Don showed how easy it is to give a small courtyard a quick, inexpensive makeover. He worked with the existing light brown wall colour, but simplified the layout of the courtyard and gave it a modern, Mediterranean feel. The new courtyard not only looks great, but adds value to the apartment should the owner ever decide to sell. This is a makeover that you can literally take with you when you move! Alternatively you could negotiate an extra price with the purchaser to keep the furniture, pots and wall hangings.
How it was done
- Don removed the jumble of pots, rubbish and odd bits of furniture, so he could start with a clean slate.
- Wall hangings were made by sticking plain and patterned tiles to a backing of Blue Board. The first step was to lay the tiles out on the Blue Board in the desired pattern, then mark and cut the board to size. (Tip: cut Blue Board with a fibro cutter, $50 from hardware stores.) Holes were drilled to enable countersunk bolts to be put through the Blue Board. Chain was attached to the bolts so that the whole thing could be hung on the wall. Finally, the tiles were glued to the Blue Board.
- Australian cumquats (X Citrofortunella microcarpa) in brightly coloured pots were needed as part of the new courtyard design. However, that could cost one or two hundred dollars per pot. A cheaper alternative is to use cylinders of spray painted Mini Orb (corrugated iron), which slip straight over the old, ugly pots. Don hired a special tool to cut the Mini Orb, but you could use a hacksaw. The strips of Mini Orb were bent into a circle, pop riveted and then spray painted a mauve colour. A strip of clear plastic tubing was cut along one side and then pushed over the top of each Mini Orb cylinder, so that there were no sharp edges. (Tip: if you don