Hi,
For the past couple of years i have been running a plan for my garden in the back of my head and i wonder if anyone would like to give me some pointers?
I have just completed an extension at the rear of the house which will be the new lounge. I will soon be moving onto the patio area, i have decided to build in a hot tub and have a specific look in mind. I have already decided on a round 5' wide by 4' deep red cedarwood tub. This will be heated be solar thermosiphon, a thermosiphon chofu wood burner and as a back up or simple heat ON for my wife when i am not there i will have an electric element within the pump/jetting circuit. The tub will also be lit from with in. I am going to do the patio in midnight blue slate. As i live in North Scotland i have to do all i can maximise the enjoyment and minimise the blowing winds!
With this in mind i went gazebo hunting. I found nothing that appealed to me so in true diy fashion i am going to build my own. So in my head i see a combination of large round beams sunk and cemented into the ground vertically, i would then have horizontal square beams at top of the round beams sunk through the round beams and wooden pegged in place(think ye olde ship building techniques). I would then fit solid screenage to a height low down between the round verticals and the rest of the height would be taken up by trellis. There is more going in including another seperate wood burner to heat the space.
So thats a general overview and my questions are which wood type resist water/rot the best? The cedarwood tubs last for 20/25 years so i want the gazebo to be there for that length of time. For the round poles i keep coming back to old style telephone pole for longevitiy but i do not know what type of wood they are. I could go and buy antique oak beams but i don't want to blow an antique on wood rot as that would be a waste and i do not want to go for brand new either as that is not the completed mental image i have.
Secondly as i do not want to make the gazebo feel like a box i am going for trellis from approx 4' height up to the top beam(there is no roof as i want to stargaze in my hot tub in the winter and 1 side is open towards the extension) so i am looking for advice on a fast growing evergreen ivy to give wind block on the trellis and that does not attract bees or wasps. My wife does not like either of these insects and this is to be the tranquilo zone so no stingers!
If anyone can help out with a plant name or 2 and opinion on wood i would(pun not intended) really appreciate it.
For the past couple of years i have been running a plan for my garden in the back of my head and i wonder if anyone would like to give me some pointers?
I have just completed an extension at the rear of the house which will be the new lounge. I will soon be moving onto the patio area, i have decided to build in a hot tub and have a specific look in mind. I have already decided on a round 5' wide by 4' deep red cedarwood tub. This will be heated be solar thermosiphon, a thermosiphon chofu wood burner and as a back up or simple heat ON for my wife when i am not there i will have an electric element within the pump/jetting circuit. The tub will also be lit from with in. I am going to do the patio in midnight blue slate. As i live in North Scotland i have to do all i can maximise the enjoyment and minimise the blowing winds!
With this in mind i went gazebo hunting. I found nothing that appealed to me so in true diy fashion i am going to build my own. So in my head i see a combination of large round beams sunk and cemented into the ground vertically, i would then have horizontal square beams at top of the round beams sunk through the round beams and wooden pegged in place(think ye olde ship building techniques). I would then fit solid screenage to a height low down between the round verticals and the rest of the height would be taken up by trellis. There is more going in including another seperate wood burner to heat the space.
So thats a general overview and my questions are which wood type resist water/rot the best? The cedarwood tubs last for 20/25 years so i want the gazebo to be there for that length of time. For the round poles i keep coming back to old style telephone pole for longevitiy but i do not know what type of wood they are. I could go and buy antique oak beams but i don't want to blow an antique on wood rot as that would be a waste and i do not want to go for brand new either as that is not the completed mental image i have.
Secondly as i do not want to make the gazebo feel like a box i am going for trellis from approx 4' height up to the top beam(there is no roof as i want to stargaze in my hot tub in the winter and 1 side is open towards the extension) so i am looking for advice on a fast growing evergreen ivy to give wind block on the trellis and that does not attract bees or wasps. My wife does not like either of these insects and this is to be the tranquilo zone so no stingers!
If anyone can help out with a plant name or 2 and opinion on wood i would(pun not intended) really appreciate it.
