The dryer arrived, there it is, fairly simple stuff. We have a condensing dryer equipped washing machine, which was mighty pricey, but never use the drying feature since it always leaves the clothes slightly damp, won't dry a lot in one go and the pump runs continually through the drying cycle, encouraging it to break. The second dryer is the cheapest Which Best Buy. A timer and juice button. KISS
Since I've already done the core drilling and fitted a vent on to the wall, installing it took minutes. EasyZ. A top the dryer, toolstation, tape measure and a mug of tea, sweeeeet
Before fitting the trelis, I had a think about where to start from and tried shuffling it round. As the wall behind is horribly jagged and wonky, there were a few places I 100% didn't want a batten to end up. Lined up with the course of tying in bricks sticking two inches out was one place. And to get the trelis to cover those jagged bits, I needed to use the old 3x2 timbers but with their short side facing front, making measuring and accuracy a big thing, as the 2" side isn't even big enough to take two sticks of the trelis work fully. Basically, if the battens were put up twisted or out of place by 1/4" or more, the trelis wouldn't screw to them - at all
For this job, the rogue trader will be using his trusty Bosch rotary drill for pilot holes and screw driving, Wera quick chuck with a pozi bit, various drill bits, the DeWalt SDS rotary hammer drill with a 7mm bit (as advised by the wall plugs), brown plugs, 5x100mm pozi screws for the battens, 4.5x40mm pozi's for the trelis to batten connection, solvent based wet/contact adhesive (what the common scum bag would term, 'no more nails', and then nay say, in error), a tape measure, pencil and a few other bits and pieces.
'No more nails' is like expanding foam, in that used incorrectly ends you up with a pile of junk. Used in conjunction with some good screw fixings, it can be incredibly strong. A few big blobs add tremendous multi-axis strength where a screw only pins things down
'No more nails' is like expanding foam, in that used incorrectly ends you up with a pile of junk. Used in conjunction with some good screw fixings, it can be incredibly strong. A few big blobs add tremendous multi-axis strength where a screw only pins things down
With no one around to help, I had to figure some way of holding the trelis in place whilst I simulatenously marked up, pilot drilled, leveled and screwed both the battens and trelis
Here, I decided to use some bricks to roughly stack the trelis to the right height, then jammed a batten into the ground and simpyl kicked it more vertical to push the trelis up the battens to the right position
Here, I decided to use some bricks to roughly stack the trelis to the right height, then jammed a batten into the ground and simpyl kicked it more vertical to push the trelis up the battens to the right position
A single screw in the top corner then pins the trelis while I shift the batten and do the same to the other side, this time kicking the batten until the trelis is level. Once a few screws are in, the supports can go and I could go crazy with the pozi bits, putting a whole bunch in. There was so little space on the battens I had to drive a lot of the screws at almost 45 degrees on the horizontal to make sure they'd bite into the batten, not skim along the sides of it
Suprisingly quick progress after two hours or so
Done. I'd hoped to get it high enough to cover all the dirty, dirty remains of the garage and neighbour's garage. Since their roof is asbestos, and they don't want me touching it anyway, it had to stay. But alas, the battens weren't going that high. I plan to plant a huge amount of climbers along the base of the trelis, which will soon cover the entire wall with colour. Clematis is a good possibility. I'm thinking of making a big raised bed under the trelis from 6x2's to give it some distinction from the ground level and, hide the ugly brickwork beneath and make the raised trelis blend better
It's finally looking less like a building yard. Just need to build the planters, maybe import some top soil, lay the deck and it's pretty much ready for plants. I also have a secret lust for the idea of an automatic watering system that'll also feed the lawn, to keep it looking lush & eadible. I want some pop up sprinklers, but finding a way to supply feed with such a system is difficult without pumping it from a water butt. I may consult the world of hydroponics and stoners on possibilities - they make exceptionally good gardeners
