Garden Renovation – Part One

Well as promised after writing my garden renovation post last week, it’s well and truly full steam ahead. It’s so exciting to actually be in the process of carrying out plans rather than just thinking about them. We can be our own worst enemies and sometimes are so laid back we never get anything done but we’ve started!

So here’s a little recap of what’s happened so far for anyone who may not be on Instagram but wants to follow along with the garden renovation – today is officially Day 5 but weather isn’t playing ball so far!

The Fence

The fencing on the top left side of the garden has now all be reinforced with concrete posts which were driven into the ground. This saved so much effort (and money!) in potentially having to replace perfectly good fence posts. It’s also had one coat of Cuprinol’s Urban Slate and is looking super smart!

The Outbuilding

In two epic days of work we managed to clear all the ivy off the outbuilding which feels pretty incredible. I tackled the bottom half on Friday and Pete did what was left on Saturday and honestly I can’t believe what a difference that alone makes. Thankfully whereas everything else in this house feels like a bit of botch job, the outbuilding has been built like a nuclear bunker so we didn’t lose any of the plaster when the ivy came off. We’ve since started the laborious task of sanding back the bricks ready for painting, using an angle grinder.

The Patio

I’ve almost finished getting rid of what was left of the grout in between the paving slabs. I’m still not sure what to do with the patio itself, I have so many ideas and just need to settle on something. The retaining wall around it though is going to be painted white using colour ‘Dazzle Me’ from the Frenchic Al Fresco range. I did a tester patch over the weekend and it really showcases the grey of the fence to perfection.

Vegetation Clearing

We’ve made a big start in clearing the vegetation from the length of garden which is being fenced next Monday but this is such a massive job. I feel a bit conscious that for a while everything is going to look so bare and very grey but to be honest there was nothing particularly lovely growing up the left hand side of our garden and for many reasons including security and to add value, I can’t wait to have it fenced and create a garden we love rather than one we put up with because we inherited it.

Other Updates

The last little bit I’ve done is clearing the top right hand corner of the garden where we had a broken compost bin and a few other bits and bobs, mainly to stop Maddie escaping when she was a puppy. This is going to form part of the top garden seating area so it’s now cleared and has had two coats of Urban Slate too!

It feels like we’ve done a lot in a short space of time with our garden renovation but equally that there’s still so much to do before the vision in my head becomes one I can see in the garden! Wish me luck.

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