At the suggestion of orangediva, I thought I might document the building/modifying/sprucing up of my outdoor bun accommodation! I feel I should preface this by admitting practically 0 DIY knowledge, but a morbid curiosity and willingness to give it a go. I've also attempted 4 different image-hosting sites since Photobucket gave up the ghost, and haven't got along with any of them - there will be teething issues all round, I'm afraid.
If you've seen any of my other thread, you'll know my End Goal is to bond my 3 boys (William, Jack and Henry) into a harmonious, outdoor trio. Bonding chatter will be on a separate thread, this diary is Housing-based progress only!
Brothers William and Jack currently live outside, Henry is in my spare room which I want back! I have a budget of £350 for this whole project.
First up: a very rough aerial sketch of the outdoor area I have to work with.
It is a poured concrete area, of about 12ft x 16ft, bordered by the wall of my outhouse (left), neighbours fence (top), drops down to a flowerbed (right), and my path (bottom). The area must've been laid in 2 halves, because the left half is lovely and smooth, with a slight gradient, and the right half is cracked and uneven, and so unsuitable for any runs to sit on top of. The area is south-facing, with the left side getting the most sunlight.
I went round and round over housing options in my previous housing thread, which I won't rehash here - the decision I've made is to suit mine and the bun's needs best.
This is how the area currently looks, with William and Jack's hutches/runs side by side:
I'm going to be joining the two runs together, adding height to them both to make them approx 3.5ft tall, and adding a playhouse as a new living space -
If the dimensions allow, I'm also thinking of keeping the hutches attached for extra square footage. However, this is dependent on how clean they can be scrubbed so as to minimise bond-drama. The hutches also need a LOT of TLC, and I'm doubtful of my skills to fix them properly. Either way, I'm envisioning something like this -
So; I ordered the playhouse yesterday, which will take-up to 10 days for delivery. I also took advantage of the 3 for 2 offer that Homebase have on Cuprinol at the mo and bought the paint I wanted :lol: Of course it'll take a while to get to that point!
Next tasks to do:
Well, that's what I've got so far! I'll be updating this regularly, and I promise to get pics of the buns in question too!
p.s. I also give orangediva permission to use any of the text/photos I post on this diary thread for her blog! :wave:
If you've seen any of my other thread, you'll know my End Goal is to bond my 3 boys (William, Jack and Henry) into a harmonious, outdoor trio. Bonding chatter will be on a separate thread, this diary is Housing-based progress only!
Brothers William and Jack currently live outside, Henry is in my spare room which I want back! I have a budget of £350 for this whole project.
First up: a very rough aerial sketch of the outdoor area I have to work with.
It is a poured concrete area, of about 12ft x 16ft, bordered by the wall of my outhouse (left), neighbours fence (top), drops down to a flowerbed (right), and my path (bottom). The area must've been laid in 2 halves, because the left half is lovely and smooth, with a slight gradient, and the right half is cracked and uneven, and so unsuitable for any runs to sit on top of. The area is south-facing, with the left side getting the most sunlight.
I went round and round over housing options in my previous housing thread, which I won't rehash here - the decision I've made is to suit mine and the bun's needs best.
This is how the area currently looks, with William and Jack's hutches/runs side by side:
I'm going to be joining the two runs together, adding height to them both to make them approx 3.5ft tall, and adding a playhouse as a new living space -
If the dimensions allow, I'm also thinking of keeping the hutches attached for extra square footage. However, this is dependent on how clean they can be scrubbed so as to minimise bond-drama. The hutches also need a LOT of TLC, and I'm doubtful of my skills to fix them properly. Either way, I'm envisioning something like this -
So; I ordered the playhouse yesterday, which will take-up to 10 days for delivery. I also took advantage of the 3 for 2 offer that Homebase have on Cuprinol at the mo and bought the paint I wanted :lol: Of course it'll take a while to get to that point!
Next tasks to do:
- repair a roof panel on Jack's run - needs to be replaced with new mesh
- deep clean both William & Jack's runs and dry thoroughly
- paint both runs
- buy mesh for playhouse windows
- buy flooring for playhouse
- think about playhouse interior - more on this later
Well, that's what I've got so far! I'll be updating this regularly, and I promise to get pics of the buns in question too!
p.s. I also give orangediva permission to use any of the text/photos I post on this diary thread for her blog! :wave: