We’ve tackled so many home improvement projects over the last few years but one area that always seems to slip down our list of priorities is the garden.
Yes, it’s come a long way since we first moved in when it looked like this…
…but there’s still a lot more to do. Two projects on our garden to-do list are adding a new driveway (we’ll be sharing our hopefully finished new driveway later this week!) and adding some more fencing to screen off the driveway….
If you like us over on Facebook, you may have already seen a preview of what we were planning. As so often we were a bit undecided, so put our idea and plan to the vote and most of you seemed to think it was a good idea – so we built it!
Having already built a lot of fence panels last year, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect and knew roughly how long it would take to do. We were also lucky to have some help from some great friends which meant that this project only took a few hours from start to finish to complete.
Building a fence seems like a big project to tackle, but it’s actually really straightforward. (You can read our detailed post about how to build a slatted fence here)
Start by digging holes for the fence posts.
Then add the fence posts and some Postcrete (we clamped one of the pieces of fence to the posts to hold them in place while the Postcrete dried) to the holes and wait for it to dry.
The part of this project that took longest to complete was actually painting all of the panels and posts (although I really shouldn’t complain about it as I didn’t have to do most of it).
Trying to make the most of the good weather (let’s face it, it’s been pretty rare around here lately) we also manage to get some more of the prep work for the driveway done and with a bit of extra help we managed to distribute two full tonne bags of MOT in less than half an hour.
Honestly friends are invaluable when you’re renovating a house and I don’t mean because of the help (although of course we appreciate that, too). They help you keep sane when you’re struggling through a difficult project or renovation phase and they drag you out when they realise that you need a break (thanks guys!).
Anyway, after fixing the fence posts we just had to attach the actual panels which was really quick work with the help of our nail gun (this is the one we have and it’s still our favourite tool ever).
It’s amazing how much you can achieve in just a day if you put in the effort and we’re really happy with how the additional fence panel turned out.
The fence definitely adds a bit more privacy which was the whole idea and weirdly the garden actually feels larger not that there’s fencing around it.
Next on the list of jobs is finishing the driveway!
We’d love to know what you think! Do you think we were right to add more fence for privacy? We definitely need more plants, soft textures and greenery in the garden – any suggestions?
Hi guys, been following your blog for a while as we have also bought a house in need of a little TLC in south Manchester! I’m revamping our garden at present and can advise that in the acidic Mancunian soil, there are lots of pretty (and productive!) plants you might want to think about! Enjoy cooking? What about a herb garden? Sage, rosemary, mint, chives and thyme all do pretty well (though some may need more sun or drainage than others). Roses and fruit bushes are great for being low maintenance (annual pruning all thats really needed); blackberries and currants will all do well and the leafy stems can look really good. Finally, got a shady spot you don’t know what to plant in? Get a fern!
How exciting, Laura! We do already have rosemary and thyme in the garden and both plants are doing really well (no one in our street ever has to buy rosemary ;)). We have some roses that we inherited from the previous owners and after a few years of TLC (they’d been neglected by the tenants before we bought the house) are looking better than ever. We also have some blackberries, blackcurrants and raspberries that are doing well, too.
It sounds like we chose the plants to suit our garden, doesn’t it? It’s total coincidence – we basically chose things we’d like to eat!
Thanks for the tips, Laura & good luck with your new home!
Cx
Hello , I think that fence is a mandatory thing for garden, it will get you a little bit more of privacy, not everyone can look inside your yard. All in all it’s very beautiful weve built fence, I think that i use this example for my new house yard!
Thank you, Kristina.
Cx