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The Saddle-up 'Home'
Renovations - Part
3
Spring 2002
The
first stage was to clear the rubbish and the brambles that cluttered
the areas we wanted to use. That was hard work, not helped by breaking
the brushcutter several times! A couple of good bonfires (some
done with trembling nerves and a hose on standby!) and a week of
fairly back-breaking work finished it and my back
simultaneously. Then it was time for the big machinery and
goodness knows how many loads of stone! (I'm dreading the bill!)
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We started by levelling the area with a slop towards the woods on the
left. Then a load of coarse stone was spread and packed down,
followed by a load of finer 'quarry waste'.
Next week, the
remaining roof comes off and we start replacing rotten timbers.
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Under all the blackberries, there's a reasonably decent concrete path
from the lean-to down to the main barn, which also has a concrete
hardstanding area. The sheep dip was removed and the hole
filled.
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Thanks to poor drainage and no downpipe on the guttering of this
leanto (to the big barn) the track behind was unusable. A ditch
has been dug to the left of the track and the track has been made
up. Next year, we plan to demolish some old pig buildings and
use the concrete block to put a 'floor' in the lean-to itself.
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This is the area between the lower back 'garden' (which is going to be
turned into an orchard) and the yard. Again, it's been levelled
and stoned. Part will be used for a turnout yard and part for an
extra parking/turning area.
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The drive got the
treatment too - no half measures! This is the view up the drive
- from the yard to the bungalow. Total drive length is more than
600 yards long - and it's all downhill, so the drive had turned into a
water course with some GREAT bumps.
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The parking area at the bungalow got the treatment.
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And all the field gateways
also got a load of stone. The gates on the drive are set-back so
it provides some pull-in spaces if you meet the postman coming down as
you're going up.
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You'll note the little life-form who keeps popping up in the pictures
- it's Boundary (a.k.a. Knows No!) - one of three foxhound pups 'at
walk' here - and the only one (so far) smart enough to escape from the
garden!
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[ Up ] [ Outdoor Manege ] [ Pasture Management ] [ Drainage ] [ Fencing ] [ Renovations ] [ Renovations-1 ] [ Renovations-2 ] [ Renovations-3 ] [ Renovations-4 ]
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HELP-MAIL: If you
can't find the answer and need help urgently, please e-mail:
help@saddle-up.org.uk
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