Category: Landscaping

Initial design of the gate was mocked up to work out the size, opening, wall heights etc.

The construction process involved design and build of the rolling gate frame and track frame by a local metal working firm.  The motor, remote control and all comms were fitted by Active Technology a local company who were very good to deal with.

With the gate operational we had the boundary walls built by a skilled blocklayer who did some other work on the house for us.  He finished the job in a couple of days but due to the arrival of winter weather we deferred the plastering until 2017.

With the arrival of spring weather we had the walls plastered and painted

The second phase of the BBQ and Pizza Oven started in the Autumn.

The timber frame was erected around the BBQ and fixed onto the existing aquapanel wall system.  Once fixed the fabricated stainless steel cap was fitted at the top which fits around the 2 flues and includes an in-built drain fitting to allow water to drain to the base of the wall.

The progress on the cladding has been good with plenty of dry weather this autumn.  The treated timber frame supports 12mm concrete board with a 5 layer rendering system which comprises joint filler, basecoat (with embedded mesh), primer, topcoat acrylic render and finally a paint finish.  Aluminium capping fitted at the end to complete the integration with the existing house structure.

So it was Halloween weekend when the project finally completed and we christened the finished BBQ with some giant steaks on the Argentinian Grill

Our boundary hedge was too high and we were losing the evening sun on the patio so .. we had the tops of the two largest trees reduced and some tidying up on the rest of the wild hedgerow in front of the house.

The tree surgeon services were provided by Munster Tree Surgeons who were efficient and professional.  They left the garden almost as tidy as they found it and we have a large pile of ash and chestnut logs which will be good for our stove in 2017 & 2018.

6 weeks after the driveway was laid the grass has taken root and we can park on it.

The second project for summer 2016 is a 2-in-1 Pizza Oven and BBQ.

This has been in the planning stage since before the house was built and we intentionally left a space in the exterior wall to incorporate it.

The initial phase was to remove the gravel and cast a concrete base to carry the weight of the Oven & BBQ.

The gallery below shows the progress of the build with Pizza Oven installed below the BBQ.

We’ve had a few pizzas and BBQs already and so far so good.  The plan is to put a metal frame around the whole thing and cover in the same panelling that the rest of the ground floor is covered with.  Sources for the various components indicated below.

Pizza Oven – MCZ Sunday Grill Forno Mini supplied by Green Heat in Limerick
BBQ & Pizza Oven Flues – custom built by Fergus Engineering in Ennis
Firebricks, Cement, Vermiculite and Ceramic Wool insulation – Dineen Sales in Kildare

Blood, sweat and tears – Eoin & Terri

So we finally get the driveway started in 2016 .. we’ve opted to use a grass grid paving system so we can mow our driveway.

We are using a plastic paving grid system by Geo Coastal (http://www.geo-coastal.ie) which is set on a sand/soil base and filled with a similar mix and then grass seeded.

The units were installed by PR Paving Services from nearby Tulla.

Before the summer is out we’ll have a grassy driveway!

Day 1 & 2

Day 3 & 4

Day 5 & 6