Laying A New Patio In Your Garden

If you have recently purchased a new house or are giving your garden a makeover, one of the tasks which will give a great appearance to the garden is the laying of a new patio.

Prior to starting work it is important to have in mind a design you like but which at the same time will add character and value to the house. The location should be surveyed to ensure the patio planned is both feasible in size as well as practical. Obstacles such as drains, manholes, paths, and access to the house and the garden all need to be taken into account.

Preparation: Groundwork needs to be undertaken to give the patio a sound base on which to be laid making sure the foundation is strong and water run-off is accounted for. All plantlife should be removed from the area before it is excavated. A basic foundation should then be laid to achieve the correct footings for the patio and adequate drainage.

This could simply be a mix of “crush n run”, or it might be concrete or just sharp sand and aggregates. It is simply a case of using the right foundation for the use and size of the patio.

The patio stones or slabs should be laid on a bed of mortar to ensure stability and no movement in its lifespan. The actual mix of the mortar is simple to determine and is created using just a mixture of sand, aggregates, and cement. This can be mixed in small quantities manually using a mortar board and spade or for larger quantities a cement mixer would be the ideal piece of equipment to use.

Purchasing a cement mixer is normally out of the question for the average homeowner. Unless you intend to complete the job over several weeks (or use the mixer on other tasks) it would be beneficial to hire a cement mixer instead from a local tool hire company. 

If you need to cut any patio stones to size the best tool to use would be a petrol stone cutting saw. The purchase price of these is several hundred pounds, if you decide to buy one of these several different ones are available – the most favoured one being a Stihl TS410.  This particular machine is the most manageable and reliable and is also used by professional landscapers and groundworkers.

As with the mixer it is probably best to rent a stone saw for the average gardener / homeowner.

After the patio is laid make sure the joints are filled using either a stiff mortar mix or by brushing sand into them. Different coloured patio mortar is available to either blend in or constrast with the slabs themselves.   

Finally, after the job is complete the only thing left to do is to “dress” the patio to your requirements; patio furniture, a heater perhaps, or even just a barbeque, it is simply a case of enjoying the new patio you have laid in your garden.

Summer Garden Maintenance

To keep your gardens appearance nice it is important to spend time on pruning trees and shrubs which have grown out of shape or above an acceptable height. Depending on the type of tree or plant consideration should be given as to the correct time of the year to cut them back and restore the garden for the UK’s summer season.

The summer is the season when we tend to spend more time in the garden because of the climate and outdoor leisure activities associated with it.

If your garden contains a lawn it is probably bordered with plants or trees and if not will most likely have a hard landscaping structure such as a wall or wooden fence.  These borders are what sets the gardens overall appearance just like a frame around a picture. It therefore makes sense to ensure these look their best – especially in summer time.

The question comes as to what is the correct tool to cut and shape the trees and plants? and, which tool should be used to cut fence posts and panels to size?

For cutting of trees, shrubs, and small diameter timber a popular tool would be a compact petrol chainsaw.  The use of such a tool allows you to work without an electric power supply meaning you can work with the freedom of cables and the restrictions they bring.

By using a petrol chainsaw branches can be cut and removed, encouraging new growth and creating the correct shape of the plant at the same time. Dead wood can be pruned and any diseased areas cut out which will allow the plant to continue growing and developing as best as it can.  

Although a chainsaw can be used for cutting fence panels it is not the ideal tool to use, a circular saw should be used in preference which would allow straight cuts to be achieved to keep the fence panel straight and uniform in its shape.  

Both a chainsaw and a circular saw can be purchased and at an affordable price from several different types of shops.

The circular saw can be bought at DIY high street shops, specialist tool hire shops, mail order companies, and also online from a wide selection of different suppliers.

Chainsaws are typically sold through outdoor equipment shops that cater purely for gardening equipment such as lawnmowers, brushcutters, garden shredders, hedgetrimmers and the like. Different brands are sold as well through dealers who specialise in one particular make, an example of this is a Stihl branded petrol chainsaw – this would typically be sold in a garden equipment dealer that specialised purely on Stihl products.

Overall, the one thing to remember is that the overall appearance of your garden is related directly to the amount of maintenance you give it – the more attention it needs, the more work and time is required, otherwise it will become unsightly, overgrown, and lacking in beauty.   

 

 

Facia Board Replacement On Your House

A home improvement task which will instantly improve the appearance and cleanliness of your house or bungalow is the replacement of the wooden facia boards.

Traditionally homeowners were faced with regular maintenance of the facia boards and mouldings by having to paint them to keep their appearance and for protection against the ingress of water. Being in a high elevation on houses the facia boards are one of the first areas which can show up when the paint starts to loosen and flake off.

With the progress made over the last few years in DIY and home improvement materials it was only a matter of time before someone came up with an ideal solution. Following on from upvc doors and windows the major plastic products manufacturers have developed their product line up and have progressed into the manufacture and sale of upvc roofline products.  This includes different sizes and thicknesses of upvc facia boards – which can either be used to “cap” existing wooden facias or replace them entirely.

The fitting of such facia boards lead to virtually no maintenance required again in this area of the house – other than cleaning the boards are weather proof and require no regular repainting as before.

The tools and equipment required to install these new products are conventional and can be obtained at an affordable price from your local tool hire shop.

The main piece of equipment needed are a set of ladders or a portable access tower. As well as this an electric or cordless drill is needed to drill and secure the boards to the sub structure.

The facia boards are supplied in standard lengths and will require cutting to match the buildings size. They can be cut with either a handsaw or electric/cordless saw.

The only hand tools needed to change the boards from wooden to the new upvc ones are a crow bar or wrecking bar (needed to remove nails and fixings) and a pair of pincers if nails are present.