Garden - What would you do?
Discussion
Hi All,
We've been in our house for four years and bar taking out an old hedge at the rear and installing a hedge we've not done much at all.
The garden is 11.24m wide by 10.24m deep.
We have initial patio area across the back of the house circa 2.27m in depth, then a retaining wall (0.76m high), a lawn area (6.75m) to a 2nd retaining wall (0.84m high) to a final flower bed 1.22m deep:
(Picture taken at 11am this morning)
On the first 'tier' (with the lawn) is an old shed base. The sun hits that side of the garden in the afternoon.
The existing patio is a mixture of slabs and type 1 hardcore from where the previous owners had re-built the wall in a different position.
Our issues with the garden:
1) We have three kids, and there is no where for us to put a table/chairs (or even sofa style arrangement) for us all to sit out and enjoy the garden together.
2) The patio needs replacing
3) The old shed base area feels like a waste of space (and is just used to store kids stuff (like the trampoline which I hate)
4) Dog keeps digging holes in the lawn
5) It looks dated / old fashioned
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/SYCVGwSn.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/1IwYJ16s" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/1IwYJ16s.jpg)
Positives:
1) It's a good size
2) Not overlooked
3) We've got a couple of nice trees (one on each side) and a new bushes at the back of the garden which are starting to grow
My thoughts:
Does any one have any inspirational ideas? I've got a friend who is a landscaper coming around this week but it would be good to get some thoughts. It's likely that due to budgets we'll need to do it in stages too.
Cheers,
Phill
We've been in our house for four years and bar taking out an old hedge at the rear and installing a hedge we've not done much at all.
The garden is 11.24m wide by 10.24m deep.
We have initial patio area across the back of the house circa 2.27m in depth, then a retaining wall (0.76m high), a lawn area (6.75m) to a 2nd retaining wall (0.84m high) to a final flower bed 1.22m deep:
(Picture taken at 11am this morning)
On the first 'tier' (with the lawn) is an old shed base. The sun hits that side of the garden in the afternoon.
The existing patio is a mixture of slabs and type 1 hardcore from where the previous owners had re-built the wall in a different position.
Our issues with the garden:
1) We have three kids, and there is no where for us to put a table/chairs (or even sofa style arrangement) for us all to sit out and enjoy the garden together.
2) The patio needs replacing
3) The old shed base area feels like a waste of space (and is just used to store kids stuff (like the trampoline which I hate)
4) Dog keeps digging holes in the lawn
5) It looks dated / old fashioned
Positives:
1) It's a good size
2) Not overlooked
3) We've got a couple of nice trees (one on each side) and a new bushes at the back of the garden which are starting to grow
My thoughts:
- Dig out the old shed base, and rebuild the retaining wall further back and create a usable seating area
- Build up the retaining wall around the steps so that it is all one height with the lawn
- Possibly render the walls
- Possibly put some sort of roof over the seating area to create shade if needed
- Install a new patio!
- Maybe get rid of the flower beds on either side of the garden and turf across the width of the garden
- Get some power run to the back of the garden for lights/robomower (in the future)
Does any one have any inspirational ideas? I've got a friend who is a landscaper coming around this week but it would be good to get some thoughts. It's likely that due to budgets we'll need to do it in stages too.
Cheers,
Phill
PositronicRay said:
Think about the position of your settee and pergola. Do you want to be facing the house? Or all the lovely planting and rockeries, you'll be doing?
ETA, be very very thorough with drainage.
Good points! Drainage may well be a painETA, be very very thorough with drainage.
Edited by PositronicRay on Wednesday 22 April 12:12
PositronicRay said:
I had one similar, flooded in winter, and an absolute pita to keep tidy in summer. Jet washers are no good unless everything drains quickly, the water sits, and the muck settles.
The downpipe for the guttering at the rear of the house is in that corner so we should be able to connect a drain into that. I think i'll have some digging to do!
GreatGranny said:
Looks ok with the seating area on the lower layer but that's a huge amount of soil to get rid of and retaining walls are expensive.
maybe a step or 2 up so not so much to dig out and smaller retaining wall?
Also with 3 kids maximise the width so just turf to the fencing and keep the bushes trimmed back as much as possible.
Keep the patio but re surface to create a decent flat surface for the kids to ride bikes/scooter and somewhere for the BBQ. Maybe build a brick one?
All good points. A little raised patio area could be an option. maybe a step or 2 up so not so much to dig out and smaller retaining wall?
Also with 3 kids maximise the width so just turf to the fencing and keep the bushes trimmed back as much as possible.
Keep the patio but re surface to create a decent flat surface for the kids to ride bikes/scooter and somewhere for the BBQ. Maybe build a brick one?
The patio desperately needs redoing and I think I might do a new BBQ table this summer as a little project (now that we have two of them)
Chicken Chaser said:
OP did you get anywhere with your designer mate? The main issue with yours seems to be to find the best way to lay it out without affecting the levels too much. I'd definitely look to move the shed, probably place it with the back up against the most southerly wall so that it doesnt affect your light levels too much, then look to soften the garden with some planting. I'd even look to put a few trees in.
I did indeed, to keep costs down (or within budget) the plan is to do it a couple of phases:Phase 1:
Top half of the garden.
Phase 2:
Patio
The plan is to clad the existing rear wall with this (with a coping stone on top - likely to be black granite):
We're going to remove the flower bed on the right hand side (just leaving the current red robin tree), the flower bed on the left hand side is going to be made smaller (circa 2.5m x 0.4m depth).
The shed base is going to be removed and a new retaining wall built and tied into the existing front wall (giving us a patio area 3.5m x 3.5m). The height of the front wall is going to be raised to watch the height of the main lawn.
Again this wall will be clad with coping stones on top.
The lawn areas will then be levelled and edged all around (likely in the same coping stones/200mm slabs (to match the future patio)
This should give us a bigger lawn area + an actual seating area we can use.
We're also going to rebuild the steps and remove the 'landing' area on the lawn. From the steps to behind the new seating area will be a 300mm flower bed into which we'll plant some box hedging
Other items:
1) We'll run power out to the garden for a couple of sockets (to run low voltage lighting + new robomower)
2) I'm in the process of re-building the BBQ table so that it can then slide into the lean too shed down the side of the house
3) The goat willow will either get a significant haircut (down to fence height) or be removed and replaced with something more appropriate
4) Pergola is likely to be a metal product off the shelf rather than a custom built wooden one
5) I need to convince our neighbours to give their conifers a big haircut!
Any one got any inspiration for garden lighting?
I was thinking about led strips underneath the coping stones on the wall but I wondered if it would be a bit much? (Top wall is circa 11.5m) and the bottom wall would be (with all the corners and recesses) circa 22.5m
We were also thinking about a couple of low voltage spots to light up a couple of trees on the side and across the rear flower bed.
I was thinking about led strips underneath the coping stones on the wall but I wondered if it would be a bit much? (Top wall is circa 11.5m) and the bottom wall would be (with all the corners and recesses) circa 22.5m
We were also thinking about a couple of low voltage spots to light up a couple of trees on the side and across the rear flower bed.
Slowly working my way through a few jobs:
1) Goat willow chopped right down (will be removed by the landscapers in July) and Red Robin tree that was 12ft tall has been taken down to 2ft (lots of fresh growth at the bottom which will now be encouraged).
2) Mowby Dick set up and cutting the existing lawn (area will be extended)
3) Working on a plan to get rid of the trampoline due to 'health & safety' - ongoing battle
4) I've got a bit of a planting plan in my head
Chomping at the bit to get properly started on it!
Also, I've been looking at watering systems so that the lawn / garden can be watered in the early hours each day - any suggestions? I think with the right positioning I can cover the lawn from the flower beds so won't need to deal with any pop-up sprinklers etc
1) Goat willow chopped right down (will be removed by the landscapers in July) and Red Robin tree that was 12ft tall has been taken down to 2ft (lots of fresh growth at the bottom which will now be encouraged).
2) Mowby Dick set up and cutting the existing lawn (area will be extended)
3) Working on a plan to get rid of the trampoline due to 'health & safety' - ongoing battle
4) I've got a bit of a planting plan in my head
Chomping at the bit to get properly started on it!
Also, I've been looking at watering systems so that the lawn / garden can be watered in the early hours each day - any suggestions? I think with the right positioning I can cover the lawn from the flower beds so won't need to deal with any pop-up sprinklers etc
Type 1 starting to go down...
New flower bed built
Slabs and cladding have been delivered
Next week's jobs are to reconfigure the steps and then they hope to start cladding the rear wall along with electrical first fix.
The plan is to work down the garden so clad rear wall and then level the soil, put in the lawn and work on the patio.
Only issue is that we're struggling to get hold of coping stones to match the patio. Tempted to go for a black coping stone as a contrast but not sure...
New flower bed built
Slabs and cladding have been delivered
Next week's jobs are to reconfigure the steps and then they hope to start cladding the rear wall along with electrical first fix.
The plan is to work down the garden so clad rear wall and then level the soil, put in the lawn and work on the patio.
Only issue is that we're struggling to get hold of coping stones to match the patio. Tempted to go for a black coping stone as a contrast but not sure...
Dry stone cladding has started to be installed:
We've ended up knocking down one of the smaller walls (other side of the steps as they weren't at the correct angle and it would have looked a little lopsided.
Plan this week is to have all the cladding installed which should make a huge difference to the look of the garden.
We've ended up knocking down one of the smaller walls (other side of the steps as they weren't at the correct angle and it would have looked a little lopsided.
Plan this week is to have all the cladding installed which should make a huge difference to the look of the garden.
MrThomo said:
pmanson said:
Dry stone cladding has started to be installed:
We've ended up knocking down one of the smaller walls (other side of the steps as they weren't at the correct angle and it would have looked a little lopsided.
Plan this week is to have all the cladding installed which should make a huge difference to the look of the garden.
That looks greatWe've ended up knocking down one of the smaller walls (other side of the steps as they weren't at the correct angle and it would have looked a little lopsided.
Plan this week is to have all the cladding installed which should make a huge difference to the look of the garden.
I can't wait to get some grass down.
New patio furniture will be delivered on the 17/18th August. Then time to fire up the BBQ
Work is continuing...
Lower wall rebuild:
Back wall clad and bespoke coping stones installed (paving slab cut in half, custom bevelled edge to be put on in the coming weeks):
Wet vs. Dry:
Looking like we should be on track for finishing at the end of next week. The team decided to increase the height of the front wall by 100mm so that the lawn will be flat rather than sloping down to the front wall.
Lower wall rebuild:
Back wall clad and bespoke coping stones installed (paving slab cut in half, custom bevelled edge to be put on in the coming weeks):
Wet vs. Dry:
Looking like we should be on track for finishing at the end of next week. The team decided to increase the height of the front wall by 100mm so that the lawn will be flat rather than sloping down to the front wall.
Edited by pmanson on Monday 3rd August 11:51
The grass can't go down until the lawn is edged (which in turn can't happen until the electrician has been and run cables in the conduit).
Most of the coping stones are fitted (a few missing + they need the edge putting on them), they've been installing edging around the patio today.
If i'm honest the amount of rain since Friday has made work slow going and the garden is rather wet to say the least!
To give some perspective the picture below was taken from the same window in September 2017):
Most of the coping stones are fitted (a few missing + they need the edge putting on them), they've been installing edging around the patio today.
If i'm honest the amount of rain since Friday has made work slow going and the garden is rather wet to say the least!
To give some perspective the picture below was taken from the same window in September 2017):
Edited by pmanson on Tuesday 18th August 14:43
Work has continued (delayed a little waiting for the led strips to arrive).
Patio furniture has arrived and the pergola is up (although will need a little modification with the angle grinder due to the fall on the patio and the roof/sides need fitting).
For the 1st time since we moved in four years ago we ate outside as a family.
I'm currently sat outside with the radio and it's great to see how far we've come...
The pergola will push back in the corner a little more once the electrician has run cables through for a light
Love the little details like how they've cut the corner edging
Patio furniture has arrived and the pergola is up (although will need a little modification with the angle grinder due to the fall on the patio and the roof/sides need fitting).
For the 1st time since we moved in four years ago we ate outside as a family.
I'm currently sat outside with the radio and it's great to see how far we've come...
The pergola will push back in the corner a little more once the electrician has run cables through for a light
Love the little details like how they've cut the corner edging
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff