JWK's Garden Destruction

I've taken redundancy so hope to have the summer free before looking for more work

I got the hang of plastering and finished that off, also decorated and got the flooring done. Most of the kitchen is installed - just got the worktops to cut.





Pesky crows have been attacking their reflection now I've cleaned up the glass on the doors. They wake us up about 5am flying into the doors then pecking at them - grrrr!

I've made a scarecrow and put cardboard against the glass which seemed to work - the dawn corus woke me up at 4am and I couldn't get back to sleep - didn't hear the crow pecking ...



I'm hoping to start building the garden walls soon, it's still a real mess on our patio right now:

 

This is the impression the crows have left on the patio doors, the wingspan is about 3 foot across, they must be really going for it to leave such a mark. It's difficult to take a clear photo, I think there are two impressions here, on most panes there are 2 or 3 crash marks. Apparently it's not such an uncommon thing, I really hope they stop as they make such a wallop crashing into the glass then they peck several times at the glass - not nice at 5am!

 

:dh: Oh my word that is absolutely fantastic now John... I have been watching this thread all along... You have worked so hard at it & got it right on your own... Good on you mate..!! :yho: Suddenly when you start adding the fixtures it becomes very apparent what your goal is & it is very nice I have to say.. You & your good lady have nice taste... Looking forward to seeing the finished article now then with all the finishing touches.. :gnthb: Well Done mate..!!

 

Thanks Marley & Penny - Mrs JWK won't thank me for showing off those old sofas, they are other people's cast offs, got to say it's been lovely in this nice suuny weather to start using it at last.

 

I bet John & we wont tell Mrs JWK about the sofas, but we all go down paths like that.. You have to I think, to know what you want to end up with, so carry on & enjoy doing it. It is nice to see someone enjoying partial destruction of their house... :wink::hehe: Looking forward to seeing it all fit together now.. Thanks for sharing it John & your secret is safe here.. :hehe:

 

Hi JWK what can I say,its a brilliant project well done,it looks great:thmb:

 

wow Moyra! It's lovely to see you again

And Tropical Gaz and pete I need your help too soon, I'm starting to think about the planting schemes around my patio and near the house, I want a mediteranean look - with exotic type plants.

I'll post some more photos on here later to show you what I managed to get done over the summer and where I am now.

 

Over the summer I stripped out our old dining room which is now open plan with the new extension. This is it before I started:



Floor boards lifted, joists strengthened.



Under floor heating pipes going in



Screeded over the heating pipes (provides a thermal mass to retain and spread the heat)



Laying the flooring - using the same granite paving slabs throughout.



Finished!



I wanted to put a wood burner in the fireplace but couldn't afford the quotes, so it's staying as a niche for the time being. We don't actually need the woodburner for heating since I put in the under-floor pipes.

 

I had five months off between jobs, and still didn't get the extension finsihed. It's almost there now, got the final few appliances delivered for the kitchen and last weekend we held a party for my son's 30th. Thats why there are so many chairs around!

This is taken from within our old dining room



This is the main part of the extension with the new kitchen in the far end:



Mrs JWK hasn't used any of the new appliances yet:

 

I've decided to employ a builder to come in and finish off the outside patio area. That should be done by January and then I'll be able to plant it up in the Spring.

To give you an idea of how our garden slopes, the view through our doors is: (photo taken in April but I've made litte progress outside since then :(


I don't want tall plants near the house, as the retaining wall will be 4 or 5 foot high and it would start to feel a bit too enclosed. So I'm aiming for low planting next to the house approx where the yellow flowers are, with bigger architetecural plants in the border behind that green bench - plants such as Trachicarpus fortuneii and Chamaerops humilis.