A New Gate

A new Gate

OH decided to take the planks off the old fence panel and make new cross beams, using some wood we already had, thus preserving the length of the old beams for future use.

The almost finished gate; the last plank was attached after hanging the gate to ensure a good fit. A cross brace was also added to the back of the gate:

And hung in place:

Added bonus - a picture of my dog!

He has also added a 'threshhold' - he attached some netting to a plank and then buried the mesh in the soil across the gateway, leaving the plank level with the surface. 

There is no way any rabbits can get through from our side of the garden fence! Unfortunately, that doesn't stop them coming in from the recreation ground J

Patio Update

Patio Update

Just a few photos from tonight's work J

We managed to pull out the ancient wheelbarrow frame:

The bonfire pile is now humungous! It is about 5 feet high and at least 20 feet long:

The elder bushes have been dug out and the undergrowth cut back as far as the fence. I'm not sure yet whether I will remove everything along the fence, or leave it as a privacy screen.

Seating, or Eating?

Seating or Eating?

When starting a new patio, the question has to be addressed as to where to start - should we start with the eating area (ie the outdoor kitchen), or the seating area?

I guess it might depend on how late in the year it is, where the relevant sections are to be placed, and what you want to use it for. To address these questions in order:

1. It is already July; do I plan to use the patio this year, or am I willing to wait until next year? If I build the kitchen, where will we sit? If I build the seating area, where will we prepare the food? Obviously, the food can be prepared in the house, which suggests that the seating area would be better done before the eating area.

2. The eating area is at the opposite corner from the new steps; does it make better sense to do an adjacent section; or the section that is furthest away? In order that the measurements fit properly, it makes more sense to create the adjacent area first - and that is the seating area.

3. This is similar to the first question, in a way: will I want to eat or sit? Again, I can prepare food indoors, so sitting is the better option.

Seating area it is then J

Having addressed the question where to start, we set about it immediately. This is the area before we started:

Looking from the new steps towards the fence bordering the recreation ground. Fence? What fence?

Looking along the fence to the west

We attacked the elderberry bushes, nettles, and brambles with a vengeance. Some of the nettles were 7 or 8 feet high (OH is 6 feet):

Hard to see against the trees in the background, but it's higher than OH by a foot or two

We found some interesting bits and pieces in the undergrowth (why do they call it UNDERgrowth, when it grows OVER everything??) For a start, there was an old wheelbarrow - well, the frame and wheel. It is still stuck amongst the roots and brambles, so no photo yet I'm afraid. There was also an old post, rotten at the base and 8 feet high, that had marked an earlier boundary between this area and the next:

Still a long way to go, but the finished result so far:

J

Stepping up

Stepping up

We have made a start on the patio. It might not look like much, but it is just the beginning. So we have laid the steps that take you from the future patio into the section behind the garages and along into the vegetable garden. I wasn’t sure if the steps should be 6 feet wide, or 4 feet. When we started laying the slabs, it was clear that 4 feet was going to be enough, especially as there will also be a ramp alongside them, for the purpose of getting the wheelbarrow from one part to another.

I measured what was going to go where and laid a row of bricks across the front. The slab will sit on these, with compacted soil behind. These bricks are laid on their edge, making the riser 4.5" plus the 2" of the step. The area at the bottom of the steps will be laid with some kind of paving (still to be decided), which will be 1.5" deep, making the actual height of the step 5":

I had to ensure they were level, of course:

The first slab was laid, overhanging the bricks slightly at the front: 

Quickly followed by a second:

A second riser was added - i.e. another row of bricks. These were placed along the rear edge of the slabs and laid flat, making the riser 5" like the lower step (3" brick plus 2" slab). Each slab is 2 feet square (and very heavy!), so using a little bit of it to rest the bricks on was not going to be a problem. There is still far more space on the tread than strictly necessary:

The compacted soil behind the bricks was levelled. By the way, that corrugated wall you can see is the rear of one of the garages. The whole area behind there will eventually be levelled and paved to the width of the steps plus the ramp.

Then the first slab on the higher level was put in place:

Followed by the second:

All done J: 

Future Plans - a Patio

I thought I'd share something of the plans I have for the long garden. If you remember, I said the other day that I have some big plans for that particular section of overgrown garden. 

The long garden is about 120 feet long by 25 feet wide. I have divided it up into four separate areas that hopefully will run into one another, so you can't see the 'join'. 

At one end of the long garden, the end that is accessed through the ivy arch, is an area that measures 24 feet across by 39 feet long (912 square feet/104 square yards). Actually it's 25 feet, but I am retaining a small flower bed along the fence. At present, the bonfire rubbish is sitting in the centre of it. This is going to be my patio! 

Doesn't look much like a patio right now, does it!

NOTE: apart from the one above, most of the photos in this post are for inspiration only and were not taken by me.

The side furthest from the ivy arch has a fence along it that borders the recreation ground next door, so it is not overlooked at all. The fence faces south and it gets plenty of sun on that side (when it is shining, that is!) In the evening, the sun shines right along the length of the area, from the west.

As you enter the area through the arch, there will be a walkway that will lead through to the vegetable garden. A couple of steps and a ramp (for the wheelbarrow) will get from the patio level to the part behind the garage, with a path right on to the vegetable garden. This section will be 6 or 8 feet wide. I have some 2x2 foot concrete slabs which I will use for the steps. The rest of the walkway will be made like this:

That will leave 16 feet by 39 for the patio itself. I am planning to have an 'outdoor kitchen', a dining area, and a seating area. The seating area will be raised slightly higher than the rest and will be separated from the section behind the garage with a trellis fence.

Not sure my little outdoor kitchen will be anything so grand, but we can dream J

 Overall, I want an Italian feel to the patio, so colour matters. Warm yellows and terracottas, with earthy tones of beige, brown and reddish hues, and some sparkling bits of bright blue or green (eg glass, embedded in the kitchen counter top). The whole area will be surrounded by a low wall, which will be painted in the mellow yellow colours you find in Italy. The kitchen will probably be built in a rustic brick (ie reclaimed bricks), or else again, it will be rendered and painted yellow.

Inspirational photo of an Italian inspired patio:

The flooring - well, with such a large area, it looks like it is going to be extremely expensive. However, I am looking at buying or making some molds and creating my own with coloured concrete - buff yellow again - making the cost so much less.  Terracotta pots full of suitable plants will complete the look.

The molds can be bought in several shapes and sizes, which can be slotted together to form a pattern like this one:

All I have described so far is to the left of the ivy archway; to the right, the patio will blend into the next section, between the patio and the rest of the long garden. I have thought about finding something circular, made out of stone/concrete. It would be 6 or 8 feet in diameter, but have two circles - an outer and an inner circle. The outer circle, I would separate from the inner one and lay one half of that flat on the patio. The inner circle, I would raise about 4 inches higher, making a step. The second half of the outer circle, I would raise another step higher, making a second step, onto a path leading to the next section.

Imagine this circle separated into two circles and laid on three levels

This is not actually a stone circle, but you can get the idea of the different levels I want to achieve from this picture, with another raised level behind, using the further half of the outer circle, if that makes sense:

Yes, it's ambitious, but I think it will be worth the time and effort. I just hope I can pull it off J

Ivy – part 2

Ivy – part 2

It was supposed to rain this afternoon, but as there was no sign of that happening, we decided to at least start on the next section of the ivy, growing on the wall next to the gate into the long garden.

It only took a couple of hours to go from this:

…to this:

 

…leaving this in its wake:

This heap is about 4 feet high and 10 feet long!

Looks like another bonfire is in order J

The Arch and the Ivy

The Arch and the Ivy

For some time I have wanted to cut back the ivy – but then I discovered a wren was actually nesting in it. She seems to have completed her purpose now, so I decided today was as good as any other to take the loppers and shears to it.

How it looked before I started: 

The archway before trimming the edges

The top of the arch before the excess was lopped off, seen through the branches of an old apple tree

I first cut back the smaller leaves that were beginning to encroach on the opening. 

Once that was done, it seemed sense to continue, so then I started on the top of the arch. There is no structure beneath the ivy – just its own branches growing across the gap. It was necessary to get the ladders out in order to reach the whole area. As usual, I had a bit of help from OH J

This is the pile that has been cut off from one side (there is another similar sized heap on the other side of the wall:

The arch is now looking good after its 'trim':

Now just the rest of the wall to tackle J

The wall to the right of the archway

...and to the left