Patio | The Slowvelder

If you did not read my first post about my patio you may be a little lost. You can read it here.

Yesterday we completed the structure to grow the creepers on and today we dug and built the foundation for the small retaining wall that will be necessary to level the floor. This is my first building project so everything is a bit of an experiment. I must thank Warren and the Bean’s boyfriend (who I am now going to call Bushboy) for all their help on this project so far.

I’m dreaming of a cool Tuscan patio…. (slowvelder.wordpress.com)
Patio Landscaping Brings Solid Benefit To Your House (mydecorarticles.com)
All that You can Do with a Patio! (choiceofhomes.com)

Doesn’t it look lovely and inviting? Some cool relief from a hot summers day?

Around the back of my main cottage that houses the kitchen, dining room and lounge (or is it the front – not too sure) is a rather bland blank looking space that gets hot sun all day round. This wall is also the first view of the cottages you get when you arrive at Jackal’s Den and it does not look at all inviting. I have decided to build a patio along the same lines as a Tuscan patio – covered with something green and leafy. I need to make it look a little more rugged than the one in the picture and make sure it blends in with the African bush theme. As funds are tight I have decided to do this myself with a little muscle help from an unemployed farm worker Warren. We got started this week.

All the upright poles are now planted and tomorrow I start attaching the cross bars. It is really tough working in 40 deg C heat without any shade.

After the main structure is up I will be building some small retaining walls out of stone to level off the floor area and will then pour my own cement slabs using leaves to imprint patterns on the cement. These will be laid out with some pebbles to make the floor.

I think the most difficult part will be waiting for the plants and creepers to grow over the top so that we can have a shaded area. The “growth period” will give me some time to save up for a small table and some chairs to put underneath it.

I can’t wait for it to be finished.

What should I grow over the top? Initially I loved the idea of a grape-vine as it would then also provide me with some food but grape-vines are not evergreen and I do want it to be green in winter too. Any suggestions?

(Just for fun here is a picture of me doing a pole dance 🙂 – Trust the Bean to snap a shot like this!)