I like your house! I think smaller yards are easier to turn into a welcoming, beautiful feature than big ones. You can maximize the impact resulting from decisions you make and money you spend. I recommend embarking on a lengthy exploration of photos (which it looks like you already have). Pick out details that you like from each and take notes. I've isolated photos tagged as outdoor/yard/modern/narrow: http://www.houzz.com/photos/modern/outdoor/narrow-yard- Before you embark on your exploration, come up with solid answers to the following 3 items: 1. Who will be using the outdoor space, and how will they use it? 2. Name three to five keywords that describe how you (and other household members) want to feel when you look at or use your outdoor space. 3. Your budget.

Hello, Well when we extended into our garden, we had about 10' left - of which 3'4 was taken up with sheds running along the back wall. We decked the whole remaining space and added fake full size mirrors onto the facing sheds to make the garden look bigger. Have you got a photo of yours? What look do u want? Ie contemporary, country, etc

Hi ED, Thanks! Yep the eye of faith is crucial with winter garden makeovers! It'll be loads more plant dominated in a year or two. There's already a pump in the pond, which works as a standalone fountain, but can be adapted to power a cascade on the wall behind. We're having all sorts of whacky ideas like building a 'marble run' style sculpture incorporating all our favourite things, (archaeology, sci fi etc) or a commissioned metal sculpture that looks like a steel version of Virginia creeper.

Think about to reducing the height of the circular wall so the height matches the other walls it wouldn’t dominate the garden so much. Next Sandtex all the walls in a green, leave the top stones unpainted, when you get some plants in the walls will disappear. Could you get rid of the triangular bed by the clothes airer or is it a support wall? If you cannot get rid of it remove the material that is inside to a great depth, fill with soil and plant a large shrub to give height on that side. Step 2. Draw a line across and remove the tiles from wall to wall to make a planting area, don’t skimp on the preparation and the depth of soil, sorry you will lose the airer for the time being maybe it could go down the bottom. Step 3. Sort out the fence, I would use a dark brown or black to treat it as it would “disappear”. Step 4. It looks like there is a flower bed in front of the fence, if so improve the soil and get it ready for plants. Step 5. Think about a new lawn straight across to the shed and get rid of the central path, you would probably see more of the bottom from the house if you go for Step 1. I have not mentioned any plants yet until the basics are done but I would suggest when you have got this far you take photos and speak to your local garden centre or ask houzzers, also the sizes of beds help with our suggestions. I haven’t mentioned the left hand side as I don’t know how close it is to the house, is there a side area by a back door? Do you want to use it for anything particular? where a seating/dining area would go, and what space you would like. It’s all about what you want, not designers. If you could post more photos I am happy to throw some more ideas at you to make your garden a green space. Hope my ideas help you Louise I am enjoying putting “myself in your garden” as I love gardening and prefer to use what is in situ and making it work budget wise, and your paving and walls look well made, shame and expensive to get rid of them. 👍 Annie