Monday, March 11, 2013

Something Old, Something New....

Well as one project comes to an end another one starts. This one isn't planned to take quite so long however - well I hope not anyway.

I'm sure many of you have seen the red pergola in photos before. It was one of the original structures in the garden when we moved in, although had to be cleansed of many years of ivy growth first. It was build sometime before 1999 as that was when the owner of the property who built the pergola sold it to the people before us. Based on various other clues I think it was probably built about 1994-95.

Nearly 20 years of weather and several years under a blanket of ivy have taken their toll on this softwood structure, and with rot taking a hold in the roof joists and the trellis we decided that it was a good a time as any to get stuck in and make a start on repairing it.

Before more on the rebuild it's probably worth having a look at its history with us.

This first photo is from the first visit we made when the house was up for sale back in January 2005. The pergola is there (honest) under the the tower of ivy. I'm looking into a badly damaged koi pond that was in the garden when we moved in, it didn't hold water and there were quite a few problems with the structure itself. This has been filled in and is now the area we refer to as the middle patio.

Not long after moving in we got stuck into the garden and one of Mark's first major tasks was removing that tangle of ivy. The dust and mess it created was staggering, and despite the dust causing him to cough and sneeze the ivy was cleared!
There, that's much better!

With the ivy now gone we could give it a coat of stain and wood preserver, to give it a chance of a new life after several years of neglect. We opted for a red stain but quickly decided this wasn't really bright enough for the look we wanted. (you can just see the first exotics creeping in with a cordyline and bamboo to the left of the photo.

There that's perfect, a bright red finish - and yet more exotics!
However moving forward a few years and the old pergola is showing its age, treated softwood in the garden doesn't last for ever and it's time for some maintenance. We knew that the trellis needed to be replaced and at least two of the roof joists.



So with the pond project finished, albeit for a few finishing touches, we decided to get stuck in this weekend. As you can see we needed to do something, this beam had already rotted through and was being supported by a small bracket.




First off was the old trellis. I wanted to get this off carefully as an Aristolochia durior is climbing up it and we want this to grow on the restored pergola. Each cross piece was removed in turn and carefully untangled from the twisting climber - another reason to do this in winter so we could see the stems without a covering of leaves.

If only we had a fire!!
After the trellis was off then we needed to take the top off.







This was actually in worse condition than I had realised, we also discovered that as this came off one of the upright posts was very wobbly and upon closer inspection had rotted off at the ground. Jobs always have a habit of getting a bit bigger once you start them.

At that point we had a discussion about whether to rebuild the pergola at all, as so much needed to be replaced, but we decided it had been such a focal point in the garden we would both miss the bright red splash of colour if we removed it.

So after measuring up what we needed we were off to the DIY store to get new timber to rebuild. The remaining posts are solid but do show a few signs of decay at the ground level. We will treat these and reinforce them to ensure they last another good few years.

Well thats the first half of this project done, the dismantling phase, hopefully if the weather is co-operative next weekend we shall be able to make a start on putting it all back together.

Gaz

20 comments :

  1. Oh my word, you never stop!!! I really must get my backside into gear. I love your red pergola, I am so pleased you have decided to keep it.

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    1. It was so cold last Sunday and was tempted to just stay in, but the work on this pergola is long overdue...

      Thank Libby! I'm glad we're keeping it too especially as it's become almost like a signature structure of our garden :0

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  2. I'm so glad you've decided to rebuild it. I love the splash of color, too, and the shape was beautiful, too.

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    1. We do love this shade of red, bright and cheerful :)

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  3. Why did I know you were going to start something else major? In all honesty in did end up needing redone or removed. Nice that you guys can do all the work yourself.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    1. Itchy hands to do something in the garden :)

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  4. Letting yourselves down easy (well, maybe not SO easy) with a new project was a good idea. It should save you from post-pond depression That splash of red is just perfect in your jungle oasis.

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    1. It's nice to be able to pay attention to other parts of the garden once again, especially as the work on this pergola is long over due :) Looking forward to seeing it restored!

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  5. Do you ever sit and do nothing? I confess that is very hard for me to do, as my mind immediately starts thinking of projects! I love your red pergola; I am glad you decided to restore it.

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    1. Difficult to just sit down (ok, perhaps not on a really warm and sunny day) as there's always things to do or needs to get done. Typical gardeners :)

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  6. You guys always inspire me with your seemingly endless energy and ability to make things yourselves. Now it's time for a nap as just the thought of you doing all that work has tired me out!

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    1. A nap is such a good idea, I'm dreaming of taking one now.... :)

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  7. Loved the old photos, took me a minute to realize we were looking back toward your house. So will you rebuild it exactly to match or do you have your own twist on the original?

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    1. As close to the original as possible Loree, although if certain bits prove too inconvenient to replicate neither us wouldn't mind veering way off from the original one :0

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  8. Good going, Lads. Always interesting to see old photos too. Big congrats on finally finishing the pond as well! Dave

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    1. Thank you Dave! Nice for us to see the old photos too, had to dig them up for this post :)

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  9. Well worth a rebuild, it is a striking feature. I really enjoyed spotting the beginnings of your gardening style being imposed on the more traditional original! I had to laugh at the description of how dusty and dirty removing ivy is, I have been doing rather a lot of it myself, and removing rotten trellis.

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    1. Thanks Janet, yes I think its worth the time to rebuild it. Hopefully the replacement will last a good number of years as well.

      It was interesting to see the old photos again, its amazing how fast you can forget what the garden looks like.

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  10. I think the red pergola is definitely worth the trouble! Good call. Jeannine

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  11. Thanks Jeannine, we are looking forward to bringing it back to life. The weather has turned cold again so it will have to wait a little longer.

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