Making a VERY small back yard into a usable pleasant place

[geraldthehamster]

Frosted glass notwithstanding, I'm not sure I'd want people sitting at a table and chairs right outside my bathroom window. Maybe that's just me.

It's the price you pay for buying a downstairs flat with someone else's back yard outside your bathroom window.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Deleted2797112]

True, but the size and layout would, I think, lead most people to believe that it couldn't/wouldn't ever be used as a 'living' area. If I owned the yard, I might consider prettying it up with plants and so on but I'd consider it horribly intrusive to make it into somewhere to spend time. But again, that's probably just me.

 

[geraldthehamster]

True, but the size and layout would, I think, lead most people to believe that it couldn't/wouldn't ever be used as a 'living' area. If I owned the yard, I might consider prettying it up with plants and so on but I'd consider it horribly intrusive to make it into somewhere to spend time. But again, that's probably just me.

I think it's an unfortunate consequence of people dividing perfectly good houses into flats, to maximise profits in a distorted housing market. But I don't think the OP's lifestyle should be limited by the window. And put it this way - if it is a bathroom with a loo in it, you might not want to sit in the yard while it was in use

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If it has a pan it might not be close to the window.

The window might be double glazed.

If the window is closed, someone outside might not know that the toilet had been used until they heard a faint flush.

There are all sorts of ifs and maybes - I'm sure that the OP knows how realistic it would be to use the outside.


Unless the ground floor flat has a cupboard built out under the stairs, I would investigate replacing them to give some storage space, and maybe (Building Regs permitting) new ones could be narrower to free up some space (Harry - are these the only access to your flat, or is it your back door and you only use it to get into the yard?)

If it could be levelled out there, and if you could replace the stairs, see if someone on the carpentry forum could suggest a design where the bottom few could roll forward on hinges to become a table, where someone can sit with their back to the gate, and someone on the steps? (Sorry - CBA to count bricks in the photo to work out how big the space is).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

//www.diynot.com/diy/attachments/img_3079-jpg.98800/

What's on the other side of that door & wall?

 

[HarryBoyHere]

Serves me right for not refreshing the page and seeing the photos...

Walls painted white would probably brighten up their bathroom, so they ought to be happy.

Next door should probably be consulted too, as you'd be applying a surface treatment to the exterior of their property.

As for the rest - various ideas, with different budget implications:

• Maybe the higher bit of concrete could be removed?
• Hardwood decking? A raised removable section at the foot of the steps would equalise the heights and give access to the drain cover if needed.
• Matching hardwood, or stainless steel handrail?
• Remove some of the back wall and replace with glass bricks?
• Remove the steps and replace with wood, thus opening up the space underneath to use for storage?

What's on the other side of the left hand wall in your first photo?

Thank you for your suggestions.
I like the idea of equalising the heights of the two sides of the yard. The door does currently open inwards and therefore across the lower level, so if this lower level were built up the door would need to be cut down or re-hung to open outwards.

The existing handrail is old and appears rotten in places. I think replacing it would be a "nice to have" at this stage.

Glass bricks is an interesting suggestion. It would be probably the only example in the area if we did it!

The steps appear to be solid concrete so removing them would be quite a task. I am wary about doing anything quite so structural, not least because the property is about 100 years old and I don't want to be responsible for any damage caused by heavy equipment.

On the other side of the left hand wall in the photo I posted originally is the other neighbour's yard (i.e. not the people who live in the flat downstairs from me)

 

[HarryBoyHere]

Unless the ground floor flat has a cupboard built out under the stairs, I would investigate replacing them to give some storage space, and maybe (Building Regs permitting) new ones could be narrower to free up some space (Harry - are these the only access to your flat, or is it your back door and you only use it to get into the yard?)

If it could be levelled out there, and if you could replace the stairs, see if someone on the carpentry forum could suggest a design where the bottom few could roll forward on hinges to become a table, where someone can sit with their back to the gate, and someone on the steps? (Sorry - CBA to count bricks in the photo to work out how big the space is).

The back steps are only used to get into the yard. It's the back door. Normal access is on the other side of the building at the front.

Removing the stairs and coming up with a wooden design solution is a great idea but is really more than I want to take on and, as above, I am not keen to try to remove such a lot of concrete from the structure.

 

[HarryBoyHere]

True, but the size and layout would, I think, lead most people to believe that it couldn't/wouldn't ever be used as a 'living' area. If I owned the yard, I might consider prettying it up with plants and so on but I'd consider it horribly intrusive to make it into somewhere to spend time. But again, that's probably just me.

I take the point, and frankly I am not sure how much time we would ever really spend in the yard. It is after all a really small space. My original plan was as you say, to pretty it up with plants and whatnot. I am undecided on the sitting out there angle.

 

[HarryBoyHere]

True, but the size and layout would, I think, lead most people to believe that it couldn't/wouldn't ever be used as a 'living' area. If I owned the yard, I might consider prettying it up with plants and so on but I'd consider it horribly intrusive to make it into somewhere to spend time. But again, that's probably just me.

I think it's an unfortunate consequence of people dividing perfectly good houses into flats, to maximise profits in a distorted housing market. But I don't think the OP's lifestyle should be limited by the window. And put it this way - if it is a bathroom with a loo in it, you might not want to sit in the yard while it was in use

In this case, I am pretty sure the building was always divided into the two flats. They are tyneside flats and were built that way somewhere around 1910-1920.

 

[HarryBoyHere]

//www.diynot.com/diy/attachments/img_3079-jpg.98800/

What's on the other side of that door & wall?

It just backs out to the alleyway.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I like the idea of equalising the heights of the two sides of the yard. The door does currently open inwards and therefore across the lower level, so if this lower level were built up the door would need to be cut down or re-hung to open outwards.

Pretty trivial.

The existing handrail is old and appears rotten in places. I think replacing it would be a "nice to have" at this stage.

A bit more than that if it is unsafe.

The steps appear to be solid concrete so removing them would be quite a task. I am wary about doing anything quite so structural, not least because the property is about 100 years old and I don't want to be responsible for any damage caused by heavy equipment.

With the disclaimer that I am neither a builder nor a SE, I wouldn't expect the steps to be structural.

Is it a friendly neighbourhood? Could you knock on doors of the other 1st floor flats asking if they have done anything to their spaces which might give you ideas?

 

[HarryBoyHere]

Attached are some photos of the back yard taken today. I have not done anything very adventurous as you can see, but the space now looks very different. I painted the walls magnolia, removed the wooden handrail from the steps and painted the inside of the back door green.

I got various pots and planters including some which attach to the drainpipe. Considering one side of the yard gets sun in the afternoon and one side gets no sun at all, we bought plants which do well in shade for one side and plants which need sun for the other.

I added some bird feeders and hanging baskets which I attached to the wood posts.

I had a lot of help from my sister who had most of the the ideas for the yard and who also bleached and scrubbed the concrete floor to make it that bit lighter.

I would still like to add some more terracotta pots to the wall but will need to drill a couple of holes first to attach them.

 

[big-all]

haven seen this thread before butttt

are you assuming all that outside space is yours ??
unless it states so in the deeds it could indeed belong to someone else or multiple people
indeed you may only have a right off way over the owners land
but no way off knowing without investigating

 

[HarryBoyHere]

haven seen this thread before butttt

are you assuming all that outside space is yours ??
unless it states so in the deeds it could indeed belong to someone else or multiple people
indeed you may only have a right off way over the owners land
but no way off knowing without investigating

I'm sure on this point yes.

 

[big-all]

great i would hate for you after all your hard work to find some stranger enjoying your hard work