Revamping a Garden

Maths CBA
INDE
X 1 Title
2 Index
3 Questions
4 Assumptions
Slide
5 No. Topic Starting Garden
6 Goal Garden
7 Steps
8 Area and Peri
9 Cost Q’s
19 Time Q’s
22 General Q’s
28 Total Cost
29 Reflection
30 Appendix
 Questions
● What is the cost of levelling the garden in specific areas?
● Calculate the angle of the steps that are to be added in relation to the existing slope and no. of
required steps?
● What should the depth and height of the steps be for comfortable walking?
● Find the slope and length of the hypotenuse of the steps using PT.
● Find the cost of garden furniture and decorations.
● Measure and fit a fire pit and seating area into the garden.
● What is the cost to plant and upkeep the garden - cutting grass, protecting furniture from weather,
trimming trees, shrubs and plants?
● What is the cost of installing and upkeeping a water feature?
● Calculate how much water is needed for the water feature?
● How much will it cost in fuel to transport the items required for building?
● What is the cheapest way to get the items, delivery or driving and collecting them from a
warehouse.
● What is the cost of painting a garden fence?
 Assumptions

❖ The area that I am working with has 92m² worth of land and a perimeter of 42mx42m

❖ The budget I am giving myself is €40,000 for a full scale revamp of a large garden

❖ The starting garden slope has a run of 42m and a rise of 10m

❖ All lighting used is of a standard grade and will have a standard cost of electricity

❖ The water will need to be replaced once every 4 months in the year in the fountain

❖ For the months during April to Aug I will cut the grass once every week, Sep to March will decrease to
once a month

❖ Further assumptions were made with relation to the question I was solving.
 Slope

Rise

Run

Starting Garden

Rise = Slope Gradient 10 = 5 or 0.2380952381 - 0.2 to 1 decimal place

Run 42 21
 15m

I Pink, Orange, 15
I
I Red, Blue, Pink, 15 I Steps
Slope
10m Elevated Garden Area H= 15.6
10m I Orange, Green I
Rise
Lower Garden Area

15m 12m 15m

Run

Goal Pythagoras' Theorem I Purple, 15 I = a

c² = a² + b² I 15, Orange I = b
c² = 10² + 12² (100+144=244) I Purple, Orange I = c
Find the new slope :
c = √244 c = 15.6204993518 (15.6m)

<Orange, 15, Purple = 90°

Rise = Slope 10 = 5 or 0.8333333333 - 0.8 to 1 decimal place
Run 12 6
 For each question I made I finished it off by

STEP making a large highlighted section with the

total cost to make it easier to get a total cost at
the end. I also highlighted important figures in

S bold. Any products that I was using I made sure

to find real products for accurate gross, net and
delivery costs.

1
Starting my calculations I began with I worked out the price for fencing the garden in relation to
a long but simple task of calculating the general the perimeter next and how much paint I would need,
cost of things in the garden such as furniture, taking into account what surface I’m painting needs a
greenery and decking. Then I moved onto a double coating and that the paint has to be able to
withstand outdoor weathering. I made out calculations for
comparison cost to find out whether it was installing a fountain. I learned a new way to calculate
cheaper to get the items I purchased delivered volume doing this. I worked out the upkeep costs and time
or to collect them myself. calculations for the levelling and filling.

First I made a general layout of my cba by I then made out two basic diagrams to show When finishing the cba I had a relative who taught
looking at what was needed on the template how I wanted the finished garden to look maths check over my work. I will not that I found
myself changing a lot of radically incorrect no.s
I was given and what others had done on from a side view after it had been levelled
while finishing up and forgot to note a couple of
curriculum.ie. and heightened to my preference. I began rough work currency conversions such as the one for
I broke my questions down into 3 making some base calculations to get me the cost of steel. My original price for steel was
categories ; cost, time and then the started such as the area and perimeter. something just of 40k euros!
remaining general calculations.
 Basic Dimensions
Area and 42m x 4 = 168m = Perimeter
Perimeter 92m² = Area

A D

Individual Dimensions

A L=16m W=8m Water Feature

G B B L=10m W=12m Steps
❖ L=(14m including side plants)
E
1cm C L=16m W=8m Planted Walkway
D L=15m W=7m Shed
E L=25m W=12m Planted Hill
F L=17m W=9m Fire Pit
G L=3m W=12m Stream
C
F RED BOUNDARY - Perimeter
ORANGE SQUARES - 90 degree corner
 Costs
Find the cost of garden furniture and fencing. Total Cost
153m² worth of wood decking for fire pit floor
Whiteriver Ultrashield Teak Decking - Midleton CO-OP €211.30 delivery, hire van, fuel on collection +
14cm wide and 400cm long per plank €2008.60 + €270.80 + €706.86 + €689.84 +
17m(length of area)/0.14m(width of plank) = 121 planks €32,726.84 + €50 =
9m(width of area)/4m(length of plank) = 2 €36,664.24
121 x 2 = 242 planks needed total

● €8.30 per plank €8.30 x 242 = €2008.60 Total + € 25 delivery

● €270.80 for hanging basket chair at The Range + €11.63 for delivery
● €706.86 for fire pit at TR /\ + €11.72
● €689.84 for garden seating set at TR + free delivery
● €350.77 for 1.8m worth of fencing at TR, 168m perimeter. 93.3 lots of fencing needed + pickup only

350.77 x 93.3 = €32,726.84 for fencing at TR

● €50 for various plants and shrubs at Gardens For You + €12.95 delivery
 What is the cheapest way to get the items : delivery, or driving and collecting them from a warehouse?

Delivery of the items comes to a total of €61.30, if I drive myself to pick up the furniture from the stores I would have to hire a
van.

The van I found costs €137.45 / day, giving myself 2 days to get everything that’s already €274.9 extra. Though I’d need to hire
a van for the fencing regardless.

The fencing would only take a day to transport myself so I’ll total the paying for delivery cost at €187.03 and continue working
on collecting them myself.

I would have to travel 121 km, first to cork airport from my house to collect the van, then to the range and back to my house for
the planks, back up to the range for the other garden furniture and then finally to the co-op store.

There is no gardens4you near me so I would still have to get delivery for that.

The diesel price (accounting the car and van switch) comes to €41.65 which is (0.33c/km).

Total cost for collection is €274.90 (van) + €41.65 (fuel) = €316.55

Total cost for delivery + fence collection (€12.55 on fuel) is €12.55 + €61.30 + €137.45 = €211.30

Delivery works out €105.25 cheaper than collection

 What is the cost of painting a garden fence?

❖ The fence I installed previously is 1.8m tall and has a total unfolded length of 168m.
❖ The surface area of one plank is 14cm x 400cm = 5600cm².
❖ 1.8m = 1 lot, 93.3 lots of wood were used total.
❖ 1.8/0.14 = 12.8571428571 planks per lot. Round that to 13 planks.
❖ 13 x 93.3 = 1212.9 planks total, round to 1213 planks.
❖ 1213x5600cm²=6792800cm²/679.28 m2 worth of paint needed to cover the whole fence.
❖ I will be using Ronseal 2.5 Litre Garden Paint Daisy from Woodies
❖ (€5 for delivery or 25.2km driving which costs €5.24).
❖ Paint Quantities website gave the estimate that 2.5L would cover 32m 2 worth of surface - wood primer
and undercoat.
❖ 679.28/32=21.2275 cans of paint. Since it’s paint I will need to round up to 22 cans because if I
rounded down I would be short some paint. The cost of the paint is €20 per 2.5L, 20x22=€440.

Total Cost
Cost Efficient Method of Getting the paint
was delivery - €5
€440 + €5 = €445
 What is the cost of installing and upkeeping a water feature?
For the water feature I am going to pour cement into a mold of a hollow cube with the dimensions shown on the image (slide 14).
From that I will calculate the amount and cost of cement needed, and the amount and cost of water to fill it, and how
often I would change that water for a yearlong cost. Outdoor fountains also require electricity to pump the water around
and create “the infinite flow” so I will calculate the amount of electricity needed per year for the fountain.

To calculate the volume of cement need I will break up the fountain into metaphorical cubes, each with 10cm³ worth of
volume. These are shown on slide 15. The total volume of cement I need to buy is 5.74 Litres. At woodies, they sell 25kg
worth of cement for €7, that’s 28c per kg. 25kg worth of cement is equivalent to 16.6L. For maximum cost efficiency, I
will find the lowest possible amount needed.

25kg = 16.6L 5.74/0.664 = 8.64457831325kg (8.6kg)

25 25 I have to round up the 8.6kg to 9 because, again, can’t buy 8 and a half
1kg = 0.664L and be left needing more. 9 x €0.28 = €2.52

Now, calculating the volume of water needed to fill the bowl I had to use a website which gave me the formula for finding the
Volume of a Bowl : ((4 / 3) × π × r3) - ((1 / 3) × π × h2 ((3 × r) - h)), adding the relevant no.s :
((4 / 3) × π × 353) - ((1 / 3) × π × 402 ((3 × 30) - 40)) = 70685.8347cm³ or 70.6858L
I will change this water once every 4 months meaning I would need 70.7 x 4 = 282.8L of hose water per year. The Irish water
services charge €43.76 per year on Water Service Charges (for businesses but I’ll pretend it’s residential use for math) within Band
1’s usage - <1000m3 or 1 million litres!
Submersible water pumps for most fountains use between 2.5 and 23 watts, which translates to
just €2.90 on up to €24.10 per year for non-stop operation.
For later calculations I will price the electricity use by the average of the 2 estimates I found
2.90+24.10=27/2= €13.50

Total Cost
2.52 + 43.76 + 13.50 = €59.78
 Front Side Top

1.4m

0.3m

2m
0.6m 0.25m

0.3m

1.4m 0.3m 0.7m

Light blue circle - Radius : 2.5cm Diameter : 5cm Area : π (r)² π(2.5)² = 19.63495 (19.63cm²)
Dark blue - Height : 40cm
Red - Radius 35cm Area = 1/2π(35)² 1/2π(35)² 1/2π(1225) = 1924.23cm²
1 box = 10cm³

Red Section
LxWx3
7 x 14 = 98
98 x 3 = 294
294 x 10 = 2,940cm³

Blue Section
20 x 14 = 280
280 x 10 = 2,800cm³

Total
2,940cm³ + 2,800cm³ =
5740cm³ - 5.74 Liters

To change cubic centimeters to Litres,

divide by 1000
What is the cost to upkeep the garden : cutting grass, protecting furniture from weather, trimming trees,
shrubs and plants?

Slide 17 shows that I have 1,030m2 of grass in the garden. For this calculation, I will assume:
1. I have a lawnmower that runs on petrol
2. I will cut the grass every Sunday using an avg time for mowing: 1 hour per 1350m 2 of grass

1350 = 60 (mins) 1350=100%

1350 1350
1 = 0.04 1 x 1030 = 1030 0.04 x 1030 = 45.78 / 46min 48sec
45.78 x 52 = 2380.56mins/year or 39.676hr / 39hr 40min 34sec

Research into fuel burned with mowers estimated that mowing the grass burns half a gallon of petrol per hour, to write this is L, I multiply
the volume value by 3.785 = 1.89L/hr. The avg price for petrol in Ireland from January to may was €1.81/L.
1.81 x 1.89= €3.21 x 52 (weeks in a year) = €166.92 / year

To protect my furniture from the weather I would need a tarp for the firepit, waterproof cushions for the seating area and a way to tie down
the furniture for storms (assuming I can’t just bring them inside). The firepit’s dimensions are FILL so for a tarp I would need something
that covers the top and sides of the pit. FIND tARP WITH DIMENS.
My nearest IKEA is in Dublin, which is 2hr 42min, 271 km away. This drive would cost me €58.35 on fuel alone. The cushions I found
were of good quality and costed €40 each with €10 delivery.

VAT is 23%. Using my own garden furniture, I would need 11 cushions, 11x40=€444 exc VAT.
444=100% 4.44=1%
444/100=4.44 4.44x123= €546.12 INC VAT + €10 = €556.12
An easy way to tie down garden furniture during a storm is tying it to a nearby strong tree with a bungee cord. I would
need to tie down a table, a garden couch and a hanging basket. I will assume that since the firepit is inbuilt into the
ground that it won’t be going anywhere. I will also assume that I have a strong tree to tie them to at the corners of the
patio area. I found a 10m cord at Decathlon in Ballymun, next to IKEA.

€15 VAT inc + €5.99 delivery. €20.99 Total.

My local hardware store is a 5 min drive away. I’m going to be buying a shrub shearer with a cost of €40.95 exc VAT.
On the site it gives me the value of the item with tax added - €50.37, I am going to calculate the percentage of VAT
that was added.

VAT = 50.37 - 40.95=9.42

9.42 x 100 = 6280 or 23.003663% (23%)
40.95 x 1 273

Total Cost

20.99 + 50.37 + 166.92 + 556.12 = €794.40

 5 Calculating the Area of Grass
Sections A - H have no grass on them.

A B 4 The top section of the garden can be broken down into 6

3 rectangles as shown in pink.
1 6
1 - 13x4=52m2 4 - 7x2=14m2
2 2 - 5x38=190m2 5 - 42x2=84m2
3 - 5x8=40m2 6 - 17x1=17m2
Total : 397m 2

The midsection of the garden can be broken down into 1

C rectangle
F D E 25x12=300m2

The lower section can be broken down into 7 rectangles

1 as shown in blue
2 1 - 3x42=126m2 5 - 8x2=16m2
2 - 2x22=44m2 6 - 2x42=84m2
3 4 3 - 4x3=12m2 7 - 1x24=24m2
5 G H
4 - 3x9=27m2 Total : 333m2
Grand Total : 1,030m2
7
6 1030 x 100 = 58.39% of the garden is covered in
1764 1 grass. 100-58=42% is covered by
adfasdfsadfafregdxfmy added amenities
Time
How long will levelling and raising the garden in specific areas take?

From the starting garden I want to level out the top and bottom section, I want to raise the
remaining area between this levelled land to make a steep slope with steps. There is a total of
1260m² to be levelled and 504m² to be raised.

Hypothetically I would be using a shovel and soil for this.

Starting with the bottom of the garden which needs to be lowered.
The highest point of this lower section is 3.5m tall.
The higher section of the garden needs soil to be added.
And the mid-section needs to be both decreased at the lower end and raised at the higher end to
make a steeper slope.
Zones in pink need raising and zones in orange need levelling.
Red, L Blue, Green is the original garden slope
Once remodeled it is broken down into 3 : L Blue, Red, Yellow, 15 and 15, Yellow, 27 and a straight
angle from 27 to 42.
I’m breaking down the process for each meter by meter. EG. From 0 - 1 it will take me approx 1 minute to add
soil to a volume per m³. Then I multiply the time by length - 1 x 42 and see the first row of soil filling will take
42 minutes. As I move along (1-2, 2-3 etc) I will increase filling/levelling time by 1 minute (decimals if needed) and
then adjust this process for 15, Yellow, 27
Multiplying Mins and Secs - Fill Raised Section and Multiplying Mins and Secs - Fill and Level Raised Mid
Level Lower Section (Same Time as It’s Flipped) Area (Same Time as Its Just Flipped)

➔ 5sx42=3mins 30secc ➔ 3.05x42=2hr 9min 30sec

➔ 15sx42=10mins 30sec ➔ 2.55x42=2hr 2min 30sec
➔ 30sx42=21mins ➔ 2.15x42=1hr 34min 30sec
➔ 45sx42=31mins 30 secs ➔ 1.30x42=1hr 3min
➔ 1x42=42mins ➔ 1x42=42min
➔ 1.15x42=52mins 30secs ➔ 0.15x42=10min 30sec
➔ 1.30x42=1hr 5mins
TOTAL: 7hrs 42mins
➔ 1.45x42=1hr 13mins 30secs
➔ 2x42=1hr 24mins
➔ 2.15x42=1hr 34mins 30secs
➔ 2.20x42=1hr 38mins
Total Time
➔ 2.45x42=1hr 54mins 30 sec
➔ 3x42=2hr 6mins 22hrs 22mins 30secs + 7hrs 42mins =
➔ 3.15x42=2hr 16mins 30 secs 28hrs 4mins 30secs / 1 day 6hrs 4.5mins
➔ 3.25x42=2hr 23mins 30 secs

TOTAL: 22hrs 22mins 30 secs or

10 hrs 11 mins 15 secs over two days
 General
Calculations
What should the depth and height of the steps be for comfortable walking?
For garden steps, studies have show that the rise should be no more than 15 centimetres high and at least 30 centimetres deep.
Landscape architect Thomas D. Church theorem states : twice the height of the rise plus the depth should equal 66.04 centimetres
.
- For my steps I will give them a height of 10.55cm and a depth of 36.84cm
Applying the Theorem 1 : 10.55cm x 2 = 21.1cm + 36.84cm = 57.94
- My first measurements were 8.1cm short of the requirements, so I will add 8.1 to the depth
36.84 + 8.1 = 44.94cm
- Applying the Theorem 2 : 10.55cm x 2 = 21.1cm + 44.94cm = 66.04cm

My step measurements should be 10.55cm tall and have a depth of 44.94cm, other measurements are shown on slide 23.
44.94x44.94=2019.6036cm³ is the amount of cubic meters if the step was 1cm tall.
Next I will multiply 2019.6 by the height to get the total volume of cement needed.
2019.6036cm x 10cm = 20196.036cm³
Looking back on my previous cement calculation I know that it costs 28c
per kg and that 1kg = 0.664L.

I need to convert 20196.036cm³ to L so I will divide it by 1000 to get

20.196036L
0.664 x 20.2 = 13.4128kg
This has to be rounded up to 14kg
28 x 14 = €3.92 worth of cement
 Front on and Side View

The frontal and side view of the step is the same. 1 cube is 1cm³

Slope

1 cube is 1m³. Each step is just

under half a meter long with a
little bit of extra room for a gap
in between each step. The slope
goes through 12m³ so it will
need 12x2= 24 steps. Multiply
Top Down View 24 by 3 as each row of steps
has 3 in it and the total number
of steps needed is 72.
For convenience I have made the step a perfect square. I
will have three of the above step next to each other per
each step. I will calculate the amount of cement needed
again. 1 cube is 1cm³
 Measure and fit a fire pit and seating area into the garden.

The firepit I am using is has the following dimensions: Total Cost

● Height: 54cm
● Width: 91cm
● Depth: 91cm €784.94

❖ Ordering it from The Range cost a total of €1,720.66 I am going to find out if it is worth it to buy and fill a ‘perfect and
conveniently sized invisible mold’ with cement.
❖ First I need to calculate the volume of steel needed - 172L.
❖ While researching steel prices I couldn’t find anywhere to buy it in bulk so I ended up having to use a general estimate
which gave me the price $232 per 907.185kg of steel.
❖ The total cost of the steel is €335.40
❖ Woodies sell raw steel which would have to be melted down into crude steel. By my research, the price of having raw
steel melted down is €449.54 and very time consuming.
❖ The total cost is €784.94 - €935.72 cheaper than buying it but still very difficult

❖ The diagram on the right shows the patio area that I would be installing the pit
Into. 1 cube : 1m².

❖ The pit’s measurements state that its surface area is 91x91=8281cm² or 0.8m²
meaning that it would take up a little under 1m² as shown on the cubes
Frontal / Side View of firepit Top Down View of firepit

1 cube = 1cm³. This pit is made of steel so I will calculate the volume of The center is blacked out because the fire actually
steel needed for the pit and compare the price to buying the pit premade needs to sit into the pit, I’ve given the pit section a
from the Range. The red square is the pit section in the inside. height of 20cm. 1 cube is 1cm³
 2

1 4

Multiplying the total on the right by the height If I break the top down view into the 4 blue
3180 x 54 = 171720cm³ or 171.72L worth of steel needed rectangles shown, then I must only multiply it by the
$232 per 907.185kg of steel. (currency conversion s28) height.
907.185kg = €223.08
907.185 907.185 1 - 15x91=1365cm³ 3 Same as 2
1kg = €0.25 2 - 15x15=225cm³ 4 Same as 1
0.25 x 1341.6 = €335.40 Total : 3180cm³ or 3.18L
Showing conversion of 171.72L of steel to 1341.6kg and currency conversion of USD to EUR
pricing on the steel

Have Need 1.04x = (232)(1)

$ € x = 232 = €223.08
232 x 1.04
1.04 1

1kg of steel = 0.128L

171.72/0.128 = 1341.5625kg
 Results : Over-All
Cost
€36,664.24 (garden furniture, fencing and delivery)
€445 (fence paint)
€59.78 (installation and upkeep of a water feature)
€3.92 (step cement)
€784.94 (steel and tools)
€794.40 (lawn mower fuel, furniture protection and trimmer)

€38,752.28
The revamp worked out €1,247.72 less than my set budget
 Conclusion

In this investigation of the cost, time, and effort needed to do a full scale revamp of a large garden I
answered a variety of questions and used many different and relevant mathematical processes. The
processes I used were, in order of appearance ;

➔ Rise over Run = Slope ➔ Area of a cuboid

➔ Pythagoras’ Theorem = Hypotenuse ➔ CM cubed to L
➔ Area + Perimeter of a rectangle ➔ VAT to be added
➔ Distance to Fuel Price ➔ VAT %
➔ 2nd Stage of Linear Eqs ➔ Time - Multiplication, Addition and Conversion
➔ Volume of a bowl ➔ Step Height Theorem
➔ Area of a circle ➔ Currency conversion

Using cost effectiveness with every purchase I was able to stay within a fair budget at my total cost.
I hope that you find this CBA well encompassing and informative. Thank you for reading this report.
 Reflections

I feel I made a well encompassing CBA that covered many actual issues that you would be faced with when
revamping a garden of this size.
If I were to redo this CBA I would go more in depth in certain calculations and try to account for more
possible difficulties such as product unavailability and searching for the best priced store, the nearest or
highest rated.
I found keeping track of my sources the most difficult as I would sometimes cite a source that I hadn’t pulled
any info from just because I had the website open and then have to remove it. It was also difficult to
remember to take not of each site I used while investigating.
I revised many topics in my maths that I had forgotten and I found that this helped me revise for my summer
exams a bit.
I feel that I layed out my workings well and that I was able to convey my calculations to a good standard.
I definitely learned a lot from this CBA in relation to factors that you need to consider when purchasing
something and the overall pricing of things that I wouldn’t have known about for a long time if I had not done
this CBA.
 Appen
dix
Liquid Steel Woodies Delivery Steel Weight to Volume
FirePit Paint Per Area Van Rental
Avg Garden Size Garden Paint Step Height
Decking Cement Steel
Hanging Basket Cement Weight to Litres Steel Price
Co-Op Delivery Bowl Volume Woodies Steel
Garden Seating Set Irish Water Charges
Fountain Reference Fountain Electricity
Fencing Fuel Per Hour
Various Flower Seeds Waterproof Cushion
All Distances Bungee Cord
Fuel Cost Shrub and Tree Clipper