Over the past few weeks Arbworx has been busy with a big garden project. One of the main features is a 22 metre dry stone wall built from natural York stone, around 9 tonnes of the stuff! The wall runs alongside a newly widened driveway, which will be resurfaced with tar and chip once complete.

The wall also retains a wide sweeping woodland slope. Natural stone is soft in appearance and works well in a more rural setting, gently following the curves of the landscape yet defining the two separate areas.

The start of excavations into the woodland slope ready for a concrete pour to widen the driveway and define a new edge for the wall to follow.

Once the all work on the drive is finished it’s time to start looking at the line and levels of ground upon which the wall will be built. We are working in chalky soil with the new 150mm thick concrete edge for the base rocks to key into; these are good, solid conditions to build on. Normally a trench would be dug down to solid level ground and the base rocks would be laid within this, but with a chalk sub-base this is not required. It is critical the base rocks don’t move otherwise the wall will fail over time.

Here we can see the base rocks laid in the trench and butted up to the concrete edge. Big, wide and heavy is the order of the day as you should be able to walk along these rocks without them moving at all. They should also be set as level as possible with steps up and down to deal with any gradients.

Once the base course is in place the wall can start to take shape.  The advantages of a dry stone wall are as follows.

-            Drainage – obviously a dry stone wall is free draining and won’t be affected by water undermining it.  This can be the undoing of many a brick or concrete wall.

-            Aesthetics – local materials should always be used wherever possible. A great deal of conservation work is carried out to protect old walls in England as they are a key part of our rural heritage and in a modern world traditional crafts like stone walling are less common than they once were. Taking into account the fact that different sites may have difference design requirements, we always try and use the most suitable material in each case, hence using York stone in Sussex. York stone is a common material in many towns and cities in England.

-            Durability – over time a well built dry stone wall becomes stronger as it settles and locks together. The key is to build it properly!

The wall starting to go up...

In part two I’ll talk more about the techniques used to build a wall and what pitfalls to look out for, as well as more information on this particular project.

The patio on arrival!

We came up with a few suggestions and after bouncing some ideas around we came up with a design that the clients were happy with and we went away to cost up the works.

We were going to keep it clean but not so contemporary that it wouldn’t suit the traditional house in its settings. We chose Balau decking because of the ability to get FSC graded hardwood and keep all our consciences clear. After the clients’ acceptance of the idea and the estimate for the work we booked the diary date and looked forward to getting started.

On arrival we set about dealing with the back drop of hedge that was starting to encroach over the entire area and quickly felled the dead tree that was also in our way. We then finalised the plan and layout with our client and installed the joist work to carry the deck boards.

The staff setting out the joist work

We were going to lay the decking at an angle to give a cleaner feel to the deck with a tidy board fitted around the edge to offer a change of grain and cover the ends of the boards. this requires a special layout of the joist work to pick up both timbers.

Timbers being set out.

We used Oak sleepers to form a small terrace between the upper and lower decks. This was constructed at just the right height to be able to use it as  a seating area for informal gatherings (and resting drinks)!

The deck boards being laid on the joist work

The job was soon finished and we added a back drop of a willow screen to give a little privacy between the neighbours without forming a large barrier that would be too imposing.

The frame for the screen was installed into the decking to hide all the fixings

We matched all the joints of the decking to keep the quality feel to the project. The finish was superb.

Both terraces are finished and the connecting steps are installed.

A close up of the step layout

I really like the way the steps came out as we had had some deliberations as to whether we should build them out of paving and brick. I am glad that we ended up finishing them off as we did. Notice how we changed the angles so that it is easier to identify each step for the user.

The sleeper wall with the screening in the background.

Tables and chairs set off the potential of the new deck

Oiling is the best way to preserve the timber

The tables and chairs easily fit in to the space offered by correct sizing of the deck

The finished build

We were very happy with the way the build came out and our client couldn’t wait to enjoy the fabulous summer we are having on their new entertaining terrace.

I’d like to introduce you to Mr Gavin Hunter.

Gavin recently joined the company after successfully completing a Bsc. in Aquaculture (with honours) at the prestigious Sparsholt College in Hampshire. Gavin is passionate about all things aquatic and will be a valuable asset to the company with his specialist knowledge of designing ponds and other water features for our portfolio of works. I have already been able to draw on his skills with a varied and quite challenging project that has been recently commissioned.

We had to relocate a number of amphibians and fish from a project in Gatwick where we were working for a vet who wanted the old, dilapidated pond filled in but required that the inhabitants be re-homed without harm. Gavin stepped in, quite literally, and showed his skill and knowledge in successfully relocating all the residents to a nearby pond so hopefully the trans-locating would not cause too much stress to the wildlife.

When he is not working at Arbworx he can usually be found on the edge of a lake somewhere in the countryside living out his passion for fish. Specifically carp fishing…

The drainage going in.

The footings for the new office being poured

All the guys have been working overtime to meet the tough deadlines that I set in place, and this all means that soon we will be able to offer a much more comprehensive design service for our clients. When producing estimates and surveys we will be able to take pictures of the project area and then render the impression of the new build onto that image. This will give clients a great opportunity to visualise their garden once  completed.

We have been trialing this service with some driveways and the feedback is very encouraging. It is very expensive to redo works after they have been installed and the ability to see a projection of the finished build helps to avoid this situation.

Having completed a three year course studying Garden Design in Falmouth, Cornwall, I have since made my way up and over to East Sussex and now reside in Brighton along with Arbworx colleague Benjamin Biggs.

I am currently working within the Arbworx team as landscape technician / trainee supervisor and my main focus at the moment is definitely to progress further with personal practical abilities and developing knowledge essential for successful and professional projects. I see this stage as the beginning of a career taking my earlier design student experience into the real world; only through hands on garden and landscape construction, and the processes involved therein, will I be able to achieve my goal of seeing my own designs brought to life.

Aside from the desire to design and build I am also keen on specialising in carpentry as far as practical work is concerned.  As part of the Arbworx team I am able to pursue my goals continually through the many and varied projects we undertake on a regular basis. These range from landscaping basics such as fencing and decking, all garden maintenance and tree care, through to some more creative works. It’s good to be versatile!

Creative works currently under way include a complete one off build in Hove, for West Hove Infants School, where we took on the challenge of constructing a life size sea serpent entirely out of wood. This type of work is just up my street, as it incorporates elements of design along with plenty of woodwork.

This is not just any sea serpent though, this one has to be the child friendly variety (hard to come by), be full of plants and the whole structure has to be made from recycled materials only. This really is a fantastic project to be involved with, both as part of a learning curve in working in environments where health and safety constraints are key, and also as an opportunity to showcase what can be done with a little imagination, a lot of tatty old scaffolding boards, and a hell of a lot of sand paper! Recycled materials really can give that wow factor if treated and worked in the right way; there’s nothing more satisfying than taking something tired and making it shine!

The finished Sea Serpent

The school were great about the additions for length and height and the treatment for the timber preservative. I actually preferred it when it was just the raw timber but it needs to last and without any form of treatment the wood will have rotted within a few years. The problem is that the planters will be holding wet soil and the constant timber contact which would have been bad for the structure.

We installed the additional sections on Friday and then we had to mount all the finishing details. It was great to see the kids faces at break time as each of them had very intrigued looks about them. “what is it, what you doing” were the cries coming from behind the barriers. It was all good feedback for us as we put it together.

The guys constructing the planters

All that is left to do is fill the planters with soil and then plant out the beds.

That we will leave to the children to do!

Worth a visit for recycled timber

The obvious choice was reclaimed scaffold board as they were reasonably strong and there were many to choose from. Once we had found what we were after then the tack of removing all the nails and metal began. Oh joy!

The guys were like a pack of mongoose going over the piles of timber looking for bits that fitted the bill.

We got all the wood back to the yard and did the preliminary survey to see what went where and then the planter boxes took shape. They were a straight forward construction of scaffold board all sanded and fixed together with decking screws. The only draw back was that there needed to be about 30 of them!

Planters stacked up ready for delivery

Saw dust rained down as each of the guys took on a separate element of the works and got their creative juices flowing. Richard was beavering away on how the planters would relate to the sea serpent’s head and Willy was concentrating on whether the whole thing would stand up. I had to step in when the whole thing started overflowing into a major design & build for Sussex let alone just one school. The guys were getting carried away to say the least.

The design was starting to take over the yard.

Doesn't look like much to start with!

As the build stage is coming to an end I am now going through the delivery and assembly issues so that in the next couple of days we’ll be able to deliver the project in time for Easter!

Watch this space to see how it comes out!

The indian sandstone paving being laid

Luckily I had some Welsh slate dry walling material over from another job that fitted the bill perfectly. It just would not have looked right with any other angle to it and we would have caused more issues with the damp proof course of the building.

Paving with Indian sandstone in Sussex

This was part of the reason that the whole garden level was lowered in the first place.

Now my favorite part of every build is ready to start…..the planting!

Jon Lee

Arbworx ltd

Like so many other people my garden has taken a pounding from the harsh winter and I may be removing the very sick looking Mimosa if I cannot see any life returning to it soon.

It has given me an idea about doing a revamp of the original master plan though as where I was originally forced to plant to fill gaps, I am now considering a garden office to house the two budding designers for their development. A garden office is a big gap I know but hey, They need somewhere to design and work and I cannot help myself when it comes to gardening. Progress, progress, progress.

Jon Lee    ND arb

Arbworx ltd

My name is Benjamin Biggs. Having graduated from Falmouth University, Cornwall I am now working with Arbworx as a Landscape Technician and Garden Designer. I have always had a passion for modern form and natural environments, like those found in Cornwall. I now hope to continue my work as a creative designer at Arbworx, bringing people’s ideas to life in the form of unique gardens.

I’ll be updating this page regularly with garden related topics, information, design ideas, plants, and our portfolio of current projects. I hope you’ll find these of interest and that the Garden Design Blog will help to give you an insight into what we are all about.

As a Garden Designer for Arbworx, I know that every project is different. By combining practical and creative knowledge and using the latest computer design software the Arbworx team is able to take on even the most challenging projects and produce beautiful designs / gardens time after time.

Here’s looking forward to the warmer weather!

Ben