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[Alex321]

sleepers here are coming in at £29.29 for 2.4mtrs x 200mm x 200mm and i would need around 12........

Totally off topic, but I've been wondering about buying one or two of those for turning. You'd get 8 bowls (8") out of each of those (16 if you made them 3" deep), and an 8" oak bowl blank is going to cost at least £10.

 

[T4tomo]

Aye Jowwers, same as wotmI have planned. Seasoned oak sleepers are surprisingly inexpensive, less damaging to the environment, and will outlast me.

They are also surprisingly heavy. I remember years ago making a raised bed against a wall out of them, I only needed 3, when the chap forklifted the 2nd into the back of the Volvo (think it might have been an S70 back in the day) we looked at each other as the suspension settled and I decided to come back for the 3rd in a separate trip. The 2nd one was decided well seasoned.

Get them dropped as close to construction site as possible. They are easy to build with though, like lego just cross your joints if more than 1 layer. You can drill and hidden peg them quite easily for additional stability / security.

@Alex321 - might make things taste / smell of creosote though and potentially sticky to turn / sand?

 

[jowwy]

They are also surprisingly heavy. I remember years ago making a raised bed against a wall out of them, I only needed 3, when the chap forklifted the 2nd into the back of the Volvo (think it might have been an S70 back in the day) we looked at each other as the suspension settled and I decided to come back for the 3rd in a separate trip. The 2nd one was decided well seasoned.

Get them dropped as close to construction site as possible. They are easy to build with though, like lego just cross your joints if more than 1 layer. You can drill and hidden peg them quite easily for additional stability / security.

@Alex321 - might make things taste / smell of creosote though and potentially sticky to turn / sand?

yeh im wondering whether to go with 1.2mtr lengths instead of 2.4s for ease of use.........i do everything solo and it could be a heavy job. already have to lift 4.8mtr 6x2s onto the pergola structure solo and they are damn heavy too

 

[T4tomo]

I did mine solo and used 2.4, but there was only 1 full length to lift, and I manoeuvred them around with a sack barrow, so one end was effectively on wheels, and choose the lightest one to be the top layer "face". I was 25 years younger than now mind. A longer length might be more stable if you need 2 layers, but half lengths are defo easier to manhandle.

 

[jowwy]

I did mine solo and used 2.4, but there was only 1 full length to lift, and I manoeuvred them around with a sack barrow, so one end was effectively on wheels, and choose the lightest one to be the top layer "face". I was 25 years younger than now mind. A longer length might be more stable if you need 2 layers, but half lengths are defo easier to manhandle.

i will be laying 3 rows......but will be 200mm wide and 100mm deep, so 3 layers will give me the 300mm i'm looking to raise the garden. i will also be rebaring the first row into the ground and then screwing each row together with 200mm sleeper bolts.

if its still unstable i will drive this into the floor for added support

 

[Alex321]

@Alex321 - might make things taste / smell of creosote though and potentially sticky to turn / sand?

You can get untreated Oak ones (e.g. https://timbuild.co.uk/collections/railway-sleepers/products/oak-railway-sleepers-south-wales) - not that they use creosote any more, but other treatments wouldn't be much better.

 

[T4tomo]

i will be laying 3 rows......but will be 200mm wide and 100mm deep, so 3 layers will give me the 300mm i'm looking to raise the garden. i will also be rebaring the first row into the ground and then screwing each row together with 200mm sleeper bolts.

if its still unstable i will drive this into the floor for added support

View attachment 625085

i'm not a structural engineer , but given the amount of additional joining to each other and bars into the soil base, and the fact you are laying them on face rather than on edge, I can't see it moving anywhere, so half lengths will be much easier to handle and arguably a nice aesthetic face as more "brick" shaped

 

[jowwy]

i'm not a structural engineer , but given the amount of additional joining to each other and bars into the soil base, and the fact you are laying them on face rather than on edge, I can't see it moving anywhere, so half lengths will be much easier to handle and arguably a nice aesthetic face as more "brick" shaped

yeh exactly what i thought....still costly though lol, but i use the garden a lot in summer, especially during the last two years, thats for sure

 

[jowwy]

Did a few calculations over the past few days and it works out that doubling up on 6x2s @4.8mtr lengths, works out half the price of sleepers…….so ive got 10 lengthe on order to arrive this week and going to get this project started next week end now, so it can all settle reasy for seasing in march.

 

[jowwy]

Did a few hours in the garden and got the first double row of 6x2 timbers in for the retainer………..only used 3 6x2s @4.8mtr lengths so far, so thats £69 ( got a few mtrs of those left to make the steps) compared to £132 if id use 6x4 sleepers @2.4mtrs

 

[jowwy]

Just ordered 54 bags of topsoil……hopefully they will arrive this week while its dry, so i can stack them on the lower deck.

 

[jowwy]

Ok

 

[jowwy]

Got another delivery of 6x2s today….my timber yard are happy with me thats for sure. So got enough now to do the deck roof, the retaining wall and to face all my planter boxes, so they look chunkier.

Will add some pictures tmrw when its sunnier outside.

 

[jowwy]

So last eveining i did the new fronts to the planter boxes in 6x2 timbers…..

so its gone from this



to this…….so from two small boxes, to one huge box with chunkier timber

 

[jowwy]

Second row fitted and secured, just need the steps to be put in now and then start filling