What should we do with our L-shaped courtyard?
hi guys,
We're after some ideas to freshen up this section of my small unit. It's an L-shaped courtyard with no garden and all paved. I have a dog and wouldn't mind having some astro turf for him to do his deed. I'm thinking of redering the wall at the back and some sort of hanging or vertical garden or herb garden. there are electrical points at the corner as well as water pipes from the previous owners small fountain feature but I haven't utilised this yet.
pictures or examples of what I can do would be appreciated!
Comments (79)
j450n74y
8 years agoIts a rear unit. Faces the road bit far enough not to worry. It was pretty much see through previously.
The only issue is I have some bowing in the wood..
Progress report.. Gate has been changed
how2girl
8 years agoRelated Discussions
L shape Living Dining Room headache
Comments (10)I like your idea Calmond, two single chairs sounds like a better idea as the 2 seater couch takes up a lot of space, and a bigger rug. The only problem is that opposite the 2 seater couch your idea, I have a sliding door and will not be able to move the TV there. Is it possible to have the TV on a wall and just turn it towards the living area if we want to watch TV. Or should it be in the living area.? I also want the TV room as far as possible from our bedroom. Will move the piano and see how it looks. Thanks for your input!...See MoreL-shaped Lounge/dining advice
Comments (20)Will the desk fit on the wall next to the shelf unit or are you are you restricted to the L shape for some reason? Could it work opposite the window & in the other corner better & the piano where white shelf is? If you can get all the measurements including for the new lounge & try taping the floor out to check that the configuration works. Otherwise as you say having the new lounge along that back wall means having the tv where piano is but could work, depending on the view from the dining room. Pictures on the bare walls & a rug will soften what seems harsh at the moment but as you are not sure yet it is hard to say... I have always moved things around many times until it felt right. I feel your pain & hope I have not confused things for you :/...See More1970s L shaped home - updating exterior help
Comments (8)Hi Lizey There are a couple of things you could do to the elevation.... It just needs a direction (style) that you like, eg contemporary etc. A Hampton's style renovation to homes are very popular here in Perth and it hasn't been overdone yet. Your home could have a simple gable to the front, paint the garage door white, weatherboard clad/render the facade etc... these are simple detail works that shouldn't be a big deal with builders in the family. To see what I mean, do a google image search for a Ben Trager HAVEN (no affiliation) home elevation to get the gist. From there you can do an image search for single storey Hampton homes and you will see lots of ideas. If you want to add structure then of course the driveway allows a whole raft of opportunities... Cheers and congrats on the new home......See MoreHow should we design our new kitchen?
Comments (64)Hi BC, I thought to throw a few more ideas at you before getting trades in as OK suggested, you might find something in all suggestions that appeal to. I personally don't think it a good idea to have a combined laundry kitchen in a house, it's something that you relate to apartment living, that's why I have previously suggested that you might consider opening the laundry from the bathroom, which then gives you another wall in the kitchen space. The kitchen is small and I was going to suggest the you have a 900 glass cook top that can be used for extra bench top. This new floor plan keeps the laundry where it is with staked washer and dryer and sink which can be used for cleaning large pots. I have drawn a galley kitchen with the cook top/oven on one side with the fridge sink and DW on the other, for prep and cleaning up. I have also added a sideboard.bar/desk facing into the living room, these cupboards backing up to the kitchen cook top on the other side could be used for the load bearing wall. Where I have marked the wall oven would be bench top as you have now mentioned not wanting that, the microwave can be mounted in the wall cupboard next to the cooktop where the wall oven was marked. The wall units could go to the ceiling or have a bulk head above them I have drawn the kitchen as a galley as the distance between bench's is too wide, 1200 is as wide as you need...See Morej450n74y
8 years agohow2girl
8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agothe short answer is... it's going good.. the long answer is..it's taking me pretty long as I've done this all myself and learning along the way. I had to buy some tools but I'm having fun while doing it.
so I've changed to gate and fence (from the original pool gate looking fence) and also added a screen at the back. plan is to have astro turf in the section in front of the screen and maybe three clumped bamboo plants. I've also bought some used decking tiles (freedom) which I'm still currently oiling and staining which will connect from the astro turf onwards for a section. I will then out white river rocks on either side of the decking tiles and also some plants on the rocks (mother in laws tongue).
I have it all in my head, but execution is taking a lot longer than anticipated as I've been working on it just weekends and an hour or two after work on weekdays...
j450n74y
8 years agohow2girl
8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoWhile I got you guys here .. Im going into uncharted territory again..."Gardening!".....any tips on:
1) some hardy plants for someone that doesnt do any gardening ...I got my eyes on succulents such as the mother in law's tongue which I've already bought.. But wanted some ideas to suit the area above...thinking wood/concrete and some hardy plants suitable for someone who may forget watering a few days at a time...and survive full West Aussie sun...
2) places to buy planters for bamboo (either terrazzo or concrete.../concrete look..
3) modern concrete pots for the mother in law's tongue...? Had a look at bunnings and also target.. saw these at Target.
j450n74y
8 years agoHi all..thanks for the positive feedback.
So many hours learning and youtubing and I think bunnings is all over my credit card right now hah! From someone who didn't know how to drill into wood or a brick wall ...I had to look up everything haha...
I'm thinking twice about bamboo in the rear screen as it might grow too high so any suggestions would be appreciated. The initial plan was to have long planters and there bamboo plants at the rear screen.
The MIL tongue was to be in concrete pots similar to target pots next to the decking tiles along the way. Similar to the picture below but without the height of the pots.. Lol
I've also attached a photo of the deck with 2x coats of oil. I've decided to crisscross as it was old wood and didn't look very even..my pug doesn't look impressed though haha
how2girl
8 years ago
Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Jen
8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agoTribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
8 years ago
scottevie
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
wuff
8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agoThanks for the suggestions everyone! I'm trying to avoid flowers, but I might change my mind if someone can convince me..I understand that it will add colour to the area but I do like the modern/clean/minimalistic look. Thinking of green on wood/concrete. Agave, MIL and Moses looks the best fit.
I've been recommended multiplex bamboo in long planters. Any thoughts on the below style? I would like it to sit in front of the wood screen at the back.
My other choice would be yucca/yukka inatead of bamboo..Any thoughts?
j450n74y
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agohow2girl
8 years agoI've got MILT's down the side of house, they started short & have grown quite tall. Tallest would be approx. 1 metre. Maybe you could add a vertical garden higher up on the wood screen. Here's one that I've got on a sunny wall. Image 1: newly planted Image 2: 2 months later.
j450n74y
8 years ago
purrmichigan
8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agohow2girl
8 years agoIf you want an alternative (?) have a look at Soils Ain't Soils site. They have a selection, some darker coloured & one called South West Riverstone.
Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agojust a quick progress update. decks all oiled and put the plants there just to see how it looks..
Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
8 years agoj450n74y
8 years agoMish Prior
5 years agoj450n74y
5 years agoMish Prior
5 years agoj450n74y
5 years ago
Sarah Sarah
5 years agoj450n74y
5 years agoSarah Sarah
5 years ago
how2girl