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Posted

WOW! So many steps up and down, it MUST be a 1x12 cassette...  :whistling:

 

(cycling forum - you had it coming :devil: )

Hey! I didn't think to add this into my bike park! Good idea ☺

Posted

Ramon going down with his old trailer so we can load the first lot of stones.

 

Two loads later and we have enough stones to keep us busy for a while! We've piled them on the edge of our neighbour Javi's land. Ramon introduced us and Javi is more than happy to help :-)

 

It is nice when everyone works together!

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Posted

Dismantling the existing retaining wall . . .

 

Taking down the retaining wall is easier than expected.

 

It's a dry stone wall, so once you clear the vegetation from along the top of the wall and cut the grass in front of the wall, you can unassemble the stones quite easily by hand or with a crowbar. Then gravity puts them down on the ground for you 1f642.png

 

We're taking away the front face of stones, which go back about 30cm and then clearing away some of the loose rock that lie behind the front face. All of the stones can be re-used. Ones with decent flat faces can be used on the new front wall again and anything odd shaped can be cemented behind the front face for additional strength.

 

The final concreted wall will be between 40 and 50 cm thick and behind the newly concreted bit we will leave the original loose stones. Not sure how deep into the hillside the existing wall goes but it looks like it's around a meter! So, with the new cemented front face, the cemented loose rock behind it and the existing loose rock that is tied into the hillside - we should be fine!

 

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Posted

After one day of wall building with our friends from the UK who live down the road - Ben & Corina 1f642.png

Corina & Wendy on the cement mixer, Ben laying stones and me labouring!


We concentrated on getting the corner started, and in the right place according to the limits of the property, and then working our way up the hill. We left one very big base stone in place and after a few meters we were able to incorporate some of the exiting wall "as is"

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Posted
2nd day of work and the wall is looking good! The corner is solid and the front wall slopes back "mas o minus" the 15 degrees it needs.
 
We're making use of some of the very big stones that are there from the original wall. They aren't going anywhere and they're in the right place - so it's fine.
 
Filling behind the wall with small rocks & stones and cement to give the wall enough depth.
 
:-)

 

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Posted

Before he came to Spain and did a similar one in his own back garden, he'd never built a wall in his life before.

 

He used to fit kitchens for a living, so he's used to manual work and he seems to be able to turn his hand to anything.

Posted (edited)

After two long hard days of working with Ben & Corina, (and with lunch supplied by Rosa!) we'd made a great start on our retaining wall and we were left with the beginnings of a good strong wall with a nice level top for Wendy and I to continue building on.

Yesterday We added a bit to it on our own, following the lines that Ben had started . . . and I think we're doing ok . . .

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Edited by Bonus
Posted

You mean dogs that look like sheep, right?

 

Well these "Working Sheep Dogs" are supposed to help round up the Sheep when needed, but in fact unless they happen to feel like helping, they are more usually busy chasing each other or chasing rabbits!

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