A Beautiful Terrace Is Your Summer Room. Part 1

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

How to build and equip a cozy place for a family vacation

Summer is a traditional time for rest and … renovation. If there is no terrace next to your summer cottag

you will still have time to build it, thus expanding the space for family rest.

The terrace can be built on a single foundation with the house and have a common roof. It is usually built on the basis of a standing-beam system, and in the case of an extension of a terrace to an existing house, columnar or strip foundations are arranged.

The covered terrace is essentially a veranda. Most often, the veranda is made unheated with large glazing planes on one, two or even three sides. The structure is sheathed only from the outside without the use of insulation.

Open terrace, without a roof, with a wooden deck is usually called a deck. The deck can be adjacent to the house, it can be located on the second floor or in the garden - next to the pond. It can be single or multi-level, which is important for areas with complex terrain. It can be built as a recreation area, as a children's playground, and even a small pool can be built into it. You can choose any place, but not in the shade, as wooden flooring will suffer from dampness and fungi.

If you are planning to build a small wooden platform and at the same time know how to work with wood, then, having an assistant, you can do it yourself. But it is better to entrust the construction of large or multi-level platforms to professionals. In any case, prior to the start of construction, you must obtain the appropriate permission from the local administration.

If the terrace is supposed to be high (more than 70-80 cm above the ground), it should have steps with railings. And even a deck close to the ground requires one or two steps to facilitate movement.

The cost of the selected tree must correspond to its type. The least expensive material is pressed timber. It must be treated appropriately to prevent natural decay. In the Leningrad Region, preference is given to strong and durable tree species - oak and coniferous. They can safely withstand natural disasters and have a pleasant natural color. However, although they are resistant to decay, they are vulnerable when they remain warm and damp for extended periods. Therefore, they also require mandatory processing.

The main components of the terrace(or deck) - pillars fixed in supports. They support beams, rafters, decking, railings, railings, and steps.

Most decks require a handrail of at least 100cm when going from one deck level to another. Railings can be square, round, spindly, or any decorative shape. They can be placed evenly, simply or in a decorative pattern. They can use weaving, a sunrise pattern, or a nautical steering wheel. The traditional railing is similar to an old-fashioned porch with a balustrade. Railings can be used to fence a place of solitude, a playground - it will look impressive.

To extend the life of the deck, you should build it so that the upper ends of the balustrade, like the ends of any pillars, are protected from rain. In this case, moisture will not get on the tree. It is better to leave the vertical posts in the lower part free so that the air can quickly dry them.

Building a deck

The obvious and most suitable way to surface a deck is to lay the wood planks parallel or at an angle to the house. For more attractiveness, the boards are laid diagonally, with a herringbone, cage or checkers. V-shape can be used. "Fir-trees" and "parquet" look elegant, but difficult to work with, as straight neat boards require more careful measurement, trimming, more time than simple installation.

If the deck has multiple surfaces or is divided into locations for different purposes, different floor patterns can be used to suit each area.

Today, decking made of specially treated pine or larch is becoming more and more popular. Such decking is safe, durable and beautiful.

If it is not possible to make a solid foundation of the terrace, it is made columnar.

An important touch will be to mask the place under the deck. It can be used to store bulky items like a lawn mower, pots, or a bicycle. And in the front part of it, you can install gratings. A trellis is a great option for creating a screen, growing climbing plants, and covering unsightly areas. However, it does not impede air circulation.

Terrace decoration:

In the winter. Leave a few frost-resistant decorative elements outside - stone figurines, flowerpots, thick glass balls or metal supports for climbing plants - so that the frost will turn them into works of art for a while.

In cold weather, all the benefits of evergreens are manifested. Live green looks attractive, especially complemented by bright red or yellow dogwood branches, twisted willow and hazel shoots.

The eternal greenery of rhododendron, mahonia, boxwood, blue bush juniper or dwarf blue spruce is beautiful. Ivy should also be present on the winter terrace.

It is clear that we are dealing with frost-resistant plants in tubs. However, it is necessary to protect their roots and crowns by creating a protective sheath around the pots and crowns in severe frosts.

Plants in tubs for winter terraces: juniper, spruce, pine and some others

. Spring. Plants in tubs have proven themselves in the best possible way.

For these purposes, both annual plants and frost-resistant shrubs, woody and bulbous plants are used, which can spend the winter in pots in the open air.

It is necessary to achieve the effect that the flowers are combined in color, the shape of plants, complement each other, and the timing of their flowering follows each other.

At the beginning of spring, bulbs and woody plants provide a beautiful design. And in the summer, we will be delighted primarily by classic plants in tubs, as well as woody shrubs and bulbous crops blooming at this time. In autumn, the main focus is on cereals, in winter - on evergreens. Biennial plants, which include, for example, daisies, pansies, forget-me-nots, are planted in the summer of the previous year so that they can pleasantly surprise in the new season.

Stunted and compact bulbous plants with small flowers look the most beautiful in spring in pots. Tulips with a pleasant scent of freshness are appropriate here. Add scented bulbous plants to your composition. Among daffodils, these are, first of all, Jonquillia daffodils with a bewitching aroma. Daffodils tacitta, triandrus, poetic and others lag behind them a little.

The best "perfumers" are hyacinths, which plunge the entire terrace into clouds of a sweetish-heavy aroma. Muscari have lighter, fresher tones reminiscent of a peach. Iris reticulate smells of vanilla.

In early summer, the flowers of spring plants wither, the leaves begin to turn yellow. Don't rush to trim them. They help the bulbs to stock up on the nutrients they need and build up new energy so they can re-launch the floral fireworks next spring. Hide the pots of these flowers in secluded places, water and fertilize the plants regularly. Only when the leaves on them wither completely, cut them off, and put the pots in a dry place.

Once a year or two in the fall, the bulbs are removed from the pots and the small young bulbs are separated. Only the strongest of them are planted back into pots in fresh soil for further cultivation.

With skillful planning, the flowering of bulbous plants on the terrace will continue from April to June. Blooming in spring is opened by snowdrop (galanthus), crocus, reticulated iris and spring flowers. They will be followed by chianodoxa, pushkinia, redwoods, spring white flower and daffodils in pots. Then hazel grouse, goose onions, aciniform muscari and hyacinths. At the same time, early tulips will begin to bloom. Until the end of May, triumphal tulips and lilac flowers bloom. Bulbous flowers are very suitable for planting under hardy, evergreens in tubs such as boxwood or conifers.

Most shrubs and trees bloom in spring. Always add winter-hardy shrubs or trees to your terraces. With them, the terrace is not empty when plants sensitive to cold in tubs have already been transferred to a warm room, and summer flowers are frozen. To keep trees from overgrowing and keep them small, treat your plants like a giant bonsai - after two to three years, cut not only the crown, but also the roots by removing the plant from the pot. Transplant the most sensitive plants that do not recover well after pruning into garden soil.

Recommended for growing on the terrace: forsythia, star magnolia, ornamental cherry, undersized rhododendrons, tulips, muscari, daisies, forget-me-nots.

To be continued

Tamara Barkhatova