Garden and railway complete re-hash

Hi Rail, cheers,   really nice lookin stonework on your pond. I look forward to seein your railway in future. Certainly don't count myself a stone mason, I just stick stones together with cement  . Good fun though.  I sincerely hope we've seen the last of this winter's snow , just need sunshine 

Davy always fun to check on your "hardscape" If do anything outside it will be "pale" in comparasion with my G scale.

Rail I like your Koi!

Good mornin guys, well have to go and work for a living this afternoon but was up early and got that path completed . At least its some progress !!.  

Davy Mac posted:

Hi Rail, cheers,   really nice lookin stonework on your pond. I look forward to seein your railway in future. Certainly don't count myself a stone mason, I just stick stones together with cement  . Good fun though.  I sincerely hope we've seen the last of this winter's snow , just need sunshine 

Thanks Davy Mac, the wall was key to the pond and workshop. It extends down to below the pond bottom and serves as the back wall, as well as the support wall for the shop's second floor overhang, and the retaining wall for the patio behind it. It is made to look like dry stacked stone, but the mortar is recessed to give that appearance. Some refer to this technique as "Ghost Joints"

Your stone work is certainly worthy of recognition, as is you ground work technique of embedding wood into concrete. I am considering using composite decking material. I have used it a edging for my brick paver walkway, and it has held up well, except for a section the lifted due to roots from a maple tree that has since been removed due to disease. 

Don

Seacoast posted:

Davy always fun to check on your "hardscape" If do anything outside it will be "pale" in comparasion with my G scale.

Rail I like your Koi!

George,

My son got the Koi from a woman he did some work for a few years ago. Some neighborhood hoodlums were throwing rocks at her fish, so she decided to eliminate the pond instead of the problem. She gave the fish to my son, as he told her we had a pond large enough to sustain the fish. We lost one this past winter. We're not sure if it was old age or some other reason. The pond is deep enough to not freeze solid, and we do use a heater in extreme cold temps. 

Don

Hi Don,thanks for the thumbs up on my stonework efforts. Suppose I do alright for an amateur. Theres a proper stone mason just did a job for an aquaintance of mine nearby,superb workmanship,just like your own. Beautifull work.  As for the fish, Koi are nice but expensive and there are a lot of Heron in this area and aren't shy about visiting the tiniest pond in the most built up urbun area for a feed either. So I generally stick to goldfish.  Lot of domestic cats around here too .  I used to keep native river minnows and sticklebacks .Sticklebacks are fascinating wee fish to watch. I'll be starting to the new pond shortly.

As for the wood-in-cement tracklaying method,works fine as long as drainage is good. Otherwise frost-heave in winter could be problematic.   

Hi Guys, latest progress. bottom RH corner patio complete . 

Nice progress Davy. To bad you did not live closer, a house call to my yard with your masonry skills is needed.

Hi Guys, this mornin  I went and bought the liner for the pond ,then this afternoon started cement work on the pond sides . Once thats done,then its a layer of thick wet newspapers,then the liner then more cement and stone work ,using waterproof cement. Then pump,plants etc.,etc., to complete. 

Hi Guys, preparatory work on the new pond almost complete

I'm going out to survey my proposed site to come up with some ideas. I'll post a few pics of the spot I'm considering.

Don

Good stuff Don. Lookin forward to seein your project 

Took a few photos. The first four are of the area I'm considering. The others show the back half of the yard, including the pond and workshop, for future expansion. Our beloved maple tree used to occupy the area to the left of the walkway leading to the swing.

Don

Hi Don, you've certainly got plenty room.  Curious to see what you come up with. 

Oh ,well,got the mornin dry and sunny so got a wee bit progress made. Got some more slabs and stones laid and a couple of posts put in for "she who must be obeyed"'s clothes drying area.  (Anythin for the quiet life) ,  Rain has now stopped play...  need to go and work for a living later anyway...   

Today's progress, rubble and debris cleared from RH side ,ready for another track-side path to be laid and dressing off with ornamental stone chips. 

Todays progress....  2 more posts in and RH path complete....

Fantastic weather here today, ...decided not to do that clothes drying area with stone chips ,decided it would be better lookin with grass so soiled it and raked it and its almost ready for turfing. Also got most of the soil mound demolished and spread on the small lawn on the left hand side, it too should be turfed in the next couple of days. Almost beginning to look like a garden again. 

Yesterdays progress, ......garden access steps in place, fence between me and the R/H neighbour's garden pushed on a bit. 

Another beautifull day weatherwise. R/H fence complete and L/H side path complete as far as the pond area. 

Very nice workmanship, I'd hire you to do stone work any day. The project is progressing nicely.

Don

Hi Don, thanks for the thumbs up, ...just wish I was at the track laying and train running stage ,still ....gettin there !! Done anything with your own plans yet ?  

Not so warm today but dry with occasional sunshine so got on OK. Turfing complete. Beginning to take shape . Tomorrow I need to work for a living ,so will be next week before any more progress. !!

well,had a couple of days off,  back at it again, pushin on with the central flower bed stonework. 

I love when a project gets to this point and you can see the light at the end of the tunnels. Looking great Davy.

Hi Joe thanks for the encouragement !. Makin progress but still a whole load of work to go yet. Doin the stonework is fernickety and time consuming,.... still...am gettin there !!.  I think  ???? 

Very nice work.

You are a one man construction company

Larry

Thanks Larry  

Central flower bed/planter taking shape

Pheeeeenominal!

Thanks for the thumbs up Joe 

Hi Guys, nice afternoon so had another couple of hours at the planter. The ends are now complete just the middle to plant out and dress with the pea gravel. Boy,am I glad to see that bit done !!!  Next for my attention is the pond and waterfall !!  Oh well need to go and work for a living ! 

As usual Very nice Davy! Inspiring! Is that green area for your patio? Also your picture in the last post has changed you look different..

Hi George, no the green areas are just small grass lawns.  The main patio will be in the top right where the rubble pile currently sits.  Still a lot of work to go , ...... but not as much as when I started ,  and the last job will be the best bit...... laying track and playing trains....!! 

Looking Awesome!

Thanks Corey ! 

Hi Guys ,scorching weather here now ,ideal for workin on the new pond. Just in the process of lining it with thick wet newspapers ,makes for a good protective underlay for the liner. The central planter bed is now finished and planted out. Just a case of waitin for the plants to do their thing. 

Hi Guys, well, sun got too hot to work in this afternoon , so I got one of my locos out and gave it a spin on the short length of track thats laid. Great view for a rail nut about 3 feet from the kitchen-diner window ?  Can't wait to get into the tracklaying and train running. Another couple of weeks or so and I should be ver near ready to turn my attention in that direction !!  

Davy this is turning out to be the Ultimate outdoor Man Cave or Space!