Island landscapes
Posted: Sunday, 11 January 2009 |
as I wrote in some earlier posts I paid someone to put up a windproof fence along the side of my garden that gets the strongest wind, I paid nearly £1,200 for this fence, a lot of money but I ‘thought’ once it is done I will be able to grow more plants as they will have protection, as I could not find someone by recommendation I contacted someone who advertises in the Stornoway Gazette and lives just a few miles from me,
the first strong winds we had last winter the fence started to come down,
he came and strengthened it?!
the next strong winds we had the fence uprooted and moved across the garden, I phoned him and waited……and waited……..and waited,
then we had another gale and the fence started to break more, so I phoned again and was told he was busy!!!!!!!!
then eventually he put the fence up for the THIRD time,
there were gales before Christmas and the fence is starting to fall down again,
I am not contacting him again but I am posting this information so that hopefully no one else will get ‘done’ as I have been,
be very cautious of ads in the gazette offering island landscape gardening, fencing, etc.
note: it has been brought to my attention that some may mistakenly think our resident island blogger workman may be responsible, HE ISN’T, because of the beebs no names policy I can’t name and shame here but I have in my comment on a relevant post at the new island-blogging.co.uk website, the work was done in July 2007 before our resident man offered to do work for people, infact I answered the ad in the gazette in May 07 when said resident man was still in the deep south of England, I hope this clears up any mistaken thoughts,
the first strong winds we had last winter the fence started to come down,
he came and strengthened it?!
the next strong winds we had the fence uprooted and moved across the garden, I phoned him and waited……and waited……..and waited,
then we had another gale and the fence started to break more, so I phoned again and was told he was busy!!!!!!!!
then eventually he put the fence up for the THIRD time,
there were gales before Christmas and the fence is starting to fall down again,
I am not contacting him again but I am posting this information so that hopefully no one else will get ‘done’ as I have been,
be very cautious of ads in the gazette offering island landscape gardening, fencing, etc.
note: it has been brought to my attention that some may mistakenly think our resident island blogger workman may be responsible, HE ISN’T, because of the beebs no names policy I can’t name and shame here but I have in my comment on a relevant post at the new island-blogging.co.uk website, the work was done in July 2007 before our resident man offered to do work for people, infact I answered the ad in the gazette in May 07 when said resident man was still in the deep south of England, I hope this clears up any mistaken thoughts,
Comments
Imagine if this fence was a wind turbine - the Barvas Moors have had a narrow escape
calum from computing for dummies cottage brue
One of the reasons I love Lewis is that the Good Lord seems to have made a fairly decent fist of the landscaping in the first place and it doesn't need a 'landscape gardener' advertising in the Gazette to improve on it. There were few fences in Lewis until the 50's and once they started going up part of the sense of community died as people couldn't wander from croft to croft to have a natter.
calum from ness
One of the reasons I love Lewis is that the Good Lord seems to have made a fairly decent fist of the landscaping in the first place and it doesn't need a 'landscape gardener' advertising in the Gazette to improve on it. There were few fences in Lewis until the 50's and once they started going up part of the sense of community died as people couldn't wander from croft to croft to have a natter.
calum from ness
calum if I didn't know better I would say you pulled my fence down, I would like a garden and my garden would do less to harm the landscape than the cars that speed past my house every day, I enjoy the birds and other creatures that inhabit my garden, the world should not be a place just for selfish humans,
island threads from ness
Hi Francis, So sorry this has happen to you, I would never treat my customer that way.....I hope you find a resolution quick. best wishes
Fred Blogs from Point
hello Fred, I am sure you and most other workman would not make such a bad job, I did a better fence myself when I lived on Scalpay but I get more tired now and so thought I would treat myself and get someone in, guess i should have done it myself, the problem is caused because he has not put the posts down into the ground, most only go down as far as the top of the point and then he cut the top of the post off because it was too high, I just don't want anyone else to get caught as he still advertises
island threads from ness
I wouldn't want anyone wandering into my garden willy-nilly. Most people can cope with a gate! That is an awful job IT, I wish I could fix it for you with my own paws.
Flying Cat from Rolling Acres fence post
Well hopefully the rest can be salvaged, 1.5 metre posts are about £3.00 each at the crofters if that helps......Best wishes
FredBlogs from Point
thank you Fc, there is already a wire fence so on Calums grounds the fence was put up before I moved here, I just wanted something to filter the wind to give the plants a chance, no fences in a sheep filled community means walking in sheep poo, that’s one reason I moved from Scalpay, I chose Ness because the good people of Ness put the sheep behind fences and let the children run free, unless there are 2 Calums on island blogging Calum doesn’t live here any more and I get fed up people who move to the mainland and want those who stay or move to the islands to live in the dark ages,
island threads from ness
thanks Fred I know you can order posts from the crofters I have got them before and now I don't have a car they deliver, I already have some in the shed, oh and the reason I didn't ask your good self is because this fence went up in july 07 before you were offering help,
island threads from ness
That IS interesting IT!
Flying Cat from that other place
typical! in this day and age to rt a good handyman seems to be childish dream--at least in europe!! i know what i had to go through to get my house(or rather,now,my old )finished when hubby died. It was a nightmareKeep up the good work fred blog:(over here,chez les kiwis or at least on the coromandel things seem to get done properly and on he day hey say things will be done! maybe in big cities-i.e auckland but here i see and sense the old sense of cimmunity spirit,so don't give up on hope! xx
carol from whitianga(nz)
I do not wish people to live in the Dark Ages and have no objection to people fencing gardens - my criticism was of people fencing crofts way back which stiffled cross croft communication. At one time it was possibel to walk from Aird to the Dell River across crofts - I think the fact that people are now taking a pride in their gardens is one of the greatest advances from the days when only a few marigolds in the garden at No 20 were the only flowers in the village.
calum from ness
That's why I do my own fencing. The ground here is so soft that any fence and particularly wind-break fencing is always going to need looked at after the high winds, even when they are set in a cubic metre of concrete and rock. Every time i shore up and re-inforce one section it just causes another to start to fail. At least when it fails I've no-one to blame but myself. The moral of the story here is to get a written guarantee of the quality of the work so you can get it remedied or rebuilt at minimal cost.
M from Westside
Looks like you were very naive to expect a fence to stay put in boggy peaty ground, especially in windswept area. However your fencer should have advised you accordingly.
The gardener from kelso
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