Time for Retaining

...Hold me back!

After christening the slab on Sunday with a couple of cheeky beverages, there has not been a lot of movement on site this week, but that was to be expected, as the slab needs to cure before the bricks can be loaded. 

This afternoon there is a manitou on site, so it looks like the bricks are due to arrive on site tomorrow, which is exciting! 

The actual reason I was on site was to meet a retaining wall contractor to discuss the issue with the levels on site, and arrange to get a quote so we have a better idea of what we're really dealing with.

As I was waiting for the contractor, I noticed a local Bobcat company's truck drive past the block, and reverse down the driveway across the road. I decided to be a bit of a stalker, googled his phone number and gave him a call! Turns out he lives there, and was actually unloading his bobcat to come over and smooth out a little bit on the side of the house for the builder, so it gave me the opportunity to get a price sorted for the shed pad at the same time. Multitasking, baby! 

Hopefully his price comes in very reasonable because it would be very handy to make friends with him given the multitude of potential siteworks we are facing right now!!

So, the retaining wall contractor has given me some good info, and whilst the price won't change whether we do in one or two levels because at the end of the day we're retaining the same height, he's recommending that we step the levels, and create a garden-bed type situation on the first level and step it up to the top level.I asked for steps also so I envisage it will look something like this.

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I need to get in touch with the local council to discuss how lenient they will be with the building envelope. Ideally, we'd like to have the side wall right on the boundary of the envelope, but that does mean that the stepped blocks which are buried behind the wall to form the strength, would encroach outside the building envelope, so I am unsure if that will be allowed. If not, we will have to sit the wall inside the building envelope by approx a metre. Looks like I have some sweet talking to do! 

I have also asked the retaining company if we can have some seats built into the wall, to create an outdoor area as an alternative to the alfresco for those balmy summer evenings. I am a little excited about the possibilities with these blocks now that I've accepted we're going to need it done. Now we just need to hope the quotes are not as high as we're expecting! 

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^ This is the idea of the seat style, but obviously from limestone blocks not gabion retaining blocks.

Hopefully next post will be some brickwork movement!