After 3 days of painting, the kitchen is finally finished..... yayyyyy!
There are still some small jobs to finish.... a few metres of skirting board and the radiator to paint, but they can be done as and when. I'm awaiting colour samples to hopefully find the exact colour I want for the window blind, and fabric has been ordered for the door window curtain, with enough left over for new bunting..... yayyyyyy!
The patio saga continues. We had another chap round yesterday to look at the area and give us a quote for the paving and a lean-to pergola. He emailed it to me and for a few minutes I honestly thought that the decimal point was in the wrong place. Admittedly, it's a while since we last had anyone in to do work for us.... several years..... but in the intervening period, day rates seem to have gone through the roof! Suffice to say, for the amount quoted I would have expected a Carrera marble floor, gold-plated gazebo with integrated wine fridge and hot and cold running ambrosia on tap.
So... back to the drawing board and with the help of Google, I found an alternative type of outdoor flooring which we could lay ourselves. No specialised tools, no concrete or cement, no hardcore or aggregate infill.... it seems to good to be true but I've checked and double checked and it's absolutely legit.
Ok... so we have the unenviable task of clearing all the shingle first, but we can do it over the course of a few weeks and PP loves a bit of jet washing so she'll enjoy cleaning them in a bucket, then we're going to use them elsewhere in the garden.... to edge the path by the side of the house, and down the side of the drive to keep the weeds at bay. Then we have to level the soil beneath and get it as flat as possible, before spreading a layer of sharp sand over the whole surface. Not difficult, but time consuming. Then we can lay the new flooring tiles, which neatly and invisibly lock together Their green credentials are impeccable as they're made from recycled materials. Also, apparently, you can fall onto them from a height of 1 metre and do yourself no lasting damage, so any regrettable Black Vodka related incidents shouldn't prove fatal.
Win-win.
We've completely reconsidered the pergola idea. Courtesy of Google, I've found several alternatives, which would be much less expensive and more flexible, so we'll sort out the patio area first then see how we feel.
Also, it would appear that there is a UK wide serious shortage of garden furniture. I can confirm that is is true, as a week or so ago I had bookmarked several sets of outdoor seating, most of which are now either unavailable or have dramatically increased in price. So I spent a lot of time this morning looking for alternatives, going down a rabbit hole to track the original supplier of a set I'd really liked. Finally, I found them, and after dallying on their website checking out the options I emailed to check on some details and received an 11% discount voucher! So I not only found the original set I wanted, at the original price, but I got a good discount and free delivery too! As stock levels were low, we decided to bite the bullet and place an order, so it should be delivered sometime next week. Which means that the die is cast and there's no route back from the patio precipice.
All we need now is the weather to improve and warm up a tad so that we can schedule outdoor sessions to clear the area and make a start on moving the stones.
This is what it looks like at the moment.... a sad, sorry and unloved dumping ground for assorted garden detritus.
And this is an approximation of how it's going to look afterwards.... except in my imagination it will be even better!
I know I've said this before, on countless occasions, but what could possibly go wrong?
4 comments:
Wow! Can't wait to see what you will be able to do! From you I only expect the best of results! You seem to have fairy hands ☺️
Thanks Rosanna....These projects tend to take on a life of their own so I'll be interested to see how it turns out too!!!
I was just about to suggest that you explore DIY options. You are quite handy after all. But there you've gone and found a floor covering already, and a way to recycle the material you need to remove.
Your courtyard space already looks attractive. I see a table there that I like, and you could use the plant pots you already have.
May I suggest a trellis against the left hand wall as one looks at the picture? But without having seen the entire space, I don't have as good an idea of what is needed as you do.
When it comes to pergolas/gazebos, you should consider whether you really need or want to be under a roof all year long. We have a gazebo that is too hot in summer because the solid roof traps the heat. In winter it is dark and cold and uninviting. Very pretty to look at, but an umbrella or retractable awning would have served us much better.
Megan.... The pergola/gazebo thing.... we don't need it for shade, as the area is in shade all day anyway, but we do need it for rain and to help keep our lovely new patio furniture dry. We're now thinking of a retractable awning but it would have to be free standing as we can't fix anything to the outside wall as it's mostly windows with no brick above them to fix to. Or maybe a waterproof sail, for which we just need two hooks in the wall and poles at the front. Or a cantilever parasol, which would protect the area when it rains.
Lots of options ranging from mega-cheap to expensive and everything in between.
In the meantime we're going to crack on with the flooring prep and when it's done and the new sofa set is in situ, we'll have a better idea of what we need for weather protection.
Oh, and I'm making outdoor bunting too!
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