Another job nestled in the Monmouthshire side of the river wye, all overlooking the Forest of Dean. This time it was to refurbish and older pond that wasn’t installed brilliantly, and to add a few other features. The first job was lower the pond level by a couple of feet to expose the ponds shelf, then we installed a level timber edge around the entire perimeter. This was to keep the liner held up as it has sagged in a few areas, which lowered the water level, and was a major contributor to why we were called in.
Once this was completed we flapped the underlay and liner back over the timber and held it all in place with felt nails. We usually use felt nails as they have larger heads and run less risk of tearing the liner. We also added an over flow pipe later in the job, but most of the time we chose the best area of the ponds perimeter to take the excess water, and then lower the timber edge slightly to allow the run off to escape where we want it. Then we backfilled the shelves with topsoil that was available on site, and now all of the liner will be hidden, when the water level is up. A great improvement on what was there to begin with.
This was now all finished. However, the clients asked us if we were able to build a sleeper deck overhanging the top pool, as this was something they had always wanted. It would add a couple of days to the job, but this was a blessing for us as the current situation had left us with many spare days. We achieved this by first concreting 3 sleepers into the ground just outside of the liner, and repeated the process at the opposite of the decks location. Then we laid 3 full length sleepers over the top with a large overhang swinging out over the pond, and fixed them in place. It was then a simple case of screwing the remaining sleepers down to the freshly fixed joists. As the timbers were 100mm thick, we had to use 150mm screws. So if you ever try this, make sure you have a powerful drill to put these in with.
So we packed up and was taking a few photographs as we had finished, when the clients dropped one last job onto us. They wanted a board walk cut through one of the flowerbeds, and bridge built over the stream. Again, another 2 days of work added, and we were incredibly thankful for it. Using the same construction methods as the deck but in a smaller scale, we carved a route through the bed, and built a 400mm wide sleeper boardwalk, meandering through the flowers, with steps up and down where needed. Incredibly effective for a “make it up on the spot” kind of job.
Another job well done, and all in just over a week. Not our usual kind of project but it was very satisfying, and very nice clients. Also, an incredibly nice location.
Any questions, feel free to ask. Thank you for your interest.