GOODBYE MOUND - GARDEN PROJECT - EPISODE ONE

I can't believe it's gone! Although it may not be a pretty 'after', it's a huge step in the right direction for our extension/garden plans.
Hope you are all having a lovely week.
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[@jangriffiths8013]

No! The "before" is NOT better. Getting rid of the mound was the right thing to do! Gardens evolve, and yours will too!

[@deborahdoll4111]

Don’t worry. Blank canvas. Garden design book reading for the winter. You both will find your way to a beautiful space.

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

I hope so 💕

[@rosehughes599]

If you let them, the extension builders will cover your entire garden in their crap. Discuss with them how much space they actually need, and cordon off the far end. We did an extension and managed to restrict how much of our back garden got trashed

[@karenbethell4758]

It looks so much better with mound gone.. can picture it when all the paths are removed and it’s grassed and paved properly .. bark so much easier than grass though 😂

[@Britbabe53]

Is it an optical illusion or is that left side brick wall leaning into the garden? I didn't even realize you had a mound. Looks much better now.

[@MichelleHilton-vg4ez]

I think you’re right, it’s definitely leaning !

[@oliverwelch1672]

😂 yes leaning A LOT, and fairly wobbly. Will need to get ‘stabilising piers’ put in at the same time as extension!

[@reneehaug1467]

Removing the mound was a very good idea as you actually didn’t really know what was in it. It could have had unforeseen dangers in it (poisons, sharps, contaminants etc) that could have been detrimental to your family. Bravo on your tenacity and hard work ethic.

[@ceahorse56]

Ollie sounded hoarse hope he is better ! Garden is huge and will be lovely someday. Another thing was the brick wall on the left leaning? Maybe get it checked out don’t want it to fall on someone.

[@KarenWilliams-k9q]

Your neighbour's tree branches really intrude a long way across your garden 😮

[@nataliekeane8944]

Thank goodness they do, it would be a bare, hot place in summer otherwise with no shade. Until they get to do their own garden and plant trees etc. They may as well make the most of the borrowed view provided by neighbours. 😊

[@oliverwelch1672]

Such a difficult choice, is a magnolia so looks beautiful in spring and lovely shade in the summer but in the winter that area stays damp at all times 👍👎

[@nataliekeane8944]

@@oliverwelch1672 yes I'm hearing you. We often have an area that's damp during winter but on the upside up you don't tend to hang out in your yard then I guess...?

[@jayantiiamonico6966]

Another UK vlogger mentions you in her video! Check @ 4 minutes and 27 seconds! Hannah Adkins: A cozy Autumn day at home decorating for Autumn 7 seasonal baking. She has lovely things to say about your home!

[@Debbie-kt6ck]

Already an improvement, it looked hard work but as usual you got on with it, definitely worth it 😁

[@jacquelinelewis6684]

Garden looks great, much nicer. It won't always look miserable you've done a brilliant job ❤

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

Thanks 😊

[@deborahstafford5085]

Hi Laura & Ollie, baby steps, so to speak, some properties, take a long time, and a lot of money, you both work incredibly hard, at lease now you will have peace of mind, knowing that Otto and Teddy are safe to play in the garden, with that mound and its dangerous rubbish gone..Good job, both of you ...

[@Jackie-j8p]

If the garden looks anything like your house then I know it's going to look stunning as you both are perfectionist in all you do. Cannot wait for your gardening vlogs .❤lovely vlog

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

Thank you so much! Me too, can’t wait to add the flowers (and hopefully not kill them) 😁

[@Shopaholic2000]

Hi Both Absolutely it was worth it ok it's still not beautiful but this is a long term project and maybe it could be an area for bringing on some shrubs etc so they're a good size by the time you're ready to redesign the garden, so exciting. It's a typical victorian/edwardian garden long and narrow so you'll be able to include different areas don't forget somewhere lovely for the grown ups to chill. For a pop of colour you could always plant some spring bulbs in containers so you have something pretty to view 😊x.

[@genc9350]

Absolutely removing that mound was a must! As you said it was a pile of trash and rubbish collected over the years. Now you can utilize the space how it works for you.

[@susieque933]

I don’t think it looks bad at all!!! It looks like lovely progress 😊

[@Sharon-y1j8y]

Laura, you have to remember you may end up with two or more boys. Regardless children need room to run and play, room for an occasional cricket pitch or a trampoline or play set? Love from Australia x

[@andreablamire5509]

The after looks so much better

[@barbhuber7502]

Definitely worth it! It looks better

[@Isabelle-hk1og]

I quite liked the wall separating the 2 areas but I trust you and know you will end up with a wonderful garden

[@loissaedder2214]

Of course it looks better than before. I'm not sure why you think it doesn't. Once the inside is more finished, you will have more time to prettify up the yard. With a dog and a toddler, just having some open space will be enough for a little while. Hello from Australia

[@nataliekeane8944]

Honestly after renovating and building houses the most enjoyable part of the whole process ended up being designing and constructing the gardens!

[@anneelisehudson8020]

Courage! It always looks dreadful before you get to the final steps! Also, your timing is great…most of your interior renovations will be complete and you’ll be working on your garden space as Teddy will want to spend time playing outside (independently! I know you can’t imagine, but it’s coming sooner than you think!)

[@maree8470]

The after is great! It's going to be amazing......

[@carolrosedavies7725]

Yes it was worth it , I unders😢what u mean about layers , bit of helpful advice get some huge plastic containers and plant some grasses ,palm type trees , or fruit trees etc it’ll help give you mobile planting which will mature over the next couple of years and be fine in pots until you actually divide the garden then you have mature plants ready to go , !

[@danabrown2391]

I think it looks much better now! Being Abel to see the long view and that mound was just a mess!

[@bamalady7314]

I think your garden looks better without the mound because now I can see the potential for more useable space. With a little one and dog you will definitely need all the space you can create in the backyard. Opposite of where the mound was, is it an optical illusion or is the wall leaning in towards your yard. Depending on how stable it is, you might need to stabilize it until it can be repaired sometime in the future.

[@annajohannaleo3849]

Really worth it! We are in same process now. We pick away and pick away. Ashamed of how it looks but know there is work to be done before we can rebuild it. Hopefully we can start next year 💰😅😍

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

Thank you- I’m so glad we aren’t the only ones!

[@louiselill1528]

Gardening was never my thing but you will make it beautiful. Then little one can make mud pies 😊

[@carolynhopkinson8642]

Much better! Lots of shrubs and plants will look lovely X

[@bobbysmith855]

Absolutely better without! It looks raw now, but you two know, things always look worse before they look beautiful! 😊

[@SM-yd8hq]

it looks so much better with out the mound, but I did quite like the brick wall. Of course it could have been unstable.

[@bernadetteembleton8944]

It was so worth it Laura and Ollie😊

[@jill954]

It must have been such hard work but well worth it. Keep going it will be lovely in the end.

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

Thank you, I hope so 🌸🌻🪻

[@christawarden3824]

Looks 😊 great.Really

[@celine8878]

It’s been lovely watching the spaces shift over the years, I did gasp though when you said it’s been 5 years!! Hope you 4 have a lovely weekend x

[@paulineclare5065]

Is that an optical illusion or is that wall leaning?

[@fayeashcroft7066]

Yr right It’s a dangerous lean on it Australia 🇦🇺

[@sarahward9723]

100% the right decision to remove the mound, it was clearly just a dumping ground for previous owners and once the extension is done, it would have been much closer to the house and felt more oppressive when you were outside. Doing it before the extension was a good call as you wouldn't want to be hauling all that rubbish through your nice new build. Like others I also thought the left wall in the garden was leaning but I'm assuming that's just the lense effect of the camera?

[@fayeashcroft7066]

Not an illusion. A dangerous lean Australia 🇦🇺

[@mjrh45]

The garden area looks much, much better now. I am looking forward to seeing the new addition.

[@yvette702]

What an amazing space. I didn't really realise how big it was. Definitely a blank canvas for you to work your magic on. Definitely worth getting rid 😁

[@fayeashcroft7066]

Sorry. 13.35. The brick wall is going to failover and seriously 😟 hurt someone It’s a got a huge lean on it I suggest you ASAP to see about removing it with your neighbours You might have ??? It’s going to fall over for sure Watching from Australia 🇦🇺 and it’s worrying Like your channel but wouldn’t like to see someone get hurt Great 👍 that you and family got rid of the mound of soil and brick pillars. Cheers 🥂

[@lauramitchell6725]

Just a tip for the future,if you put two dots and make it an actual time stamp, for example,13:35, it will turn blue and anyone else can press on it and jump right to the spot that you’re referring to. (Good call on the warning about the leaning wall.)

[@fayeashcroft7066]

@@lauramitchell6725 Thanks for the future tip on actual time stamp thought people would just scroll to it ..........Anyhow would like to see another update episode on leaning wall in garden ......its a big issue in most neighbour fence disputes here in Australia. Cheers

[@maryjomathews4749]

Yes, it was totally worth the effort.

[@KhouriFamily]

yes!!! its definitely progress!!

[@AndyTausK]

Hello Laura, it was definitely worth it, again such hard work that makes you look relatively easy. If it belonged to me, I would also divide the garden into individual garden rooms, it is very, very long. But I'm also sure that you already have very concrete ideas and will certainly surprise us with some design decisions. I'm looking forward to it, as well as to the kitchen extension. Greetings from cologne Andy

[@ann-mariejohnson2082]

Blank canvases are a bit scary! You have great taste and I’m sure you’ll come up with something beautiful! As you know with reno it’s always worse before it’s better! Love ❤your channel!

[@lorikegley3327]

It's so amazing that you took that tragic mess you bought & turned into something so beautiful! I love your taste! I like the garden better now!❤❤❤❤

[@jaimeyeliza]

You have done a great job!

[@jillbork2683]

Totally worth your time, you'll thank yourself later for doing it now. Can't wait to see the end result!

[@mollyfrench7456]

Looks much better with the mound removed. Is rhe brick wall on the left at risk of collapsing into your garden? It appears bowed/unstable.

[@staceyv9152]

I noticed that as well. Could it be an optical illusion from the camera angle?

[@fayeashcroft7066]

It’s a dangerous lean that will topple over Australia 🇦🇺

[@brinawidmer]

absolutely worth it. two things that came to my mind: 1. why did you not remove the little wall bit on the left? 2. did you keep the stones from the wall? - just because on the right you can see some very ugly wall bits from the neighbour and building your own wall higher up in the pretty stones woukd cover it 😅

[@pennyhanson2598]

Definitely worth it - great job making all that disappear! Have fun planning! Kind regards from Penny 😊❤

[@charlissaholman6252]

Question: Were you nervous that you might find a Viking in a wooden ship? I was INCREDIBLY nervous for you the entire time you were digging…haha funny, but actually slightly serious concern about what you might find in there. 😅

[@soniagallaher3544]

Well done! Little by little you will get there. Perhaps you could put some pots with some spring bulbs in there so you can have some colour for next year. Will you be able to have a rear entrance through the shed in three future?

[@julietyler8864]

Amazing job, very satisfying. With your taste and vision Laura and both yours and Ollie’s DIY skills, the finished garden down the line will be absolutely beautiful, you’ve said it perfectly, this is the interim stage. I adore how involved Otto was in the process, great little helper who clearly loves mud 😂😅

[@MarianneInmarsilia]

One step at a time !?….making and creating one’s home & garden is the work of a lifetime. ❤

[@jacquieincolour9084]

Are you kidding?! Totally worth removing the mound!! You have to have a clean canvas…and now it’s a far more safe space as well. 👌😃

[@stknmggs1788]

I recommend hiring a landscape architect/designer to give you three looks with a staged plan! I think you end up saving $ using a good staged plan.

[@katereynolds1520]

Definitely worth it. The garden looks so much better with the mound and well removed. Great job! 👏

[@risarahn7083]

Don’t worry about how the garden is becoming a blank slate… it’s a process and it takes time. This was necessary. Great job!

[@flis9618]

I’ve been following you from basically the beginning of this house journey & I know enough to have total faith in whatever you two do because I know the end result is always perfect ❤ A garden is always an ongoing process & with all the future work going into the extension it will look even worse before it gets better! I’m wondering though if you have reached an agreement about the shed in the back? I know you & Ollie were having different ideas for it 😅

[@fionaknowles4092]

Looks so good, mound made garden cut off. It’s is best to leave the garden till renovations are done.or doubling the work.👏👏

[@smgreenartsprivate]

Once you renovate you will be losing that viewpoint you have now outside your dining room as that I assume will be part of the addition. So having extra space outside now is premium :) What happened to the renovation of the storage at the end of the garden? I would put the patio and dining space outside closer to the home. The rest further can be play space for Otto and Teddy to play maybe a swing set or football pitch whatever. If you put an office with the storage at the back area I think would benefit all of you.

[@jillmswift]

I feel your pain. We only bought a 2 bedroom late 60s renovation job with a big garden and our house was a bodge job in every single room. It took us years to get it where we wanted but all you can do from a money and energy perspective is little bits at a time. I think the after picture looks much better, it makes the garden look much bigger and open.

[@paulineclare5065]

We have been in our bungalow for 5 years 9/10 we had an extention too they did not do too much damage but there has been alot of slabs and bricks left which we have used for paths ect but its got a little over grown and all the plants pots growing more weeds than plants Working on two bedrooms at present so it will be a new years project for us We are slow 76 and 80 years young!

[@jenniferc7831]

Nice visibility for kids and pets to play, even if it’s not “pretty” it can still work well for your family.

[@Kwazulujabul]

The interesting brick topping on that wall, must be funnelling rain water into the brick wall. Replace them with coping stones to keep water away.

[@Heydrayheyhey]

What's this mound from? Having watched a few of your videos, I find that you don't provide enough context for those of us that haven't watched everything from the beginning :)

[@loissaedder2214]

I think she said it was a rockery and had a pond in it.

[@jomoorhouse410]

Great progress and Ollie has hair 😊

[@lauramitchell6725]

I noticed that too,looks nice.🤭

[@rosemaryjanerichmond]

Please researh design if childrens gardens - it’s not about creating a football field - it’s about climbing walls , swings and hides holes , pirate sheep steering wheels , sandpits and slides into paddling pools

[@galeclarkson4846]

Well done. Good job🎉. Please make a video on how you keep your house uncluttered. I love your videos

[@petratierney7234]

It looks so much better Laura, you’ll get a vision once you live with for a while

[@lorrainenolan5604]

Getting rid of the mound has really opened up your garden it looks like it can breathe now..and now you can take your time and plan for next year ❤

[@natalieb2160]

I think it looks soo much better mostly because we know you are going to make it amazing later. Looking forwards to seeing how you are going to make some more 'rooms' to your garden later after the renovation x

[@darylmuller287]

Worth it! We’ll done

[@KerryRolls74]

No definitely looks better without the mound.

[@clairelindsay3066]

🤗trust the process 🤗….. one day 🌳🌴🌳🌱🪴🪻🌺🌸

[@NinaWick-lk3br]

Yippee a garden renovation cant wait to see what you do❤

[@nickywilks7928]

Definitely worth it laura.

[@marieelmadhi1833]

100% better! What a lot of work but well worth it xx

[@nataliesmith2458]

The after looks so much better x

[@paulineclare5065]

Have you No rear access How are the builders going to get all there stuff in?

[@lauramitchell6725]

I too am amazed at this concept! I live in central Pennsylvania,USA, and many older neighborhoods have a backyard similar to theirs,except that there is an alley which runs behind all of the houses so that you can do all of your construction and yard access from the back of the property. I have never seen people needing to run wheelbarrows through their homes!😳😬

[@pomme800]

Hi Laura..Don‘t remember the garden having such a big “dumping mound“ ! Laura, lately I noticed you have been posting every two weeks..is this your new schedule? Just to know so I don‘t look for you or search the community tab on the off week....totally understandable with renos and a young child :))))...you need a healthy balance in your life

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

Hey! I’m attempting to post every week but some weeks I just can’t manage it. So every now and then unfortunately there won’t be a video but hopefully it’s most Fridays at 5pm ☺️

[@rosehughes599]

I'm so jealous of your soil. Mine is closer to your wall debris, it's got so many stones in it!

[@deirdregahansuttle5698]

Looks much better now. Lots of work. Well done. IRELAND

[@carolinejohnson22]

Have you got to through the house? Have you not got a side entrance and gate????😊

[@sandragay1324]

Baby steps ❤

[@moiragoldsmith7052]

It looks so much bigger! ❤

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

I thought it looked smaller! Glad it’s looks bigger to you though.

[@donnastfx5087]

I thought your yard was up to the wall you knocked down, but it looks huge. You did a great job that's hard work too! Looking forward to the next video.

[@LauraMelhuishSprague]

It’s really quite long but not that wide, so a tricky space but lots to work with!

[@NicolaMalc]

As you say, it’s a step at a time. The bark looks way better than the mound! Another task ticked off before winter :)

[@thewoods9200]

Just out of interest why didn’t you grass seed it now? Xx

[@nadjak3410]

Cause it's almost October I guess

[@emilyinglis2602]

im sorry whats a mound and why do you have it?