The build starts...

As promised in my last blog, here is a diary of the actual build and installation of the Cube Lighting garden.

DAY 1

We are allowed entrance to the site Monday 13^th at noon.

The main garden is 180m², but with this being a night garden we have an additional 100m² around the main marquee and only three weeks for it to become an amazing feature.

We start by emptying the van, laying out the design, setting up the levels, and the digger has arrived ready to start the excavation.

Ray Carter spends all his time on the digger, whilst I am ‘rendering’ what are to be the back walls. First coat is a sand and paint mix applied with a brush, when nearly dry ragged over to get the brush strokes away – not something which can be done in a real garden, but it saves much time and money when it is only to last a few week in an indoor environment.

High visibility vest and steel cap boots are obligatory at all times during build up.

By the evening Ray has really made an impact on the garden. The garden was stripped of turf and all excavated material taken away. Danco had started to set up the main marquee.

DAY 2

Project manager Jon Mathias from Brett Landscaping joins us on site to make sure all deliveries are absolutely perfect. Once the Brett paving was all sorted for both our garden and the LOROS garden across the avenue, Jon stayed the rest of the day with us and kept us company and lent a hand  – Thank you Jon.

When we leave that evening the garden is surrounded by bags of stone, granite mulch, cement, piles of bricks and slabs of various colours and there is still more stone to come.

A level site and a big hole for the pool, but still far to go before it becomes a garden. And all of the Hampton Court ground still looks fairly empty with less than three weeks to the show.

DAY 3

12 panels were made and painted.

 

Fencing posts ready-sanded and routered pre-show and were painted.

 

We had an early finish 7.30 - 4pm as we were travelling home.
 

DAY 4
Ray arrives with a full load and added a few more items from the garage.

 

Picked up the pergola and oak panels on the way back to Hampton Court and visited a couple of nurseries which are providing some of our plants. A lot of rain had fallen throughout the day and all the gardens are wet and the soil was slightly sticky attaching to boots and tools. We were very pleased to get two thirds of our roof in the late afternoon. We have been promised the last part tomorrow.