Mike's ext'n & renovation (Flint wall finished)

[Mike G]

You might consider one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glass-Cutter-Upgrade-2mm-20mm-Carbide/dp/B0838X6SSB/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?c=ts&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xpHJRKKMkDb2IefEzwALtkQ2jZvHzJdwmryLpnilaoy0HKAUwXOs2Ra_m5_9uBIi7YgbEcsP7xeUG1WNCCpdWG2CbxCKLEU3vHnWWrX0hu_fW_YM1MxAs_y-GFfDLfuitRMLe-ee7qVKJPziIwf0YyPItpIrx4b_jzk8OqWLsI2VBPG6OOpub0nhtNxnRR4X64z08ewTve5M0EG6BiUI8XCyR4lRb05XE4YstgF5qx1xaUDD4j10a4TcxMYRxpJ0h3Tr2JRXnQwI3gLxPn84vVWnLdbpByiPw3jNVT4i8NI.bootfviNc6xG2GbMWmmMKfU6fDy7v38HafbZvS2Z07o&dib_tag=se&keywords=Glass%2BCutters&qid=1717344971&s=diy&sr=1-1-spons&ts_id=1938876031&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

I used one recently and it’s at least as good as my Toyo professional that cost me four times as much.

Thanks Jim. I've got a decent cutter from my local glazier, and cutting is far and away the easiest part of the job so far. I think the difference with the pro-cutters is the length of time the wheels remain sharp.

 

[Mike G]

It's stopped raining, so I've gone back to working outside. I think last time I was still doing the brick-on-edge coping:



At the same sort of time I started digging on the other side of the ramp:





Note the 2 six inch nails for setting the level of the concrete, which I duly poured:



This gave me enough brickwork to do once the foundation was dry, so I finished the coping, and started the retaining wall on the other side of the ramp:





Then it was back to the dig-lay concrete-lay bricks routine:







With the coping set, I backfilled and tidied up:



There's more coming, so anyone tempted to reply, just hold on a minute, please.

 

[Mike G]

More digging:



One of the problems with doing a short run of foundation and then brickwork (before stepping everything up the slope) is that it's hardly worth knocking up just a thimble full of mortar. So, I decided to start on the next job, and any mortar left from the retaining walls could be used for the brick and flint wall between the parking area and the garden. It's going across close to the corner of the house, this side of the mixer:



I did the foundation and the underground brickwork a couple of years ago when I finished the drive/ car turning area, so it was easy to just start laying bricks. The only thing I had to do was establish levels, which I did with a long straight-edge and level. I set up a level post to reference each level:



Then just started building a pier:



Good bricklayers build piers easily. I find it a chore. There are two verticals to check at each corner, so that's 8 for the entire pier, every course. The reason I am building this one first is that it is the furthest one from the house, and the other three can then be built with string lines between this one and the house........and that really is so much easier. Just so you know what I am talking about, this is the wall I'll be building:


And so you can see how I arrived at that, here are some of the alternatives I worked through:



Back to the retaining wall. I laid another bit of brickwork, then poured some more concrete:



Then I finished off the outer skin to the end of the foundation, and laid the inner skin:



And finally used up the rest of the white mortar on the pier:



That EML sticking out of the mortar is where other brickwork joins the pier. It's lethal, and if you don't watch your step it can slice your flesh pretty quickly. At least in the garden blood doesn't get on the wood and ruin everything.

 

[duke]

More digging:

View attachment 26961

One of the problems with doing a short run of foundation and then brickwork (before stepping everything up the slope) is that it's hardly worth knocking up just a thimble full of mortar. So, I decided to start on the next job, and any mortar left from the retaining walls could be used for the brick and flint wall between the parking area and the garden. It's going across close to the corner of the house, this side of the mixer:

View attachment 26964View attachment 26963

I did the foundation and the underground brickwork a couple of years ago when I finished the drive/ car turning area, so it was easy to just start laying bricks. The only thing I had to do was establish levels, which I did with a long straight-edge and level. I set up a level post to reference each level:

View attachment 26965

Then just started building a pier:

View attachment 26966

Good bricklayers build piers easily. I find it a chore. There are two verticals to check at each corner, so that's 8 for the entire pier, every course. The reason I am building this one first is that it is the furthest one from the house, and the other three can then be built with string lines between this one and the house........and that really is so much easier. Just so you know what I am talking about, this is the wall I'll be building:

View attachment 26971
And so you can see how I arrived at that, here are some of the alternatives I worked through:

View attachment 26972

Back to the retaining wall. I laid another bit of brickwork, then poured some more concrete:

View attachment 26967

Then I finished off the outer skin to the end of the foundation, and laid the inner skin:

View attachment 26969View attachment 26968

And finally used up the rest of the white mortar on the pier:

View attachment 26970

That EML sticking out of the mortar is where other brickwork joins the pier. It's lethal, and if you don't watch your step it can slice your flesh pretty quickly. At least in the garden blood doesn't get on the wood and ruin everything.

Your wall details look good Mike. I bet you will be glad when all the hand digging of clay is done!. The garden looks great , please let the gardener know.

 

[Mike G]

The digging is nearly finished, Duke, and I won't miss it when it's gone.

 

[Phil]

Going to look very good, the wall and gates.

My back, legs and arms just ache looking at all that digging.

 

[Mike G]

I got to work on the ramp. I started by digging off all the vegetation:





I then spent hours, literally, sorting out ther levels and falls. It's all rather complicated, but in the end, I used a piece of string and some pegs bashed into the ground and it started to look realistic:



I could then finished off the digging:



It took only about a ton of concrete to get the base done:



I then laid a few bricks. The relief of finally having a line to run in to (ie a string), after weeks of laying stuff on the curve, and using a spirit level constantly, was fantastic. Little things can make a job so much more enjoyable:

 

[meccarroll]

It's all looking good to me Mike.

 

[thetyreman]

is it a white cement mix for the bricks? looks good.

 

[Mike G]

is it a white cement mix for the bricks? looks good.

Yes Ben. White cement, lime and a yellow sand.

 

[Mike G]

The design for the wall has evolved:

Everything reduced in height, and somewhat simplified. There will still be an oak door/ gate, and a double breasted jacket isn't compulsory to gain entry.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Very smart - I particularly like the gothic arches on the gates.

Are the panels in the middle of the walls going to be rendered?

 

[Mike G]

Very smart - I particularly like the gothic arches on the gates.

Are the panels in the middle of the walls going to be rendered?

No, they're going to be flint. I did a flint front wall in 2020, and this is going to be along the same lines:

 

[Blackswanwood]

No, they're going to be flint. I did a flint front wall in 2020, and this is going to be along the same lines:

Ah yes - I remember now!

 

[duke]

No, they're going to be flint. I did a flint front wall in 2020, and this is going to be along the same lines:View attachment 27029

The flint walls look good Mike, are they common to your area?

 

[Mike G]

The flint walls look good Mike, are they common to your area?

Yes, they're absolutely everywhere. Most of the churches around here are made of flint, too. You can pick up flints from any field you walk around, and it is sold commercially as "quarry waste" or "reject stone", showing how common it is as a material. I'll show the process in detail when I come to it, but the stone I buy will be unsorted, with plenty that are too small to use, and some that are too big to use whole.

 

[Mike G]

Very smart - I particularly like the gothic arches on the gates.

I was looking on Streetview at a property I was going out to visit for the first time, and I saw some old church gates like this, but much smaller. I knew immediately that I'd have to copy them.

 

[AndyT]

Nice design Mike, but I do feel a little bit disappointed that my earlier nudge towards the Hungarian tradition fell on stony ground...

Some inspiration for anyone into timber framing and carving

Some regulars on here may know that I volunteer at a local charity bookshop. We get all sorts of interesting and obscure donations, but not many relating to woodwork. Some time ago, we were given a copy of a little paperback, complete but unfortunately shedding its pages. I bought it...

www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk

You could have used up your leftovers of green oak and done some more carving!

 

[Mike G]

I'll see if I can find my sketch, Andy. I drew up something halfway between your suggestion and a lych gate. Unfortunately, the design team felt it was overly twee, and so like 9 out of 10 things I draw for here, it won't likely happen. However, nothing about the wall stops its later conversion, so you never know.

 

[Mike G]

Nice design Mike, but I do feel a little bit disappointed that my earlier nudge towards the Hungarian tradition fell on stony ground...

I found it:

 

[Cabinetman]

Oh yes I had forgotten about that, I think it was mentioned on here before. Was it so that a guard had a roof to stand under?
I think it would look very nice personally.

 

[AndyT]

At least it exists in your imagination Mike. But it's better that marital agreement wins.

 

[Mike G]

I made some pretty useful progress in the last day or three. The ramp is now paved, and so is the pation up to where it meets the ramp:





I took a decision to use only small stones up the curving ramp, and not do any cutting. I'm rather pleased with how it worked out. My wife was standing watching me when I laid out the first few stones across the width of the ramp, and she said "oooh, that's a bit of luck that they fit exactly", which tickled me somewhat.

I also made some progress in the other direction:



I worked out a rather neat way of setting up the levels. I perched some little off-cuts on some mortar, and took my time lining them all up to the correct level. This is a very great deal more difficult than you'd think on a curve. Anyway, here they are against the wall:



I carried on doing all the whole flags, and trying to randomise sizes as much as possible:



Random photo of some of our chickens:



You will have noticed a "valley" in the first photo, where two down-slopes meet and lead to the gulley. Well, at the other end of the pation there is the opposite situation: a watershed. This is a ridge, with water landing either side of it heading off in opposite directions. I decided that this time I would cut the stones in situ, so they are laid with mortar only up to the "ridge"-line (bar a temporary pile holding up a corner):



I had enough of laying slabs, so thought I would do some digging instead. The little inner curved wall of the ramp will extend to meet the new garden brick-and-flint wall. You can see the situation here:





With no good way of setting out the curve, I made a template/ pattern of the existing wall:



......then just shuffled it along a bit:



Believe it or not, it took nearly 2 hours to dig this silly little trench. I past through the site of an old wall, an old rubble pile, and a washing out location for various Readymix concrete deliveries. Anyway, I got it done and ready for concrete when the weather relents:



Note the same method of marking out levels:

 

[Malc2098]

Nice.

 

[wallace]

Tremendous pace, my hip hurts at the thought of it all. How is the old/new/refurbished hip doing?
I hate paving, I did a biggish job for a guy who lived in the kitchen garden of windlestone hall. He had me remove all of the original 4"thick york flags covered in mason marks and history to put down mordern indian stone and instead of putting them down how they are usually done, ie you get a few sizes which work together, he laid them all out randomly overlapping everywhere so I had to cut nearly every slab.

 

[Mike G]

My hip's great, thanks Wallace. The thought of taking up York stone and putting Indian stone down in its place makes me wince.

 

[duke]

Mike, do you have vehicle access to your shop?

 

[Stargazer]

Mike, Sorry but I have to ask, what is the strange structure over the small shed that you built behind the garage? Looks like a temporary gazebo rather than one of your usual builds!

 

[Mike G]

Mike, Sorry but I have to ask, what is the strange structure over the small shed that you built behind the garage? Looks like a temporary gazebo rather than one of your usual builds!

You had me puzzled for a moment, Ian, but I think you're talking about the chicken run. I'll grab some photos......but I had to put something up quickly to protect them from avian flu.

 

[Mike G]

Is this what you meant?

 

[meccarroll]

Those chickens look well cared for and happy.

 

[Pete Maddex]

And delicious.

;-)

Pete

 

[Stargazer]

Thanks Mike, yes that will be it. Sorry I thought that was the temporary storage shed that you built rather than the chicken coop!

 

[Mike G]

Those chickens look well cared for and happy.

They're something of a trial at the moment. One doesn't lay at all, and another one eats her own egg most days. So, 4 chooks, two eggs. I've shown the offenders the hatchet, and had stern words with them, but they know I'm bluffing.

 

[Mike G]

Mike, do you have vehicle access to your shop?

Sorry Duke. I don't know how I missed this. No, I don't.

 

[wallace]

They're something of a trial at the moment. One doesn't lay at all, and another one eats her own egg most days. So, 4 chooks, two eggs. I've shown the offenders the hatchet, and had stern words with them, but they know I'm bluffing.

Once they have a taste of there own eggs its virtually impossible to stop and can spread to others. I have an old book that suggests filling an egg with something nasty but chickens will eat pretty much anything.

 

[Mike G]

Yep, an empty egg shell filled with mustard. It didn't work for us. We're getting 3 new chickens today, and losing the egg eater. We'll then have 6, and might get 4 or 5 eggs a day in a month or two.

 

[AndyP]

That white one looks like a Sussex, prolific layers but I was told the other day that they lay so many eggs that it exhausts them quite early on and are likely to keel over at a relatively young age. One of ours did just that. Ever since then the remaining Sussex hen has been laying soft shelled eggs and eating them. She is beginning to get over that but I do wonder if the stress of being on her own is not part of the cause. Diet has remained unchanged, layers pellets, grass in the run and the odd kitchen vegetable peelings.

 

[Mike G]

It's a hybrid, Andy. The thing which is said about egg-laying-frequency is that chickens lay a set number of eggs in their lives. Hybrids lay them all in a rush in the first couple of years, but traditional breeds spread them out a bit hinner over more years. I've no idea if there's any truth in that. And yes, the egg eater lays soft-shelled eggs, and this despite having layers pellets, oyster shell, and ranging free around the whole garden most of the day.

 

[9fingers]

Ah! Hybrid Hens. Those would be battery hens that can also run on pellets when the battery goes flat?