Terrace and pergola project

This summer has mostly been spent in the garden. Our small terrace and pergola project proved to be much more extensive than I thought in the beginning. The part that took longest was making the foundations. It might be that we were a bit overcautious in terms of frost isolation, but it would had been shame if the entire construction would tilt to its side after the first proper winter. I think we moved more than eight tons of earth away, and then bought almost the same amount of new gravel in to fill the hole (apart from the ten centimetres of Styrofoam slabs). I could not have done it without all the help we received from both my and Laura’s parents. The final cutting, shaping and construction of the visible, wooden parts took one week, as compared to the four weeks spent working on the foundations. Here are some photos and useful links.

Hole in the ground:

Woodworks:

Boards and pillars:

Almost ready:

Family portrait:

The rest of the photos are here:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=terassi&w=21506315%40N00&s=rec

Here are some guides we consulted while making our own plans and calculations:

• http://www.kestopuu.fi/docs/004-mZ0-KESTOP_w_terassi_100505.pdf
• http://www.kestopuu.fi/docs/004-sym-KESTOP_w_pergola_100505.pdf
• http://www.suomela.fi/83868.html
• http://www.rautia.fi/modules/upndown/download_upndownfile.asp?id=239CAEE7E7A94599A29740C1B69A7F23&itemtype=UPNDOWNFILE&tabletarget=data_1&pid=D2A1CA780EA14091B0D73BD14CF39C31&layout=rautia_uusi_sisasivu

Author: frans

Professor of Information Studies and Interactive Media, esp. Digital Culture and Game Studies in the Tampere University, Finland. Occasional photographer and gardener. View all posts by frans