1st August 2021, Defining the end of the Terrace
Having now defined the base of the terrace and the raised bed around the side, the time has come to make the statement as to where the terrace ends.
There was some deliberation about how long the terrace would be. We tussled with the dimensions, as it needed to be big enough to be able to sit with comfort, and yet not too big that it was disproportionate to the size of the allotment. We ended up with a terrace size that was 3.4m which was coincidentally just over the length of the decking we wanted. So that worked together nicely. Plus 9 x 14cm (width of the decking planks) came out to 126cm (when placed side to side), and the actual width of the terrace was 120cm plus a brick, allowing for some discrepancy down the 3.4m of terrace we had an allowance of some 2-3cm of overhang, which worked out again just right!
On the allotment we are not allowed to use cement as no structures are supposed to be permanent. We used a little cement to hold the pallet in position, but mostly it was supported by stones and debris that we had dug up from the plot.
The next step with the terrace was to place a layer of small stone ballast on top of the rubbish which then filled up all the holes and allowed us to create a flatter surface. Desi was clearing the stones here from the remaining part of the plot (with the exception of paths) that was yet to be dug. This was so the other dry brick wall could be built to finish off this side of the raised bed.
