Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Building a dry stone bridge. Part 2 - The solitude of place


What property having a stream or small creek on it can't be improved by a dry stone bridge ?

This wooded valley behind the clients house is no exception. The site is a perfect setting for a small footbridge to enable the new owner to get to a previously neglected apple orchard in the open area beyond the woods that he wants to tend and prune.



However there are a few problems to overcome building a stone bridge in such a secluded spot. The solitude of the site requires bringing in most of the stone by wheel barrow and large tree dolly. 


Another issue to consider is that the spot where we are to build the bridge is approximately 30 inches higher on one bank than the other



Big machinery will not be able to get down the foot path to the bridge site, so digging the foundations makes it a labour intensive project from the get go. Trevor and Colin are better than a big old excavator any day.