Dream Addition: What Would You Put In?
Comments (46)
lyfia
15 years ago
Oakley
15 years agoRelated Discussions
'Dream' garden...what would you do?
Comments (28)well, there is the dream garden which has no basis in reality whatsoever - so this would essentially be a huge walled garden with high, high old brick walls, all of which would be covered with espaliered pears, apples, cherries, apricots, peaches and plums, ramblers and climbers. A Nut walk and a green oak pergola with vines and noisettes. Wide gravel paths with screens of tall perennials such as miscanthus, eupatoriums, verbena. A vegetable garden, an alpine scree garden, a grass and monocot bed, dahlias, pinks, daylilies and violas. A collection of primulas and an alpine house. A shady area of dogwoods, sorbus, forest pansy, malus, underplanted with spring bulbs, paeonies..... I could go on. Also, in this dream, ever seed will germinate, every cutting will strike, every bulb will sprout and pests and disease are unknown. Then, there is the dream in which the existing garden is finally licked into shape, all the projects you planned have come to fruition. Tediously, my dream would be to sort out the paths and edges properly instead of simply hacking a bit more space and commandeering it for this border or that plant family. To attend to edges with proper grass paths, instead of the stomped earth, woodchip and weed infested things they are now. To have at least one properly tended grass area - instead of the weedy, badly shaped bits of limbo between various cultivated areas. To sort out the whole structural thing so that my garden is not a collection of old bamboo and hazel poles, odd bits of timber and plumbing pipe, not fully dismantled bits of previous supports and to sort out the plantings so that everything is not the current mishmash of flowers, fruit and vegetables - this looks gorgeous (at times) but can be a nightmare to weed, tend, harvest. There is generally too much of everything. Finally, to be prepared with a range of pea sticks so that plants are staked BEFORE they become giants which then fall over in the first rain shower....See MoreIf you could start fresh what would you put ina childs garden
Comments (47)Any one living near the Huntington Gardens be sure to visit the new Childrens Garden. They have a large cement bowl of sand that has a lot of iron ore inside, beach sand has Iron ore. They also have a large magnet to gather it up. Children can play with this by the hour. They have a pebble stream, a fog forest. A TeePee make believe, fake Ravens sitting on the bench, I rainbow tunnel, many other clever things for children to explore. Visit and it will give you some great ideas. I wish I could come and help you with your garden. Use a lot of bushes with texture. Pansy's for color, miniature persimmons, miniature Peaches to be picked. Bean Poles shaped like a TeePee for the beans to climb, and Tomato cages to keep them off the ground, the more you plant up, the more room you will have, peas climb up, Japanese egg plant takes little room, and you can eat them. Stubby carrots are great tiny and grow in poor soil and pots. My children's garden was all in pots set in space on the driveway that wasn't used for other things, miniature tomatoes in 3 gal containers and Luffa sponge in 5 gal. clay pots. A row of pot for herbs, I had a weeping willow bottle brush tree, hummingbirds just loved visiting. Miniature squash, which grows fast in a five gallon glay container, and up a tomato cage, and the old standby a row of radishes with germinates in three days. Have the childen make a scarecrow with your help of course. I started growing food at four and a half. Be sure to tuck in some parsley and rosemary for you. A large tall Sunflower plant, one is plenty and grows tall about (8ft). It will attract birds. Gourds, grow up and make a fine trellis plant for a lath house. Just ideas, Norma...See MoreWhat would you put in your contract (that maybe you didn't)
Comments (1)You need to watch for putting too much of the design in the actual contract. You'll be bound to that decision which could end up being a problem if you later change your mind. On the other hand, if you're exactly positive then it could be a good thing. I hired an architect first (or a KD could do the same) who specified high-level what was needed, for purposes of a quote. That included preliminary decisions around appliances, just for pricing purposes (they weren't what we picked in the end.) The estimate came in based on that document. I then attached my initial spec in as an Appendix, then had some wording talking about how to negotiate changes to the preliminary scope. To me things like where to put electrical wall switches, etc. shouldn't go in without some proviso saying you're free to make final determinations later. Do you want to be bound now to the decision you make in these cases before you start the work? It's important to work though changes in scope and impact on cost. Unless your design is really complete or unless you've done this before a few times, it's unlikely your final price will be what you're quoted now unless they come in with a fixed bid (which I'd argue isn't in your best interest unless you have no ability at all to go beyond your set price limit). If your planned interaction with the GC will be minimal (e.g. you won't be in the building or need to rely on specs to communicate decisions) then I'd put the specificity in specs and refer to the spec documents. Permitting, code compliance, etc. are all very good things to have in the contract -- for me they were drawn up in my architect (or KD) initial drawing / spec. Payment plan is also important (at what milestones do you release portions of payment). Also, I'd include the prime / sub contractor relationship (or say that all payments go only to the prime) and ensure that you'll have lien waivers to protect you in the future. This post was edited by calumin on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 16:10...See MoreThe Un-Dream House, Just for Fun: What would you do?
Comments (8)Thank you all for playing! I didn't even want to bring up the situation on the inside, because I felt overwhelmed just looking at the mold and the basement toilet which appears to have no door? I agree about the hanging cabinets in the kitchen and that door being awkwardly placed, though I can never give up a way to let the dogs out...too lazy! I agree about painting it all one color ( would choose cream, with putty colored shutters and a colorful door, maybe) removing the shrubs, and repositioning the walkway. Our walkway is the same way--leads to almost the top of the driveway, which means any visitors have to squeeze past cars to get to our door. Annoying and not welcoming. The back of the house is indeed plug ugly. I'd just plant a whole row of hydrangeas and call that a fix, after fixing/replacing the brick patios. For sun relief, I'd like a pergola I could plant with wisteria. My friend has one to die for and I have too much shade to justify it at my house. I feel like decks are far too much work in our climate--my neighbor's looks quite awful and the one friend I have who has a nice looking one has to spend money on it every other year. Our brick patio has required zero work other than a power wash in the decade since it was put in, so I'm a fan. re: the ugly wires on the back of the house, I will never understand why they put the service hookups on the back of the house. There is almost always a side of the house people aren't going to have to look at from either the front or the back patio--why don't they put it there? My house is just like this--all the wires lead right to where you're sitting :(...See Moreteacats
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15 years agoOkay - I got some great ideas - thanks guys! FIL and my dad are both architects but that doesn't mean that they see things from my perspective and thought process all of the time. That's why I'm trying to gather ideas now so that I don't fully kick myself in the end for not thinking of something. Periodically they ask me if I've been thinking about it and to gather ideas.
I agree, Susan's addition is wonderful! I often go back to it for the colors.
This is the back that we are adding onto:
I pitched adding a new back entry via a large room/hallway type deal where the back porch is and jutting out past the side of the house. That way the front of the house won't change much and it will still look 'quaint'. We would then build further out into the back yard for the MBR and bath off of the newly enclosed porch area. Multiple sets of French doors will open from the back of the bedroom out to the backyard and private patio area.
Both FIL and Dad said that the concept is a good one for the addition and that it will work and function well - but that's men talking. I have no thoughts of how I want the 3rd bedroom and layout upstairs to be but now I know from you all that I need a linen closet up there for all of the kids rooms and bath. Maybe even the addition of a small stackable washer/dryer up there. That'd be nice and feasible if it is structurely possibly.
Must see if we can get a walk in pantry somehow added. Shouldn't be so terribly hard as the current back door leads into the kitchen.
Oh! And I want outlets in each window sill for those electric window candles that plug right in at the base. Can't be knocked over! Has anyone ever seen them? They're AWESOME! Oh - and a separate light switch that connects all of them!
You see my problem is that I've never lived in a new house. I've always lived in very old homes so I don't really know what all is out there!I plan on printing this thread out.
ttodd
15 years agoOhhh Bella! I love antique roses! This is the front of the house:
All of the trim is now painted out white except for the front door and shutters. I'm not sure what color I'm leaning towards there. Probably white like my favorite stone chapel in the area.
Anyway Bella, I have planned to line the front of the house w/ climbing white roses around the double windows. Probably Sombreuil. I have that planted in my current patio and it is so reliable and hardy. White hydrangea and other white plantings will comprise the front landscaping for a white/moon garden. And of course the prerequisite white picket fence.
The gardens will transition to pink around the side and then blue/purple around the back. There is now a white split fence that runs down the entire side and back of the property (acres) that I am going to plant w/ Nikko blue and Everblloming hydrangea over the years.
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