Work in progress at Chez Usky

Some renovation has been going on at Chez Usky in the form of outdoor living space... in essence a new patio area. Sounds simple said quickly, but in truth it hasn't been and the work that started on 8^th August is now nearing completion.

The old patio was way past its sell by date and the bay tree we planted back in the early days of our residence here had become unmanageable. Also some of the bricks in a retaining wall were crumbling and the wall was in definite need of rebuilding.

So this was what we started with...

Not exactly eye-catching was it?

Ripping up the old slabs was easy enough, but removing the Bay was something of a chore to say the least, but this is what it looked like when that was done.

Slabs up and Bay removed

Once the new slate slabs started going down things looked considerably better, especially given the extra light thanks to the removal of the Bay tree.

In true dog fashion Tilly found a nice warm sunny corner to claim as her own.

Let sleeping dogs lay

We're almost at completion now I'm pleased to say and here's how things are looking...

Rebuilt wall with slate capstones 

Patio Chez Usky

Old 'Bay' end

There's cleaning to be done and once the slabs have had time to 'settle' we'll seal the area to preserve the surface. I'm really looking forward to finding some nice furniture and firing up the Weber to char some steaks!