Old Factory Transformed Into Vibrant Garden | S25 Ep43 | Great Home Ideas

Jason builds a new picket fence and revamps a front garden while Tara transforms a porch, adding a few patio features. Graham sees a rescued garden that’s thriving after being converted from an old factory, and Dr. Harry visits Max the dog who won’t drink from his bowl.

00:00 New Picket Fence
06:22 Porch Revamp
15:20 Rescue Garden
20:36 Max Won’t Drink

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You’ll be amazed what we can do for 1,000 bucks. From boring concrete slab to stylish front porch. High five for that. It’s the hidden inner city oasis. I promise you the ideas here are endless. And you can lead Max to water, but can Dr. Harry make him drink? Have you heard the saying, champagne on a beer budget? This little house is a perfect example of what you can do for massive impact for next to no money. You’ve got the bones. You got a beautiful little semi or bungalow with all the pretty little lace work. There’s just a few problems. It’s not very inviting. So, straight away, I reckon we get rid of that Mission brand. It’s amazing what you can do with a coat of paint. Then, I reckon we throw in your classic white picket fence, a little garden in front of it, and completely transform this place for around the $1,000 mark. [Music] I’m going to build the quickest, cheapest, and easiest picket fence you can do. Now, as far as materials go, I picked up these 1.5 pickets, but if I cut them in half, sort of having the price. And for the posts, I’m using 150 by 50 sleepers. These are about $10 each. Cutting them in half, the posts are costing me five bucks. Now, it doesn’t get any cheaper than that. [Music] I ripped the saw through it many times. It comes out easy with the chisel. [Music] Have a look at that. I am definitely not a carpenter, but it’ll do the job. Get a coat of paint in there at a minimum, but if you can paint the whole post, even better. It just seals it off and gives it another layer of protection. Now, by running two string lines, I can get where the post is going to be down at ground level, and I can get it parallel this way, which means it’s plum. And I can also set my post, so they’ll all be at the right height. And the string line doesn’t lie, so the letter box has definitely got to come out. [Music] Now, when you’re buying your timber, it’s important that you run your eye over it. Don’t just pick up the first bit you get. Sort through it. Try and get something that’s dead straight. An important thing to remember, none of the pickets touch the string line. As soon as you start to touch the string line, you start to bend that line and your pickets will end up looking like a roller coaster. Now I’m adding a bit of pop. The color is called sulfur. And the inspiration, well, it’s my favorite wiggle. [Music] Paint your gate like this. It’s a great way to put your house on the map. the fing. [Music] Now, everything we’re going to paint, which is all the mission brown, I’m just going to give it a light sand. [Music] Looks better already. Now, the little house is looking a treat. The more sophisticated charcoal is in. There’s still bars on that window. It lets it down a bit. So to dress it up and make it look a little bit less sort of security, we got some brachy comb and some planters to sit underneath it. They’ll flower like that all year round. And I’ve put a smile underneath that window. [Music] [Applause] One of the best ways to keep your budget down is to source your plants for free. Whether it be from a mum and dad or a friend, maybe look online, see what people are throwing out. But this one here in the backyard is San Severia. It’s better known as mother-in-law’s tongue or the sword plant. The reason why it gets its name is pretty obvious. Make it last. to take you take to take take you away take you take to take you away rewind 20 years and you would have been paid well over 100 bucks for these agies they were as rare as hen’s teeth and they’re a hot commodity well nurseries bred them people propagated them and now they’re really common and you see them in the council throw out but if I chop them out plant them at the back and plant them lower they’ll look really nice you away. Just let go somewhere you never been before. Take you away from me. Now, across the front, I’m spending a little bit of our money on plants. So, I got power and more of the brachi cone, which is the plant underneath the window sill. These guys don’t mind a haircut once a year. You cut them back down to stubble and all the new growth comes through. But they thrive on neglect. Now, did I explode and buy a new letter box? No. But by getting rid of the ugly post and tying it into the picket fence, it’s as cute as any new one, and it’s cost me nutter. [Music] Well, there you go. Now, I was aiming to spend 1,000, but I’ve gone up to 1,200 cuz I got carried away. And I guarantee once you start, you will as well. I’ve got a few extra plants, but I like the look and it was money well spent. What do you think, Dan? This place has gone from drab and not memorable to definitely memorable and looks like it’s loved. Come on, let’s go. [Music] You got to love this time of year. The weather is finally starting to warm up and you don’t need much excuse to get outdoors and entertain. But what if your outdoor space isn’t quite living up to the job? To make this space more user friendly and give it a relaxed contemporary look. Oh, hello. I’m going to build a timber screen that will wrap up and over. Now, this will act as a real focal point and also give us a little extra shade and some privacy. The floor is going to get a facelift with a very cool and affordable resurface, a few DIY patio features, and some strategic punches of paint color. And this front porch, well, you won’t recognize it. Okay, first job is to tackle this old ugly floor. Now, this is not a DIY process, so I’ve got the professionals in to give me a hand. If you’re looking to give an old concrete floor like this a brand new look without the cost of replacing it, concrete resurfacing is such a great option. Really durable system. It comes in lots of colors, has great patterns. [Music] This spray coat adds texture to the design. You can see there it’s quite a loose mix and it basically makes it look more realistic. [Music] And finally, it’s on with the sealer. This not only enhances the color and adds a layer of protection, but makes it easy to clean for years to come. Floors done and looks fantastic. So, now Daz and I are on to the timber screen. Now, remember, this is a wraparound screen. We’re starting with a ceiling first and just working with these pre-existing batters. Now, when you’re choosing materials for a screen, you do have a choice in terms of profile. We’ve gone for one quite square, going for that modern look, and we’ve prepainted it white just to make the job a little bit easier and also save time. [Applause] And what you can see here is this little bit. It’s a spacer, and it’s basically an offcut of this timber. And just make sure every single gap is equal. [Music] Thank you. We’re nearly there. As you work, a little bit of spack filler in the holes just makes things neat and tidy. I’m really happy with this ceiling. The white battens have really opened up and brightened up the space and made a neat job of what was a pretty ugly old tin ceiling. And you know there are some things you just can’t avoid like the old guttering. So what we’ve done is just painted it to match the bats just to integrate the whole thing. Next job Daz and I are going to continue the wraparound just with the bats coming down the side. And I think Daz we won’t go all the way to the floor. I want to allow some of these green plants to showing underneath. And this is going to make this look so much better and give us some privacy. Bingo. Here we go mate. Number four. Thanks mate. Look at you with all the lingo. Happy happy. Lucky last. So good. Daz, we’re great. We are. This feels so much more modern and contemporary out here. Not only does this look good, but it’s also functional as well. Already it feels cooler in here. Now, this is a westerly facing aspect. So, in the summer months, everyone is going to be so grateful to not only have the temperature down a little, but also the privacy. [Music] So, to take this porch up another level, a little trick of mine is, of course, paint. It’s such an easy and affordable way to liven up any dreary space. First up, got a little bit more building work to do. The wall beside the front door is really on the plain side. So, what I want to do is introduce an overscaled mirror. Such a great thing to use in an outdoor space cuz it actually opens up and extends the whole area and introduces just a bit of light. To buy a mirror this size, I have to say, would cost a fortune. So, let’s make our own. You can buy the mirror itself off the shelf for around $80. You need a backing board. This is plywood, 60 bucks. Then, with the frame, you can simply layer it up. gives you a really chunky carved effect for a frame. [Music] Next step, undercoat seals everything off nicely. [Music] this frame. Well, obviously it’s made of timber, but I want to make it look like aged metal. So, the first coat is this dark almost gunmetal gray color. With that coat dry, it’s on with the next one. It’s a beautiful minty green. Now, I’m not going all over. I want it to be quite patchy. When you’re painting outdoors, whether it’s for the house itself or for features like this, Weather Shield is the ideal choice. It’s incredibly durable and stands up to our harsh weather conditions in Australia. It’s designed not to blister or flake or peel and will stretch and contract along with the timber over time. A nice neutral silicon won’t damage the mirror backing. [Music] All right. Heavy job, Desler, please. Thank you. Instead of putting the mirror in while the frame’s flat, we decided to stand it up. Don’t want to break any mirrors. Seven years bad luck, so they say. [Music] Measurements are good. Ah, you look good, right? Modest, too. Another feature you can create yourself and will add an enormous amount of character to any front balcony are planter boxes. Usually on the outside areas, big plants call for a big budget, but not if you make it yourself. I’m using treated pine. I’ve had it all cut down to size. Basically, we’ve got two buttons for the back and a simple frame around the edge. Okay. Okay. Now, for the pieces in between, just lay them out and then line them up so they’re evenly spaced before you nail them off. Multiply this by two. There are your sides. Now, for the ends, it’s the same kind of principle, just using shorter lengths of timber nailed to bats. [Music] [Applause] Now, we can start bringing everything together. [Music] as part of my palette to contrast with all of the other colors I’ve got going on. I’m going dark [Music] to make this whole thing mobile and easy to clean and water. Some caster wheels on the bottom do the job nicely. Now for the top, well, it’s just simply a plastic trough. Look at that. You just pop it in. Ready for planting. How good. Such a great little project, don’t you think? And as for the front door, I’ve chosen to use Aquinamel. Beautiful and fresh. A semig gloss finish. This is going to be gorgeous. See, it’s a perfect day to sit and clear my mind. It’s so often the case the hightra areas around the home, well, they get the least amount of love. But look what a huge difference a little bit of attention can achieve. A new floor finish, a new screen, and some subtle color details have literally transformed this whole area. It’s cool, it’s inviting, and this house definitely has more curb appeal. You have to admit that this was a dull porch that no one would have ever used. Now it’s a room that everyone can enjoy all summer long. Cheers to that. This inner city old factory site may not look much from the outside, but what’s behind this rustic old fence, I promise you, will absolutely surprise you. Dick and Stone is a unique little rescue garden smack in the heart of Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west. And it’s all the inspiration of one very passionate recycler and gardener. Good morning, Manique. How are you? Good morning. How are you? Fantastic. Thank you. What a unique space. What was it before? Uh before it was a marble granite factory. Goodness. Uh this was a car park here. Uh and inside was just an open sort of warehouse. Quite the transformation. The place is now a really cool plant store and center for garden workshops and community events. So where did the inspiration come for all of this? So I’m from the country and ah country. Um, and my my parents en encouraged me to to make things and grow things and really. So, you’ve been a gardener all your life? I have. Because it was so empty here and we had a lot of uh rubble that I wanted to recycle. Um, we decided to do a big garden because it’s actually good uh drainage. And you’ve built seats into it. So, it’s really, you know, a usable space. So, all of these plants are rescued um from the area. people doing renovations and building sites and people who have just put them on the side of the road and um you know I’ve brought them in. Fantastic. It’s a an orphanage for succulents and cacti. It is. I really love the flapjacks. Look at the color. Yes. I water around them just to to get more of that vibrant red color. I’ve had one of these. This a little jade plant here since I was a child and I think that’s just fantastic. Aren’t they beautiful? Yeah. You got little pig face here all the way through. They’re great ground cover, aren’t they? They are. They’re an excellent ground cover. That’s one reason why I wanted to put them in. And also, um, just to keep the weeds away a little bit. It’s such a creative space. Other makers have set up shop here, too, including Willie, who designs unique miniature planters. What style would you call this? Well, I’m trying to um combine Japanese and Scandinavian. So, I’m, you know, trying to keep nice lines, you know, the hardness of the of the concrete and the softness of the wood. Now, you’ve actually molded that on the timber. So, look, it just sits there beautifully. And this lovely elevated trough. You’ve got a Morton Bay fig. Yeah. Because it’ll grow quite happily in there because the pot is going to restrict it. And it’s nice and strong. It’s sort of like bonsai, but it’s not Bonsai. It’s Willy’s creation. And a door or two down, there’s even a bigger surprise. No, you you’ve got a micro greens operation. Yes. We’re growing about 27 different varieties here. Look at the color. That’s why they they look so great on a plate. I don’t think there’s many uh well-known chefs these days that aren’t using micro greens. We feed them nutrients through the water, which is actually hydroponics, but we’re using coconut koa to grow. as as you can see the roots there growing straight underneath. That’s that’s a healthy plant. Some of your favorites. All right. Well, I’d have to show you lemon balm because I mean smell. Yeah, you can smell it. They’re so fragrant. So chefs love this because I mean it’s it’s good for fish. It’s good for desserts. Pilla. So red shiso. Um so they use it a lot in Japanese cuisine. Absolutely. Red garnet amaranth. It’s always, as you can see, it’s extremely striking. It’s always been one of the most popular varieties. You can taste that kind of earthy earthy spinach flavor, but it’s still quite subtle. Now, you were a chef, so you’ve trained in environmental science. This is actually the perfect way to, you know, fuse the cooking and the and the environmental stuff. It’s, as they say, it ticks all the boxes. It does. Well, this is where Monique has her propagation classes. It’s also an ideas center. You know, plastic pots, pretty ugly, but the plant’s beautiful. So, why not pop it into an old tree stump? Now, you can plant them in the traditional trays and they look be and you can have a whole combination of little plants or hollow out a piece of log. We had these on the program recently. Just be a little bit different. Now, just a quick tip. Whether you’ve got succulents, indoor or outdoor plants, now is a very good time to give them a feed. So, Osmicode have come up with boost and feed. It’s got all the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, the main elements, and also the trace elements. In she goes. And then you just apply it over the foliage and into the soil. Now, that’s going to keep your indoor plants and your plants out in the garden really happy. [Music] Oh, Manique, what a day. And goodness, more palings. So, what have we got here? Yes, this is our converted horse float cafe. Well, unique like the rest of the joint is. Thanks. It’s been a fantastic day. Would you like a cup of tea? Oh, I certainly could. Cheers. And thanks again. Thanks, Steve. You see, little Max on the left has a peculiar habited meal time that’s got his owners very worried. This is your problem dog or my problem dog? Yeah. You up for a challenge? I like challenges, don’t I? I love challenges. [Music] These guys have got to be thirsty now. They should be, shouldn’t they? After a walk down the creek. Who wants some water? Max. Max, who’s thirsty? You want a drink? Have a drink, Max. Max, [Music] see if I put it in my hand and onto the ground. Well, they say you can lead a horse or a dog in this case to water. But you can’t make it drink. Max, come and have some water. In fact, other than straight off the pavement, the only way Max would take a sip is from the water tank. Did you have enough big stuff? So, how does dinner time go? Max, over here. Yum, yums. No, Yoda. No, you don’t have it. This Max’s. Give me. It’s totally my wife. I know you’re hungry. I might take a bit out of there and I put it there. So, what does that reaction tell you? He doesn’t like the bowl. He’s frightened by the bowl. Tried a plastic container, stainless steel bowl, maybe around 10 different bowls. So, what does Mina think was the trigger for this behavior? Well, it seems to have all started when Max was about 1 year old. We actually went away on holidays, left Max with my daughter, but during that weekend, I believe one of her friends did visit and they had a dog, but that dog stayed outside. Max was inside. It was at that point my daughter said, “Oh, he’s not eating.” You know, I think it had something to do with the fact that there was another dog here that weekend. [Music] Max is now three, so it’s not going to be an easy fix for the family, but I reckon the kitchen is a very good place to start. That’s chicken breast fillet. That is lamb’s fry and most dogs love it. Cabinosi, a great little training treat for dogs. Some chopped up cheddar cheese. Now, these three things are cat food. So, if you add a little bit of cat food to a bland dog food, a lot of dogs will eat it. Now, this is what I call gourmet canine cuisine. Now, we’ve enlisted the help of your son, Cole, who’s going to manage this whole situation. How does that look? Looks pretty good to me. What to could possibly resist? Yum yum. [Music] Please eat. Max, let’s try some sides. [Music] So, all I’ve got left are some cooked chicken and some lamb. Cross them for me at home, eh? But no matter how dectable, what’s this one or how we serve it up? I don’t know. I’ve never seen cooked chicken and lamb stri. So, the bowl one food did not conquer fear. So, we’ve got to desensitize Max to this bowl. [Music] So, what I’ve got here is a whole lot of different dishes. And I guess the first thing I’ve got is basically just it’s a paper servette, right? So, treats on that. Even a piece of paper. This is a lid. Just a clear plastic lid. Did I mention this will take a lot of time and patience? [Music] So, you’ll take it from around the perimeter. Yep. All right. And he just took that from the very center. It’s a step. And do you know something, Mina? You never said a true word. It is a step. Well, gradually we use this and we spread it out. Oh, yummy. So clever. And in time, we actually put that inside the blue dish. And then we gradually withdraw it. Using a pheromone calming collar will also help to ease some of Max’s anxiety. [Music] Now, he’ll already drink from your freshwater tank around the back. You know, most dogs like to drink from running water. So, I’ve got a device for you. And most dogs that I’ve encountered will drink from those. They really love it. The other thing, too, is that using a larger ceramic bowl like that would blend in very well with your rocks, with your riverstones over there. This has been going on for how long now? 2 and 1/2 years. We reckon it takes a week for every month that you’ve had a problem to fix it. It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of work. We got a 100 steps to climb. Today we climb two. Two. You’ve got a gorgeous little dog. You’ll make it. Thank you. There’s only one thing. Mhm. I just need someone to help me up because it’s so low down here and it’s so far up there. [Music]