Filling a hole in a garden

adocholiday · 27-07-2020 6:04pm #1

Hi all,

In our garden there is a massive hole that the previous owner had excavated but did nothing with it. I'd like to get it filled but not really sure where to start. When I say massive it's an irregular shape and depth but at the widest/longest/deepest points it is 7.5m x 11m x 3m so we're not talking about topsoil here.

I'm hoping to not have to spend a fortune either. My garden is a long narrow wooded site and the hole is well hidden. It would just give me some additional functional space where it is. I'm not going to lawn it or anything so a high quality finish isn't essential. Just basically looking for it to be filled. Any ideas?

Lumen · 27-07-2020 7:11pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQy89tZ-mRU

adocholiday · 27-07-2020 7:23pm

Not a bad idea! As far as I know the previous owner was hoping to put an underground garage in there but the planners wouldn't allow it! I'm less ambitious

punisher5112 · 27-07-2020 7:24pm

Swimming pool?

adocholiday · 27-07-2020 7:39pm

I wasn't quite aiming to put something into it, I was thinking more along the lines of boulders and gravel etc but I can't really find anything in the volumes I need.

JimmyMW · 28-07-2020 9:08am

adocholiday wrote: »

Hi all,

In our garden there is a massive hole that the previous owner had excavated but did nothing with it. I'd like to get it filled but not really sure where to start. When I say massive it's an irregular shape and depth but at the widest/longest/deepest points it is 7.5m x 11m x 3m so we're not talking about topsoil here.

I'm hoping to not have to spend a fortune either. My garden is a long narrow wooded site and the hole is well hidden. It would just give me some additional functional space where it is. I'm not going to lawn it or anything so a high quality finish isn't essential. Just basically looking for it to be filled. Any ideas?

Can the area be accessed by machinery, ie tracked excavator, dumpers etc, if not it will be very expensive. You should have no problem getting sub-soil to fill

awec · 28-07-2020 11:40am

JimmyMW wrote: »

Can the area be accessed by machinery, ie tracked excavator, dumpers etc, if not it will be very expensive. You should have no problem getting sub-soil to fill

You would imagine so as I doubt he dug that hole by hand in the first place.

looksee · 28-07-2020 12:05pm

Could you approach skip hire companies and offer them somewhere to dump dug out subsoil, gravel, etc. You would probably need to be very specific about what you will accept.

JimmyMW · 28-07-2020 1:05pm

awec wrote: »

You would imagine so as I doubt he dug that hole by hand in the first place.

we have no idea, could have been dug out before the house was built by the previous owner and the house now prevents access

adocholiday · 28-07-2020 2:00pm

Thanks all, yes there is direct access to it from the drive, a truck would just need to back in and can drop all off no problem. Good idea on the skip hire company suggestion!

Lumen · 28-07-2020 2:25pm

I can't help thinking that filling the hole is missing an incredible landscaping/gardening opportunity. That size hole is really expensive. And non-planning compliant, but it's probably beyond the enforcement period.

With some imagination it could be a spooky woodland hollow with all sorts of shade-loving plants, tree roots growing through the sides, fire pits and altars for human sacrifice. There is no limit but imagination.

punisher5112 · 28-07-2020 5:52pm

Lumen wrote: »

I can't help thinking that filling the hole is missing an incredible landscaping/gardening opportunity. That size hole is really expensive. And non-planning compliant, but it's probably beyond the enforcement period.

With some imagination it could be a spooky woodland hollow with all sorts of shade-loving plants, tree roots growing through the sides, fire pits and altars for human sacrifice. There is no limit but imagination.

Or a big pond.....

28-07-2020 6:01pm

He could start a fish farm. :P

CelticRambler · 28-07-2020 6:14pm

Lumen wrote: »

I can't help thinking that filling the hole is missing an incredible landscaping/gardening opportunity. That size hole is really expensive. And non-planning compliant, but it's probably beyond the enforcement period.

With some imagination it could be a spooky woodland hollow with all sorts of shade-loving plants, tree roots growing through the sides, fire pits and altars for human sacrifice. There is no limit but imagination.

I know some of that is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but you're right about it being a great opportunity. I have plans to dig three such holes in my garden over the coming year, two of which will be filled with water and one is/was/might-still-be a sort of amphitheatre fire-pitty terraced garden kind of thing (plan was slightly derailed by realising that the intended site is possibly the best place in the garden for growing potatoes and onions).

Calahonda52 · 28-07-2020 6:46pm

adocholiday wrote: »

Hi all,

In our garden there is a massive hole that the previous owner had excavated but did nothing with it. I'd like to get it filled but not really sure where to start. When I say massive it's an irregular shape and depth but at the widest/longest/deepest points it is 7.5m x 11m x 3m so we're not talking about topsoil here.

I'm hoping to not have to spend a fortune either. My garden is a long narrow wooded site and the hole is well hidden. It would just give me some additional functional space where it is. I'm not going to lawn it or anything so a high quality finish isn't essential. Just basically looking for it to be filled. Any ideas?

Any chance of a few pictures.
.
I would be concerned about skip hire as they may not sort the waste before hand so you could end up with all sorts of crap.

The other concern is the water table and what impact filling it with soil will have on the water table around your house?

Is there any water in it now?
Did you get a survey done before you bought?

One idea is to drop a few few precast concrete tanks in there, maybe 50,000 litres and then get some solar thermal panels to heat it and use a heat pump to heat your house.
The COP would be off the scale.:D

Lumen · 28-07-2020 6:59pm

Now that is an interesting idea.

The heat capacity of that volume is almost exactly one million kJ per C.

looksee · 28-07-2020 7:06pm

I have a considerably more modest hole, but still a good size (about 8m x 5m), after having removed an above ground swimming pool that was dug into a hillside on three sides, its about a meter deep most of the way round going to level for a short bit (perfect access), and is dead level with a good base already there. It was already in a nice sheltered area as a pool, so its going to be a sunken terrace/sun trap. Looking forward to sorting it.

I have to agree that a kind of quarry garden would be great fun to create in that ginormous hole.

MrMusician18 · 28-07-2020 7:16pm

Lumen wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQy89tZ-mRU

I've always thought what he did was extremely dangerous. A steel lined bunker will absorb oxygen and if it is not continuously ventilated will become a hypoxic environment.

The actual construction too is also questionable.

adocholiday · 28-07-2020 8:07pm

Thanks all. I've done an imgur album here with descriptions of each photo which should help. https://imgur.com/a/kKLmxBj

Thanks for the suggestions about re-purposing it rather than filling it in. We've thought about it but honestly the garden is huge already with loads of different levels to it, this is just one part of it and with the driveway coming up along it we want to make it just something nicer to look at. Not looking to lawn it off or anything, not sure what the end finish will be but we definitely want it filled in.

Happy to answer anything else on it!

CelticRambler · 28-07-2020 8:27pm

I'm jealous. Seriously!

With all the vegetation you have around it, especially those ferns, that's a great feature. Would be a real shame to fill it in.

I'd build a zig-zagging wooden staircase and gallery around it and down into it, and then probably some kind of gravelled/paved area at the bottom with either a fire pit or a decent piece of garden sculpture in it. With clever lighting, standing at the bottom looking up, you could create a space with a real "cathedral" feel with those trees towering way above you ...

Definitely too good a hole to waste on landfill!

looksee · 28-07-2020 8:55pm

I'm lusting after all those ferns - give me a shout if you are going to chuck landfill on top of them would you OP?

adocholiday · 28-07-2020 9:12pm

The idea of the firepit/sunken garden is something that we considered but we're planning on doing that on the upper level. I've added one more image to the album showing that. The 'cathedral' feel when surrounded by all the trees is amazing in the location that the chairs are in currently.

Someone also asked a question about the water table, our site is elevated so I don't think we'll have any issues in that regard. Sometimes water pools in the bottom of the hole but only after loads of rain. I think it's more due to poor drainage than the water table though. The heat pump idea now there's a suggestion but we only spent a fortune last year putting oil heating in! The house is only C rated too so we opted for the oil over a heat pump.

Calahonda52 · 28-07-2020 10:05pm

Ok on the water table question, good to know.
.
Back to the heat-pump idea: sell the heat to your neighbours or rent the space to them for their heat pump, the COP with enough panels would be savage.
So a 35,000 litre initial tank and a 15,000 litre buffer tank, insulated, using night rate, it would be like winning the lotto!

the_pen_turner · 28-07-2020 10:29pm

i would definetly be looking to do something benifitial with it. use it as landscaping in the garden etc. it could make a really cool seating area that would be super cosy and secluded. put a wall around it to hold back the ground and pave it.

if you are going to fill it in i would look at adding a few rainwater tanks etc in , maybe a sunken trampoline or pool etc

if you really want filling then i would contact a few local building companies and offer them a place to put their waste blocks or old concrete etc

Filling a hole in a garden

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