In the garden budget proposal we agreed to a figure of 4,500 for paths, based on the assumption that we could do the work ourselves. It has since become apparent that this is unlikely to be the case, and at some point towards the end of the construction phase, this work will need to be done quickly by a contractor to access the various buildings.
This proposal, much like the previous two by Team Garden, is based on a period of research that is not really sufficient in terms of being comprehensive. Added to the time constraints was the fact that most of the contractors that we contacted were not in a rush to get back to us for a vaguely defined job at least three years in the future.
As this proposal contains contentious elements, namely a significant amount of money to possibly budget for, we would have liked to have this thread up and running sooner. But it was only very recently that the indefatigable and wonderful @Odile got some replies to her requests…
I wonder if one meter of width is enough? I guess it is not enough for two people to walk side by side, and when someone crosses a person going in the opposite direction one has to stand aside, right?
None of this is a huge deal, just wondering what functionalities we want. Maybe all we care about is the space to push a baby pram or a wheelchair? To give you an idea, the covered passage in my place is 1.04 meters (weird I know).
The reason we went for 1 meter wide paths in the original garden budget was because we read somewhere that it was the appropriate width for wheelchairs, but your source seems much more authoritative
I think that wheelchair accessibility is a given, considering that our philosophy of inclusivity. It doesn’t change the price too much to add 0.2 to the 60 meters of path, as the majority of covered surface is around the bike storage and in front of the access to the common spaces. So an extra 12 square meters, which at the middle rate of the contractor selected would be €1,620. I will adjust the proposal accordingly…
I’m continuing the discussion here, following up on @mieke’s request for more research on ways to lower the budget for the garden paths.
1. Defining the problem
Zooming out a bit, and going back to what was discussed at the plenary meeting:
The problem we are trying to solve is sustainable, esthetic solution for paths in the garden (to avoid muddy feet).
This does not need to happen right after the construction works. I.e. a temporary solution (metal plates?) could be an option.
The biggest constraint seems to be that, if you want a solution that lasts for 20 years, it looks like it’s going to be so labour-intensive (think 100 man hours or more) that it is unlikely that anybody in The Reef will ever want to take this on.
The reason why this is not on the budget presented by the architects, is that this not their responsibility. If ever I write a long post or a book - working title “this could have been freaking clearer from the beginning” - this one will definitely be on my list
2. Possible ways forward
The first thing I would do is set up a mini Helping Circle (think 2-3 people). @Odile would you be willing to continue? And then maybe @els (interested in Team Garden)? Or anybody from @reef-buildfin? And - honouring the participation means power motto - maybe also @mieke? (everybody feel free to say no eh)
Mieke suggested asking other cohousings how they did it. I know there are a couple of people in the group who know people who live in a cohousing, so with a bit of coordination, I imagine it should be possible to find a couple who would be willing to reply?
Another option could be to see whether we can get a quote from the kind of “sharing economy” platforms. Options that I know of include helpper.be and Ring Twice.
And then maybe, I’m wondering, whether it could also be helpful if @mieke has a quick chat with @ChrisM (if he has time). My reasoning would be that a direct discussion between the person bringing the proposal and the person raising the objection may be the most efficient way to get to better understanding of whether this proposal is “researched enough for now” and if not, what are the most efficient ways to meet the need for more information.
3. Making it concrete
At the plenary yesterday I expressed a desire to close the avant-projet and have the GA on the 5th of July.
Of course we’ll take the time needed to come to a solution that works for everybody, but I would be very grateful if we could close this one at the plenary of 25/05. Therefore my request to the people tagged in this post, is whether somebody would be willing to say “yes, I’m willing to lead this helping circle”. If support is needed with that task (coordination aspects) I’d be very happy to help of course.
I can contact some people in Brutopia (and some other people in other cohousings if I get the numbers to call) but I’m afraid that with the end of the academic year exams I need to organise and mark, plus the administrative tasks afterwards, I won’t have the time in June to do much more than that.
I am back tonight very late and I will meet Chris tomorrow, so that I could better understand the reasons why we need to fix a budget at this point. I will revert after that! Hope that is ok.
I have adjusted the line in it that says we need a contractor to do this because of time constraints at a certain point in the project. As I said at the plenary, I think we need a contractor to do this at whichever point it needs doing.
I’ve not made any changes to Mieke’s line saying that we won’t use up all of the allocated budget if we can find a cheaper option.
I’ve contacted Ilot do Spiegel to see what they did, but they haven’t gotten back to me yet.
Odile - did you have any luck contacting Brutopia and other cohousings for more information about what they did?
The answer I got from my contact in Brutopia is : “Hello Odile, I would be happy to forward your question to our architects. Please be aware, however, that we are not satisfied with the path in the garden. The stones are seeping everywhere, and it really isn’t pretty.”
Thanks Odile!
This was my favourite bit:
Brutopia: Hello Odile, I would be happy to forward your question to our architects…
Here’s the response from Ilot de Spiegel:
Hi Chris, early on the process we also hired a garden architect (Floris Steyaert) There were many different expectations for the garden and a limited budget ofcourse so it was a long process in finalizing the plans for the garden Floris recommanded then a contractor to do the garden, so yes a different contractor Tine put a lot of effort in this process. I think she would be happy to share her experience more in detail. Maybe that s useful? But she s on holidays now for another 2 weeks I think She knows a lot more about the expenses as well
Not sure there’s going to be much more we can do before tomorrow’s plenary. And I’m not sue if anyone went a different route other than hiring a contractor to do their paths.
There is a quote in the proposal for €12,960 to go with printed concrete, which might well be a good option. If it gets this proposal consented to, I would be happy to go with that and assume that we will arrive at creative solutions later in the process…
This is the answer I just received for the Spiegel:
“To assess the price of the garden, you should know the local situation and what you want to do in it. Growing vegetables, children’s games, sandbox… In Brussels, the soil is often too polluted. It is therefore possible that the top layer will have to be excavated and new soil added. To build paths, you should know how stable the ground is. So, there are many parameters to assess the price. You can seek advice from a landscape architect or a qualified gardening company. For the Ilot de Spiegel project in Jette, we paid €7,770 to the landscape architect and €100,700 to the gardening company. The garden area is approximately 800 m2. Kind regards”
