I built this in 1987, it wasn't that difficult. We wanted a summerhouse, but I didn't like the conventional ones available at that time. So I decided to build this to compliment our 5ft deep koi pool.
It's based on a collection of old photographs of Victorian versions of Japanese garden features I found in books in Manchester Central Library.
Japanese craftsmen were brought over in the 1800s to build these features in the gardens of the houses of wealthy people.
Although for this one I've added a few touches of my own.
The design will suit small gardens, as the overall dimensions are 9' X 6' for the room, 9' X 3' for the veranda and 12' X 12' for the roof. The only tools employed were hand tools, plus an electric saw, planer and drill.
It has an electrical supply via an armoured cable buried in a side border.
The centre door is secured by four bolts at each corner allowing it to be opened inwards or outwarsds either way, or removed completely. The side doors fold back on themselves, so when required the whole building can be opened up.
The floor of the veranda has hardwood tiles on top of roofing plywood and the interior has a vinyl floor covering.
The design of the roof has the effect of working like a "reverse sail" so strong winds have never been a problem, despite the big overhang at the front.
When I re-covered the roof two years ago, I used a non-tear fabric, expensive, but worth it.
The 3" X 2" and 4" X 2" softwood was purchased "rough sawn" as it was less expensive that way (after all it's just a "glorified shed") and I planed and sanded it down.
All I've had to do as far as other maintenance work is apply extra coats of Dulux Woodsheen every few years. This is expensive, nearly fifty quid for 2.5ltrs,, but forms an impervious coating over the wood and thus gives long-lasting protection.
It's home to my two vinyl jukeboxes, a TV, and a small Budweiser fridge on a table on castors, so it can be rolled out onto the veranda. Later I added a small freezer on top of the fridge, for the times when my wife orders food in bulk.
There you go.
• ROCK-OLA 443 : DINAH WASHINGTON : SEPTEMBE...
The 4' plus lamps and the 6' pagoda seen in the photos and this video, I built from concrete in molds I made for them. The pagoda needed seventeen different molds.
This is another video showing their construction, if you've ever made sandcastles for your kids, they are a doddle.
• JAPANESE LANTERNS : HOW TO MAKE FULL-SIZED...
The lamps were each cast during one evening and finished and assembled through the following day. The pagoda took a couple of hours a night, over the course of two weeks and then assembled on site on top of two 3' X 2' paving slabs..
The lamps are lit by recycled 12volt pool lamps, supplied by a transformer in the roof of the tea-house. These and more than a dozen lamps, plus two sets of fairy lights, in the garden are controlled by four switches behind the curtains in the lounge, via an armoured cable which runs from the house under the concrete raft below the crazy York stone patio, to the garage, where they are connected to four dedicated sockets.
We like to think everything in the garden is complimentary, it's a bit deceptive as it's no more than 85ft from the house to the back fence. Here's a tour, thanks for looking.
• GARDEN TOUR : JUNE 2013
Edit, I removed the wisteria from around the eaves in 2014 as it was getting too heavy.
Early in 2019, the pool developed a serious leak. To replace the liner would have meant removing all the perimeter rocks, part of the waterfall and the imitation bridge over the filter return, so we decided to have it filled in and paved over. The fish went to a good home (two doors away to another koi enthusiast).
• GARDEN TOUR : MAY 2019
Thanks everyone, for the many kind words.
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