An insight to the daily life of a garden design and landscaping build up on a rear garden located in Cullompton, Exeter, Devon.

Day 12

View previous day here

Coffee.

Video footage applying the scratch coat

It's not until you watch yourself at work you realise your little habits, it would seem I like to tap the plastering spot board each time I fill the hawk, this is to ensure my steel trowel is clean for the next lay on.

Concreting the reflection pond

Concreting the reflection pond

Whilst I'm applying the scratch coat to the garden feature walls in the Marshall's kitchen area and the raised seating area the team mix the concrete for the base and footings to the reflection pond, 200mm depth of concrete in all will allow four courses of 225mm wide block work with 10mm joints, bringing the top of finish block work to 72mm below finished paving level.

Plastering the scratch coat

Plastering the scratch coat

I have completed the render scratch coat, all but one small area, now where's my Jewson lintel, I can only assume the missing lintel is walking the 5.7 miles from the Tiverton branch to my Cullompton landscaping project, perhaps I seek to much by means of an explanatory  phone call ??

Whilst I await I'll feed the last perimeter up-lighter cable through the electric ducting to the seven raised Marshall's black limestone planters.

Ducting draw cord connection

Ducting draw cord connection

I bend 200mm of the cable and clamp tight, I fasten the internal draw cord from the duct to the clamped loop of the electrical cable and wrap tight with duct tape.

At the furthest point of ducting from the draw cord connection I pull the cord slowly through the ducting, once the cable is fed through the ducting I include 500mm at each end for the electrician. Plastic is wrapped at both ends of the duct and the cable is wound up and secured.

Cable pulling

Cable pulling

This simple device of two road pins at the same height and a small bar or broom handle assists me when pulling the cable.

Still waiting

WAITING !!

Where's my Jewson lintel. 

Where's my Jewson lintel

Where be my lintel to I know where he be ?, actually I don't.

This kind of poor service would never occur from Phil Skeats at the Newton Abbot branch, what do I have to do to climb ranks in the Tiverton packing order?

Garden reflection pond footing and base

Garden reflection pond footing and base

With guidance from the rotating laser level at dig level I set the laser to 200mm above dig, this level is used through out the concrete pour, once all concrete has been mixed the levelled concrete is tamped and left to cure.

The lintel arrives !!

The lintel arrives !!

YAY 3.45 pm ........ I bed down the lintel and clean down the site.

I detest being in the hands of a sales rep, I call it a day for today.

Tomorrow were not relying on others.

Tomorrows blog:

Garden reflection pond and overflow system build.

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Open forum activity

Peter sellers replied to Andrew Bentley's discussion Finding work
"Andrew, it's probably no consolation but remember if it was easy everyone would be doing it!
When I started there was no internet etc and we had to use yellow pages and Thompson directory. But marketing yourself needs to be a multi faceted approach…"
1 hour ago
James replied to Andrew Bentley's discussion Finding work
"How is everyone finding enquiries this year?
I'm very busy currently with an almost full schedule but I have noticed that I have had very few new enquiries this year. Normally the phone is ringing daily but its not even weekly at the moment. 
Is it…"
4 hours ago
Gary langton is now a member of Landscape Juice Network
7 hours ago
Andrew Bentley replied to Andrew Bentley's discussion Finding work
"Hi
thanks for your reply. I used to be in the Gardeners Guild but never got an enquiry through them, though it is good to say to clients you are a member!"
8 hours ago
Andrew Bentley replied to Andrew Bentley's discussion Finding work
"Hi
thank you for your response. Yes I offer general gardening and will look at Facebook, which I've never used."
8 hours ago
Geoffrey King replied to Andrew Bentley's discussion Finding work
"I''m looking at the gardener's guild this year, as I've grown tired of Bark.  Where it now costs typically £20 to get the lead details, to phone  them.
For the  " Bark what's that? , Who are you?, Why have you rung me? Dunno what you're talking…"
16 hours ago
Ian Harvey replied to Andrew Bentley's discussion Finding work
"Firstly, what type of gardening are you offering? If it is a certain speciality (such as garden design), then your advertising might need to be tailored to that. If however it is general gardening (lawn maintenance, hedge and shrub trimming, border…"
17 hours ago
Honey Badger replied to crawford smith's discussion Brass trigger,lance and fittings on CP15 Evolution
"Apologies I have no experience of brass fittings.
I had a look at the catalogue. It appears there's no adjustability in them. "
20 hours ago
crawford smith replied to crawford smith's discussion Brass trigger,lance and fittings on CP15 Evolution
"Fixed elbow on a brass lance...have used the plastic ones for 45 years and know them inside out...that's the problem with the brass one,no joints to swivel and connectors must be tight against washers🤔"
23 hours ago
Honey Badger replied to crawford smith's discussion Brass trigger,lance and fittings on CP15 Evolution
"Lance like this with elbow parallel with floor. Adjust deflector nozzle accordingly."
yesterday
Honey Badger replied to crawford smith's discussion Brass trigger,lance and fittings on CP15 Evolution
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yesterday
Peter sellers replied to Ag's discussion How to make ends meet as a professional gardener
"Well said"
yesterday
Vic 575 replied to Ag's discussion How to make ends meet as a professional gardener
"I have been a professional gardener for 40 years. I work for all manner of clients, including Chatsworth Estate, local Councils and businesses etc. All work is price per task. So for example, a given mowing job is £120 per visit/cut. How long it…"
yesterday
Peter sellers replied to Ag's discussion How to make ends meet as a professional gardener
"After 40 years, never been asked for how long we would be on site for, yes we give a spec on what is included and what is not along with frequency of visits in each month . Just gained six new clients on this basis who are very happy that they know…"
yesterday
Peter sellers replied to Andrew Bentley's discussion Finding work
"Good advice, we still have clients from 40 years ago when we started, these were gained by going and asking if we could quote."
yesterday
Intelligent Landscapes replied to Ag's discussion How to make ends meet as a professional gardener
"Solicitors generally charge an hourly rate, I do not see that devaluing their profession. 
If I was a customer and someone said to me I will come and sort your garden for £2500 per annum I would want to know how long they would be there and what…"
yesterday
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Finding work

Hi everyone After a couple of years employed as Head of Horticulture for a charity, I decided to return to self employment as a freelance gardener at the end of March. I am struggling to find clients and don't know what to do! I have a website, a My…

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