Searching For A Hidden Courtyard At Our Irish Farmhouse & Homestead

[@TheJuliadesigns]

Rediscovering the ancient pathways!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Most definitely! It’s very exciting isn’t it? ❤️

[@rebeccazody1278]

The orchard is leafing out❤. Mowing makes it look so beautiful out there. You could put the extra soil in the low place of the path or put on a garden bed area. Or you could garden in pots/containers on your new cobblestone courtyard. Exciting

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Each day there are a few more leaves or larger than the day before. The apple trees are doing well and we are looking forward to seeing them in full leaf, ivy free. Hopefully weeks and not months. Thank you Rebecca for always watching and commenting. Have a lovely weekend :-)

[@williamfrasermilne]

Hi if you have to dig that bit out. You could use the soil to make raised beds for veg. All looking good.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi William, how is sunny Nairn, other than dark? It seems to be the general consensus that raised beds are the way to go. If we have to dig it out? Of course we must. We started a small area today to just have a look. The we realised just how much soil there is to move now we know there is indeed something under it all. Have a nice weekend and thank you :-)

[@GraceSmith-e3o]

Love “ posh park” ❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha that’s what it reminded me of….just with wonky trees! 🤣 just need a few park benches now!

[@lindahill9215]

It must be so satisfying to see blooms on the trees and mow your lawn....Wonderful 😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We are so pleased. Just to see the trees and bushes ivy and bramble free is nice but to see it bursting to life if amazing, we are quite proud of ourselves now. Thank you so much for following us on our journey each time we upload. Have a nice weekend Linda :-)

[@debbiesmith1626]

Hope you find a court yard, will be amazing, sitting out there of an evening,looking at your garden, and all the hard work you have done. 🎉🎉🎉

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Spoiler.... we have found more stones when we started to investigate today. So you never know, once we have dug dug dug, and I start to scrub scrub scrub we may indeed have somewhere nice to enjoy and look down the land. Thank you Debbie for watching and commenting today and as always :-)

[@pennyneal2456]

Well it may not be grass but it’s still green and looks great when it has been cut. Dawn you are power to be reckoned with.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It looks great doesn't it. It already needs mowing again. Oh yes, I don't think anyone can ever say Dawn is scared of work. Now me on the other hand hahaha. Thanks again Penny :-)

[@marilynfairfull259]

Have you thought of throwing some grass seed in amongst the green area you mowed to help fill it in? It’s all looking so nice. You have worked very hard!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Marilyn There is some grass down there, honestly there is, but we may need some hard grass to try and eventually smoother the creeping buttercups. We will see how it goes as we can mow whenever to keep it all down. Our hard work looks like it has finally paid off :-) Thank you so much for watching and commenting today :-)

[@pennylane9730]

Ello Dawn and Ben.. You both deserve a "award " for all the very hard work you put in. The land is taking shape it all looks great.. Well done 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you very much Penny. We are really pleased with how it all looks now it has been mowed, now we can keep on top of it. Now we have a chance of a hidden "courtyard", digging will begin, we think bit by bit. Have a lovely weekend Penny and thank you :-)

[@kaye-q1k]

If there is a cobblestone area it would make a lovely patio area to be able to sit and enjoy all your hard work.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Kathleen, it really would. I can just see us now in 2032 when we have finally finished, sat having a cup of tea hahaha. Seriously though, it really would make a nice patio. Lets get digging and see what is under all of that soil. Have a nice weekend and thank you :-)

[@theleahblack]

You guys are kicking ass! It's looking brilliant!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww thank you! Yeah we’re pretty chuffed with how it’s looking now! ❤️

[@babs2522]

The garden is looking fab. May I suggest you build some raised gardens and put the soil in them and start to grow your own veggies, you'll love the end results. Love and blessings from Scotland xx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good evening Babs, how are you today? How is Scotland? We may need a few beds. We started digging today and then stopped before we end up with soil on soil before we dig too much. We wondered if you needed any for your garden? haha Thank you as always for watching, commenting and being a channel member :-)

[@babs2522]

I'm doing good thanks for asking. I hope you are both doing well and not too wet. As for Scotland it's wet and windy lol. Yep I could do with some soil for my veggie garden but I don't think the postal service would be too happy hahaha. Have a great weekend and see you on Monday xx @@thecornerhouseproject

[@yourinsane5]

Love it... a courtyard and good run off xxx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Wouldn't it be nice. You are right, the run off would be great, straight into the ditch please. Have a nice weekend and thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@shellywilliams5559]

Take it off ! ❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hahahaha. OK, if you insist 🤭

[@simonworthington3330]

Looking at that mean ratchet lopper is awesome. Wow what a view as very impressive. Wet T shirts digging in the rain what more do you want. Very welly job done ya mucky dirt devils.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It is a great pair of loppers, you wouldn't want your arm in them. Wet T-shirts, what channel were you wantching? hahaha. Thank you Simon very much :-) Have a great weekend :-)

[@simonworthington5162]

@@thecornerhouseproject .Any rain on my head i would be in bits and Dawn was uncovered.

[@dianerayburn1728]

A courtyard is to die for, so now is the time to start dry stone walling :) Decide where you want a bed, heap the soil up there, and build the wall around it.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh Diane you make it sound so easy for us. This is us remember hahaha. Simple raised beds may be the way forward for now. We have to dig it first, Oh now :-( Thank you Diane :-)

[@nancymiller7294]

Looks beautiful, now all you need is a tree swing or two and a picnic table.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh that would be lovely. Fingers crossed we will get a seating area before too long because to be able to just sit and listen to the outdoors is going to be amazing.

[@jeanhawken4482]

Every bit of timber will be welcome for your comfort.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Even the lumps of roots from the felled Ash tree will be used for firewood once dried. Not sure how of a duration of firewood we have, but it is quite a bit. Thank you Jean for your binge watching :-)

[@patkilmurray4702]

Your land looks spectacularly beautiful when the sun's shining and it's bursting into life. Dawn's efforts with the mower has made such a difference. So exciting if there's a stone courtyard, can't wait to find out, all very interesting!❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good evening Pat. The sun shines and it is so lovely and warm down there. Then we get a bit of rain and then the sun shines again, it is lovely. So many leaves now appearing on the trees and the Blackthorn looks more amazing each day. The mowing just finished it all of nicely. There are stones if that will help with your weekend. We will see what we can uncover for Monday :-) Have a nice weekend and thank you :-)

[@gabbyfowl]

Great video. Such a beautiful place. So much hard work. Wish I could still get out and do gardening. Tip next time you have to move so many branches and cuttings use a tarp to drag where you want it. You can move a lot more a lot faster.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you ❤️ We love it here. We do use a tarp now and again but most of the time we forget lol. Aww it must be so frustrating with not being able to get out and do gardening if it’s something that you always liked to do.😞 We will do it on your behalf. X

[@micheledenise2305]

Get u a bag of grass seed and sow and fertilize it and u will get a beautiful stand of grass ❤ u2 are making that place pretty 😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww thank you! It does look quite pretty down there doesn’t it? We’re really pleased with how it’s looking right now. Yes, 👍 grass seed is a great idea, there is some grass there at the moment, just not as much as the buttercup stuff! I’ve done it before with areas where there’s been only weeds, kept mowing it until it eventually became only grass, did take a few years though! Grass seed might be quicker! Hahaha

[@rosannehart7325]

The garden is looking so good. I was thinking when you were digging beside the outhouses that the path was probably bigger. Then I thought maybe a stone courtyard. After you used your rebar, I thought wow, patio area for summer. Outdoor kitchen with bbq and Pergola and lights. I would take all the soil and use it for raised veggie beds. Don’t over do it. Have a great weekend

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you so much Rosanne, we are really pleased with it all and although it took ages, it was worth it. A lot of bits to do still but we are now on top of it. Well your thoughts were correct. We had a little did today and exposed more stones, so maybe one day we will have raised beds and a nice patio area complete with lights. You have a nice weekend too Rosanne and hopefully see you Monday :-)

[@markisherwood-tj4uo]

see 9f you can get the farmer over with a front end loader to clear the courtyard off , hell even if it costs you a bit .. it''ll be faster and cheaper than breaking your back clearing it

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Mark Sadly it would trash the area. The tractor was in last August for about 10 minutes and the dents are still there at the top area. It will be faster but we aren't in a rush, the digging doesn't fill us with joy, but slowly does it wins the race. We haven't ruled out a digger yet though, but we hadn't ruled one out last time either hahaha. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[@whytedraegon66]

take cuttings from all the of old fruit trees they may be a lost variety :D

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good evening, thanks for commenting and being a long time subscriber. We plan on taking some as we have no clue what names the fruits may come under so identifying them would be good. Would that be nice, a lost variety in on our land. Thank you again :-)

[@jeanhawken4482]

Looks terrific. Hope you eventually get to the lower branches only because I am scared of eye injuries while mowing.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

What we didn't get rid of will go later in the year. There is loads of tree work to do down there. It should keep us busy for a little while.

[@ellenchapman5293]

Hi Dawn and Ben, things are really taking shape down the bottom end of the land, the mowing and clearance of the log piles has made a world of difference. It would surprise me more had there not been a yard under the soil by the sheds, I just wish the weather would play ball with you for getting the task done. One exciting find after another, both inside and out :) x

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good evening Ellen Yes, we are so pleased with how the lower area of the land looks now. We can keep on top of it all now, day by day or week by week. Lots of people on the last video said about it, we hadn't given it a second thought to be honest but we were going to widen the path a little anyway. A little spoiler, we dug today to see what we could find. I think we will need a place to put the soil. So yes, two surprised in one week. The weather isn't too much of a problem. It isn't great for digging but the rain normally stops :-) Have a great weekend and thank you for always watching and commenting :-)

[@jampotts5730]

if you are planning to grow veg, mark out the area with some of your long straight bits of wood and take the soil straight there then you don't have to move it again. Just keep slicing bits off the edge along the paths you have uncovered and you will soon find out how much terracing there is. You will also be barrowing along the paths rather than across the soft mud. .

[@Michael-gm6ly]

Sound advice.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thanks Jam pots, that is good advice. We are going to keep making the path wider in lines so having the barrow on what we uncover, hopefully being stone will be much better than the mud track. Hopefully, once we get into the swing of it we will be flying. The weather should be good today too, we have had the rain and hail already this morning so hopefully that should be it. Thanks again for the advice, watching and commenting :-)

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Yeah, we though so too. We have some great subscribers and commenters :-)

[@jmck6320]

We were up in donegal for the last few days and it was beautiful. This morning hail coming sideways. Back up in Dromara its beautiful. Ireland has lots of great things. Some of them is a bit of weather! Garden looks superb

[@thecornerhouseproject]

How funny, we just had a friend pop in yesterday who had been up at Donegal for the week and her brother is a commenter on here. We have been told Donegal is lovely. We are getting hail today, along with rain and then beautiful sunshine, the normal weather hahaha. We do love it. We are inside now, warm and dry. What isn't there to love! Thanks Jim. Have a lovely weekend.

[@jmck6320]

@@thecornerhouseproject my dad would say there are two seasons in Ireland. Winter and June. Joe

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hahaha 🤣 love it…we are beginning to see that being true! 😂

[@DenisPeel]

Oh wow the famous KZbinrs mentioned me on their video I feel so special lol! The mowing makes so much difference, I had to do the same when I started my garden. my biggest problems were waist high clumps of rushes and not having a strimmer yet I had to tip my poor mower and gently lower it over the rushes, it wasn't ideal but got the job done. It gets easier each time you mow and the grass reappears magically before long. I know all the weeds cos I have them all! Don't kill yourselves digging, little and often. Denis

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good morning Denis, how are you? I wouldn't say famous KZbinrs, but you were spot on and deserved a mention. I do love the reason you know what they are haha. We have given our mower a load of abuse from day one of having it and it is a good work horse. We do exactly the same by lowering it slowly on top of the rushes and like magic...... gone! Dawn has managed to re-grass two gardens with just mowing so our fingers are crossed the same can happen again here. We will try not to work too hard digging out the soil, we may ache a little. Thank you again Denis, have a lovely weekend.

[@sharonheron7559]

Hooray for the Mighty Mower! The land really is looking like a garden - it is going to be FABU-LOUS! Even if you get an extra 3 feet added to the stone path it will help so much with access for maintenance etc. A courtyard even made of bedrock would be fantastic. Hoping for more sunshine🌞🌞🌞

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Sharon, thank you for joining us tonight, and everyone other night for that matter. We are so pleased that the Mighty Mower did it again. It was on the highest setting this time, next time will be a bit lower to pick up more brambles and stuff and then maybe a bit lower as a final cut before letting the green grow longer for the next time. Well we think that a large part is all paved somehow, so more digging for us. We checked today and there is stones. More digging tomorrow :-) Have a nice weekend Sharon :-)

[@linesteppr]

You might cart the dirt from behind the outbuildings down to the field to regrade the land for better drainage. Win-win!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

I think we will most likely do that. We have moved some to not far from the dry stone wall area to be made into raised beds, but there is going to be so much more so we will need to find other places and we do have a few low spots down at the bottom of the land. So, thank you for your suggestion 😊

[@CatherineH.-gf7mm]

Beautiful view once you get and that scrub growth of straggly volunteer trees cut down and the brush piles burned off...really lovely view!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! We’re really pleased with it all! And you learn something new everyday….I had to Google volunteer trees! Yeah still a few bits to do here and there but on a whole it has turned out really well!

[@mycoolcraig9294]

You have done a bloody brilliant job. Well Done.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you very much indeed. Hopefully once we expose what is under the soil we can get this top area sorted too. Maybe one day we will stop digging things haha. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@willwoodvine143]

Mystic Will has consulted his Crystal Ball and can see A Lot of Digging for you both in the future! :D Looking forward to seeing the Courtyard!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hahahahahaha, no pressure then. Don't suppose your are free for a couple of days Will lol. Have a nice weekend :-)

[@sharonhuntley6682]

It looks really good, you guys have done another awesome job

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you Sharon, hard going but definitely worth all the work.

[@neutonrenda2303]

If it is paved, it's a really lovely secluded area for an outdoor table and chairs, a place to sip your g&t.👍❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Well after a look yesterday and a dig today, there is cobbles and gravel at the moment so there is definitely something there. It will be slow going but worth it. We are just waiting for some heavy rain to help wash of some of the mud. Maybe the jet wash will come out at some point. Thanks as always :-)

[@krisgalusha9820]

I say dig. It will be a pain but worth it in the end. Looking good

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We’re with you! Digging tomorrow it will be! Can’t wait to see what lies below! We dug a small patch today and the stones do go further back so we just hope that the whole area is the same. 🤞

[@johnscamardo2145]

Needs a lot of conservation and perhaps some planting somewhere else in order to save some of the apple trees since it looks like most are very old and being choked to death with ivy. lots or work

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi John The apple and plum trees were the important trees which had full ivy removal Two of the three apple trees have had ivy removed and the third tall apple has had all of the ivy cut at the base and as high up as I could go. Already we can see the trunk of the apple way up there and the ivy leaves are starting to drop already. They aren't being choked anymore. We still have loads of ivy to cut in the willow trees and a couple of dead Ash trees to fell. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[@bobbiebrandel3152]

I so enjoy your videos and getting outside and about and seeing what you are up to. It looks like a park! It is beautiful. So much work, but so worth it in the end. The place where the cows went into the barn, it would make sense to have some kind of a hard surface there; it keeps the mud from getting tracked in, and also prevents soil from getting rutted. We had a cement "holding pen" for our cows. It just helps keep things cleaner and also they have better footing than in mud only. I would not be surprised at all if you have a paved area there with stones. I feel sorry for you; that is a lot of mud to move. I bet you will be pleased in the end. Just look what you found on your land and how wonderful it is to behold! I was so pleased to see this video sitting there when I sat down and took a break.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Bobbie, thank you as always for being here along our journey. Well as you and other commenters have said about more stones, today seems to show that you are all right. We had a little dig today and yes, there are stones and that can only mean one thing, in that we have to expose them now. An original yard from maybe 200 years ago would be fantastic. But oh yes, what a lot of soil to move. Everything will be worth the hard work in the end, but we feel like this one might be hard. Have a lovely weekend and thank you again :-)

[@user-gc8cs9oc8t]

Loving the fungi ry

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww us too! It’s made getting rid of rotten wood very much fun too! We have one of the commenters to thank for the name he came up with it and we thought “we like that!”

[@Bently2849]

Hi Ben and Dawn! The "back 40" looks absolutely wonderful!!! What a difference from even Wednesday's vlog. It's been such hard work on your part to make it look so stunning and you have made an awesome garden and saved so many trees in the process. Look forward to seeing how many apples and plums and pears you will have this summer. Mixed feelings about the area right in back of the outbuildings however. Would be nice to see what is under the soil and think that you might reconsider renting a small digger to get down to the bottom of the earth and move it around the property or use it as a base for some raised planter boxes??!! Might be able to do several boxes for growing kitchen garden plants close to the outbuildings. It would be nice to dig it out and make a couple of retaining walls to sit on and generate a seating area and have lovely evenings out in the summer. Just a thought. Have a lovely weekend and hope there isn't too much rain. See you both on Monday!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good morning Cristy, how are you doing? Mowing does make the world of difference and now the piles of logs have gone it looks so tidy. Fingers crossed we will get some fruit this year, we will see. Apple, Plum, Blackcurrent, Raspberries, fruit pies all round :-) The general consensus is raised beds. We have the place in mind to start them now so that will really help with finding somewhere for the soil we will be digging. A digger will make too much of a mess on the grassed area and just tear it all up, so our good old backs will be the digger again this time. We enjoy it at the end of the day. I like the idea of raised seats, maybe that might happen too, we will see :-) Have a wonderful weekend and thank you :-)

[@dianerayburn1728]

You're quite right. Mow the nettles anytime and often. plant some of the marsh marigolds along the edge of the ditch. You can put other ornamental water loving plants along the ditch too. It will look fantastic....

[@thecornerhouseproject]

That all sounds very nice Diane, thank you. At the moment we have ferns along the banks at various spots, but I do like the idea of adding to the banks. Thank you for watching and commenting on each video. Have a nice weekend :-)

[@inezmuirhead223]

Keep digging please !!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good evening Inez, thank you for watching and for commenting :-) We will keep digging don't worry. We dug today and I can share we have found stones under the soil. It may be a long process to uncover it all, but we will. Thank you again :-)

[@jeanrichardson2044]

Many years since that was last mowed, looks lovely. You have broken the back( and yours I suspect) of the worst of it.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you Jean. It used to be ploughed down there and veg grown but we are talking a long time ago. It is a shame as we haven't seen any photos of the land in use but everyone says how nice it is now. Now it has been mowed we can stay on top of it and keep it under control. Our bodies aren't bad to be honest. I think once we had destroyed ourselves doing the joists and floors in the house, we don't notice aching anymore hahaha. Thank you so much for watching and commenting Jean :-)

[@LewisC1944]

Hi, so glad to see you have a proper Irish shovel lol Land looks wonderful. It's going to b e more hard work but please keep digging, you owe it to your viewers! Have a good weekend, see you Monday XX

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Evening Carol We have had the shovel a long time, just not used it much. The top area has so many stones in it, it just stops dead about 3" below the ground, but it will come in handy at some point. It will be hard work, maybe bit by bit. The question after starting the digging today is where on earth is all that soil going.... hmmmm. Have a good weekend too. See you Monday :-)

[@vickiellibby7051]

The land is so tidy now to what it was. Miracle workers.❤🎉

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It really is isn't it. We are really pleased with how it looks now. We will miss some of the features it had before it was all cleared, but this is why we kept some bits in place to see what they do. But really really pleased. Thank you Vickie for multiple comments :-)

[@brendagillespie2165]

I’m so hoping for stone. I can envision a pergola with some nice outdoor furniture and a grill for nice evenings chilling and viewing that beautiful garden you have worked so hard on. Cheers🍺🍺

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you very much indeed, that is a lovely thing to picture as we dig it all out. There is stone Brenda and it will all get unearthed. It may take a while, but we will get there. Thank you for watching and commenting. Have a lovely weekend :-)

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Now, that sounds bloody lovely! We can’t wait until we can get a chance to actually sit and look out over it. It does seem a long way in the future but we will hold on to your vision whilst we are digging. Cheers 🍻

[@neutonrenda2303]

I totally agree, in ten days it would be another story trying to mow. What a transformation, and with every mow it's only going to be easier and look better. Wow!👍

[@thecornerhouseproject]

To mow was the icing on the cake Neuton. It means the piles of logs hae been moved and we can stay on top of it all. We are really pleased with how it all looks now. As always, thank you for watching, commenting and being a channel member :-)

[@paulafinn8005]

Looks amazing well done and use the soil and make raised beds for ur veggies x

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Paula So many people have said about raised beds and we are now sat chatting about making some, not sure we can get rid of all the soil we will be digging out in them, but we can certainly try and getting some veggies in quickly would be nice. Thank you for watching and commenting. Have a nice weekend. See you Monday :-)

[@paulafinn8005]

@@thecornerhouseproject hope you have a good wkend too thanks for replying 😀

[@artistikworld4058]

Omg..how lucky can you get? This was A substantial property back in the day.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It’s a lovely house and we feel lucky every day to be here and living in it. It’s been very exciting to find the path at the side of the building and now just very slowly uncovering more and more. 😊

[@GGMASherry]

Dawn you need a riding mower with a trailer attachment. You can still use the push mower for around the trees and bushes. I’m 56 and in the last 5 years I’ve lost my ability to push my mower. Sadly age makes us do things differently so that we can still get things done! Keep up the good work it’s looking beautiful!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

That would be amazing! Because I do notice as the years go by I don’t have quite the strength and resilience I once had! 😂

[@zoerochelle]

Ooohhhhh. How exciting to uncover the stone. May be the time for a digger?

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Rebecca Maybe, maybe not. The stones we found today don't seem to sit all at the same level and we are unsure if the digger could remove some by accident. We will see though, we won't rule it out. Have a great weekend and thank you :-)

[@deirdrecerasa3932]

How lovely it would be if there is a stone courtyard. You have done a wonderful job clearing and mowing! ❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We are excited to discover what it all looks like once it has been cleared. We are not excited about all of the digging haha. But, raised planters here we come. The mowing was the icing on the cake marking the start of a manageable homestead from now on. Well, that is the plan. Thank you so much for watching and commenting. Have a lovely weekend :-)

[@Oregontrailblazin]

Ello It is a POPPING !! Congratulations!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Turns out that all it needed was a good mow lol. Thank you :-)

[@DianaHughes-m4u]

it looks great guys well done ,tidy and clearedx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you! 🤩 finally tidy! We kept putting off the tidying up but it does look much better now. X

[@turtleslaw]

I left a comment the other day on your video (where Dawn was digging that drainage ditch) that there was probably a cobbled courtyard under all that dirt! I deleted it because I left other questions that you ended up answering in the video (I commented before the video was done). I also thought maybe I was crazy because why would a farmhouse outbuilding have a courtyard? Anyway - if it were me, I would dig down to the stones - because it'll probably solve your flooding problem - and as for the excess dirt, I'd make raised garden beds and use that dirt to fill them. Not sure what you're doing with the "park" area you just cleared out (which looks great, BTW) but that courtyard would make a nice pathway between raised garden beds, and you could either make it a flower garden or a veggie garden.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Awww how annoying! We’ve been digging the last couple of days and there’s definitely something there, so you wasn’t being crazy at all! It’s going to take a fair while to uncover it all 🫣🤣 We’ve been doing just that with the raised beds…well at least dumping the soil in preparation for the raised beds anyway lol The ‘park’ area we will most likely be building some animal housing down there, although we haven’t a 100% decided yet. We do know we want animals but we still have a fair bit to do to get the land secured enough to have animals on it. ❤️

[@Sharron48]

Get a mini digger

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Sharron, thank you for watching and commenting today :-) We chatted about a mini digger today when we started digging. That will be in Monday's video. Looks positive with the hidden stones though (don't tell anyone though). Thanks again and have a nice weekend :-)

[@georgiakirkham6701]

Exciting ❤ love you xxxxxx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

🥹❤️ love you too my🐣it is very exciting isn’t?! Lots of digging but still exciting! Xxxx

[@robertwebster8992]

The best way of determining whether or not you have a "courtyard" is to dig a trench at right angles to and outwards from the wall of the outhouse, maintaining the level of dig to the existing pathway surface. That will determine not only the existence and continuance of any surface but prevents you from digging random holes which will not provide coherent evidence of any continuous surfacing. A series of trenches outwards from the first trench is the most efficient way to expose the limits of any buried surfacing.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you Robert for the directions. We plan on simply digging the next part along side the path, and then the next and the next so we just keep getting wider, away from the outbuilding. We didn't and won't be digging random holes like I made it sound, it was more of a tongue in cheek statement. We think there are stones right back to the two trees, so we have our work cut out for us. Thank you again for your advice, we do like good advice as sometimes we go of course from time to time haha. Have a nice weekend :-)

[@robertwebster8992]

Just keeping you on your toes LOL@@thecornerhouseproject

[@EllenCoad]

The back garden looks nice.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hello Ellen, thank you for becoming a subscriber in the last week. It has been a long time coming, but finally we can now stay on top of the land area. The top area is a work in progress with a lot of digging happening this weekend. Thank you again and for commenting :-)

[@justgoodness333littlehomes5]

I agree, I would take back perhaps 1 foot of soil along the path at a time. How exciting.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh it is, very exciting! Yeah that’s got to be “easiest” way to tackle it I think…gives us a bit more space to move about once we’ve made it that little bit wider there.

[@woox007]

Celandine wildflowers are beautiful, once these appear Spring is on the way. I really enjoy your videos and the grand job you are doing.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you 😊 They are very pretty aren’t they? Last year, I think in May the whole of the bottom part of the garden was just a mass of yellow with those and the creeping buttercups. ❤️

[@10928rob]

Oh dear, one on the barrow and one on the shovel, I know Dawn will not leave that alone Ben, a big job there I'm afraid, little and often, just finding a home for the soil perhaps waiting for the drier weather and lose it on the land xxx❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

🤣 going to be very difficult to leave that alone Pa! It’s there just looking at us! It really is a big job that one! Finding somewhere to put it that isn’t too far to barrow will be the tricky bit lol Someone else in the comments did mention raised beds so maybe we decide where to put them and then fill them with soil! Haha tomorrow might be dry’ ish so we might dig some more tomorrow! 😉🤣xxxx

[@anniedavis4569]

Exciting isn’t it if it is stone. Garden really looking fabulous

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Annie. It is very exciting. We had a dig yesterday for a "look" and there are stones underneath all of the soil. We don't know how much, but do think most of that area in one way or another. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@rebekahvenn201]

Everywhere is looking great. I can't wait to see if there is a court yard that would be amazing to see. I love to see the old cobbled areas they are our true heritage. Think you may need to invest in a ride on mower🤣🤣. Maybe you could ask your neighbour if he has a digger to make it easier for you. As one of your other subscribers has mentioned an Amazon wish list would perhaps be a good idea.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you Rebekah, we are really pleased with how the last little bit of clearing and then mowing made it all look. Yes, we are really excited to start digging to uncover what is there. Hopefully the whole area has something. A ride on mower would be great but at the moment funds don't allow but maybe one day. The farmers only have tractors and a digger will just mash everything up on the grassed area. This one will be a bit by bit job, but we will be making some raised beds too. Have a lovely weekend and as always, thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@cynthiabruns7178]

You could sow Dutch white clover over the area you’re mowing, the bees love it and it does not grow very tall. It’s great for the health of the soil as well l believe.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh thank you I like the idea of that. I do like the look of clover too, it’s pretty isn’t it? 😍 Talking of bees we have seen 2 or 3 this last week, so that’s very exciting to see!

[@suzannegerstner2841]

I think your going to need to cancel that manicure appointment for a few years! L'ots of hard work ahead- I don't envy you, but I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines. If you don't get the digger, then maybe a second wheelbarrow, or a deeper one? A small shed or post box in the back would keep gloves for when you work in the back to avoid back and forths. I agree with the comments to select a veggie area and then put the extra dirt there so you do not have to move it again. It's looking fabulous! I do hope there is cobble which would help out on the drainage, and its ready made patio area- yeah complete with BBQ, sry couldn't resist! If you do find cobble it would be great as a base to get rain catch from those two outbuildings for use in the garden later in the season. Thanks for taking us along for the adventure, loving seeing everything come back to life! Consider an amazon wish list.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good afternoon Suzanne, how are you today? It is a chilly one here today with heavy rain this morning, very windy and showers now. That is the end of the weather report :-) Hahaha, since wearing these new gloves, Dawn's nails have grown really well. You would think they would be smashed to bits by now with everything she does, but the gloves seem to be magic. We have selected an area and the dirt is being put there ready for raised beds (it looks like a grave at the moment) There are cobbles, stones and gravel but we haven't dug loads, about another path width and a bit wider. The roots slow us down, but we will get there :-) No rush. We have a BBQ and need somewhere to put it, so we may have now found the place for it. Hope you aren't hungry because it may be summer 2025 haha. Thank YOU for coming along on our adventure. We will have a look at a wish list :-) Thank you always for watching and commenting on our videos :-)

[@lindawells2332]

Looking so so much better, wow you've put in so much hard work and it shows 😊❤

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you so much Linda. All highly enjoyable work though as we knew it would look better than it did and it really do. We are chuffed to bits. Thank you for watching and commenting Linda. Have a nice weekend :-)

[@SweetOne.]

If it's all cobbles or slabs under there and you move all that dirt the rain will drain away and you will have a lovely area for a little backyard fireplace and sitting area by the creek (ditch). It is exciting. It would make sense to have a paved area for bringing in wagons with hay etc so the carts wouldn't get stuck in the mud and horses feet wouldn't turn the yard to a mucky mess. I'm looking forward to Monday's Video! The "park" is looking fantastic!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good morning to you over there, how are you? We couldn't have left them covered up could we, it would just be wrong, even though it is going to be soooooo much digging. We had a test look yesterday and there are stones under it all, so digging we must do. The farmer neighbour was the first to say that he thinks all the soil old much and straw etc from time gone by and would make sense stone is there so you will be right too. I am sure can do a bit of work over the weekend for a video Monday for you lol. It does look park like, we are sooooo pleased. It is just how it turned out. An organic plan which ended up like we planned it all. Get us haha. Have a lovely weekend Janie, and as always, thank you :-)

[@JaneyH]

How exciting! It would be awesome if its stone and much lower maintenance in the long run!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Jane Really exciting. It will be great once it is all uncovered, but oh what a lot to uncover. Bit by bit will do it :-) Thank you for watching and commenting today :-)

[@claudebernardin1096]

Your back yard is absolutely beautiful!!! Well done! A few garden statues, a curved bridge, a fountain or 3? :) some bird houses, strings of lights, solar path lights, a froggy pond, benches and a gazebo…..maybe some new fruit trees, cherries, apples and a tidy cute old fashion shacky quaint Gardner/ pottery shed. And I’d call it done!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It's all sounds wonderful, when can we visit? Shall we say the end of April and it should all be done? Hahaha, we love your comment, thank you so much. I love the Froggy pond, but I would have to call it The Froggery in keeping with the other bits we have named. There will be some animals in there somewhere too don't forget and we have a little bit of soil to now dig out to find some more hidden stones... Maybe the end of May then. Thank you so much for such great ideas, vision and faith in us. Have a lovely weekend :-)

[@heatherlee1128]

It looks wonderful love watching your garden work

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Thank you very much Heather. We do enjoy being down there, birds singing and chatting as we do stuff. It has taken a while but the mower was the start of the beginning to stay on stop of it all. Thank you for watching and commenting :-)

[@Susan.I]

Rent a digger if you can afford it! Or maybe borrow one?

[@pitsnipe5559]

Oh, how nice and pastoral everything looks in the sunshine. You’ll have to take the motto of the New York City utility people, “ Dig We Must”

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww yes it does! The sun was beautiful that day, a shame it didn’t last more than the one day lol. It’s strange weather here in Ireland though, take today…it has rained torrentially and the hailed a couple of times and then before you know it…the sun is out shining away like the rain never happened! 😂 Oh definitely….dig we really must! We’ve been discussing this evening in between commenting about where we will put all the soil we dig out!

[@Cuernavacachica02]

From the perfect music for the beautiful garden at the beginning to a garden that is so pretty no one would ever believe it looked like it did 6 months ago, this was a wonderfully relaxing video. Personally, I’m hoping for the courtyard. Imagine how nice that would be with a picnic table and lounge chairs while sitting and having a glass of wine!! ❤❤Have a wonderful weekend and see ya next time!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

❤️ Thank you! What a lovely lovely comment! I don’t think we even realise how much different it looks now from 6 months ago. Sooo many people who walk past say about nice it looks now that you can actually see the trees and the ground! We really are so pleased with how it is looking. Ooh yes we are too with the courtyard, not looking forward to the digging aspect of it lol but it has to be done lol maybe we need to keep,the picnic table and lunge chairs in our mind with every shovel and barrowful! Spur us on! You have a lovely weekend too! See you soon! X

[@si_vis_amari_ama]

Consider placing a support under the horizontal trunk of the apple tree/s.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi and thanks for the tip. We will be putting something under the larger branch at the main trunk end as it is mainly ivy holding it and the same with the rear branch. Tree 3. At the moment the 2nd apple tree has one prop under it's broken limb which seems fairly stable and the lower branch does need something. Tree 1 may lose the one limb to the right of it as you look at it but I think the rest is OK. We are just keeping our fingers crossed that with the extra weight of all the ivy gone they can thrive for the first time in a lot of years. Thank you for watching and commenting this evening. Have a nice weekend :-)

[@si_vis_amari_ama]

@@thecornerhouseproject Great your onto it. Well done on your relentless hard work!

[@alanlucas2886]

hi dawn and ben

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good evening Alan HAPPY FRIDAY

[@Lamhan_Scotland]

I knew it! So, hire a digger to move th soil to the bottom of the garden and then go and see the bank manager about a loan to convert the buildings into a holiday cottage perhaps (I know I’d definitely stay there and I’m sure your other followers would love to as well! You could do a Martin Doolard and host people to come and help you do stuff as well perhaps). And I agree with the comment about grass seed on the green area too, eventually :-) I can’t get over how much you’ve both done and your willingness to work out outside when it’s pissing it down!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Haha! Lots of people have suggested raised beds for dumping the soil so I think we give that a go, seems a quicker way to find somewhere to put it, don’t have to travel far with then barrow then either! We did in the beginning think about doing that with the outbuildings, but I think with how long it took us to get the floors done we sort of changed our minds 😂 never say never though. Who knows what the future will bring! Aww we love Martin! What an amazing man he is eh?! He truly is an inspiration! Ahh we don’t let a bit of rain slow us down, as long you have waterproofs it doesn’t matter does it….although sloshing around in the mud isn’t quite as nice!

[@susanbaker8088]

Think about getting some bare root trees (cheaper) from local garden center / nursery to take the place of the dead or dying ones (ash). They can add color and texture, such as green beech, copper beech, lime, evergreens for winter interest, etc., etc. Planted now they will have the summer to settle in and grow. Just a suggestion as you are able. A few at a time. Eventually the “posh” park will be even more so !! Love your videos ❤️👍

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Susan, thank you for watching, commenting and suggesting. Today we were given our very own bare root plum tree to plant. So this will be done over the weekend. We have a lot to learn with trees and gardening to be perfectly honest but our friend who gave us the plum has planted his own forest across the lake on 23 acres. He never used to know anything about trees but oddly now knows a lot haha, this means there is hope for us yet. Copper Beech is lovely, I know that one haha. Not sure we will get too much planted this year but you never know and your information is a great starting point, thank you. Have a lovely weekend and thank you again :-)

[@morrigans_cottage]

Lots of work to be done!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Lots and lots :-)

[@colettelavery7452]

Dawn and Ben yes it is looking like you have two or three weeks of digging ahead of you. I hope you find a nice cobbled yard under all that soil. Like you said to get someplace to put it is another task.The mowing of the land will keep it easier to manage .Take care and God Bless you both xx

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Colette, how are you? Two or three weeks could be right, but it is nice that you get that finding somewhere for the soil isn't an easy task. I am sure we will sort it though. We had a little dig today and there are stones.... let the digging begin. The mowing will really help, once we had that done we really felt like we had won. There is still bits to be done, but now it is manageable and won't take eight weeks again. Thank you so much for always watching and commenting. Have a nice weekend :-)

[@peterdowden7694]

If you dig several paths through the courtyard and put the dirt heaped next to the paths, you will end up with several raised gardens that will be better drained

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi again. We have chatted and have a place for the raised beds, so a wheelbarrow to move it from A to B and we can start to put the soil where the beds will go. We are hoping we can clear the whole area and expose whatever is there. Thanks again Peter :-)

[@monicamoreau6437]

I am watching you both from snowy New Hampshire USA. I am so enjoying your journey at your farmhouse and your hardworking is really paying off. Everything is taking shape and looking good!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Monica from a snowy New Hampshire thank you for watching and commenting. Hopefully our snow was short lived the a few weeks ago but we will see. Do you have much snow? As you may have seen, it snowed here and within hours it was nearly all gone making a nice pond on the land haha. It took a long time day after day to get the land to a manageable state and now on to the top. We thought we were close until we found buried stone. So lets start digging. Thank you again. Have a nice evening and Sunday :-)

[@peterdowden7694]

The mowing will do wonders for any grass plants present, since they grow from the bottom they are adapted to mowing [or grazing]. The nettle and buttercups you mowed are both unpalatable to grazing animals so won't be missed.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good morning Peter, thank you for joining us again. The mowing just finished it all off nicely didn't it. Hopefully the grass, over time, a long time, will drown out the buttercups and we will end up with some green grass rather than a green carpet. Thank you for watching and commenting again :-)

[@janconway2880]

I would expose the courtyard, it could be lovely if its complete.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh we definitely are! There’s no way we could leave it there hiding if there’s a chance it’s under there! Fingers crossed it’s all intact! 🤞😊

[@mariarichmond4179]

Ok! I have just finished your videos from start to this one,and you have done amazing. Will be watching everyone till the end. Excellent work folks. 🎉🎉🎉🎉😊😊😊😊😊. The soil could be used for raised beds, that courtyard would look stunning.😍 😊😊😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

🎉🥳🥳 Well done and also….wow and thank you very much! 😘 especially having to sit through our early ones with their poor video and audio! 🥇🌟 We are doing just that with the soil at present, might need to think of other places as we are finding that it doesn’t take much soil to fill the raised bed areas. Fingers crossed the courtyard appears! 🤞

[@margaretjohnson226]

Going to be a court yard !! scooper super of all that soil !

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good afternoon Margaret, how are you? Once we dig it all out there may be a courtyard of sorts. There is something there that is for sure. Bit by bit we will get there in the end. Lots and lots of soil... now.... where to put it all. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)

[@rmd3677]

Could layout make raised beds from the soil. Keepdigging you could really have a lovely patio looking into the garden. Well done.

[@chrisdavies6272]

Hmm don't think they'll be sitting out on the "patio" any time soon😉

[@thecornerhouseproject]

This is exactly the plan. It seems the general consensus is to make raised beds from the soil, so raised beds there will be. We are really hoping that what we find is quite flat and level. A seating area would be nice, even just for the look of it. Thank you R MD for watching and commenting today :-)

[@Britbabe53]

Be nice if you could secure a second hand riding mower :). Great job!!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Ooh it really would!

[@mauramccormick3199]

Oh low lovely a stone courtyard would be! If I lived closer, I’d offer to organize a digging party. Lots of hands would make quick work of that!

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww it really would, fingers crossed it’s all still there, but saying that we have plenty of stones lying around that we could recreate it if any are missing! Ooh now that would be such a good idea…a digging party! 🎉🎈

[@kathryncooper7452]

It goes look like a park Dawn. Sounds like there's definitely a courtyard under there, that'll be so much easier to manage when it's dug out, plus drainage. So my question about the ditches, and you may have said or shown us already, but where do the ditches end? Is there a river, pond or lake they run into? Perhaps Ben could walk the length ot th ditches with the camera and film it, if he hasn't already!😅

[@thecornerhouseproject]

❤️ it does doesn’t it? We’re really pleased with how it’s turned out. There’s definitely something under there. 😂 it’s just taking a long to dig it out, but you’re right it will a lot better drainage wise up that area when we have it dug out. The ditches run into the field along the bottom of the land, we haven’t shown where they go because….we actually don’t know where they go! But Ben did say he might drone it along for you, so that you can see 😘

[@kathryncooper7452]

@thecornerhouseproject yes, a drone video would be good!

[@millystapleton6603]

Dig it out i'm sure you'll find a cobbled area because it's next to the barn/byre.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

It has to be done doesn’t it? Keep an eye out for tonight’s video to see how we’re getting on 😉😬

[@charmainewoods1310]

I am a newbie and have finally caught up with your videos. It's so exciting to see all your discoveries as you go. Loving your channel all the way from Tasmania,Australia

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Good Evening (Morning) Charmaine from Tasmania, thank you for subscribing and then going back to the beginning :-) Hopefully it will be worth the journey for you and we get to discover more to share. Thank you again :-)

[@binflynn1]

Interesting in deed from a neighbour in Fermanagh take care

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Paul, thanks for joining us :-)

[@Prel8]

"The things that we do for content" And we appreciate it too. Maybe it's time to consider getting in a small digger to move all of that dirt. You've got a dip in ground level between the buildings and the bottom of your land that might hold all of the dirt. You could level out the property a bit.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hahaha, it wasn't a dig for compliments, I thought it funny and it just came out. Sadly a digger will destroy what nice land we have and that will just be by getting on the land, so by hand this one will be too. A shame but it would make such a mess. The tractor tracks from last August are still there and that was just a drive in and out really. By hand isn't a problem, it will just take a while. Ooooh, don't you like the idea of having a natural hill? We love it as it adds so much character when walking to and from the land. At the moment we have gone with creating raised beds on the top area. We could end up with quite a few, but it is a good place to put all of the soil. There will be lots of it. Thank you so much for watching and commenting and for being a subscriber. Have a nice evening and Sunday :-)

[@TheHavasu_77]

Absolutely stunning!! Have the neighbors come over to tell you what a huge improvement you’ve made or thanked you for cleaning up the jungle they had to look at for the last decade? You two have turned your property into such a beautiful and magical place! 💚 Edit: I still say all the dirt you remove from the stones, relocate it to the pathway to raise the level and width of it! A shame you can’t rake it all over the stinging nettles and spread grass seed over top! 😁💚

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oh everyone has been amazed at how different it looks and how nice it is to be able to see it all and see just how much space there is now. They are sooo complementary about everything we have done so far and it’s been lovely to be made to feel so welcome around from the minute we arrived, but they especially do like what we have done with the land and the wall being uncovered! It really does feel a very magical place! We ❤️ it, very much! With the dirt we remove, after lots of people suggesting it, we are going to make some raised beds with it. Although I do think we enough soil to make a 100 raised beds so we will see how we get on with that! 🤣

[@Debbie-kt6ck]

The land looks amazing, such hard work but worth the pay off, I’d definitely dig down to see if there’s a stone courtyard, I found a hidden path in my overgrown garden I was so excited, 😂 you can tell I don’t get out much just doing renovations, it meant I didn’t have to squelch through all the mud, result !

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Hi Debbie, thanks for watching and commenting :-) Thank you. The lawn mower was the icing on the cake, so much easier to manage now too. We dug down... we found stone... digging will continue hahaha. A hidden anything is exciting isn't it, we were so surprised with finding the first path let alone a possible large stoned area. We don't get out much either hahaha. No mud / squelchy dirt will be lovely if that is what happens. Thank you again. Have a lovely weekend :-)

[@dorygeancunningham8027]

A cobbled stone courtyard will make a lovely secret garden area, with seating and potted plants. I don’t envy you moving all that earth, but you are most likely right, that the drainage will definitely improve. I love how proud you two are with what you’ve done, and,so you should be. How much more you will be as you two uncover more of the corner house history. As my cartoon counterpart might say…just keep digging, just keep digging.

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Aww that sounds idyllic! I can just see it now, it’ll be amazing! And then we remember we have the earth to move first 😂🫣 we really are proud of what we’ve done so far, it’s been a long road but it’s finally, finally starting to take shape! Hahaha yes…guessing you mean finding nemo Dory?! We will definitely just keep digging! ❤️

[@Lamhan_Scotland]

Thanks

[@thecornerhouseproject]

We must respond to this one from you first. Thank You So Much, that is very kind indeed.

[@TheAngela2468]

Have a good weekend im on the Gold Coast Queensland Australia 😊😊😊😊😊

[@thecornerhouseproject]

Oooh lovely welcome to you in the Gold Coast. You have a good weekend too, although it’s most likely done for you now? 😊