An old multi let house with a badly neglected and overgrown garden.
The back courtyard had several doors opening onto it including the kitchen door and an outside laundry room. It was a dead and ugly space of about 9 m square.
The courtyard had become a place to prop anything! a dysfunctional mess. There was an old lemon tree stump in the middle of the grass area and no structure or prettiness at all.
Take note:
- the lemon tree stump between the chairs
- the original path to the laundry room on the bottom right.
- make fire on ground anywhere
- no garden bed structure against vibercrete wall
- invasive overgrown ivy
The owner was reluctant to suggestions of any permanent seating structure.
Drawings were made, but there was a budget issue
- Our mandate was to give the entire garden a major cleanout and trim.
- To create two separate community areas in garden
- to create some structure in the garden
- to do something with the back courtyard, anything!
- to improvise and to be organic with implementing structure
The path to the outside laundry and shower facility was the first change – and did it lift the energy. The little pebbles added that natural beauty needed to lift a dead courtyard. It was a talking point for weeks. Life itself.
the bed on the left later gets paw paw plants in it.
- all the ivy removed or trimmed back
- bed boxes made from an old fence found stored away
- steppingstones through an un-grassed patch to the wash-line area placed in a lose fashion.
FEELING MUCH FRESHER AND MORE LOVED
Over the next few weeks, we upcycled a modular corner bench, creatively using more of the ‘found’ stored, wooden fence.
the ‘bench’, has become a template for further development, which we will feature further updates on.
I purchased two cheap concrete tree rings for use as fire pits, the real upgrade to be installed later.
The gallery below shows how anyone can uplift their living area, with a bit of love.
The bench could be a cemcrete one – the concept we put forth, with a sturdy custom fire pit. What makes the courtyard quaint and special is that the flow and function is in balance.
There was enough wood from the old fence to finish off with a tabletop outside of the back door.
Three old pots which were half buried were dug out of the garden and given a new life.
