LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION Ht084

LEARN SOUND LANDSCAPING TECHNIQUES

COURSE STRUCTURE

There are ten lessons as follows:

1. Tools and Machinery

• Manual Handling
• Materials used for Constructing Tools and Equipment; ferrous metals, non ferrous metals
• Safety with Electricity
• Engine Troubleshooting
• Machine Maintenance
• Types of Machines
• Chainsaws: safety, buying, using
• Brushcutters
• Earthmoving and Cultivating Equipment; rotary hoes, ploughs, cultivators, etc 
• Workshop and Hand Tools; spanners, chisels, hacksaws etc
• Hand saws, Rakes, Spades, Shovels, Rollers, Wheelbarrows, Sprasyers, etc

2. Landscape Plans and Setting out a Construction Site

• Reading Landscape Plans, Scale, etc
• Understanding and Using Triangulation
• Slope, Contouring, Grid Systems

3. Drainage in Landscape Construction

• Introduction to Drainage
• Testing Drainage
• Improving Drainage
• Improving Soil Water Infiltration
• Improving Drainage after construction; sand slitting, aerating, sub soiling
• Sub Surface Drains; types, layout, outlet, gradients, pipe spacing, etc
• Surface Drainage
• Soil Testing; testing nutrients, pH, toxins

4. Earthworks

• Levelling terminology
• Levelling Procedure
• Levelling a Sloping Site
• Earthmoving
• Earthmoving Machinery; Bobcat, Backhoe, Dozer
• Use an Experienced Driver
• Topsoil Considerations
• Earth Forming: creating Mounds
• Building Raised Garden Beds
• Earth Quantity Calculation
• Soil Degradation
• Erosion; water erosion, wind erosion, controlling erosion
• Soil Acidification Management
• Managing Soil Compaction
• Managing Chemical Residues

5. Surfaces, Paths, Paving and Turf

• Introduction
• Surfaces for Play Areas
• Concrete; concrete, cement, mortar, variations in treatment and use
• Loose Surfacing Materials: advantages and disadvantages
• Bark Surfaces, Crushed tiles, pebbles, etc
• Paths; concrete, asphalt, etc
• Paving; laing pavers, setting out circular paving, curved paving, edges to paving
• Lawns and Turf; shape, design, establishment
• Garden Edges
• Playing Field Construction
• Sand Based Technology
• Constructing Steps

6. Construction of Garden Structures I

• Buildings in a Garden; gazebos, verandahs, storage buildings, cubbies, etc
• Where to build a building
• Floors and Foundations for Buildings
• Walls; brick construction, coping, expansion joints, etc
• Fencing
• Retaining Walls
• Wooden Walls
• Construction with Rock or Masonry; dry walls, wet walls
• Home Playgrounds
• Using Timber in the Garden
• Differences between Softwood and Hardwood

7. Construction of Garden Structures II

• Compost Bins
• Traditional Features: gazebos, statues, gates, arches, sundials, bird baths, urns, tubs, pergolas, pleached alleys, etc
• Wooden Decks
• Constructing a Deck
• Greenhouse and Shadehouse; types, construction, installation
• Water Features; Waterproofing, keeping water clean
• Landscaping a pond
• Tennis Courts
• Spas
• Rockery Construction
• Artificial Rock Formation
• Mulching Rockeries
• Garden Furniture
• Lighting in the Garden

8. Irrigation Systems

• Planning an Irrigation System
• Types of Systems: sprinkler, drip, automatic, etc
• Using and Maintaining an Irrigation System

9. Establishing Hedges and Other Plants

• Factors affecting successful plant establishment
• Physical Plant Protection Methods
• Hedges; site preparation, plant selection, spacing, planting, pruning, hedge maintenance

10. Workplace Safety and Management of Landscape Construction Work

• Risk Management on a Landscape Construction Site
• The Risks
• Keeping a Work Site Safe
• Duty of CareSignificance of Illness
• Protective Clothing
• Safety with Tools and Equipment
• Safety with electricity and different types of equipment
• Tool Maintenance 

Duration: 100 hours

AIMS

• Manage equipment for landscape construction projects, including tools and machinery.
• Determine earthworks for a landscape development.
• Plan the construction of different landscape structures including buildings, fences, and walls.
• Manage the installation of a simple irrigation system in gardens.
• Determine construction techniques for different building or installing different garden features; including paving, water gardens, rockeries and furnishings.
• Determine techniques for creating soft landscaping.
• Manage work being undertaken on a landscape construction site.

WHAT YOU MAY DO IN THIS COURSE

• Compare the quality and cost of a range of different tools and machinery used in landscape construction.
• Identify tools and machinery used in everyday work by landscape constractors.
• Explain appropriate uses for different tools and machinery on a landscape construction site.
• Prepare landscape plans for a number of landscape sites
• Research and report on marking out boundaries in construction sites
• Describe how to locate contours
• Determine the fall of existing drains, and identify appropriate falls, spacing and depths of drains
• Observe and report on earth moving equipment in operation
• Survey a site and recommend earthworks necessary
• Examine surfacing materials for paths, gardens, etc and determine the appropriate landscaping function of each.
• Assess the construction of a range of different existing landscape features
• Describe preparation of foundations for a specified garden structure, for a specific site.
• Design a rockery.
• Contact a range of suppliers of landscape materials and compare the products available in your locality.
• Identify materials needed to install an irrigation system for a site selected by you.
• Prepare plans of irrigation systems
• Research which species of plants are suitable for hedging in your locality
• Outline how to effectively transplant an existing tree
• Prepare a detailed risk assessment for a landscape construction site
• Identify safe working practices for a landscape construction site
• Determine a list of work tasks to be undertaken on a landscape construction site. Develop a time frame for completion of the entire project