5 Holiday DIY Projects with Strol!

The silly season is the perfect time to finally complete those backyard DIY projects, you know, the ones you have been promising to do all year! Not only will it enhance your outdoor area but it is a great excuse to get the kids outside helping you while they are on holiday. Strol has 5 holiday DIY projects, that are easy, fun, and will enhance your tomorrow. So pop down to your local DIY retailers and lets get started! 

GardenStax – create a summer veggie garden with the kids!

Summer is a great time to teach kids about how plants and vegetables grow. With GardenStax, you can create easy-to-access raised gardens, segmenting various vegetables, salad plants, corn or even fruit trees. They’re super easy to build and maintain, there’s no digging required, they just clip together and rest on the ground. Just remember to line them with Strol weed prevention matting. That way, even when winter comes back around, your kids will have a fun, manageable garden to look after and maintain on their own. They can even paint their own colour onto the natural wood finish. 

Enjoy the versatility of GardenStax: 

• Available in a variety of sizes 
• Create any height simply by stacking each layer 
• The panels are easy to fit together
• Paint over the natural wood finish with any colour
• Ideal for use within gardens, patios or balconies

SureWall Sandpits – because three week’s holiday just isn’t enough

Can’t make it to the beach? Then bring the beach to you by building your kids a sandpit with the SureWall retaining system. With the strength reserved for retaining walls, SureWall will allow you to build a free-standing sandpit area, or a recessed pit that’s just like stepping onto a beach in your back yard! The innovative SureWall retaining wall system requires minimum excavation, and with no need for fasteners, installation saves you time and money. Once the galvanized steel posts are secured into the ground, the timber sleepers simply slot into place, then you can simply attach any form or capping on top to either make a seat or a step off point into your beach. 

Here are a few handy tips to remember when making a sandpit with SureWall: 

• SureWall’s flush finish means no sharp edges to bump into  
• They’re ideal for square or rectangular boxes, but they do have a 15° tolerance, so with short sleepers, you could make curves or round corners
• Line the base of the pit with geotextile, permeable pavers and with good drainage wrapped in FilterSleeve or FilterPlus. That way, your sandpit will always stay dry and fun to use
• If you’re recessing the sandpit, line the outside with ArmourFlow. This will prevent excess pressure from wet soil acting against your sandpit walls 
• Build steps with SureWall and line them with PebbleLock so your children have safe access to the raised pit 
• Line the edge of the recessed pit with PaveMaster landscape edging so you can easily mow or maintain the grass/pebbled area around your new beach

No matter how you decide to build your sandpit, be assured your kids are enjoying a safe, stable environment.  

Create your ideal BBQ area with SmartScreen 

Ready to redecorate your kitchen? No, not the one inside with the sink and the oven. We mean the outdoor, summer kitchen, where your BBQ has been patiently waiting to be lit up. With Strol SmartScreens, it’s time to give the whole area an identity of its own. 

• Create separate areas for seating and cooking by adding artworks to different walls 
• Divide the space into sections with 1800mm tall screens 
• Protect your BBQ area from wind
• Create sunshades that allow various amounts of light through

Whether you’re into beaches, wetlands, hunting or fishing, our iconic New Zealand designs will match any home and garden environment. With panels that are 1800mm and 2400mm high, it’s also easy to create privacy screens so you can relax without any prying eyes. You could even go one step further by using 1200mm screens as seat backing with cushions, creating intimate pods for you and your guests.  

SmartScreens are easy to install to any wall or timber framing. Our wall mounts simply screw into place, so you can not only create artworks, sun and wind shades and backing for tables or bar seats, but you can also attach them to retractable bi-fold doors to open or enclose your summer kitchen.  

PebbleLock – Create a patio for your garden BBQ area!

When you want to take your BBQ off your nice, outdoor deck but want a more stable solution than standing on the grass, create a pothole and puddle free pebbled area with PebbleLock permeable pavers. PebbleLock will give your BBQ a sturdy, dry platform to sit on, and you won’t have to worry about staining your deck with dripping oil or grease. It also creates an attractive separation between the cooking and seating areas of your outdoor patio. 

PebbleLock, when installed in conjunction with geotextile, will give you an all-year-round usable, natural outdoor surface. PebbleLock: 

• Is suitable for decorative stones between 8mm-14mm
• Locks the pebbles in place 
• Can be walked on even in high heels, so it’s ideal for entertainment areas 
• Is easy to maintain
• Allows water (and beer) to drain away, so you always have a dry surface to stand on 

As PebbleLock is easy to install, you can transform your BBQ area within a day, then kick back and grill a few steaks, knowing that even in winter, your garden BBQ kitchen will always be open. 

Give WeedMat the summer job of weeding

Do you own your garden? Or does your garden own you? 

It’s a question so many of us ask, and it often comes down to one thing. Weeding. It’s the never ending job. And after all, the whole idea of a garden is to allow plants to grow. But weeds are unsightly, and it’s the last thing we want to be doing when the sun’s shining and our name has been etched into a chilled bottle of wine!  

Prevent this nightmarish scenario by laying or relaying weed prevention matting while the soil is still easy enough to dig back. WeedStop High Absorption is great around plants that require high water flow. In these areas, winter might have been too wet to dig up and lay weed matting, but now’s the perfect time. Our High Absorption matting allows more water to pass through while still preventing weeds from growing. 

Alternatively, if you have dry areas that receive little rain, dig the garden up before it gets too hard and lay WeedStop High Water Retention. Its fibre backing traps moisture and prevents evaporation, creating its own microclimate under the soil, which will help keep your plant roots healthy during the summer. 

Most importantly, or course, once laid, both fabrics will prevent weeds from growing, giving you more time to relax this summer.  

Summary

If you do complete a project these holidays, make sure to tag us on social media using #mystrolproject, so we can feature your project on our website. Once your project is done, put your feet up, enjoy your home improvements, and have an amazing holiday season!