Doghouse's Garden

Thanks for that EddieJ, I try not to take myself too seriously, if I ever do, my wife would certainly have something to say about it.

 

Indeed a great thread, the girls do have a knack in how to keep us grounded:lollol:

 

Just gorgeous Doghouse.
I specially like your tea house and your grasses, but it's all lovely.
I'm a bit surprised that anyone can describe it as neat and tidy (which it is) but it's the least that could be said about it.
I say again - gorgeous - by any standard.
I gather you are going for a hip replacement.
It will all be over in an instant and in a short time you will be back to business as usual - minus the pain.
Keep us posted and keep the pics coming. Too good to miss.

 

Thanks for that Alice,

No this is an old thread I add to occasionally. The hip job was last September and went fine, but thanks for asking. Has worked well since November, full mobility now, enough to get a shot knocked off my golf handicap.

 

I love your garden pics. Truly inspirational. It is just lovely and you can see your heart in it.:luv:

 

Thanks for your kind words Rhyleysgranny.

 

I've just taken a rather lovely meander through your outstanding garden DR, it really is gorgeous!! I can only dream to make my garden, ( aka weed infested chaos) something like that. I have a lot to learn.
Really is gorgeous! I want to move in!

 

Thanks for your kind words.

To be fair, this garden evolved over many years.

With any garden I think you need to have a long term plan and work towards it.
I believe the best way is to start near the house (so it's easier to see your handiwork and thus maintain your enthusiasm) and then work outwards.

Lately, I've been refining it so that it'll become easier to maintain in my old age, although I was 70 this year and I don't think I've yet reached it!

Since taking early retirement 12 years ago, I've managed to fill my "work time" with other hobbies so I really need to be organised.

 

I've started accumulating the "stuff" to change the roofing felt on the tea-house. I've got to pick a week-end when it will be dry and when youngest son isn't off with his family in the campervan, so it might not be for a few weeks.

I'm "not allowed" at the age of 70 to do this on my own now, by either my son or his mother. Although she doesn't know I was up the ladder extension replacing a PIR security light under the eaves of the front of the house when she was at the hairdressers one afternoon last week.

With all my projects I try to get myself organised well in advance, hopefully foreseeing any problems. Things will occur to me over the next couple of weeks that I will need, so I open an Excel page and list these things as I think of them and how much they'll cost. Saves finding out after we start, that I need something to finish the job at 4.00pm on a Sunday.
I've already got the felt, from a specialist roofing supplier, (ask for some "professional advice" and you won't believe how helpful these trade suppliers can be) It's Anderson HT 40g. green mineral, "non-tear" as it has a polymer content. Forty quid a roll! (I'm not confident enough or have the equipment to try "torch on," I'd probabably burn the thing down).
This felt "should see me out" as my dear old dad used to say occasionally. He was right, a lot of his things did just that! I think it's pointless buying the cheap felt from B&Q.

I've also ordered the fence panels to replace the two and a half panels that have got to come out (and will probably fall apart) behind the tea-house, for us to get at it. I found out that the fence supplier also sells the caps and rails so I can use the useable "waney" slats from the old panels to make up the "half panel" and repair one or two other slightly dodgy panels in the garden. This is worth knowing as you can reduce the cost of maintaining fences, not having to buy complete panels every time.

Edit: 15th Aug 2010.

I've had to lower the strand of the wisteria that grows around two sides of the roof, as it will be in the way when we come to change the felt. This I only started to train around the eaves about five years ago and it surprised me how substantial the main branch had become, where it leaves the main tree, it's now nearly 2" thick. I needed to use several strong wires let it down from the original retaining hooks to arrange it in it's temporary position.

 

I've decided to replace a complete 12' X 1' section along the back edge of the roof of the tea-house. Water has got into the "fold" of the felt where it curves over the edge of the roofing ply. This was caused by branches of the old prunus tree scraping the felt and letting water in. Unfortunately the back part of the roof isn't visible unless I climb up and look through the skylight. I did patch it last year, but the damage was already done, as the felt is fifteen years old. I'm going to do it while I still can.
Fortunately, as the roof curves up at each end, the rot is restricted to the middle area. From the original construction photos you'll see that the interior of the building is well back from where I'll have to let in the replacement.

I made a start today

I went round last night to see the people who bought the house behind ours a couple of years ago, just to tell them what I was doing and that the old fence panels would be coming out and new ones going in. I didn't ask them to go halves with the panels, it wouldn't be fair as they don't grow anything up it and young people who buy a nice house are usually broke! They're a very pleasant young couple and their names are easy to remember (a failing of mine) as they are the same as our daughter's and her partners! She said she really liked hearing the records when I played them occasionally as she could hear them if she was in the bottom of the garden. She mentioned a couple of her favourites and said; "They remind me of when I was a child." (They were 1980's classic pop for cryin' out loud!) I must be getting old!

Getting the two and a half old fence panels was the first job, which was a right pain as although they were shot, they didn't want to come out. I've saved the best of the full panels and there's more than enough to re-make the "half panel" with six or seven good pieces left over.

On Thursday I only tackled the rear side of the roof where I needed to let in the 12' X 1' section (in two pieces) at the edge. I'd already prepared and drilled these. Fortunately the soffit was not at all rotted, the damage on the panel was only about four or five inches deep. The old felt was hard to remove as I'd laid new felt over the old which I fixed in places with adhesive when I re-covered it about fifteen years ago. It took me most of the day. (That's "ten 'til four" at my age!)

I'd no intention of putting the felt on on my own it's too big an area so you need two people, I'll have to work from the garden of the house behind ours and it's a bit of a reach. Fortunately, I'd bought a polythene sheet which I tacked on with a hand tacking staple gun when I'd finished to keep the weather off, as it says it will rain on Friday. It actually started as soon as soon as I went indoors!
Youngest son is coming on Saturday (only available week-end for him as "Ruby" the VW campervan will be in the garage to have the gear linkage replaced), so I hope we can complete most of the job and slide in the two replacement full panels. I can make up the half panel any time.

I've mentioned this elsewhere, 6' X 5' heavy-duty waneylap panels are very heavy. We've replaced them before. I screw a big "eye" into centre top of the panel and attach a 6' length of 4" X 2" to it with a hook screwed into its end.

If two people lift the panel up horizontally, you can balance the panel in the horizontal position with the timber acting as a "leg." You can then both offer up the base of the panel to the top of the slots.
It only needs one person to stop the panel moving while it's now in the horizontal position, six feet from the ground. The other one can let go of the panel and raise it into the upright position using the "leg" as a long prop.
The first person can then start to guide the panel, down whilst the second person takes the weight on the prop, or rushes round to help share the weight and stop them trapping their fingers as the panel slides down the slots!

"simples."

Looks like rain on Sunday.

Edit 21/08/10

We broke the back of it today, Saturday. We started at 10.00am and worked through until 6.00pm.
The worst job was pulling out all the old nails and getting the old adhesive off the roof which I'd put on in "blobs" years ago. It was necessary, as after removing two layers of felt I wanted a smooth surface on which to lay the new felt. This was achieved with broad bladed chisels, (which I had to keep sharpening!) the warm weather helped as it made the old adhesive tacky.
Youngest son was a great asset. Because we were both up on the roof for a lot of the time, my wife didn't moan at me. (She's only concerned for my safety "at my age"). She kept the mugs of tea coming and made us a nice lunch which we ate sitting in the sun.

We applied new adhesive with a roller, it worked quite well. We finished covering the roof but there's some tidying up and bits of detail to finish yet. But I can do that myself on Sunday as well as take all the old felt to the tip.

At one stage we were joking about "roll reversal." In many families it's usually "dad" that does most of the work and the kids who are promised they'll be "helping" but are actually "made" to do all the clearing up. (they have long memories!) This time it was me who was collecting all the felt we'd peeled off and dumping it on the drive ready to take to the tip.


Stripping the felt, you can see the old roof felt had lost much of its mineral covering




Ready to "roll"
The bottom edge of the felt has still to be "nicked" then drawn and stapled to the underside of the roof..




Going on quite well, a corner before trimming. You can see how close the neighbour's greenhouse is to the fence which is about two inches away from the
edge of the roof.
The old skylight cover was really "hanging." Years of wood pigeons "sitting" on it.





The last job was sliding in the two new fence full panels. The fence is tight against the roof and there's only a gap of about three feet between it and the neighbour's greenhouse. Fortunately the heavy lifting was done by my son who's very strong, (played "tight end" for a British American Football team for ten years).

We just managed to get the re-covered skylight on before it started to rain.

Felt on and fence panels in.



Update.

As it has rained since the week-end I spent a bit of time this morning making a new ornamental trim for the top of skylight. I originally made it out of softwood with a jigsaw, but it rotted away over the years so I removed it some time ago.

This time I've used a hardwood frame and some ornamental dado rail. I don't have the time or interest to mess about with the jigsaw. It needs another two coats of Dulux "Woodsheen" before it'll be ready.
The four corner trims too were in poor condition,so I will be replacing these, I'll be making them out of pieces of 4" X 4", short lengths of a broomhandle and two thirds of four old golf balls!

Of course "some people" go completely over the top with roof decoration.



I read in the Daily Mail this morning that a high proportion of the under 35s are useless at DIY, something I mentioned on another board a couple of weeks back. A few decades ago, many would be tackling jobs on their own, shows how affluent has society become.

I've finished the "crown" of the skylight roof. In the summer I tilt the skylight and insert a vent made from two halves of an old washing machine cutlery basket and a bit of 3" X 2" to take the weight. It gets very hot in there, I leave a door open all day when it's sunny.

 

I finished the job this afternoon Friday 27/08/10 (golf in the morning, as usual, got to get your priorities right).

The "curly bits" at the corners of the roof are made of 3" X 2" cut with a jig saw and the edges rounded off with a sander. Half golf balls each side completed the job.
I gave up with the 4" X 4" after completing one. It looked too "heavy" so I went back to my original design.








I re-made the steps as they were a bit basic and awkward for my wife to use.

The wood for the two treads and a few screws came to twelve quid!
At least a rubber mat cut in half from Wilko's, was only just over a pound.



I'm quite pleased with the total result and I'm sure "it'll see me out!"

 

I'm quite pleased with the growth of this sorbus we bought earlier in the year, it's produced a nice crop of attractive berries.





I've cleared the creeper on the fence behind the pagoda, (well my side anyway). I'm thinking of putting a clump of black bamboo behind the pagoda, but I'll bury a large pot for it, if it's likely to spread. ....

Hmmm..... I've thought about it... and one's coming from Garden Bargains, they say it'll be 3ft tall, not bad for about twenty-six quid including delivery. I've seen them twice that price elsewhere on-line.

This was one of the two varieties of acer palmatums we bought this week when we just "went out for lunch." This one's "Orange Dream."

 

Very pretty!!

 

Thanks for that.

I confess that I'm not a "proper gardener,"

I'm not the slightest bit interested in propagating anything. The closest I get is layering azaleas.
I'm not interested in bedding plants, annuals, or hanging baskets, it all seems like repetitive work to me and I haven't the time. "What goes in has to a greater extent got to fend for itself." With my other interests it's all I can do to keep on top of the weeding, mowing, pruning, "garden housework and general maintenance."
Our green bin, emptied fortnightly seems always to be full.

I do admire those who have the patience to "bring things on" it must be very satisfying for them.
I do like to think that I've always had the ability to visualize and plan out different projects and the basic skills needed to complete them. But apart from that, I'm not ashamed to admit everything in the way of planting has been "bought." Fortunately we've always been able to indulge ourselves in that way. Our latest phrase when deciding on a purchase is; "We'd better get a big one, as we might not be around by the time it reaches a decent size!"

The patio is my wife's domain, what's there are mainly her choices, but she wouldn't choose anything I don't like, ('cos she'd have to buy it herself and she wouldn't like that!)
I might have another go at tomatoes next year, I've erected another shelf under the window in the rabbit shed. Not grown them in thirty years since I binned the greenhouse that was in the garden when we bought the house.

 

Lovely garden Doghouse, whatever way you do it.
I love to see all the different styles of gardens, they're all lovely in their own way.
Thanks for the pics.