Island Project

[txdon]

Finishing the Island is my next project.

The concept: was to build a bridge to the Island and put some kind of rustic structure on it with a roof and a stone or deck floor. I knew the trees would probably die but let them stay anyways.

The problem: all the old trees died and need to be removed. The Island needs to be raised about 2 feet. (The water rises to the bottom of the bridge and the Island goes underwater when the level of the water is at the spillway.)

I will be working with my tractor to fix the problems and will taking photos along the way. This will take about 6 months and I will keep posting photos with the progress.

This will be fun, and as always any suggestions or commits are welcomed. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The first pic is from the bridge side. Hand rails still need to be added.

 

[txdon]

Photo taken from the dam. The water level is low.

 

[txdon]

This will be the side of the Island where I will attempt to access to add the fill dirt on top of the Island. I have already started to stock pile the dirt on the left side of the photo.

 

[TORQUIN]

So I guess you are going to first build a bridge for the tractor to the island by piling dirt into the pond at the shortest point between the shore and the island?
I am working on a project similar to this. I am trying to create a pond where only some spring heads exist now. Now that I have sen your post I must think about if I want to leave an island in the middle. That might not go over though, because my pond will probably only be about the size of your island. My island would have to be just big enough to stnd up and turn around on. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Chris

 

[Archdean]

Neat, and sounds like fun the only suggestion I might offer is use rock/stone/etc instead of the dirt you have there as the dirt will absorb the water and forever get worse and worse to traverse to your Island, If rock and etc is avail I would use it and it can be removed with your backhoe and be used as a buttress for your bridge pilings!!

looks great and fun to boot!
Dean

 

[Nilesw]

What did you use to span that long of a distance?? I am looking to do the same thing but I am trying to figure out what to use....

 

[txdon]

Nilesw, the beams used for the long span are about 100 years old and were first used in a old train depot, then an old farm house and finally the bridge. To get the beams from under the old house I had to take the house apart board by board. I used the wood for my barn and will use some more of it on the Island. I would not do it again - too much labor involved. The long part of the bridge has three of the beams and is 20 feet long and 4 feet wide. The second part, on the Island, is about 12 feet long. The bridge decking is treated 2X6s.

For the bridge pilings I first poured a slab 1 1/2 times the footprint of the piling. Then I put re-barb in cinder blocks, drilled holes in the sides of the cinder blocks for more re-barb and filled them with cement. When I got to the top I left some of the re-barb exposed to connect the beams. I put a slight slope on the top cinder block and then tar-paper and then the beams so moister would not collect at the contact area.

I then gathered twelve loads of rock (about 3 miles away) and put them around the Island.

This took about 2 years.

Then the flood came and now it is a year later. I can now start to finish the project.

Wow, this post made me tired. Glad I finally got a tractor to help.

 

[mrcaptainbob]

WOW!, txdon! That looks GREAT!!! All I could see at the end of that great boardwalk is a small stairway to a nice little gazeebo....Something up off the island where the floor would be above highwater. Something on stilts, and let nature have it's way (to a point) with the ground beneath. Great for grandsons to fish from, great to have snacks with grams on a fine summer eve....
(my $.02).

 

[txdon]

Mrcaptainbob, you just might have the winning idea, I can kind of see it also! Now think fun, wow, unique, country, log cabin, cedar, Texas, rustic, cows & tractors, lazy summer days, western. Can you see a design for a structure that looks like it belongs on a rugged Texas ranch instead of in an English garden?

The dam is on the east side of the Island. The Island's high area on the left of the bridge is about 15' north-south and 12' east-west. The structure should be no larger than 10x12. I have 6"x8" beams left over from the old house. We have a month to come up with a design.


I'm already starting to think of the other places on the dam and spillway where the fill dirt can smooth out the eroded areas.

Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[mrcaptainbob]

Most of the gazeebos are usually 'Eglish garden', alright! That's fine in it's place, I guess. I've been monitoring a log house being built up the road. They're doing some very nice things using natures beams. It has a full length front porch and of coarse the verticals are smaller logs than those of the walls.. What's neat are the two on either side of the porch entry steps. They have the natural curve at the base from ground contact and also have a natural curve near the top as to where the larger 'branch'/trunk was taking off. The two match on either side and form a rather nice gentle entry arc. What I'm getting at, is that a real neat looking 'shelter' could be made from similar sized trees, possibly including some of the more stout branches for use as roof supports. Needn't be the standard six sided affair, or even equal length sided for that matter. It could be styled quite nicely to compliment the island shape by using a more oval plan view, or any misshapen perimeter that you would deem attractive. Various but complimentary wood shades could also be used. Something dark for the floor, light for the pillars and ceiling....I enjoy the oddity of sawing floor boards at an angle to the grain. So that alternate boards have the grain 'tips' going opposite each other. An interesting visual when approached from the opposite side. Really stands out when layed in a herringbone fashion.