up with any of this nonsense so you will just have to make do with a RR thread  |
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There would have to be a big dollop of false jeopardy - lots of artificial deadlines to meet, lots of vital stuff that absolutely can't go wrong or else some terrible disaster will happen...
Will the concrete be delivered on time? (yep, I'm fetching it myself).
Will the mortar set before it rains? (Probably, but if not, no problem, I'll put a tarp over it).
Will the entire garage be blown down by Storm Ciara? (I'm actually a bit worried about that one - winds up to 55mph tonight, according to the forecast. But then again it's been through plenty of other storms).
I probably wouldn't be able to make stuff happen quickly enough for a TV show. They'd want to see big progress from episode to episode, and I'm plodding along far too slowly. I have a feeling this project will turn into the garage equivalent of Project Binky!
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ftz313
Part of things
Posts: 221
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I thought I’d better follow up to some of the comments made regarding placement of spars. There seems to be some confusion & you can see that in Dez’s post where he contradicts himself by saying firstly you put them on the road side to keep vehicles & bulls (is this guy keeping bulls in his garage forecourt ?) etc off your land so they can’t be kicked off etc & would put them on the inside if you wanted them to give way-which is what we want here ! (such as the previous poster commented about the lass being speared in the Granada. rip). There’ll be anecdotal guidance on fencing as mentioned here but where this would be swept up iwould be in a ‘safety audit’ (all new schemes/improvements) & should be audited. I’ve done a bit digging & found the guidance published online by Dundee City (first one I found) on such matters here on p26 www.dundeecity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/road%20safety%20audit%20procedures.pdf‘ Is the restraint system adequate? In the case of wooden post and rail boundary fences, are the rails placed on the non-traffic side of the posts?’ I’m enjoying your ‘posts’ 😆 however. Thank-you. |
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Last Edit: Feb 11, 2020 10:16:11 GMT by ftz313
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Feb 11, 2020 10:29:07 GMT
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Feb 11, 2020 10:49:11 GMT
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I thought I’d better follow up to some of the comments made regarding placement of spars. There seems to be some confusion & you can see that in Dez’s post where he contradicts himself by saying firstly you put them on the road side to keep vehicles & bulls (is this guy keeping bulls in his garage forecourt ?) etc off your land so they can’t be kicked off etc & would put them on the inside if you wanted them to give way-which is what we want here ! (such as the previous poster commented about the lass being speared in the Granada. rip). There’ll be anecdotal guidance on fencing as mentioned here but where this would be swept up iwould be in a ‘safety audit’ (all new schemes/improvements) & should be audited. I’ve done a bit digging & found the guidance published online by Dundee City (first one I found) on such matters here on p26 www.dundeecity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/road%20safety%20audit%20procedures.pdf‘ Is the restraint system adequate? In the case of wooden post and rail boundary fences, are the rails placed on the non-traffic side of the posts?’ I’m enjoying your ‘posts’ 😆 however. Thank-you. I think if you are going to list responses in the reply you should read the responses carefully first. Dez As you can see you have mis-quoted Dez as he clearly has listed the bulls on the INSIDE and cars etc on the OUTSIDE. So his guidance is 100% correct and he does not contradict himself at all. Why don't you campaign to all the councils/govt in the UK to enforce the 99.9% of all fences currently erected to be dismantled and rebuilt? As according to you every one is a liability and incorrect. Sorry Heavyspanners for diluting your thread  |
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Feb 11, 2020 11:02:06 GMT
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I find razor wire keeps EVERYTHING out🤣
Or in, whatever.....
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ftz313
Part of things
Posts: 221
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Feb 11, 2020 11:08:17 GMT
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If you follow his guidance & he states it himself it’s to keep bulls/cars from going through the fence by not being able to ‘kick off’ thus increasing impaling an errant vehicles occupant.
Did you not see the other post about it happening to a lass in a Granada ?
Let me ask another question-what do you think will happen to the spars on the roadside when a veh goes through ?
Will they ‘peel’ away or is there a risk of them staying & impaling someone ?
& it’s not a case of diluting a thread-my understanding is that it’s a place for discussion. You don’t always have to comment. 🙄 Jeez.
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Feb 11, 2020 11:32:38 GMT
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If you follow his guidance & he states it himself it’s to keep bulls/cars from going through the fence by not being able to ‘kick off’ thus increasing impaling an errant vehicles occupant. Did you not see the other post about it happening to a lass in a Granada ? Let me ask another question-what do you think will happen to the spars on the roadside when a veh goes through ? Will they ‘peel’ away or is there a risk of them staying & impaling someone ? & it’s not a case of diluting a thread-my understanding is that it’s a place for discussion. You don’t always have to comment. 🙄 Jeez. Zzzzzz boring boring, no one cares. It’s a fence just let it go. |
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Oh god, its back!! 
