AVS Blog Archive for September 2009

AVS Fencing Supplies are a huge supplier of railway sleepers for garden and landscaping projects. This means you can have great confidence in the product with competitive prices and rapid delivery. Railway sleepers supplied included are both new and recycled in hardwood and treated softwood and are creosote-free.

The advantages of raised beds are:

• You can add soil which is suitable for herbs, vegetables or plants you want to grow.
• They save you back strain because you don't have to bend down so far!
• They need less watering than containers.

The disadvantage of raised beds is:

• You have to design and build them.

We can help to take care of that for you. Here are a few important points to bear in mind:

• Remember that raised beds are for the long term, so choose their site carefully. Do your plants want a sunny or shady position?
• Don't make your raised bed wider than you can comfortably reach.
• A height of 30 - 60 cm deep is sufficient for most small and medium sized plants.

How to make a wooden raised bed out of AVS railway sleepers.

What you will need:

Four railway sleepers;
eight tree stakes;
saw and hammer

1. Lay out the railway sleepers on edge in their final positions. Ensure that the best edge uppermost.
2. Hammer the two tree stakes into the ground, about 4cm from each corner, to hold the corners together.
3. Cut off ensuring the top of the stakes are flush with the railway sleepers. If you are making the bed on a paved surface use coach bolts to hold the sleepers together.
4. Fill your brand new sleeper raised bed with a suitable soil or compost. Top tip: If you want to grow herbs, then mix the top soil with grit.

Autumn may almost be here, but decking is still a popular purchase. We bring to you a great offer. Our 3.6m decking has been reduced from £10.56 to £7.13.

AVS decking is tough and durable, just like Eddie Izzard it seems. If you didn't know this, Eddie Izzard celebrated completing 43 marathons in 52 days! Wow. Eddie raised over £200,000 for Sports Relief. Eddie said to the Guardian newspaper "I feel really good. My legs hurt, my body hurts, I'm very tired. I lost my toenails, had blisters and stuff, but to finish – it's kind of like science fiction in a way."

Eddie obviously needs to sooth away his aches with the help of a nice glass of something sitting in a lovely decked garden. Therefore, he would be pleased to hear that AVS deckboard is a quality reversible decking board made using more slowly grown imported timber of a 5th grade Scandinavian Redwood quality, for better reliabilty. It is smooth on one side and reeded on the other. The decking is a robust with a healthy thickness of approx 34mm unlike some cheaper decking which is only 28mm thickness. AVS decking helps create a sturdy deck without spending a fortune on timber for the base. Our timber is slow-grown so it is close grained and therefore has less chance of splitting and cracking in the sunshine and rain.

AVS decking is produced in species classified as Redwood meaning it accepts the timber treatment well for greater durability. AVS decking board is produced in the UK specifically for AVS to our own specifciation and design.

So if anyone out there who knows Eddie, point him over here so we can assist him with some ultimate R & R.

Recently, my step-mother's brand new limited edition Mini-Cooper got stolen from their driveway whilst they are sleeping. If they had installed 6' high timber fencing with good quality gate bolts, they would still have their pride and joy.

The UK planning law says that you need permission for a fence over 2m tall and for 1m tall adjacent to a highway. Normally no notice is normally taken of a trellis added to the top of a 6' fence, so you are most probably safe to do this too.

Tall fences also add privacy and security for children, pets as well as your property.

Did you know why sleepers are called sleepers? Are you ready for this? Well ... according to Wiki Answers - when sleepers were added below the railway lines, the trains ran more smoothly and people fell asleep on their journeys.

One would normally build a railway sleeper retaining wall in your garden to support soil when they need to achieve a rapid change in ground levels usually created by forming a level area for a lawn or building.

The height of your railway sleeper retaining wall will be determined by difference in ground levels.

Most people only need to retain up to 600mm of soil so this is an easy task, which often creates an interesting and attractive feature in the garden.

The method you choose for construction will be influenced by the height.

Sleepers laid horizontally
Sleepers can be either stood on edge, which needs fewer sleepers but will need some additional supports or laid flat which is great for raised beds and lower height walls needing less additional support often just landscaping screws to join the railway sleepers.


Sleepers placed vertically
Great for medium height walls of about 1 metre high using hardwood sleepers

Joining Sleepers
Landscaping screws are great for joining sleepers together they are screwed in without needing pre-drilling and hold sleepers very firmly.

Drainage
It is advisable to place shingle behind the railway sleepers, particularly for taller structures. This can aid the life span of the sleeper and assist drainage, ensuring any water drains to the bottom and doesn’t run out between sleepers. Use a membrane on the back of the sleepers if the shingle is likely to spill through any gaps left between the sleepers.

Health & Safety
Sleepers are heavy and care should be taken when handling. Second-hand sleepers are treated with creosote so skin contact should be avoided. Taller structures may collapse if not constructed properly so if in any doubt consult a qualified engineer.