New house, new to gardening, many questions - NorCal 9a
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5 years ago
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
5 years agoDenise Becker
5 years agoRelated Discussions
New Kid friendly garden help please
Comments (12)Hi. I have a couple of ideas. First, I'd rule out trying to flatten it to one level - it is very expensive, even though it doesn't look like it is a big deal to do. You'd end up with retaining walls around the sides and back and have to redo the fencing and labour costs would be big because the access isn't good (think wheelbarrows of dirt for weeks!). Second, I'd talk to the church. Say that you want to trim the holy bushes so that they are level and lower. Tell them you'll pay for that (rent a hedge trimmer for a day - less than £100) but will need access from their side too for trimming and to clean it up (because you are a nice friendly neighbour :). Then say that you are worried about the trees because you think they are getting so big they might be dangerous and they should be trimmed. I'm not suggesting they should be cut down. If they are under a Preservation Order, they are protected, but trimming is normal and healthy for a tree. I know if the tree is in the street the council has to do it and where I used to live "the Swiss church" (never got any more info than that) had a giant horse chestnut tree that they had to trim every five years because it was massive and surrounded by everyone's back gardens. I don't know about the legality of all of that but a third alternative is for everyone affected by the super large trees pitches in and pays for the trimming. There will still be leaves, but their will be less and you'll have more light back there. Anyway, on to the more interesting bit. In the spring, hire a Karcher (a high powered hose) to clean off the green from your fences and your patio area. It'll also clean out all the muck on your little retaining walls. Then I would stain all the fences the same colour - Cuprinol stains and protects the wood too. I'd keep the front as a patio for a table and scooter laps, keep the middle as lawn with narrow garden beds on either side and plant honeysuckle in a couple of corners of the pergola - it is slow growing at first but easy and very low maintenance (and doesn't drop much stuff!). A hammock is a lovely idea for under there. Let it go back to lawn so you aren't worried about falling toddlers. I'd move all your nice pots down to the patio area and group them. It is really easy to put herbs and annuals in them in the spring for colour. As nasmijati recommended, the back section could be rubber tiles or a sandpit. I can't tell if it is paved at the moment or just sodden grass.... if soggy grass, do the sandpit, if paved, put the rubber tiles over the top. You can move the little playhouse back there. Now you should have plenty of areas for the kids AND the adults. Oh, and get a couple of kids rakes for Christmas and teach them how to help their mama with the garden! I hope that helps....See MoreHow many houses have you lived in? Which one was your favourite?
Comments (22)I'm in my mid-thirties and on house 25! My partner is a few years older, and on his third. Everyone's experience is different! For me, it has to be my current house. It's smaller than every one of my previous homes, was a total wreck when I bought it, has no parking, drained my life savings, had mice, still has a to do list as long as your arm, and has been a massive pain in the b*tt. HOWEVER: it is the house my partner and I have been doing up together, and through which we bonded and got to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. It is the house where I learned to trust my own taste and honed my bargain hunting skills. It is the first place I lived in all by myself, and bought on my own, and it is where I finally learnt to be myself, be confident in myself and not worry about what other people think. It might not be perfect, it might be teenytiny, but House No.25 is my first real Home....See MorePlease advice for my new garden design and why to plant as well !!!!!
Comments (18)This is where we need to know more about your hedge which I can't tell from the photo. If it's Leylandii you cannot cut it behind the last green shoot because it will not re-shoot and you'll be looking at a brown curtain forever. If it's brown because it's diseased then that is another problem altogether! My suggestion is you join the Royal Horticultural Society and then send them a sample of the dead clipping for them to pronounce upon! I can't tell you about diseases for sure and not at a distance. You'll also get plenty of plant advice from them generally. www.rhs.org.ik you'll be in safe hands there (it's only about £40 per year and has other benefits too. Good luck....See MoreNew home - layout advice urgently needed
Comments (9)Hi! Good luck with your new home purchase! These floor plans could definitely be improved on. I recently did a facebook live giving 3 tips for assessing your floor plan to check if it's any good or not. You will find this helpful and you can watch it here: https://www.facebook.com/iarchitectUK/videos/327990864662386/ Questions that could help you decide your ground floor plan arrangements: 1. Do you want the kitchen to be in the middle of the house or would you prefer it to be closer to the garden to get more natural light and ventilation? 2. Do you need direct access from your utility room to the garden? Do you go out often to hang laundry out to air dry? Do you keep your recycling in the utility and need to take it out to bins regularly? 3. Do you want the space to be more open plan or broken plan or flexible (with large doors that slide or open between spaces so you can open them up or close them down)? 4. Where do you want direct access or views of the garden? 5. What will you do in the darker parts of the house - in the middle of the floor plan (where the kitchen is now)? (hint - watching or working at a screen can be better in these spaces because there's reduced glare) 6. How many kitchen units do you want? 7. Do you have a preferred kitchen arrangement and why do you prefer it? (for example, gallery style, U shaped, L shaped, with an island, with a peninsula, etc...) For the first floor the stairs and landing are very confused. Things to think about for the 1st floor: 1. Where are the drainage and water supply pipes running? 2. Can all the floors be lifted to the same level and the stairs simplified / altered / reduced? 3. How many bedrooms do you need? How many of these need an ensuite? How big do they need to be - for double or single beds, how much wardrobe space, with space for kids to study / makeup station or dressing table, etc...? I also have a free checklist with support emails to help with getting your project off to a good start and making the right decisions for you. You can get a copy from my website: www.i-architect.co.uk Hope this is all helpful! Jane :)...See MoreHalyna (Central FL, 9a)
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