Garden design - help needed
Discussion
Wow thanks for all the replies, I didn’t expect such a big response.
Those of you saying get expert advice, I’ll contact a few garden designers if any of you can recommend any.
Charlesdegaulle / PhilboSE - a few pictures below if either of you (or anyone else) wants to have a go. I’m going to site tomorrow and will measure up, look at elevations and take better pictures.
View of house from rear garden.
House on left. Bottom of garden on right.
View to bottom of garden.
Plan. Ours is the top house.
The house is built into an old quarry. The greenery on the left wall will be removed. We have a choice as to whether we can get rid of the greenery on the bottom wall to make a bit of a feature out of the quarry wall itself.
Garden is east facing. The garden I think will be flat with about a foot raised area where we are going to have a 5.5m patio. Then steps down onto the lawn/garden. We would like a separate patio area bottom right where the sun would set. Other things we want;
Shed (8x10 foot)
Maybe a small veg plot
Woodstore
BBQ/pizza oven
Climbing frame for kids.
Plan for ground floor. Sliding doors along length of the 9m kitchen living dining area.
My initial plan looks something like this, apologies for the amateurishness
Edited to add: I think the garden is about 20 x 25m but will get detailed measurements tomorrow.
Those of you saying get expert advice, I’ll contact a few garden designers if any of you can recommend any.
Charlesdegaulle / PhilboSE - a few pictures below if either of you (or anyone else) wants to have a go. I’m going to site tomorrow and will measure up, look at elevations and take better pictures.
View of house from rear garden.
House on left. Bottom of garden on right.
View to bottom of garden.
Plan. Ours is the top house.
The house is built into an old quarry. The greenery on the left wall will be removed. We have a choice as to whether we can get rid of the greenery on the bottom wall to make a bit of a feature out of the quarry wall itself.
Garden is east facing. The garden I think will be flat with about a foot raised area where we are going to have a 5.5m patio. Then steps down onto the lawn/garden. We would like a separate patio area bottom right where the sun would set. Other things we want;
Shed (8x10 foot)
Maybe a small veg plot
Woodstore
BBQ/pizza oven
Climbing frame for kids.
Plan for ground floor. Sliding doors along length of the 9m kitchen living dining area.
My initial plan looks something like this, apologies for the amateurishness
Edited to add: I think the garden is about 20 x 25m but will get detailed measurements tomorrow.
A decent project..
I'd be trying to introduce curves rather than square everything off, its more natural adds interest and will appear bigger, plus you'll be able to get more depth of planting.
I'd also question the veg beds. Unless it's a herb garden or for the kids, not enough space for anything meaningful. I gave up on ours, but I do have a greenhouse which I find very useful.
I'd be trying to introduce curves rather than square everything off, its more natural adds interest and will appear bigger, plus you'll be able to get more depth of planting.
I'd also question the veg beds. Unless it's a herb garden or for the kids, not enough space for anything meaningful. I gave up on ours, but I do have a greenhouse which I find very useful.
rustyuk said:
I was not expecting that shock of colour, I think I may have gone blindI would take pails offer up very kind of him!
Tbh as someone who does a lot of paving and some landscaping (i generally avoid it) you wont be surprised to heard after the other comments that landscape designers come up with these wild plans which:
cost a fortune, literally!
Aren't actually that practical- think plants which require lots of maintenance, useless water features, paving which isn't suitable.
I suppose they have to come up with this stuff so they are relevant otherwise they would be doing what i call 'landscapers gardens'
thats what people like me do:
patio, paths, borders, a lawn, maybe a water feature, screening etc etc.
I would take a look at your job and your sketch and i know thats 30k plus.......so so many people fall over backwards and i do get why. It is a fairly straightforward plan though that a decent landscaper could make the best of.
A general rule of thumb is £100 a meter. So the cheap turf is offset by the expensive paving and specimen trees iykwim.
The reason i avoid it is not because i dislike it but its so easy to say 'whats your budget' they then say we haven't got one, you then give a price of 20k and they then say 'oh we only wanted to spend 7k' classic scenario that is
very kind of him!Tbh as someone who does a lot of paving and some landscaping (i generally avoid it) you wont be surprised to heard after the other comments that landscape designers come up with these wild plans which:
cost a fortune, literally!
Aren't actually that practical- think plants which require lots of maintenance, useless water features, paving which isn't suitable.
I suppose they have to come up with this stuff so they are relevant otherwise they would be doing what i call 'landscapers gardens'
thats what people like me do:
patio, paths, borders, a lawn, maybe a water feature, screening etc etc.
I would take a look at your job and your sketch and i know thats 30k plus.......so so many people fall over backwards and i do get why. It is a fairly straightforward plan though that a decent landscaper could make the best of.
A general rule of thumb is £100 a meter. So the cheap turf is offset by the expensive paving and specimen trees iykwim.
The reason i avoid it is not because i dislike it but its so easy to say 'whats your budget' they then say we haven't got one, you then give a price of 20k and they then say 'oh we only wanted to spend 7k' classic scenario that is
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I can give you an accurate (to the penny actually) costing on this project of mine.
I can give you an accurate (to the penny actually) costing on this project of mine.
Of course I forgot to ask the most significant question of all - what sort of budget and will you be doing any work yourself? Do you want an instant finished solution or something that you can work on over time?
m3jappa is on the money, £30k is a starting point really, depends how much the developer has allowed for a basic job.
m3jappa is on the money, £30k is a starting point really, depends how much the developer has allowed for a basic job.
How u doing said:
A decent project..
I'd be trying to introduce curves rather than square everything off, its more natural adds interest and will appear bigger, plus you'll be able to get more depth of planting.
I'd also question the veg beds. Unless it's a herb garden or for the kids, not enough space for anything meaningful. I gave up on ours, but I do have a greenhouse which I find very useful.
Thanks. Yeah we’ve got curved borders in the current garden and will likely do similar with this. I'd be trying to introduce curves rather than square everything off, its more natural adds interest and will appear bigger, plus you'll be able to get more depth of planting.
I'd also question the veg beds. Unless it's a herb garden or for the kids, not enough space for anything meaningful. I gave up on ours, but I do have a greenhouse which I find very useful.
m3jappa said:
I would take pails offer up very kind of him!
Tbh as someone who does a lot of paving and some landscaping (i generally avoid it) you wont be surprised to heard after the other comments that landscape designers come up with these wild plans which:
cost a fortune, literally!
Aren't actually that practical- think plants which require lots of maintenance, useless water features, paving which isn't suitable.
I suppose they have to come up with this stuff so they are relevant otherwise they would be doing what i call 'landscapers gardens'
thats what people like me do:
patio, paths, borders, a lawn, maybe a water feature, screening etc etc.
I would take a look at your job and your sketch and i know thats 30k plus.......so so many people fall over backwards and i do get why. It is a fairly straightforward plan though that a decent landscaper could make the best of.
A general rule of thumb is £100 a meter. So the cheap turf is offset by the expensive paving and specimen trees iykwim.
The reason i avoid it is not because i dislike it but its so easy to say 'whats your budget' they then say we haven't got one, you then give a price of 20k and they then say 'oh we only wanted to spend 7k' classic scenario that is
Thanks. I’m open to all options. Not set on a designer and would happily use a landscaper if any can be recommended.... very kind of him!Tbh as someone who does a lot of paving and some landscaping (i generally avoid it) you wont be surprised to heard after the other comments that landscape designers come up with these wild plans which:
cost a fortune, literally!
Aren't actually that practical- think plants which require lots of maintenance, useless water features, paving which isn't suitable.
I suppose they have to come up with this stuff so they are relevant otherwise they would be doing what i call 'landscapers gardens'
thats what people like me do:
patio, paths, borders, a lawn, maybe a water feature, screening etc etc.
I would take a look at your job and your sketch and i know thats 30k plus.......so so many people fall over backwards and i do get why. It is a fairly straightforward plan though that a decent landscaper could make the best of.
A general rule of thumb is £100 a meter. So the cheap turf is offset by the expensive paving and specimen trees iykwim.
The reason i avoid it is not because i dislike it but its so easy to say 'whats your budget' they then say we haven't got one, you then give a price of 20k and they then say 'oh we only wanted to spend 7k' classic scenario that is
PhilboSE said:
Of course I forgot to ask the most significant question of all - what sort of budget and will you be doing any work yourself? Do you want an instant finished solution or something that you can work on over time?
m3jappa is on the money, £30k is a starting point really, depends how much the developer has allowed for a basic job.
Hi PhilboSE, I won’t be doing any of the work myself. Builder will include 4m of patio outside the kitchen diner, and 2m behind the garage, and will turf the rest. That’s all that’s included. m3jappa is on the money, £30k is a starting point really, depends how much the developer has allowed for a basic job.
In an ideal world I guess we would stick to £26k (we are currently £74k into “extras” but the £100k is an arbitrary figure and it is what it is.
We don’t have to do it (the garden) all at once and can do it over a couple of years. Ideally I’d get the patio/wall or any major landscaping done whilst builders are there as it will be cheaper and easier than doing when the house is complete, but the rest of it can really be a project over a couple of years. I’m more interested in what you/others can come up with at this stage, rather than sticking rigidly to a budget, if that makes sense.
We have a 3yr old, 1 year old and a new baby on the way, so no major water features please
Where about are you based? i may well be able to recommend someone.
Good that the builder has included the patio and turf, thats a big chunk straight away!
I wonder if he would omit those though and allow you to use a proper landscaper? would make it easier and more attractive to a landscaper and also quite possibly get a better job.
Good that the builder has included the patio and turf, thats a big chunk straight away!
I wonder if he would omit those though and allow you to use a proper landscaper? would make it easier and more attractive to a landscaper and also quite possibly get a better job.
There are a number of FREE garden planner software's available on line, for example;
https://www.gardena.com/uk/garden-life/garden-plan...
https://www.gardena.com/uk/garden-life/garden-plan...
OK Japan Red, here's a starter for 10 based on what you've given us. I've gone with a circular theme for the main structure as it seemed to work well with your zones, softens the edges and elongates the views from the evening patio area. I've added a few specimen trees around to focus the view from the house and the patio, as well as provide some screening. There's a path around the garden to link the key zones and give you a mowing strip, but we all know the kids will take the shortest route to the play area so there's some stepping zones sunk below lawn height to help that. Planting up the beds around the low wall will give a visual discouragement for anyone to fall off. Your diagram suggests no access to the front down the side of the house, which means it would be an ideal place to put some of the functional things like a compost area, log store & shed. If the shed was needed to store bikes with access to the front etc then it could be moved over to the gravel area. The raised beds don't have to be used for veg, we plant up ours with a selection of annuals each give to give some colour and variety.
Your stone garden walls look like they could be amazing, so get those exposed and then plant some standard form trees in front (so the crown is above wall height) and uplight them, would look stunning.
Your stone garden walls look like they could be amazing, so get those exposed and then plant some standard form trees in front (so the crown is above wall height) and uplight them, would look stunning.
PhilboSE said:
OK Japan Red, here's a starter for 10 based on what you've given us. I've gone with a circular theme for the main structure as it seemed to work well with your zones, softens the edges and elongates the views from the evening patio area. I've added a few specimen trees around to focus the view from the house and the patio, as well as provide some screening. There's a path around the garden to link the key zones and give you a mowing strip, but we all know the kids will take the shortest route to the play area so there's some stepping zones sunk below lawn height to help that. Planting up the beds around the low wall will give a visual discouragement for anyone to fall off. Your diagram suggests no access to the front down the side of the house, which means it would be an ideal place to put some of the functional things like a compost area, log store & shed. If the shed was needed to store bikes with access to the front etc then it could be moved over to the gravel area. The raised beds don't have to be used for veg, we plant up ours with a selection of annuals each give to give some colour and variety.
PhilboSE that looks great!rustyuk said:
Crazy Paving!Nice but they must be insane.
ChocolateFrog said:
rustyuk said:
Crazy Paving!Nice but they must be insane.
tbh I'm surprised that's won awards, they've gone with a Japanese theme but the planting is not cohesive - it should all be about serenity and contemplation and that is really frantic. I absolutely love Japanese gardens (e.g. Ishihara Kazuyuki designs), but they are incredibly hard to pull off.
PhilboSE said:
OK Japan Red, here's a starter for 10 based on what you've given us. I've gone with a circular theme for the main structure as it seemed to work well with your zones, softens the edges and elongates the views from the evening patio area. I've added a few specimen trees around to focus the view from the house and the patio, as well as provide some screening. There's a path around the garden to link the key zones and give you a mowing strip, but we all know the kids will take the shortest route to the play area so there's some stepping zones sunk below lawn height to help that. Planting up the beds around the low wall will give a visual discouragement for anyone to fall off. Your diagram suggests no access to the front down the side of the house, which means it would be an ideal place to put some of the functional things like a compost area, log store & shed. If the shed was needed to store bikes with access to the front etc then it could be moved over to the gravel area. The raised beds don't have to be used for veg, we plant up ours with a selection of annuals each give to give some colour and variety.
Your stone garden walls look like they could be amazing, so get those exposed and then plant some standard form trees in front (so the crown is above wall height) and uplight them, would look stunning.
PhilBo this is fantastic thank you very much. I’ll show my wife when she gets home this evening. Your stone garden walls look like they could be amazing, so get those exposed and then plant some standard form trees in front (so the crown is above wall height) and uplight them, would look stunning.
There is access around the right side of the house past the garage. We can choose whether to have access on the left past kitchen but I thought I would fence this off for security at the front.
This is definitely given me food for thought and the trees uplit against the quarry wall is a fantastic idea.
m3jappa said:
Where about are you based? i may well be able to recommend someone.
Good that the builder has included the patio and turf, thats a big chunk straight away!
I wonder if he would omit those though and allow you to use a proper landscaper? would make it easier and more attractive to a landscaper and also quite possibly get a better job.
We are in Yorkshire between Leeds and York. I could ask the question as he’s been very flexible so far.Good that the builder has included the patio and turf, thats a big chunk straight away!
I wonder if he would omit those though and allow you to use a proper landscaper? would make it easier and more attractive to a landscaper and also quite possibly get a better job.
so called said:
There are a number of FREE garden planner software's available on line, for example;
https://www.gardena.com/uk/garden-life/garden-plan...
Thanks so called. This website looks great and I’ll be sure to have a play around whilst I’m at work tomorrow. https://www.gardena.com/uk/garden-life/garden-plan...
JapanRed said:
We are in Yorkshire between Leeds and York. I could ask the question as he’s been very flexible so far.
Full disclosure here. The garden designer i am about to recommend is related to me and I am in one of the photos of a garden in Villa Cicogna in Italy I helped with.Best to have the designer walk around the place with you to properly understand what you want from it.
https://www.gardenexpert.com/portfolio
PM me if you want any further info.
Alex.
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