phil123

Sorry I haven't been on here in a while Richard, the gravel is 5-7cm thick.

I've done a fair bit of work for my local diocess now. grass cutting, clearance and tree work they've paid every time at the end of the month and it's got my name out there. I don't brag about it but I will mention it in passing if someone asks me how business is going etc. They are (at least to me) great understanding customers, that have recommended me to all their associated groups and clubs etc I've got loads of work from them and they also offered me a free advert in their parish magazine. Do a great job at a sensible price and it will pay dividends! They network/gossip like no one else on the planet! Just my 2p's worth.

Yea there certainly was thousands of tiny bulbs which I made sure I was extra careful to remove all of them but it seems not careful enough. What did you do when you had this situation miker? Thanks.

Thanks so much for the replies guys really I appreciate it. I was lead to believe that the woven fabric was for use under aggregates and the spun type was for bark chips etc? well that's what I interpreted from their website anyway. Ok so really my best bet is to do an intensive course of glyphosate and see how it goes... And if the problem persists to lift it all up and put the spun fabric down by the sounds of it? what a bugger Or is it not going to be worth doing the weed killer and just go straight for the fabric? Sounds like it needs regular spraying either way? Cheers.

Hi guys, Just thought id share this with you as I'm gutted and pissed off.. A couple of months ago I completed my first large job (I only started my business in May this year) a total garden re-design and makeover, part of the job to reduce maintenance for the customer was to remove the grass and plants and lay 20mm shingle. I removed all the grass and dug all the plants and bulbs up etc, laid a tough weed control membrane (from weed fabric direct) pegged it all down and laid the the stones on top. 2 months later the customer calls saying theres weeds all over her garden, I went round to have a look and there everywhere!! growing straight up through the membrane like it didn't even exist!! all types of weeds too :confused1: have I done something wrong in my process? it looks to me like the fabric is crap! even though its sold as their toughest fabric!? what fabric do you guys use? and what would you do in this situation? I've emailed them with pictures and they have offered me a refund for the fabric but that is all..... is my only option to lift it all and do it all again? :crying: Thanks for any help and advice, Phil.

haha well guys ermmmmm..... thanks for the replies I definitely didn't see all this coming! I appreciate your advice and it seems online is my best bet so I will have a look and see what I can find, I know I don't have my tickets YET but they are on my list of things to do, until then I have common sense and surely that has got to count for something! thanks again chaps.

Hi Guys, Recently I've had more and more of my customers asking for weed killer to be put down. I've only recently started my own landscaping business and I was a tree surgeon before so I have very little knowledge about weedkiller. However my last customer asked me to weedkiller all their garden paths and driveway which left me no option other than to go to b&q and get the strongest roundup I could find! anyway £100 later and I'm spaying everything with these little diy pump bottles! it was a bit of a joke to be honest. (not only this but about a month later all the weeds look like there starting to come back already!!) so I'm looking at getting a backpack sprayer but I have no idea where I can get the chemicals in larger quantities to go in it or indeed what they should be? I've priced up a course but at £750 I think it might have to wait till next year! so just looking for some help and advice to tide me over. Thanks in advance, Phil.

Thanks so much guys, really appreciate your help on this. I'll keep you posted with how I get on. Cheers.

Ok.... I've gone a bit belts and braces as i know the customer well and they have some pretty cool party's so I know there's going to be a lot of weight on it. So I've gone with 133 posts (500mm centres across and 1m down) even the book doesn't really say exactly how many posts I need so I thought I would play safe than sorry. 26 6x2 (3m) Barers across the whole width bolted to every post. 76 joists 4x2 (I've gone with double joists each side of the post for extra strength and again bolted through the posts) The frame work I've worked out uses 664 bolts! That in itself costs £1162.80! As I can only find exterior coach bolts in packs of 10 and there £18.00 a pack!

I guessed 3 weeks as I'm on my own materials - £6154.03 labour - £2250

so... I've just finished quoting this job up... total including labour comes to £8404.03!? bloody hell this stuff is expensive! does this sound about right? size is 9m x 6m deck 54m2 crazy... if someone came to me with a quote like that it would put me in hospital! and i gave them trade on the materials too.

Thanks very much indeed chaps! really appreciate your advice. I have bought the 'Book' (more like a magazine) and am reading it as we speak though theres a lot of technical jargon in there that I don't really understand. Do I have to use bearers then joists before the boards? can I not simply bolt the Joists to the posts then just screw the boards to those? Thanks again, I Really appreciate it.

Hi Guys I've got a few jobs now where a couple of customers want some decking built, I understand whats generally got to be done and I have done one or two small areas before..... but my most recent quote is for 54m2 of decking at about 300mm high. Now I'm finding all sorts of information on posts and supports it looks like a post every 1m down the length and at every 500mm across the width.. this calculates to a total of 133 post for 54m2 which means not only 133 post holes to be dug but probably also knocking on for £2000 in postcrete!? SURELY THIS CANNOT BE RIGHT!? Any advice? what do you guys do? or is there a book you can recommend that will help me out here? Many thanks in advance, Phil.

Little update on this for anyone interested, I'm very impressed with my Faithful All Steel Post Hole Diggers! they seem strong and well built and are heavy enough to use without loosening up the ground first yet are light enough to use all day. I would definitely recommend them.

Thanks for the replies guys. I've settled for a pair of all steel faithful ones as mentioned Further above, I'm using them Thursday so I'll let you know how I get on with them.

Hi guys bit of a random one, I'm after getting a set of post hole diggers/spades for some up and coming fencing work. Theres loads out there but none of the seem to be 'pro' quality. If I buy a tool I want it to last me years, so what are you chaps using or what make would you recomend? Thanks in advance, sorry if this seems a stupid question:confused1:. Phil.

blimey i bet that was a surprise! always liked the look of those little tractors.

interesting... I have to say its not something I would consider though as I can weld and own the equipment and steel to do so I also consider welding to be a far more permanent repair as your physically replacing the metal. just my thoughts though if you can't weld I'm sure the stainless rivets would work for a few years.

So, on Sunday I had a 500 mile round trip to Devon from Kent to go and pick up my John Deere mower! Its a very long way for a mower I know but it was definitely worth every mile, not only was the mowers condition 10X better than I had imagined, but dealing with Barrie from Garden Kit was nothing other than a pleasure! He had obviously spent a while cleaning it up ready for me as it was sat there gleaming looking like a brand new machine! Not only this but he spent precious time talking me through every part of the machine, including demonstrating how to fit and remove the mower deck, and offering advice on the best way to repair it too. Once I had loaded up and strapped it down he came back out from his workshop with an original owners manual and spare key!! I just wanted to write a little something on here as I feel someone that takes pride in what they do and provides an exceptional service like Barrie did deserves some recognition. I would not hesitate to purchase anything from Garden Kit again in the future despite the drive, I know I will be buying something worth traveling for! Phil.

Pm sent. [emoji106]

Now I'm interested! What size is the deck? And hp?

Ok thanks very much for the advice I'll take it on board.... So in that case what big walk behind would you recommend? I've managed to get myself my first grass cutting contract for a fairly large local cemetery which has quite a bit of unused grass area which was my main reason for looking into a ride on. But I do understand that I could be buying more hassle and I don't like the idea of that! I am however very good mechanically as in a previous life I was a mechanic for 8 years and have loads of my own tools. I'd love to buy a new John Deere x165 but I don't want to spend £3k on a machine I might only use twice a month for this job alone. But never considered a large walk behind before. Really appreciate your help and advice guys thanks very much! Just out of interest how much are you after for your snapper mate? Never heard of them before... Any good?

Hi guys I'm new to the forum and I'm starting up my own garden maintenance business (eeek!! Very nervous times!) anyway I'm looking into getting a ride on mower tractor type style I think looks best for me. I've got max budget of £1000 but ideally around the £750 mark been trawling eBay and there's loads on there but I don't really know what to go for (make/model wise) John Deere was my dream but looks to be out of my price range. There's some countax hydrostatic ones on there around the £750 mark any good? Or older Westwood ones which look well made but dated. there's also a few Husqvarna ones at the top end of my budget which look really smart but do they work as good as they look? Ideally I'd want to have the option to collect the cuttings too. Any help or advice very much appreciated! Thanks all, Phil.