The story of #48
Discussion
And now the the front garden....
As it was, a dead tree in a pot.
Pretty soon after I had the house I did a brief tidy up - replaced a fake hanging basket thing with some dwarf cyclamen, put a heather in a pot, and swapped the dead tree for a ballchyrsth
crsyt plant..
Not great, but looking respectable and tidy.
So come last summer it was time to make it into an actual real garden. Hired a skip and dug out the gravel. 2 tons of it! And because of the neighbour's access, I couldn't have the skip in front of the house, it had to go in front of my garage. So 2 tons from garden to barrow, and 2 tons from barrow to skip!
So it's onto the internet to work out how much topsoil I need..
Holy crap!!! Have I ordered way too much!!??
All is well, but I really don't need to give myself scares like that!
So I have a blank canvas - what to do with it?
Similar to the back garden, I want a variety of shape and colour. Starting with low, spreading plants at the front, medium size and shape heathers and stuff in the middle, and something bigger at the back. And because I'm working to a budget, I'll not be buying large plants for instant effect a la Ground Force etc. It'll be more fun watching grow and mature anyway.
So with my technical director on hand and fuelled up with tea (Hi Mum!!
) we start laying out to see what will work.
...and done!!
Looks sparse, but it gives plenty room to grow into as it matures.
This is it as it is today -
This is the first time I've had then and now photos side by side - am very impressed by how it's coming on! I added snowdrop bulbs last autumn, as single bulbs - it'll be great to watch as they grow and fission into clumps over the years. Also added daffodils for early colour. The heathers have only recently started to show flowers. For someone who doesn't class himself as a gardener, I am finding this coming back to life after the winter to be utterly compelling and exciting!
So front and right I have phlox which I'm hoping will soon waterfall over the edge of the wall.
To the left next to the path are Saxifrage and Aubrieta, which are already starting to spread out. Hopefully they'll all join up and make a solid mat.
In the middle are a mix a petunias for colour, and heathers for size and shape.
I hadn't realised just how much the azalea at the back has grown, wow! I added the fern because there was a space there for something a different shape and texture. At the back (and not in the first photo) is a Virginia Creeper. This was three bricks high when I planted it, it's now nearly at the top of the kitchen window! Looking forward to the first signs of spring growth in this one!
T'other change is the demise of the solar lights, only one of which was working after winter. The new ones are mains powered, and on a timer. Hopefully much more reliable.
To the left of the door I've got a Japanese Maple, in the pot I inherited that originally had the dead tree in. That is just starting to come back to life and show buds.
There's not much more scope for adding stuff or messing around. Although I might see if I had add a few stepping stones for ease of access. But now really it's just maintain and enjoy!
As it was, a dead tree in a pot.
Pretty soon after I had the house I did a brief tidy up - replaced a fake hanging basket thing with some dwarf cyclamen, put a heather in a pot, and swapped the dead tree for a ball
Not great, but looking respectable and tidy.
So come last summer it was time to make it into an actual real garden. Hired a skip and dug out the gravel. 2 tons of it! And because of the neighbour's access, I couldn't have the skip in front of the house, it had to go in front of my garage. So 2 tons from garden to barrow, and 2 tons from barrow to skip!
So it's onto the internet to work out how much topsoil I need..
Holy crap!!! Have I ordered way too much!!??
All is well, but I really don't need to give myself scares like that!
So I have a blank canvas - what to do with it?
Similar to the back garden, I want a variety of shape and colour. Starting with low, spreading plants at the front, medium size and shape heathers and stuff in the middle, and something bigger at the back. And because I'm working to a budget, I'll not be buying large plants for instant effect a la Ground Force etc. It'll be more fun watching grow and mature anyway.
So with my technical director on hand and fuelled up with tea (Hi Mum!!
) we start laying out to see what will work....and done!!
Looks sparse, but it gives plenty room to grow into as it matures.
This is it as it is today -
This is the first time I've had then and now photos side by side - am very impressed by how it's coming on! I added snowdrop bulbs last autumn, as single bulbs - it'll be great to watch as they grow and fission into clumps over the years. Also added daffodils for early colour. The heathers have only recently started to show flowers. For someone who doesn't class himself as a gardener, I am finding this coming back to life after the winter to be utterly compelling and exciting!
So front and right I have phlox which I'm hoping will soon waterfall over the edge of the wall.
To the left next to the path are Saxifrage and Aubrieta, which are already starting to spread out. Hopefully they'll all join up and make a solid mat.
In the middle are a mix a petunias for colour, and heathers for size and shape.
I hadn't realised just how much the azalea at the back has grown, wow! I added the fern because there was a space there for something a different shape and texture. At the back (and not in the first photo) is a Virginia Creeper. This was three bricks high when I planted it, it's now nearly at the top of the kitchen window! Looking forward to the first signs of spring growth in this one!
T'other change is the demise of the solar lights, only one of which was working after winter. The new ones are mains powered, and on a timer. Hopefully much more reliable.
To the left of the door I've got a Japanese Maple, in the pot I inherited that originally had the dead tree in. That is just starting to come back to life and show buds.
There's not much more scope for adding stuff or messing around. Although I might see if I had add a few stepping stones for ease of access. But now really it's just maintain and enjoy!
Edited to fix broken link.
Edited by Schmeeky on Friday 26th April 14:09
What a great write up. Thanks for sharing. I really like how you have turned the place around and I imagine it will have added some good value to the house too. We are hopefully taking the plunge on a new house if all goes according to plan. I have a wife though so decisions are much more "what would you like dear" 
Today I've got a few odds and sods for you.
As it was when I arrived, the understairs loo was both impractical and unnecessary. In that if you sat on it you needed to keep your neck bent to avoid the ceiling!
Storage space in the house isn't extensive either, so any space gained is useful!
Because it was a small bore type of loo (compactor? I forget whet they're actually called..) it needed power, so there was already a fused spur in there. The plan is to have shelving in the awkward volume to the left, and have the full height volume behind the door for coats and whatnot. Installing a mains socket from the spur means I can mount my Dyson in there as well.
So after taking measurements, it's time to start playing in the shop..
Not pretty, but it is sturdy!
All painted up and with a spare cutoff of carpet bunged down.
I know it's only a hidden utility space, but I'm quite pleased with it!
As it was when I arrived, the understairs loo was both impractical and unnecessary. In that if you sat on it you needed to keep your neck bent to avoid the ceiling!
Storage space in the house isn't extensive either, so any space gained is useful!
Because it was a small bore type of loo (compactor? I forget whet they're actually called..) it needed power, so there was already a fused spur in there. The plan is to have shelving in the awkward volume to the left, and have the full height volume behind the door for coats and whatnot. Installing a mains socket from the spur means I can mount my Dyson in there as well.
So after taking measurements, it's time to start playing in the shop..
Not pretty, but it is sturdy!
All painted up and with a spare cutoff of carpet bunged down.
I know it's only a hidden utility space, but I'm quite pleased with it!
The previous instalment of the chairlift meant there was a power conduit going up the side of the stairs - you can see it here just to the right of the actual stairlift.
..and the flat surface next to mains power gave me an idea...
I got a 5m LED striplight kit from work and did this..
It's plugged into a Hive smart plug as well, so I can get Alexa to turn it on or off!
..and the flat surface next to mains power gave me an idea...
I got a 5m LED striplight kit from work and did this..
It's plugged into a Hive smart plug as well, so I can get Alexa to turn it on or off!
dontfollowme said:
Great work OP. Where did you source your carpet?
Cheers!Carpet was from CarpetRight, and according to the receipt is Emperor 5M 630 and the colour is Linen.
I think it was a lower-midrange carpet, and was in a sale at 50% off.
In the sitting room, bedroom and office I went for a top of the range underlay, in the halls and on the stairs I went for the most heavy duty version.
Schmeeky said:
TR4man said:
Really like your ideas and your enthusiasm for getting it done.
Thank you!That's a bit of a coincidence, I signed in to post this in the Cool Classic Car Spotters Post (Vol II), that I've just seen at Homebase getting stepping stones for my next post on here!
Picture below is of my son with it in Mayenne on the way to Le Mans in 2012.
Nothing too exciting today, it's just putting some furniture in a room, but I'll add it for completeness.
The bedroom, as was. Very Granny-ish.
Decorated and carpeted, laying down markers to see how much room I'll have to play with after the bed goes in.
Never shopped at Ikea before, but I sourced the wardrobe and bedside cabinets from them and am well impressed with the quality. Every hole or marker was millimetre perfect and they were a pleasure to build (and I've built loads of flat-pack furniture over the years). The finished articles are rock solid and really don't have the feel of being flat-pack at all.
I have a mate who owns a bed shop, so I got a good deal on a new bed. 2 drawers and a very good quality memory foam mattress.
These last 3 pics were taken just now so you can see how it evolved..
Block canvas pictures were from the Range, amazing value at (I think) £11 and £16
Speakers are Pioneer active monitors, plugged into an Alexa, lights are Hive coloured bulbs.
The chest of drawers I've had since I was a baby, and used to be smothered in gloss white paint. It was a helluva job finding the wood underneath, but well worth it. This canvas was from B&Q iirc.
The bedroom, as was. Very Granny-ish.
Decorated and carpeted, laying down markers to see how much room I'll have to play with after the bed goes in.
Never shopped at Ikea before, but I sourced the wardrobe and bedside cabinets from them and am well impressed with the quality. Every hole or marker was millimetre perfect and they were a pleasure to build (and I've built loads of flat-pack furniture over the years). The finished articles are rock solid and really don't have the feel of being flat-pack at all.
I have a mate who owns a bed shop, so I got a good deal on a new bed. 2 drawers and a very good quality memory foam mattress.
These last 3 pics were taken just now so you can see how it evolved..
Block canvas pictures were from the Range, amazing value at (I think) £11 and £16
Speakers are Pioneer active monitors, plugged into an Alexa, lights are Hive coloured bulbs.
The chest of drawers I've had since I was a baby, and used to be smothered in gloss white paint. It was a helluva job finding the wood underneath, but well worth it. This canvas was from B&Q iirc.
I like the fact you have chosen several large pictures and hung them at a good height. They are all really nice and bring colour and vibrancy into what could have been quite a bland room. It looks warm, comfortable and welcoming.
Your clock is lovely too, what's the story on that piece?
Your clock is lovely too, what's the story on that piece?
renmure said:
Just found this thread. What a great transformation.
You deserve to be pretty chuffed with yourself there.
Thank you for your kind words. You deserve to be pretty chuffed with yourself there.
Actually, a large thank you to everyone who's posted, or even just read the thread. I was not too sure about starting this thread in the first place, given it's a pretty small house, but I'm super happy that it seems to be getting general approval.
The process of writing this thread has kinda opened my eyes to how much of a transformation it actually is - when I was doing the work it was all so gradual. And reading the thread back I'm like 'did I actually do all that?!'
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