What do we do with this garden?

6 years ago

The only real plan we have so far is to demolish the double garage (asbestos) to create a bigger lawn area and put in decking out from bifold doors. The neighbour is keen for a higher boundary fence for more privacy as well. We also want to replace the ugly concrete paving with something else, maybe stone chips and returf the lawn.

Would you keep the lawn area as one big space or would we better to break it up into smaller, specific areas for the kids etc? Also not sure what to do about the raised beds!

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Featured Answer

A B

6 years ago

It's a great space and will look amazing when it's finished. I would break the lawned area up a bit personally, having one section dedicated to toys. I'd also try and combine a new patio and driveway with the decking somehow

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Jonathan
6 years ago
Personally I think removing the base of the garage may be expensive and you might be better covering this with decking (assuming you intend to park at the side of the house or the front).
I notice that the lawn doesn't grow evenly and might benefit from an additional layer of topsoil before relaying.
Related Discussions
How do we do this??
Q
Comments (3)
Lovely idea but definitely get a builder to advise - when you make a chimney breast unsound it has implications for the chimney breast on the above floors, the chimney stack on the roof and sometimes your neighbour's chimney if back to back! Also, look at the width of your chimney - it looks narrower than the one in the photo so check what cooker you can fit in there and if it will look ok. Looks like a lovely project though. Good Luck! www.mendinghouses.com
...See More
Planning permission now submitted, what do we do now? Renovation
Q
Comments (8)
I think you should plan your kitchen much earlier. Firstly it might affect some choices with the building- like electrics, lighting, internal door positions and extraction. You should also consider what type of kitchen you want as some will take lots longer to arrive- for example if you wanted a German kitchen this would likely take 8/9 weeks to arrive, this could be more for certain finishes, some European manufacturers close down over the summer so you may need to factor in a 4 week August shutdown too. Lastly I have seen lots of debate on this forum and many people spend significant time getting the right layout, your kitchen showroom will need a little time to process the order and overall the time between first visiting a showroom a having a kitchen delivered could be 18 weeks. If your builder starts an 8 week build in October then you will need your kitchen at the end of November which means (including August shutdown) you need to start planning your kitchen at the end of June, although there is no harm in looking now.
...See More
do we lose too much garden with this extension?
Q
Comments (13)
If you are staying in this house and need the space I would say extend for what you need but make sure sliding doors etc so room will be an extension of the garden. We thought the same about our kids as they grew up , spent less and less time in the garden , and now it's mainly us sitting out or if they or their friends join us , or have a meal outside and a few beers Also our weather doesn't lend itself to much drying outside so a good utility room or even a pull down rack onto an outside wall is fine..Our remaining garden is 10.5 metres by 10.5 and with a good sized shed and loads of shrubs and planting , and we still have plenty of room for sitting out, a table and chairs and loads of space around. We have a line with connections to two walls that winds up so when you have people around your wet clothes aren't hanging around, and we had a climbing framed and slide for the kids until a few years ago when it went to a good home. I would say go for it!
...See More
New House - but what on earth do we do with our living room?
Q
Comments (9)
Here’s what I would do ....get rid of striped wallpaper and paint the walls . Place a large mantle mirror over the fireplace . Position one sofa at right angles to fireplace ( as it is now ) but have two chairs opposite with coffee table in centre. A console table , in same position , but slimmer with a curated collection of art work above if . On the long fireplace wall I would consider floating shelves at different heights with plants and accessories. Play around with placing furniture. It’s amazing how moving something a few inches can make a difference to the balance of a room . Same with art work....don’t dot it around or hang it too high . Have fun !
...See More
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
6 years ago
I would go with different areas, especially if you have a kids. Play area and seating area.
sara
6 years ago
In the third picture with the bench, I would extend the lawn area to level with the end of the building, but leave a strip of paving for stepping out of the patio doors. I agree with the other comments, I would break the garden up into areas & definitely put some small fruit trees in give height, interest & privacy. When designing your garden remember you will have to mow it & curves can be tricky.
Carole Lindop
6 years ago
What a lovely space to work with! Definitely the garage should go, and assuming you don't need to replace it to park cars, then I'd think about creating garden 'rooms'. Think about the various uses you need - somewhere to sit in the sun; somewhere to eat; somewhere for children to play; somewhere to bbq; somewhere to grow vegetables/fruit, etc. Also, how much work do you want to do in the garden? If you're a keen gardener then lovely borders and beds would be terrific, but if time is an issue, you might want to think more about hard landscaping (paths, decking, patios) and lawns. Good luck!
Lena
6 years ago
You have a lovely big garden, congrats on the new purchase!
It's a pity I cannot see what other 5 commentators suggested, however I think that the problem of different levels should be addressed at some point.
Having a small and steeped garden, I am not impressed with the previous owners who addressed the difference in garden levels by simply building a wall at the end of the patio. If I would have had the time and money to start from scratch, I would have the garden divided into three strips, gradually decreasing the height.
It would look better and be less of a trip hazard.
Barbara Mitchell
6 years ago
No decking for me , despite what makers say it needs maintaining and does get slippery when wet . Personally I think decking has had its day . If you keep the garage base or part of it , you have a ready made base ( depending on condition ) to incorporate a lovely summerhouse or garden room . Try Dunster House .
tezz4
6 years ago
There is a resin type of decking which has a non-slip tread which is nice and very contemporary. It can be used as fencing too. I can't help noticing that you need to put in steps just beneath the bifolds running the whole width of the opening.
Anja van der Laan
6 years ago
This is really a very nice space and your house is a "very very very fine house, with two cats in the yard..", lovely. If they are still small I would leave a big lawn for the kids, it also gives a good natural feel to the place with shrubs around and maybe a little treehouse for climbing and hiding. I would not do explicit round forms, because it looks artificial. But maybe it would be a good idea to first get some inspiration from garden books by your great garden designer Penelope Hobhouse or from "Family Garden", a book by the Royal Horticultural Society. The patio and the driveway look a little dull, because the pavement is very massive. Maybe some roses and Viburnum tinus against the house wall could break it up a little. I think decking doesn't go well with this type of house. The pavement itself looks neutral and easy keeping, so why bother replacing it. The garden looks neglected, but that doesn't mean it has to be redone from scratch.

What do we do with this garden?

A B

Comments (9)

Jonathan

Related Discussions

Celery. Visualization, Rendering images

sara

Carole Lindop

Lena

Barbara Mitchell

tezz4

Anja van der Laan

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US