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My Garden "Build" Thread
Build, transformation, make-over - whatever you want to call it.
My running has dropped since buying our first house back in April. I have now started running regularly again, instead of "as and when". Anyway....
The garden was pretty much completed about a month ago, after giving it a mow today and clearing some final bits of rubble, I decided to take a few more pictures.
So, here are the pictures I have taken along the way.
Garden as show in the "house sale" pictures/listing
Once we moved in. Looking at file name, it was 4 days after, taken on 29/4/13
And just a month later - 25/5/13
Trimmed everything back as far as we could, cut the grass etc
The next day was to remove all stumps, slabs, ivy around the garage etc 26/5/13
So, that was the start of the transformation. The rest happened as and when we (I) had spare time. The idea was to have a fairly low maintenance garden. Whilst we would both like something really nice, we are both busy to maintain it.
As some may know, my brother is "builds" football/cricket pictches, golf courses, school playgrounds etc. I decided to start from scratch, especially as the "lawn" was more weed than grass.
After about a week of grass killer being down - 12/6/13
I borrowed a rotavator from my brothers work
The next day all of this arrived - 29/6/13
And I made a start on rotavating as all the grass had well and truly died
Oh, I forgot to mention a "trench" had been bug for the new path whilst waiting for the grass to die
And I also dug some fresh boarders out
A couple of week later, my and my bro laid a new path - well, that start of it - 6/7/13
The week before we had done the "patio" area outside of the conservatory. About 6 or 7 slabs needed relaying, so replaced them with new.
15-7-13 - All slabs now done
22-7-13 - I then made a start levelling the garden the best I could.
So, almost 2 months after all the work began, I eventually got around to seeding the garden. With the help of my brother - 4/8/13
(notice all the rubble down the bottom)
A week later, and first signs of grass - 11/8/13
First attempt at pointing - this was literally the first bit down
a day later 
16/8/13
17/8/13 - Went to fetch stone for around the garage. SWMBO then decided to fill ALL boarders with this. The original plan was stone around the garane and decorative bark around the lawn
The next day. Filled up the boarders part way with wood chip as I dug them deeper than I should have
That was it for the day. And I also rolled the grass as it was long enough. The idea was to roll it and break the blades so it grows back thicker and stronger
First cut of the grass - 25/8/13
Still rubble at the bottom
And finally, as of today it looks like this 14/9/13 Garden cut, all rubble bagged up and in the shed/white bag
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So, that's the garden about 95% completed. Need more stone in the boarders around the lawn as it doesn't come up high enough and the garden centre ran out (we took 51 bags in total :doh: :lol
. I will also paint all fences, the shed (which is virtually new and mint inside), wood around the garage next year. We may also opt for some decking down the bottom of the garden. That will be either next summer or 2015 - depending on budget next year and also if we "use" the garden enough to warrant it.
I think that that's it. Thanks for looking/
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Comments
Sorry, just added a "side by side" picture
From this:
To this:
Do you think anyone would be interested in the 500+ photo's I have of my house being renovated
I would
lol.
Anything where people have built something, or taken something apart to rebuild is always interesting, regardless of what the subject matter is
I thought it looked nicer before really. Looks a bit sterile now?
We will be getting some pot plants etc next spring. And as said, deck the bottom out. Was way OTT before. Wanted something easier to maintain
Looks like you've put some effort in but I must say I agree with Mr Puffy. Presumably though once you have got some plants established it'll look more lived in.
Fancy sorting my garden out, it's only small and I really can't be bothered!
I can see why they tried to hide the garage. My garden is the complete opposite, high high maintainance, it's also quite big.
My before and after pics would run in the opposite direction to yours.
Ah here comes another barrow of rubble for my little project, I can here the barrow squeeking as it comes up the path.
Pots aren't that very low maintainence either as you need to prune and top dress anually and prune roots and weed pots and during the summer months you'll need to water daily.
Plastic or resin pots are slightly better but look horrid for the most part. A few of the expensive ones are ok, or if you can repurpose something that looks good.
You might be better off with climbers.
No, no climbers lol.
Long term plan is to build a bigger garage. But that will be once SWMBO has had kids etc.
Maybe RW could run a feature in the next issue..."Pimp my garden".
It'd beat some of the dross they print at the moment!
So you took out all the plants that needed trimming once or twice a year, and replaced it with grass that needs cutting once a week, to make a ow maintenance garden? Sorry, I don't understand
Well done for taking on a project and finishing it within a sensible timeframe though. Not many people can do that
Have to agree it looked nicer before...
SC: I know - bonkers hey. SWMBO doesn't want to be pruning, weeding etc. Mowing I don't mind. Her theory was a lawn, stone boarders and then pot plants. This way any weeds would be confined.
I just nodded and went with it. Gave up trying to figure her (or any other woman) out a while ago. If it was up to her she would concrete it all lol. But planning on kids etc isn't sensible.
Good garden for kids - lots of flat grass for swings/tramploines/bikes/scooters/general rolling around and nothing for them to fall off.
Unlike my garden.............on a hill, slopes, steps, jaggy bushes. Nice to look at but not kid friendly - yet. Once they are older and less likely to injure themselves, it'll be great.