How to turn a summer cottage into a chic vacation spot

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-13 00:26

Shish kebabs are fried in the summer garden, books are read in a flowering gazebo, children run along the cobbled paths, friends sunbathe next to the pool, and tea parties are held in the light of lanterns in the evening. And you will still have time to prepare the cottage for the holiday season if you use the tips from this post.

On an ordinary six hundred square meters, you can set up a real recreation park, and you can do everything yourself, if you wish. Just a dacha from a magic garden is distinguished by details, high-quality accessories and an attentive attitude to everything that is on the site. About how to implement non-standard ideas and completely change the appearance of the dacha, we asked Olga Sukhoplyueva, the manager for purchasing seasonal goods of the OBI hypermarket chain for repair and dacha.

1. Garden paths

A dacha is a garden bed. A suburban area is a lawn, flower beds and paths.

How to make garden paths?

The main rule is to slow down. A good gardener makes paths where people walk, not where he wants to. Until guests and vacationers outline the paths, do not decorate the flower beds and paths, otherwise you will be wasting your time and energy.

The plots that have been waiting for the owners' visit for years are overgrown with grass, so take it if you have not been in the garden for a long time.

To make it easier for you to decide on the shape of the tracks, study the brief characteristics of the materials in the table.

Coating type	pros	Minuses	How to make
Gravel	Fast, cheap	Uncomfortable	Dig a ditch about 10 cm deep, cover with gravel
Concrete	Cheap, for a long time	For a long time	Dig ditches, lay wooden formwork and secure it with pegs. Cover the base with a layer of sand. Lay the reinforcement mesh, fill with mortar
Tile, natural stone	Beautiful, durable	Difficult, expensive	Dig a recess (at least 20 cm), fill in layers of sand and rubble, lay geotextiles between them. Lay a layer of cement screed (3-4 cm). Lay the tiles
Wood	Beautiful, environmentally friendly	For a long time	Treat each piece with a means of protection against moisture and decay, lay on a prepared base (gravel or sand). For additional protection, the soil can be laid out with geotextiles or polyethylene
Sawdust, bark	Cheap, fast	Material scatters over the site	Dig a ditch and cover with bark or sawdust
Plastic modules	Cheap, convenient, fast	Short-lived	Buy plastic modules and lay them on the site

2. Green roof

If it still pulls something to plant in the country, plant a roof.

Organizations that deal with green roofs describe the advantages of such a solution: durability, sound insulation, and so on. Agree, the main thing in such a roof is still beauty. This, which instantly turns a dacha into an elite home. Well, who would refuse to go to barbecue in a house under a moss roof?

A simple option is to stretch the climbing net on the roof. Of course, this is a completely different solution and it can be fully appreciated only at the end of the summer, but it is still impressive.

"Classic" green roofing takes a long time and is quite expensive. But what a result!

Preparing the base. These are the structures of the roof itself: lathing, slabs and floors. Since a green roof is always multi-layered and heavy, you cannot save on strength. If the roof is flat, create a slight slope to allow moisture to drain off.
We carry out hydro and thermal insulation works. A layer of waterproofing materials is applied to the base. Thermal insulation is needed if it is not yet available from the attic. Choose a durable polymer membrane with an anti-root layer that protects the insulation from overgrown plants, or add a layer of extra protection.
Drainage. It is needed to drain excess water, but at the same time maintain the vital activity of plants. Any special material is used.
Filtration. Lay a layer of geotextile to allow water to enter the drainage system without soil.
Priming. Lay a geogrid on which to lay the nutrient medium for plants, fill it with soil. Choose soil depending on what you want to plant.
Planting plants. For example, planting moss is pretty easy. You need to take the moss (if you collect it yourself, then take it from the soil, the moss from the tree will not grow on earthen soil), dry it for two days, grind and mix with kefir. Apply this composition to the roof with a brush or hands. After six weeks, it will be clear if the plants have taken root.

If you decide on independent work, first try your hand at a small roof.

And here is what should happen in the end.

3. Gazebos

Landowners who put a hexagonal gazebo in their dacha, taken away with a grid of wooden slats, should be fined for lack of imagination.

If there is a gazebo at the dacha, then the rest is automatically a success: it is easy to hide from the rain in it and at the same time be in the fresh air. From the usual, you can create something unique, even if it is unusual to paint and glaze the structure.

Simple frame + climbing plants = gazebo.

Believe me, the original small-sized forms will be able to be done by the very workers who assemble standard gazebos. You can assemble a gazebo from a good tree yourself. For example, in this video, a craftsman tells how to make an incredible gazebo in the Far Eastern style from old materials left over after building a house.

These are the gazebos that can stand in your country house.

4. Pavilions

Economy option, if there is no country house, but you really want to go out into nature. In good weather, the pavilions are protected from the sun; you can wait out the short summer rain in them.

The pavilion is, in fact, a beautiful canopy. Craftsmen will assemble it with their own hands in a couple of days, or even less. With the help of wicker furniture and light textiles, both style and mood are created. An oversized mosquito net can be used in place of regular curtains or curtains.

If you don't want to mess around with buildings, just buy ready-made collapsible ones. Fortunately, the days of plastic pavilions, reminiscent of street stalls, are long gone.

5. Summer kitchen

Kebabs! This is probably the number one reason to get out into nature. The main gathering place for friends is the open-air dining room next to the summer kitchen.

An ordinary barbecue or fire is enough to grill meat and vegetables on the wire rack. If you want something more interesting, take a look at the complex models, with them in the country you can cook gourmet dishes.

If an electric grill or roaster is installed in the summer kitchen, it will be easier to plan and arrange the summer kitchen.

What can be used to equip a summer kitchen?

Brazier type	Description	pros
Brazier	Charcoal roaster	The most common setting for roasting on a wire rack or skewers
Grill	Grid for cooking food, heat generated by coal, electricity or gas	The stores have a huge selection of multifunctional models
Roster	Multifunctional Electric Oven	Easy to use, easy to move
Gridl	A thick, even sheet of iron is heated by coal, electricity or gas	Original multifunctional solution

6. Garden furniture

A ready-made seating area is constructed using furniture made of or rattan, placed directly on the grass under the trees.

Which furniture to give preference to - decide for yourself:

wooden furniture fits easily into the look of the garden;
it is easy to care for plastic furniture;
metal garden kits are reliable and durable;
wicker furniture looks great and serves for a long time;
The upholstered furniture made of polyrothane is comfortable and can be used outdoors.

The problem with garden furniture is a capricious climate. Therefore, it is made of metal, wood or plastic. Reliable, but tough. Buy or sew soft pillows that hide easily under the roof in case of rain.

7. Garden lighting

At night, ANY garden becomes magical when properly illuminated.

Garden lighting falls into two categories: functional and decorative. The first designates paths and objects, the second turns the garden into a fairy tale.

When choosing a backlight for a garden, remember that, firstly, you need to choose corrosion-resistant ones with the GS TÜV marking, and secondly, observe safety precautions when laying the cable and bury it deep enough.

Devices	Peculiarities	How to install
Directional light sources with halogen and LED lamps	Used to illuminate paths and plants. Safe and low energy consumption	Choose luminaires of a warm shade with a reflected light height of no more than 1 meter, so as not to dazzle people walking along the paths
Lanterns	Variety of models	Install lights with solar panels or motion sensors to save energy
Candles	Create a cozy atmosphere, you can make hand-made candlesticks	Do not leave an open fire unattended, even if it is just a small candle. Do not hang on trees to avoid damaging the leaves
Water lamps	Original solution	Choose floating balls that can be used in water or on land. Ball-lit lawn looks amazing

A budget option is DIY garden lamps. In the afternoon, when you get tired of resting, be creative, and in the evening, look at the results.

8. Swimming pool in the country

Summer without swimming is not summer. Not everyone is lucky to buy a summer cottage on the banks of a river or sea, but everyone can make a pool.

Installing a stationary pool will be expensive and take longer to maintain and clean than a bath. The solution is inflatable or frame. It is inexpensive, it can be assembled in a matter of minutes, it is easy to care for it, and there is a lot of pleasure.

If you prepare a site for installing a pool, then it will look no worse than a stationary one.

false

9. And a few more garden ideas

If there is free space on your site, dispose of it correctly. For kids and adults who love an active lifestyle, put together a playground. For beautiful photos and contemplation, set up a rock garden, plant an alpine slide, or design a small pond. For relaxation and doing nothing, put an original swing in the shape of a chair or stretch it.