Case Study - Large Garden in Surrey - Construction Starts

This is not the largest garden I’ve designed in terms of square metres, but it is certainly the most technically challenging.

The house is set into a very steep slope. The ground floor is 2.4m higher than basement level; the ground rises steeply up from the rear of the property and falls away dramatically at the front. The brief was to provide a much larger terrace for the conservatory, access from the conservatory terrace and the driveway to the lawn at basement level and a garden that was contemporary with a Mediterranean feel.

The solution comprises curved terraces with wide steps and planted areas at each garden access point. Walls will be faced with Purbeck stone and the terraces and steps will be paved in black limestone. The rear wall of the upper conservatory terrace will have niches backed with polished steel to reflect the light from lanterns placed inside. The paving to the upper terrace will be separated with curved bands of polished black pebble mosaic. The railings are to be stainless steel. There is a grey water and rainwater recycling system.

The front driveway will be paved in black Basalt setts with an inset pathway of black Granite setts. Curved terraced beds flank the driveway. Raised beds wrap around the front of the house.

A structural engineer was consulted to specify retaining walls sufficiently robust to support the new terraces and ensure that next door’s house does not fall into my client’s garden, and my client’s house does not disappear down the hill. That’s where the fun started as you will see.

In the meantime here are some before photographs …………………