You may be surprised to learn that you will need planning permission if you want to lay a driveway in an impermeable surface such as tarmac or block paving. http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/pavingfrontgarden/ Your choice will depend on your budget and the materials of the house (which you do not describe). My preference would be brick or concrete block paving. If you make this permeable the build-up can be substantial as there is a thick layer of granular material needed. The alternative is to drain the run-off into a swale (a shallow depression where it can gradually percolate into the soil) or other method of disposing of the water on site. I recommend a neural colour so the driveway fades into the landscape rather than stands out. This manufacturer offers a good range: http://www.marshalls.co.uk/homeowners/driveways

We were thinking of a v shallow vessel sink! Is there a rule of thumb for height surface a vessel sink should be on? You could well be right...

Hello Sue, I'm not a landscape gardener but consider thinking about the kinds of plants that don't need a lot of care and attention. Consider the light which from the looks of things isn't much of a problem... You have both shade and sun, so factor what likes where and draw yourself a plan.. It's quite a good idea to perhaps create a plan anyway of what you think you might like and map it out so to speak on paper before you embark on a trip to the garden centre. Things to consider.. You have dogs and therefore you want a stretch of grass.. You might want some nice hedging and areas where they might want to take a leak! (if not fertilise the area so to speak! A good earthy mound is good then with some nice aromatic and sizeable plants that will add height and textures and some privacy... Do you need to zone out neighbours? Think of bee friendly plants and flowers. Think of flowering plants for all seasons so that you have colour in winter as well as summer. Hedging will not only provide shelter for birds but act as privacy barrier and also if there is any noise it will help to muffle sounds.. Do you want several areas for entertaining... By that I mean one in the morning sun even if its a bistro table and 2 chairs... You could have one further down the garden... create borders and architectural landscaping with Buxus and other plants that look good in large pots... So if for example you wanted rows of Bay or Olive you can pick them up and move them around... Brick out areas for eating and drinking.. Old bricks can make a nice zoned area for catching the afternoon sun in summer.. Really nice large terracotta pots will give even the barest of areas a boost... Maybe you want to put a small garden shed... One of my favourites is Rosemary, it can be the most amazing bush if allowed to grow.. Bees love it and the larger it becomes the better... the woody stems are gr8 for a bbq skewers. Plus they grow really well if potted too... If you dug out one of those slabs and dug out the sand and soil so it was deep enough to pour in a bag of compost.. stick a small rosemary from the supermarket even- it will grow to quite a size if you remember to water it... So several ideas for you to think about and look at the light levels and make note of where the sun goes so that you can factor in sitting areas for reading etc.. Apple trees and or a fruit tree could be rather nice too... It's a nice size by the looks of the image, so it will be rather exciting for you! : ))

Hi Jenny. Why not keep it simple to go with the table so something like this but maybe a simple scandi fern print or something rather than just the frame.cox and cox have a number of vases that would suit plus faux stems or try oka, Neptune or Abigail ahern for the stems but would keep them simple. I'd try and marry the other objects in some way ie colour, style, material, shape etc. I also have a chair on my landing and I have to say it does get used! Hopefully you have another spare corner.