60 squares



My eldest son, Simon, came to lunch on Saturday with his girlfriend Larissa, and spent some time helping to take out the last of the lapa poles. See how the pole has rotted away in the concrete? We are really so lucky that the whole thing didn't fall down on our heads.



So now that the lapa is down, we are full of plans and ideas about what do do with the space.
(Yes, I know I used that pic in my last post. Yes I know it's my garden and I could go outside and take another (different) one. But I don't want to.)

We're back to square one, but as Seth Godin says, square one is an under rated place. So we need to make sure we enjoy being there.

Do we just cover the space in shadecloth so that we can escape the summer heat more cost effectively?

Do we build a big room onto the house? With an extra bathroom and a fireplace and windows all around? The area we are looking at covering is 12m long and 5m wide. The lapa had the same surface area (but a different shape) but somehow it didn't feel like a fixed space because it was open on three sides.

Our house is a very old (by South African standards). Typical farmhouse style... a long passage down the centre and three rooms on each side. So part of what we would want to do if we do build a solid extension would be to make sure that we don't ruin the look of the house, or its old fashioned feel.

Do we sell the left hand half of the bottom of our garden to help pay for these grand plans? (because anything that is built there ... down behind that green water tank in the distance ... doesn't interfere with our view). Or do we build something there ourselves, and boost our income with the rent (once we'd paid off the loan we'd have to take out to pay for it).

What would you do? How would you fill sixty square metres of space?

Comments

Skoorby said…
How about a brick patio? If I lived closer, I'd come over and do it for you - or at least draw it. You could attach a retractable awning to the house to cover half of the area.

With all that sun, you could have two large flower containers at the corners, with others filling in.

The patio could connect to the pool with a 4 ft mini-path.

Some plantings of boxwood-type shrubs down the left hand side of the patio, trimmed to 2-3 ft., and a bed with higher plantings to the left to provide privacy from the road. Irrigate it all with a small drip system (inexpensive) connected to the nearest tap via a timer.
8 September 2009 at 22:42
Anonymous said…
Hi Geoff, could you do a drawing.
Thanks
9 September 2009 at 20:32
julochka said…
build a writing space. :-) i can highly recommend it. but i know what you mean about enjoying pondering the possibilities. savor that!
16 September 2009 at 11:05
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