Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Operation ugly courtyard - the action plan

If you haven't already noticed, I've become somewhat garden obsessed lately. Maybe it's the gen y in me - I want it all done and I want it done now. For better or for worse, that's how I feel at the moment.

On the upside, it also means I've been really motivated to get some things done.

Here's the courtyard. It leads off my kitchen, so it would be nice to have a prettier outlook.


As you can see, at the moment it's really really boring, bland, ugh. Cream brick walls, cream brick paving, cream paint on the woodwork. This courtyard has an L-shaped garden bed. Ideally I would like to have the two walls behind the garden bed rendered so that I can paint them and inject some personality into this space. At the moment I'm considering using Dulux's full cover texture paint which supposedly acts like render and will cover brick mortar joints. Stay tuned to this space to see what I decide.



There is this random panel of picket fencing in the courtyard which is painted cream and looking worse for wear. It's the same colour as the entry gate and the pergola. Ideally I want to paint it all (even if it is just in a similar colour to freshen it up). I'm unsure of the colour choice, it will come down to whether I render / paint the walls.



Paving... ideally I would love to rip it all up and replace the lot. However in reality I do not have an unlimited budget. The easy solution is to clean up the pavers and try to get rid of some of that mould / moss.



Here is a view of the rest of the courtyard. You know how people house-sit? Well I'm pot-plant and BBQ sitting at the moment. Long story short, these lovely babies won't be mine much longer.


Here is my starting collection of plants, can't wait to get these babies planted.


Next issue - the ugly shade cloth. Why oh why someone would put this in in the first place is beyond me. In any case, I need to rip it down stat.



Pwoa, I'm feeling tired just reading over this post and everything I want to do. I better get cracking!

2 comments:

  1. I'm loving all your garden posts. Reminds me that I should be doing something about my own! My two cents on the render/dulux option (take it or leave it as you please) - we rendered and painted using Dulux Tuscan Effects on the recommendation of a bloke we got talking to in Bunnings (not a staff member) who said you could still see the mortar joints under the full cover paint. We are happy with the result for a first go. Will post some pics on my blog when I find the camera cord!

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  2. Thanks for the nice comments Christie. I've never been much of a gardener, but blogging about it helps to keep the inspiration levels up (and I'm glad it isn't totally boring).

    I've been looking into the costs of rendering vs dulux and I think I'll end up going with the professional option. The dulux full cover costs $130 per tub and I would need two for my tiny area. Plus you need to buy a special application roller which is another $20 or so, plus a smoothing trowl (don't know the price - maybe $10). I would also need some masking tape and drop sheets to protect the area. So the DIY option would end up at about $300.

    Fingers crossed I can find someone to take on such a small job for a bit of cash on the side.

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