Search results

No good at growing stuff mind, and it's north-east facing so gets little/none of that fabulous Scottish sun!

Having left it for the winter, I'm back in the garden to finish off the project with a rock garden at the back fence. The lawn seed has taken nicely and the kids are delighted to finally be able to play football on it!

Thanks lindos90 - No I didn't need planning permission, but such is dependent on the size and proximity of your wall to neighbours/roads etc. This website should help you: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/fenceswallsgates/ My walls weren't high enough to require...

I'm certainly no expert (so take my comments with a pinch of salt) but why break up what appears to be a solid/proven base and then try to compact it? A good base is usually made of MOT/type 1: specified amounts of various sized parts (stones down to dust) that compact to make a firm, stable...

If the top 15-20cm sand/grit, then perhaps a lawn is possible (assuming you're not wanting to lower the ground level). As long as you haven't disturbed it, it would be well compacted having been under a patio, and drains well so a few inches of good topsoil and a lawn should be happy. I imagine...

Hi, mechanical numpty here... A vibration has recently developed in my engine bay (Mondeo 2008 1.8 TDCI). It sounded like a blowing exhaust/manifold but when I got underneath it I found that its the air filter box (centre in the picture) that is resonating and knocking against a neighbouring...

Best solution would be to dig out and install a soakaway http://www.pavingexpert.com/drain08.html Unfortunately rubble wont soak up water. Adding plenty of sharp sand to clay should improve drainage, but it really needs to be mixed into the clay to be effective, so requires borrowing or...

I'm not sure silver sand would do much good as it's so fine (like building sand)? Sharp/grit sand is beneficial because it drains well. Lawncare companies such as greenthumb can quote you just for a hollow tining treatment - we once had it done. Or perhaps a friendly local golf course head...

I feel your pain as I'm trying to level my garden and willing grass seed to grow... In my experience sand (specifically sharp sand) is no bad thing - in fact its great for clayey soil. Ideally you need to mix the two as best you can, but rotivating it will set you back again on your levelling...

I'm certainly no expert, but dug and poured foundations for a retaining wall. The lessons I learned (including countless hours of internet research) led me to believe that 12 - 18 inches depth is usually enough for anything short of a house, though width/depth is also important (extending at...

Haha - just spent yet another day sieving soil with a supermarket shopping basket... Another ton bag of stones removed and I must admit this is the least satisfying part of the project! IMG_1484 by Halitosis posted 23 Aug 2015 at 9:07 PMIMG_1486 by Halitosis posted 23 Aug 2015 at 9:07 PM

Concrete removal is not exactly skilled labour, so if you're up for a little exercise it would surely be much cheaper to DIY: hire a skip, wheelbarrow and a hammer drill/breaker for a weekend. Invite a couple of healthy friends/neighbours around, get in a case of beer and fire up the BBQ? Dont...

I'm sure drilling holes wouldn't do it any harm, and might help. Though the damp patches indoors suggest more is required: there are proper experts on the forums who can provide professional advise, but perhaps remove an inch or two so the decking doesn't quite reach the wall, and ensuring it...

I appreciate your point Winston, but can the aerial cause these symptoms on HDMI input as well? May be worth pointing out I've installed a masthead amplifier at the aerial and PSU at the TV, and the coax cable is 3 years old and perhaps 10m long (to be fair it doesn't look particularly high...

Sorry - to clarify, it worked fine when it only had Virgin box feed. I removed that and plugged in the fire-stick (same HDMI input socket) and coax from aerial, after which the drop-outs started. When plugging the same inputs into another TV there is no problem, so it's definitely the TV. I...

For the first time this year, I'm now actually trying to grow something: have been sowing grass seed and every morning I open the curtains in expectation... I guess good gardeners have plenty of patience!

Scarifying or light raking would help, but dont go ripping out what grass is there. As Diyisfun says, right now (September) is perfect time to sow. Mix the seed with some quality topsoil and/or well broken down compost

Might there be a dog peeing on it? That can lead to fast growing patches. If you kill it all you'd still need to rotivate/dig it up/turn it over before re-seeding anyway, so perhaps focus on the slow-growing patches: add some fertiliser/compost and overseed with some quality grass seed to grow...

Why not clear some of the shrubbery on the right at the back and use that instead? Or maybe get a second hand hammer-drill and chip away at it, taking a few buckets of rubble at a time to the recycling centre. By next spring you'd only need to buy some topsoil