The big strtdv back garden landscaping project (pic heavy)

strtdv

Slate chippings in place, it was time to get the wiring done.

There was 1/2 an inch of water in the old junction box, so it was replaced with an IP55 rated one, with seals round all the entrance points, and the wiring entering and exiting at the bottom rather than the top and sides.

The old wiring with no earth was replaced with an earthed circuit, and the lighting has had a DPDT switch added to remove it entirely in the event of a fault.
There's also RCDs on both the lighting and plug circuits.
The LED lighting in the stairs uses transformers which are connected to plugs in the ceiling of the garage which are on the lighting circuit, so the whole lot switches on from a single light switch.

I also added conduit for the new wiring (the old wiring just ran alongside the deck with no protection).


One of the new lights showing the slate, pebbled area and steps in more detail:

https://i.imgur.com/nKCtNn9.jpg

joneve

Jesus fucking christ. I doff my cap and just about everything else to you! Incredible effort. 

I can't even be bothered to remove all of the soil from my 5x4 back garden and start again with turfing it. 

strtdv

By day:

https://i.imgur.com/OFMSkxW.jpg

lovestrat74

Blimey that is one hell of a deck project! I can't even get my arse in gear to do our garden decking area which is minuscule in comparison 

strtdv

And by night:

https://i.imgur.com/1RKWgA9.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FoDzE9b.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YjKBiQJ.jpg

strtdv

To follow is painting, the handrails, and the large sets of stairs..

roundthebend

Incredible stuff.
We want to build a simple decking in our garden but it feels like a major project. You're putting us to shame.

thomasross20

Gonna read this with interest because we have a slope at the back and I similarly need to do something and not pay through the hous for it.

kin

Looks great, but defo not showing my wife this thread!

strtdv

First coat of decking oil (Liberon medium oak decking oil, allegedly the best you can get so I'll see how it works in the long run), as well as beginning the handrails

I'm using oil as I've previously found with stains/paints that if you need to re-coat them in a couple of years you generally need to strip all the old paint off which is a huge pain.

The panels were bought like that, my woodworking skills (and patience) don't extend that far!

https://i.imgur.com/zdbYaCd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/m8u3e8Q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/PWTjUWk.jpg

(also managed to squeeze LED lights into the top step, they fit and no more!)

strtdv

The next bit was handrail along the steps. For this I used an angle finder on a board running between the two posts, then set the mitre saw to that angle, and cut everything to the same angle so it all works out when put together. A bit fiddly, but worked quite well I think.

https://i.imgur.com/KJ2TUuy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Qm3w9iv.jpg

Next up: second coat of oil for the deck and first coat for the handrails, as well as the big staircases (the steel fabricator has been busy!)

Foster

I'd be tempted to incorporate some hose system so you can flick on the outside tap and water the plants via sprinklers

strtdv

I hadn't thought of sprinklers, but I'm planning to run water up so there's a tap with a hose connector, which will be needed to keep the water feature/pond I have planned topped up

RobDavies

That looks absolutely superb.  I'm not sure I'd have even bought the house with a garden like that, but you've made a proper feature of it. 
I'd love to work on our garden but my back and pelvis are a bit buggered so I have no option but to pay someone to do it. 

strtdv

Well the steel fabricator appeared late one evening with these (4th one is in the back garden)

https://i.imgur.com/0fTgbuX.jpg

strtdv

Fairly substantial, 35-40kg each, was able to use sandbags to support the ones for the bottom steps to get them in place but needed a hand to get the second ones positioned.
Used M10 anchor bolts to hold them in place. There's a very slight outward bow to the steel stringers, but basically what I did was bolted the top and bottom in place, then used a ratchet strap in the middle to pull them in to the right place when fixing the treads.
The bottom set is fixed to 70kg of concrete base which I put in the day before.


The work in progress:
https://i.imgur.com/kc9S4V0.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/DgZk2Jf.jpg

strtdv

And with the treads in place:

https://i.imgur.com/kQpeTG5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/26JpZ5j.jpg

(as you can see I've also got a second coat of oil on the decking and got most of the handrails oiled too)

strtdv

After that I got to work on handrails for the steps.
This involves a fair bit of accurate measurement/precision, but is OK as long as you double check before you cut.

First you fix the posts to the bottom of the stairs.

Next you use an angle finder on the steel treads, and measure the distance between equivalent points on the top and bottom posts.
You set the chop saw to the angle you need, and cut the handrail profile wood to the right length. 
With that piece you decide what height you want the rails, then measure the length of spindle you're going to use, cut all the spindles to length and measure out even spacing for where you want to fix them (I've gone with a spindle per step to keep things even looking).
You fix the spindles to the bottom rail and fix that in place. 
Lastly you remeasure the length for the top rail and cut that to length and fix it in place. Once you've done that you use strips of wood to hold the spindles in place at the tops.

After an evening at it, I had this result:

https://i.imgur.com/6hTDPwx.jpg

The following day I did the remaining handrail on the top section of decking, and made the handrails for the top steps using exactly the same process:

https://i.imgur.com/R4RlX4c.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/McpIITf.jpg

That is all the woodwork done basically (thank goodness for that!)

mgaw

that was quite an amazing thread....

TTony

I've just gone through a wow'd a few posts.  Which seems like a pretty poor return on all the work done!

You realise that you've got more change in ground height in your back garden than we've got in the whole of Norfolk?