Part 2 – starting to take form

On By urbangardnrIn Landscaping

So its been a week or so since starting, and the guys have really got a lot done in a short period of time

Progress pics below.

They are almost at the stage where the majority of the sleepers are set in place, and the frame of the fence can go in

They have also started to set the aggregate pipe for drainage just behind the retaining wall.

Part 2 – More progress

On By urbangardnrIn Landscaping

A few more posts going in and now around to the front of the house

They have also set some sleepers in place before levelling out and cementing the posts. Each one of the sleepers weigh 45KG so its a bit of an effort to get so many set in such a short period of time. Great work so far

Posts going to around the front
Setting the sleepers in place before cementing the posts

 

 

Part 2 – Scope creep

On By urbangardnrIn Landscaping

Ok so in previous posts I mentioned the fence and concrete retaining wall will be installed as the next part of the landscaping work… that plan has now expanded a little!

We are still going to be doing the original works, but the job is growing so that the retaining wall continues the length of the side of the home and all the way around to the front.

This will allow the front levels to match the back, giving us a larger usable space in the future. It is also more economical to do this job in one go as the labour goes up slightly if we split the job in to 2 parts – bonus!

See the image below for the original(green) vs updated(blue) works

scope creep

 

 

 

 

 

Concrete Sleepers Canberra

On By urbangardnrIn Landscaping

They have a pretty good setup there and the staff know their products inside out. Click here to go to their website – support your locals.

Some basic info:

  • Each sleeper they sell is reinforced with 2 steel bars for extra strength
  • they make sleepers in 3 colours and plain uncoloured concrete
  • there are 7 different patterns and a plain / smooth sleeper
  • they come unsealed and it is up to the customer to seal them or not
  • All sleeper posts are galvanised and come in various lengths (depending on how high your wall needs to be
  • they supply fence brackets for seamless integration of colorbond fence posts into the retaining wall
  • sleeper post covers can be purchased if necessary

Here are some pics of their display:

Sealed vs un-sealed sleepers
Different colours
Can be used as steppers if you need
trying to imitate stone with fence on top
Stack stone with fence on top
Looks OK as steps

 

We are going for Stackstone in charcoal!

Cement sleeper retaining walls

On By urbangardnrIn Landscaping

After doing a bit of research and a lot of help from my landscaper, there ended up being only two main outlets that supply cement sleepers in our area.

  1. Bunnings – [Link]
  2. Concrete Sleepers Canberra – [Link]

Bunnings

I visited the local Bunnings and had a look at what they had, good product at a reasonable price.

Pros

  • Good product range
  • Reasonable prices
  • lots of stock, no delay to deliver

Cons

  • No post covers
  • Short 1.5m sleeper lengths(ie need lots of posts to cover ~20meters)

 

Concrete Sleepers Canberra

I visited this company in Hume, and immediately noticed the quality and range beat out Bunnings by a fair margin

Pros

  • Superior sleeper quality
  • Wide range of patterns and colours
  • Excellent display area
  • Knowledgeable staff
  • The sleeper lengths are up to 2.3m depending on the type you buy
  • Local business

Cons

  • Cost – more expensive per sleeper, and per metre
  • Steel posts are more expensive

 

So based on the pros and cons above, our decision will be to get all materials related to the retaining wall from Concrete Sleepers Canberra!

 

Picking the right retaining wall

On By urbangardnrIn LandscapingLeave a comment

Ok so after speaking to my landscaper, I never knew there were so many intricacies behind a small retaining wall..

  1. Wood sleepers – cheap and effective but id like this to last for ever + I dont think it would look great since it will be facing the street. Bit unsure of the value add too.
  2. Stone wall – id love it.. it looks great and is very durable and would add value, but the cost is just way over budget for us (massive labour cost)
  3. Cement sleepers – Cost is between stone and wood, looks ok and will last a very long time. Not sure if it will add a lot of value but it looks better than wood.

So after thinking it over, its going to be a Cement sleeper(about 40cm high) wall with Colorbond sitting on top.