Exterior Ideas
This fence was blown down in the January storms of 2024. To save money for the owner, I kept the original boards, dug out the old posts, which had broken, and replaced them with sturdier 150mm posts. I also replaced the rails. This fence is 14m long so keeping the original boards saved a lot of money. The fence is much stronger because the posts are stronger and painiting the old boards freshened the entire fence.
This must be the cheapest way to create an extra room in a small terraced property. If you have a yard, think about roofing it using clear polycarbonate panels to create a light-filled space for al fresco dining even if it rains, to provide extra storage, as a space to house a washing machine and tumble drier to allow you to use your kitchen space better, as a space to dry clothes or as an outdoor bar for parties. The wooden window sills aren’t expensive and create a finished look that makes outdoors look like indoors. They can also be used as a bar top.
Ten years ago, I built this fence with a conventional set of wooden gates for this property. Two years ago, a wider (3m/ 10′) entrance was required and it was decided that the swinging gates required cars to be parked too far back into the property, which would waste precious garden space. I dug out one gatepost and laid a new one to give a wider opening. I used the original timber from the swinging gates and added some strengthening batons to make a single rolling gate. The cost of the timber for this project was about £50, which includes £25 for the new 150mm gate post. Recycling really saves money and a lick of paint every year covers a multitude of sins.
The metal track is laid in concrete with a brushed finish and there is a very sturdy, good-quality mechanism that allows the door to roll. This door is not electrically driven so unlike his neighbours, the owner doesn’t have to pay for expensive repairs every few years. The gate is completely fabricated from timber and weighs about 70kg. It can be opened and closed by a seven-year-old child so the enormous expense and questionable reliability of an electrical mechanism seems hardly justifiable. The gate is very strong when it is fully closed and it had no trouble withstanding the storms during the winter of 2023-2024.
The biggest cost for this project was the rolling mechanism, which cost about £150.00. If you can wait until someone else also wants a rolling gate, I can probably negotiate a cheaper price and use the same delivery fee for two sets.
Simple design saves money in terms of initial cost and it is much easier to fix so it is cheaper in the long run.
The customer had an existing old shed that stretched along half of the side of the house. I removed this and erected a new shed that stretches the full length of the house, from front to back. The shed contains a long workbench and has simple timber hooks for hanging bicycles. The roof is box-section galvanised steel. The guttering is neatly connected to th downspout for the house. The customer also had me replace a fence and asked if I could use some of the old fence boards to clad the front and back of the shed. This saved money and gives the shed a lived-in look that we both like.
The customer required ventilation in the shed because it houses a tumble drier so the boards have slight gaps (2-4mm) between them to allow some air to flow throught the space. This is still waterproof in all but the worst storms, when a trickle of water enters the shed. This dries in a few hours. The more ventilation you have in a wooden structure, the less trouble will it give you. If the roof is watertight, you’ll never see a puddle.
If you want a completely watertight structure, this is also possible with timber. I prefer to use a hit-and-miss method for fixing boards, which gives you a watertight structure in the winter and allows a little ventilation between the boards in summer, so the wood can breathe. If you’re going to house a tumble drier in a wooden structure, you need ventilation all year so large vents are required. This customer is very happy with the ventilation that loosely fitted boards gives.
The old shed was wired for electricity so I used the existing connection and upgraded the cables to fit a double socket for a tumble drier and a bulkhead LED light with an isolation switch. The customer now has almost triple the storage and working capacity in a shed that is only double the length because I made simple storage solutions and constructed an uncluttered workbench that can be used for most jobs.
Jointed posts and perfect alignment with the light fence that the customer commissioned. This solid gate has sturdy 150mm for a chunky look and the boards are reclaimed from a fence that owner asked me to dismantle.
Note that the gate is aligned with the top of the posts, which are jointed with the fence. This is a simple detail that makes all the difference. There is a gate-closer and a sturdy latch for delivery drivers and flier distributors who can’t close a gate.
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