DEFENDING SPECIFIC COSTS ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES

FEATURE PRI
CE(
£)
VS. REDUCE THE POND SIZE
Thepondc
urr
ent
lyoc
cupi
esover8m3whi
chr
equi
resasi
gni
ficantamountofexc
avat
ion
andwast
eremoval
.Addi
tional
ly,t
hel
abouri
ntensi
vepr
ocessofr
einf
orc
edbl
ockwor
k,
r
ender
ingandt
heamountofsur
fac
ear
eaf
orGRPl
ini
ngr
equi
redal
lcont
ribut
etot
he
i
tem c
ostofappr
oxi
mat
ely£13,
000.Thepur
poseoft
hepondi
stogi
vet
her
illsomewher
e
t
ofal
l.I
tal
soc
reat
esdr
amaandat
mospher
east
hesoundoff
all
ingwat
ergi
vesac
onc
lusi
on
t
otheot
her
wisegent
leflow oft
her
illabovei
t.

I
nmyvi
ew,al
loft
hisc
anst
illbeac
hievedevenwhenr
educ
ingt
he
pond’
ssi
zebyar
ound60%.Thi
sreduc
est
hec
ostofr
aw mat
eri
alsby
appr
oxi
mat
ely£1890,wi
thr
educ
tionsi
nlabourandexc
avat
ionbr
ingi
ng
t
het
otalc
ostdownt
oappr
oxi
mat
ely£6000.I
naddi
tion,byr
educ
ingt
his SAVES140BLOCKS
el
ementandi
ncr
easi
ngt
hepl
ant
ingspac
ear
oundt
hepond(
seei
mage SAVES5.
4m3WASTEREMOVAL
abover
ight
),t
hesur
roundi
ngar
eai
snotr
epl
acedwi
thf
urt
hersub-
base, SAVESLABOUR&PLANTHI
RE
gr
avelandexc
avat
ion.Rat
her
,thepr
icepersquar
emet
ref
orpl
ant
ing SAVES138CLAYPAVERS
i
sst
illt
hemostc
ostef
fec
tiveuseofspac
e(evenwi
thr
epl
acedt
opsoi
l). I
NCREASESPLANTI
NG SPACE

RECONFIGURE RILL-SIDE STEPS

Model
ingsuggest
sthatt
hesest
epsar
enotvi
sibl
efr
om t
hehouse,i
nfac
ttheydon’
treveal
t
hemsel
vesunt
ilyout
urnt
hec
orneratt
he‘
shal
low’endoft
her
ill
.Thi
swoul
dsuggestt
hat
t
hei
rimpor
tanc
etot
heover
alluni
tyoft
hegar
deni
slesst
hant
hatofot
herel
ement
s.
Atfir
stgl
anc
e,asexpec
ted,t
hegr
eat
erc
ost
scor
rel
atet
othel
argerel
ement
sof
PRI
CE(
£)
Thegar
denf
oll
owsc
ert
ainr
ules;t
hedesi
gnerhassuggest
edt
hatEast
/Westl
inesar
eli
ght
t
heover
alldesi
gn.TheFORASLi
mest
onewal
lsandst
epsmayappearc
ost
lyanda i
ncol
our
,wher
easNor
th/
Sout
hli
nesar
edar
kinc
olour
.Thi
srul
ehasbeenpr
edomi
nant
ly
c
lientmi
ghtbet
empt
edt
oconsi
deramat
eri
alc
hanget
oinor
dert
omaker
educ
tions. obeyedi
nthedet
ail
ing(
wit
honl
yaf
ew exc
ept
ions)
. However
,thi
ssl
opi
ngwal
kway
Li
kewi
se,t
hegr
avelar
eas,whi
chac
countf
ort
hemaj
ori
tyoft
hewal
kingsur
fac
es hast
hepot
ent
ialt
ofol
low t
hec
ont
our
soft
hesi
tewi
thoutt
heneedf
or
i
nthegar
den,appeart
obeeat
ingi
ntot
hebudget
. qui
teasmuc
h‘c
utt
ing’i
ntosepar
atel
evel
s.

However
,ast
hec
har
t(r
ight
)suggest
s,i
nthi
sexampl
eoft
hewal
lsandst
eps, Byr
emovi
ngt
hef
ormalst
epswi
thamor
enat
uralsl
opedownt
owar
dst
he
muc
hoft
hec
osti
sac
count
edf
ori
nthel
abour
,gr
oundwor
ks,exc
avat
ionandpl
ant
. l
owerl
evel
,reduc
tionsc
anbemadei
nbot
hlabour
,exc
avat
ionandwast
e
Si
mpl
ychangi
ngt
hemat
eri
alwi
llnothel
psi
gni
ficant
lyt
olowert
heover
all SAVES600CLAYPAVERS
r
emoval
.Mat
eri
alsavi
ngsmaybenomi
nal
,howevert
hest
one-
clad
expendi
tur
e.Doi
ngso,al
sor
isksdamagi
ngt
hei
ntegr
ityoft
hedesi
gn. SAVES1.
2m3WASTEREMOVAL
r
etai
ningwal
lst
hathol
dbac
kthesoi
l(i
nwhatar
elar
gel
yhedge-
plant
ed
SAVESLABOUR&PLANTHI
RE
beds)
,needn’
tbequi
teassophi
sti
cat
ed.I
nti
me,hedgi
ngwi
llenc
roac
h
Thi
sgar
denhasi
t’s‘
wow’f
eat
ures,andi
nsomer
espec
tst
heyc
anar
guef
ort
hemsel
ves. SAVES5m2LI
MESTONECOPI
NG
andt
heneedf
orc
opi
ngwi
lldi
mini
sh.Asi
mpl
est
eeledge(
forexampl
e
Thest
epsandwal
lsmayappearsec
ondar
ytot
hel
ikesoft
her
illandpond.However
, SAVES5m2LI
MESTONEFACI
NG
‘
Str
aight
Cur
veEdgi
ngKi
t’)woul
dsuf
ficeandgr
eat
lyr
educ
ethec
ost
.
i
tist
hej
oboft
hest
epsandwal
lst
ocr
eat
edefini
tionandc
lar
itybet
weenspac
es. Thedi
sadvant
agewoul
dbet
hatc
ort
enst
eeli
saddi
ngac
olourt
oan
I
nmyvi
ew,t
hequal
ityofmat
eri
alher
eisessent
ialt
ohow t
hegar
denhol
dst
oget
her
. ot
her
wiser
est
rai
nedpal
letofmat
eri
alswi
thi
nthegar
den.

PRI
CE(
£)

TheDec
kingt
ell
sadi
ffer
entst
ory.Themat
eri
alc
ost
sfarout
wei
ght
hec
ost
sfor REPLACE CLAY PAVER CLADDING
l
abourandgr
oundwor
ks-asexc
avat
ioni
smi
nimal
.Thedec
kal
soser
vesasa
I
nmyvi
ew,t
hehei
ghtand‘
presenc
e’oft
her
ilshoul
dnotbec
ompr
omi
sedf
ort
hesakeofr
educ
ing
t
ransi
tionf
rom t
hehouse,downi
ntot
hegar
den.Al
thoughdec
ksc
anbec
ost
ly,
t
heover
allc
ost
.However
,thedar
kcol
ourc
anst
illbeac
hievedwi
thal
essl
abouri
ntensi
ve
espec
ial
lywhenusi
ngc
omposi
tepr
oduc
ts,i
nthi
sinst
anc
ethedec
kac
commodat
es
c
laddi
ngmat
eri
alsuc
hasr
ender
,sl
ateorbl
ackgr
ani
tec
laddi
ngboar
d.Atappr
oxi
mat
ely£60m2,
asi
gni
ficantl
evelc
hangewi
thouthavi
ngt
oremoveorr
epl
acel
argeamount
sof
t
hishast
hepot
ent
ialt
odel
iversi
mil
ari
mpac
tfor30% l
essc
ost
.Thi
shasbeenc
alc
ulat
edbyc
ont
rast
ing
mat
eri
al.Muc
hoft
hewor
kisc
ompl
etedabovegr
ound,andt
hishel
pst
oreduc
e
t
hepr
icepersquar
emet
reofc
laypaver
s,c
ombi
nedwi
tht
heassumedi
ncr
easedl
abourofwor
kingi
n
l
abourandexc
avat
ionc
ost
s.Ibel
ievet
hisc
osti
sappr
opr
iat
e,wi
thal
ter
nat
ive
i
ndi
vidualbl
ocks.Thi
sal
ter
ati
onmayonl
yreduc
ethec
ostby£2000-£3000andIwoul
dar
guet
hat
sol
uti
onsbei
ngpot
ent
ial
lymor
ecost
ly.
t
hei
mpac
tont
heover
allaest
het
ici
ssomet
hingt
hatwoul
dneedc
aref
ulc
onsi
der
ati
onandmodel
ing.

Thet
hree‘
non-
negot
iabl
es’onwhi
chIhavet
riedt
oavoi
danyc
ompr
omi
sear
e:
Thec
ostofmaki
nguppr
otot
ypewal
lsec
tions,andc
ompar
ingt
hiswi
thsampl
esofvar
iousc
laddi
ng
t
hesi
tel
evel
s,t
heBoc
cel
awnandt
hedomi
nanc
eoft
her
ill
.However
,Ihave
opt
ions,woul
dcostt
hec
lienti
nbot
hti
meandmoney.I
tcoul
dbear
guedt
hatanysavi
ngmadeby
suggest
ionsf
orc
hangest
hatmaybr
ingt
hec
ost
sdownwi
thmi
nimali
mpac
t
c
hangi
ngmat
eri
al,c
oul
dbel
osti
nthet
imet
akent
odi
scussc
heaperal
ter
nat
ives.
ont
hei
ntegr
ityoft
heover
alldesi
gn.