My husband and I are the owners of a plot of land located near Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska. On the land we had bought, there was a wooden shed covered with eternite. The building was dissuasive with its appearance and was useless to us. We decided to turn it into a summer house.
Terrain - summer house on the escarpment
The cottage is situated on a large slope towards the south. Due to the terrain, we decided to make wide shelves around it. For this purpose, we chose the land in front of and behind the house. Now the slope had to be strengthened.
The best building materials
We looked for the right material for a long time. We did not want concrete on the plot, so we made the retaining walls from railway sleepers and dry laid limestone. Stone and palisade made of sleepers perfectly match wooden walls painted with a protective emulsion in a dark color. Railway sleepers are very durable. They have already survived for 10 years, perfectly working as a reinforcement of the escarpment. We also used them to make stairs that lead to the house and to the lower shelf.We took the asbestos from the roof of the building and put a much better looking and he althier metal tile. We have built a covered terrace in front of the main entrance. Its structure is wooden, as is the floor. Thanks to this, it creates a coherent whole with the house. In summer, social life flourishes on the terrace. We drink morning coffee here, eat meals and feast at the grill.
Secrets of the rustic style
We try to keep both the house and the adjacent garden in a rustic style. Here's what helps us achieve this effect:
- Wooden elements. You just have to remember about their maintenance and protect them with a wood protection at least every three years.
- Relevant decorations. With us these are, among others boxes with geraniums hung on the terrace balustrades during the season, a no longer used hamster hanging on the front wall of the building, or an old cart standing in the garden.
- Fence made of traditional rails painted the color of the house. Its posts are made of bright red clinker brick, the color of which contrasts nicely with the dark wood.
- Correctly selected plants, for example a clematis climbing on the openwork wall of the terrace.
- Stone and wooden retaining walls and paths.
Environment, i.e. the choice of plants
There are some ancient fruit trees on the plot. My husband and I stocked a few younger copies. So juxtaposed they look beautiful. The old apple tree in front of the house provides shade, and the mirabelle flower in spring looks like a bride.There is also a huge walnut with squirrels and woodpeckers. We have arranged a perennial bed in the garden. We lined it with agrotextile and covered it with bark. As a result, the plants are provided with moisture on the southern slope, and we - less weeding. We planted another bed with creeping conifers, heathers and heathers. Their roots additionally prevent soil erosion and slope sliding. The soil on our plot is rather acidic, so blueberries, hydrangeas and rhododendrons grow very well here.
Anna Twaróg
