So we've once again begun at yet another wall :p This one will come right against the neighbours' kitchenwall which is roughly at the same level as our first floor to hide all the pre-middle aged debree and that's showing and also to give it more support.

No picture yet, but I promise I'll post one tomorrow ;)

In the mean time, enjoy these pictures of my Agapanthus in flower ^^

As promised:




It's not finished yet :p

So the wall behind the wall you are building belongs to someone else's home? Your wall is against another home?

I live on a hill Becky, so the neighbours' kitchen wall sits higher than ours (as I said their kitchen on ground level sits next to our first floor) and it marks the property boundary.



But these houses were built with 'ancient' methods aka dumping all kinds of rubble in the ground as a prehistoric foundation and now with our renovations and digging away dirt this has become visible on our side as you can see.
This also meant that the clay soil that provided some stability is gone and now we're replacing it with a stronger new wall. This acts as a retaining wall for the visible clay and rubble so it doesn't wash away (and could crack their wall), but also for aesthetics:




This is not particulary nice to look at :p And there's no way we can hack at it to get an even surface for plastering or whatever, so this is the solution :p Also, it provides some texture to the wall which could benefit us. For example if we painted the hind most wall dark grey or black and the one(s) up front slightly lighter it gives a sense of a deeper border and 'into the shadows' (well i tink)




Red line shows more or less how the new wall is going to be; staircase like :p

Interesting .... !!!



So your wall is nearly against your neighbor's home? I was thinking that wall was part of your home. I wish I could see an aerial view of these properties. The brick and wooden walls in the above photos are part of the home of your next door neighbor?

Where is your home located from this angle?

beckygardener said:
So your wall is nearly against your neighbor's home? I was thinking that wall was part of your home. I wish I could see an aerial view of these properties. The brick and wooden walls in the above photos are part of the home of your next door neighbor?

Where is your home located from this angle?

We have a slight gap between the walls yes, but we'll fill that with concrete afterwards for more studiness. And yes the walls you see running uphill are also from the neighbours, but we're not going to change anything to them, except maybe paint them or plant against them. They're not as much work as this one was.

And my house is here: our kitchen roof begins a good 5 foot beyond the bottom of the large stairs

So your home is situated at the bottom of the garden? Can you take a photo from the street? I need a visual to see exactly how your home sits in relationship to your neighbor's home. All this time I was thinking your home was at the top of the garden, not at the bottom. I am really mixed up trying to get a perspective of the lay-out of your property and home. Sorry to be so confused. So your raised step bed and the back yard is your entire yard? What is behind your backyard?

I am amazed that you are that close to your neighbor. I thought new homes here were close to their neighbors, but your home is even closer! Good thing you have those double walls to give you privacy and insulate you from sounds from the neighbors home.

This is SO INTERESTING!!!

Fascinating, I agree. And makes me really wish there was someone close by to work with me who had your vision, skills, and work ethic.

beckygardener said:So your home is situated at the bottom of the garden? Can you take a photo from the street? I need a visual to see exactly how your home sits in relationship to your neighbor's home. All this time I was thinking your home was at the top of the garden, not at the bottom. I am really mixed up trying to get a perspective of the lay-out of your property and home. Sorry to be so confused. So your raised step bed and the back yard is your entire yard? What is behind your backyard?

I am amazed that you are that close to your neighbor. I thought new homes here were close to their neighbors, but your home is even closer! Good thing you have those double walls to give you privacy and insulate you from sounds from the neighbors home.

This is SO INTERESTING!!!

Here's a photo from the front. Right is the neighbours' house we talked about.



This is the most hind part of the garden behind the shed. It's the 'wilder' site which we use to compost and store (building) materials. Here I'll let nature take its course more freely and don't really do anything to it except pruning when it really gets in the way or planting. At the moment there's ferns, two cyclamens (on the verge of dying I tink ), ivy, nettles and other weeds. In other words a real wildlife haven lol.


This is the view from on top of the shed to the house. You can see the third and second level and in the back my house (roof/attick and first floor). Left is the neighbours' house which we discussed earlier.


A more closer view. As you can see, the neighbours' first floor is even higher than our attic! (Naturally left is then uphill)

Lee-Roy - Interesting photos and perspective of your property and the neighbor's homes. So different than what I have been exposed to here in Florida. How old are those homes? They look like they are built so strong and full of history!

So your home is the shorter tan brick home in-between the two taller red brick homes? All the yards are behind each home?

When I asked what was behind your backyard, I meant what is beyond your backyard. Is it undeveloped woodland or are there more homes beyond the back of your property?

Don't know about the neighbours' homes, but mine was built around 1930 by my grandparents. The ones next to it could be around the same age. And yes it's the tan colored one.

And behind my backyard is someone else's backyard :p

Lee-Roy - That is pretty cool! I love that you are restoring an almost 100 year old home! You and your partner have done an amazing job and I look forward to seeing your continued work ... both outside and inside! Did your family (relatives) always own the home or did your parents purchase the home from someone else who originally built it?

I think I mentioned in a previous post that my grandparents build it. It went to my father and now to me.

Anyway today I'm sanding the neighbours' kitchen wall to get it as smooth as possible; tomorrow will be painting day. Wonder how it's going to turn out...

Your home has family history.... The best kind of home to own! I remember you saying your father owned it, but I didn't remember it came from your grandfather. I would be in awe of something passed down like that through my family.

What color will you be painting it (did I miss this)?

Today we finished yesterdays painting of the three largest walls. After that some more digging and pouring (hopefully) the last two concrete foundations to finish the double wall.

That looks wonderful.

I don't know...It sure is better than it was, but still not quite the modern/contemporary look I desperately want. The texture of the bricks varies and that makes it look a bit...amateuristic.

Would you need to plaster/stucco over the bricks first to get a smooth surface, then paint? Would that work?