About the Book
The gardens we see given a makeover on the TV are all too often faked at huge expense using imported soil, elaborate features and the finest plants, not to mention a team of dedicated professional celebrity gardeners. This is very far removed from the reality most of us face. Our gardens are rarely flat, have limited access for lorries delivering a ton of sand and our pockets rarely extend to the same depths as those of our TV counterparts. Gardening books too present us with photographs bearing no relation to our own meagre patches with the exception of the one you are now reading. Wood, Brick and Stone is written for anyone whose garden might be referred to as an impenetrable mix of rock and weeds and presents a range of ideas for those whose financial priorities don't include the spending of several grand on a water feature and a curved high gloss ten foot aluminium wall! It's about making the most of what you already have, throwing nothing away and spending the absolute minimum. Phil Thane guides us, step-by-step, through the tasks required to convert that neglected patch of land into a desirable BBQ zone in which we can relax on those balmy summer evenings.
Beginning with the basic bedrock of soil and composting he goes on to refurbish or rebuild those tired walls, lay perfect, weed free paths, patios, gravel areas and lawns, source, repair and make garden furniture and construct balustrades, decked areas, sheds, gates, doors and architectural features, both refined and rustic. To finish off he covers a list of all the hand and power tools you will need for the purpose, intentionally keeping the acquisition of luxury items to an absolute minimum. Each project is illustrated using photographs and hand drawings with measurements where appropriate. The ideal book for the thrifty but ambitious gardener!
Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1 Soil (or lack of it). Rocks, weeds, slopes, topsoil removed by builders, rubble and junk. Clearing, tidying and deciding what to keep. Landscaping. CHAPTER 2 Dodgy walls. Removing old mortar, pointing, cement or lime? New capping options. CHAPTER 3 New walls. Local materials, stone, recycled brick,. Foundations (especially for retailing walls). Basic brick and rough stone walling. Arches and steps. CHAPTER 4 Hard surfaces. Paths and patios, concrete, recycled brick, paving slabs, tiles/paviors and crazy paving. Substrate and weed suppression. CHAPTER 5 Softer surfaces. Gravel, crushed slate and grass. CHAPTER 6 Water harvesting. Butts and alternatives, taps, plumbing and overflows. CHAPTER 7 Repair and re-use. Garden furniture, fencing. Freecycle and charity shops etc. Scrap from re-furbished jobs, eg. chimney pots as planters. CHAPTER 8 Woodwork (no workshop). Fencing, balustrades, gates, doors, shutters, lean-to sheds, self-supporting sheds, shelving, greenhouse staging and compost container. Recycled wood and pallets etc. Finishes. CHAPTER 9 Woodwork (rustic). Green wood steps, seats and plant supports. CHAPTER 10 Tools (basic). List of essential hand tools, supplementary list of desirable power tools and luxury items kept to a minimum. APPENDIX Tables - mortar mixes, concrete etc. plus advice on mixing and estimating.
About the Author :
Phil was born and raised in rural Cheshire. His father was the local painter, decorator and odd-job bloke, his cousins and uncles were mostly in the building trade and his mother worked in a builder's office, so he picked up a lot of skills working weekends and school holidays and hanging around with builders. Phil trained as a Design Technology teacher, specialising in the more technical end of that wide ranging subject and working in a wide range of different schools. He also wrote a number of educational textbooks. In 1998 he went to work for an educational CAD/CAM software company providing tech support for teachers in the form of user guides, training manuals and so on. Since 2006 he has worked as a freelance writer. He says he had written from childhood, but school and college almost cured him. As an adult it remained a guilty secret until he was sufficiently angered by education policy to write a piece for the Times Educational Supplement. That led to further work in various educational journals, and eventually to regular features in computer magazines and elsewhere. What ties these disparate jobs together is that Phil likes finding out how things work and explaining them to other people. This is his third DIY book and his first for The Good Life Press. Phil and his wife Linda have lived in seven different houses in Surrey, Lancashire, Cambridgeshire, Shropshire and Denbighshire and many have needed a lot of DIY inside and out, and extensive work in the gardens. Their current, and says Phil their last, house in Llangollen, North Wales, which they moved to in 1998, was the worst of the lot, but by far the best too. The garden is large, very steep and composed mainly of unstable rock and weeds. It is the inspiration for Phil's latest book, Wood, Brick and Stone, and many of the photos show work he and Linda have undertaken, but the skills are widely applicable even if your garden is flat. Phil and Linda have two grown up daughters and are expecting their first grandchild at about the time this book will be published.
