Hi Nicky, my apologies I have only just seen your message. We went for cornforth white Farrow and Ball (which it definitely not white). The shutters are not back open yet but some of them will need to go back on because the large expanses of grey look very grey. The bits next to the white look less austere. The new white garage door with windows has made a big difference. I'd be careful with a very pale grey because if your windows are anything like mine you'll find that they are not actually that white after all....

They look like fairly standard concrete, painted wood or plastic fare from what was trendy half dozen years or so ago. Maybe a bit longer. Perfectly rectangular, easy to produce and cheap as chips to make but overpriced at the time. Some of the wooden ones were made from untreated softwood and rotted in no time. If drawing straight lines with a ruler or drawing programme is design then I'm a designer. There was no design element to this style of product. Somebody made and sold some and the symmetrical shape caught on so lots of other manufacturers made more in several materials. If the ones you have photo'd have stood the test of time they may have been made of hardwood, treated softwood or plastic. If of concrete with such a smooth finish they would have been expensive (relatively). I'd be looking at recycling shops (seem to be springing up everywhere recently), eBay and other such outlets for second hand or repro. Alternatively, it is the sort of stuff a joiner could knock together and paint (have painted) over a wood preservative coat in no time.

Hi, looking for advice on building block and brick walls for a raised planter. The height is seat back height, so around 840mm, and will be a 6 metre long wedge shape box, with the narrowest point at 500mm and the widest 1400mm. I'll build an internal wall somewhere along the wider end to provide additional support. This will connect with a lower wall of around 450mm heigh. The planter will contain small plants but considering a eucalyptus or olive tree. So the advice I need is: As this is a box, not a free standing wall, am I ok with a foundation of 300/300mm? Some parts of the trench I've dug to 300mm deep are into clay, others not. Will I be ok with single skin walls? I'm planning on building with standard aerated blocks with a double layer of engineered bricks for DPC. Will the roots of a eucalyptus or olive tree tree need a stronger wall? To provide a moisture barrier inside I was going to line with plastic but is there a finishing render that can be applied inside and out to provide this? May be a coloured one (white) that also doesn't requiring painting as a final finish to the shown surface? I'm presuming normal cement is suitable to use for the footings and mortar? I've attached a rough 3d visual, though the wedge to the right is going to be only 450mm heigh. Thanks

Gerty, you're right. I wouldn't have "broken china" in the reach of kids...or pets! Sam, I took that photo at a flower festival. Yes, the colours of the flowers match the crockery beautifully. Apparently, it’s really easy to create - you simply put a pot upside down on a soft surface like grass, hit it gently with a hammer or mallet covered with a thick piece of cloth, then reassemble the broken pieces as you wish. Joy