The Secret Garden

29 December 2013

Almost finished - just need to get a larger table and six chairs and plant a border of plants around the garden.  We will paint the garden shed black to make it disappear into the background.

27 December 2013
We were getting sick of having to weed the upper garden so it was time to take action and get the next stage of the Secret Garden done!  Compacting the earth in readiness for putting down the weedmat and shells made all the difference - the ground felt more solid!  Great another job done....can't wait for the shells to be delivered!

Compacting the earth!



Weedmat laid



The star jasmine has been planted along the fence line - which will provide lovely fragrance as we eat breakfast in the in the dappled morning sun. 

Next step - painting the shed charcoal grey to make it blend into the garden area...


September 2013
The back garden has long been an area which we have felt has not been utilized as much as it could have been. Catching the morning sun, this area will be a lovely space to have breakfast and relaxing cups of tea in the sunshine on a nice outdoor table and chair set.  The  mature tree provides the perfect green shade umbrella and a place to hang tea lights for romantic BBQ dining.  I am wanting to create a secret garden effect - informal, rambling and relaxing.  The two lemon trees on each side of the steps leading to the area will be shaped into an archway which will reveal the area.

Inspiration
I am inspired by the courtyard at "Columbus Cafe" in Onehunga.  It looks very French like.  Daisys, lavender, and even has the same type of tree we have.

GroundCover
We have chosen to continue with the existing shell/stone mix of the existing pathways as the roots of the tree will not damage this effect.  ( A large root has broken a concrete step which tells me it is better to work with nature than against it.)

Planting
A border garden of lavender will go along the retaining wall this will soften the lines and also provide a natural boundary stopping people from going over the edge of the wall.  I will need to find a variety that withstands the shade - or find an alternative plant that enjoys the shade.  The boundary fence has a star jasmine growing - we will purchase more to replace the ferns which were there before.  They provide a lovely fragrance and have white flowers in the summer.

HRV System

14th July 2014
It was time to change the filters to the HRV in January - but baulked at the $420.00 to get all three filters changed by the HRV company we purchased the system from.  Further to a lot of research I came across this reputable company who you can get the filters from for $75 each with tape included (be sure to remind the receptionist to give you the tape - she forgot to include it but couriered it free to us).  There are good instructions  on the box - so we got the filters for a fraction of the price.  This company was also recommended by the Consumer Magazine and that is good enough for me!
PHONE: 0800 481 999, 17 Kawana Street, Northcote
http://www.filtercorp.biz/home-ventilation.html



17 January 2012
The ducts of the attic are all over the place - loop de looped and there seemed to be twice as much of it than actually needed taking up lots of room. Phoned HRV and asked them to come in and attach the ducts to the ceiling of the attic as our storage space was being wasted. They coming tomorrow at 1pm.

Insulation

Installed Greenstuff Blanket R2.9 insulation into upstairs and kitchen area of house. Contract No. CA10403

CoolnHeat (www.coolnheat.co.nz)
P O Box 35730
Royal Oak, Auckland
Phone: 271 3177
Contact: Kevin

HRV - Vent Group Limited

We are having the HRV installed tommorrow - I am so excited!

We have opted for the most efficient model - the Phoenix 6 which comprises of three fans rather than just two just to make sure all the greeblies are vanquished!

It will help make our home a dryer home and protect the wood and fixings of the house structure. The mould in the house we get now on some walls in the house will be eradicated.

Not only that the HRV ventilation system and filter is aproved to be part of the Sensitive Choice programme which helps those people who suffer from respiratory illness and Asthma.

HRV
PHONE 3567244 (Patrick)

Wooden Venetians in Bathroom

We put up a 25mm Wooden Venetian in the bathroom today. It is from Harvey Furnishings and made of raminwood, stained in "Cherry Colour". We had it cut to size so it fitted perfectly!!

Kitchen/Living Room

19th January 2014
Connor kindly cut a new face for our top drawer and I have finally got around to painting it.  Ages ago we had got the kitchen cupboard colour analysed by Resene paint and it has turned out to be a great match!  I primed the wood and it took five attempts to get the top coats to my satisfaction.  I thought of it as my experiment to stop going crazy! :)  As you can see from the picture the second drawer down now looks  really bad - and the top draw looks just as good as the laminated drawer.  I think it will probably last better too!

Next step:  Paint all the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen to freshen it all up!  I will need to use special primer that sticks to polished surfaces....

 

Wall Paints:The walls needed a bit of a wakeup call in the kitchen/living room areas - they were tired and we needed to fill gaps in the corners where there was a little movement in the house. We wanted to stick to the same colour as it is very restful, neutral and easy to live with.

However, to find the correct colour was a mission - testpot after testpot!!! Five testpots later (though did find the bathroom colour) we finally found the right one:

Resene - Whites and neutrals
Linen G80-020-097

Yay!!!

Painting the Rusty Electricity Meter Box

The meter box looked terrible - rust had come through the paint and made the house look dirty. First job was to get rid of the rust. We used "Tergo Rust Killer" rust remover and metal conditioner. Next we primed it with grey British Paints "Galvanised Iron Primer Prepcoat". Finally we gave it two coats of Dulux "Epsom Double" using a test pot - it wasn't the right colour. So we did another two coats of "Shortland Street" again using a sample pot. Much better.

Only problem is now it makes the rest of the house look terrible - we will be painting the front of the house, the black window sills and door; and the paverandah railings; and polyurathaning the door next.