Case Study - Large Garden in Surrey - Update 5

Work is now continuing at some speed in the garden at Kenley, Surrey. All the retaining walls on the left hand side of the rear garden have been constructed and the Purbeck stone cladding is well underway. Have a look at the photos below:-

Its all about kerb appeal

I was shocked when I heard that people make up their minds about another person within the first 3-5 seconds of meeting them. Once formed these first impressions are almost impossible to change. Their opinions are based mainly on your appearance and the same is true when someone is deciding whether or not they like a house. As soon as they step out of the car and see the outside of your property a potential buyer has formed an opinion of the house and whether they would like to live there. If someone has formed a negative impression of your house based on the outside, however nicely you may have presented the inside of the property this negativity will persist and you will not be able to change their mind. The negativity is made worse if they look out onto a depressing and toy strewn back garden that hasn’t seen a lawnmower for years.

Very few of us would consider going to an interview, business meeting, or on a blind date without making an effort with our appearance. Us girls would make sure our hair had been cut and coloured recently, put on some make up appropriate for the occasion (subtle for a day time encounter, a bit more glamorous for the evening), wear our best suit for a business meeting or interview, and something flattering, subtle but sexy for a date. In other words we would put a great deal of thought into our appearance and the impression we want to create. Yet people are happy to show a property that they are expecting to get six figure sum for without giving a thought to whether the exterior is creating a good first impression. You need to make an effort and maybe even spend a little money to persuade people to give you top dollar for your house, especially in the current climate.

Most of the time a good tidy up, some nice pots, and a few new plants will do the trick. It very much depends on the type of house you’re trying to sell. You might need to do something more radical if you are trying to sell a prestige property with a decidedly un-prestige garden. The expense will be recouped when you sell the house, and will certainly make a difference to your chances of making a sale in the current climate. It’s all about separating yourself from the competition and making the best of your property.

If you need a hand with getting a little more kerb appeal and live in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Hampshire or London, you might like to take advantage of my Garden Audit service.

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Designing a sloping garden

Many people arrive at my Web site after searching for how to design a sloping garden. I’ve designed many sloping gardens – I work mainly in Berkshire, Surrey, and Buckinghamshire and they’re all pretty hilly. I’m designing a particularly steep garden in Kenley, Surrey at the moment – have a look at the case study. It is challenging, and if you don’t know where to start here are a few pointers.

 Sloping garden design Kenley, Surrey

 If you’re looking to create some flat space/spaces then the only way to do this is to terrace the garden. The bad news is that you’ll need to build some retaining walls to support the terraces and this is not cheap.

Sloping garden design Reading, Berkshire

The first step is to measure the space and then survey the levels. You need to find out the height differences between various parts of the garden. You can hire surveying equipment and your local library will have books on how to use it. If you have complex level changes and are considering doing your own garden its well worth paying a garden designer to come round and do the level survey for you. Your local horticultural college may also run a one-day course.

Sloping garden design Guildford, Surrey

It’s very important to get the levels correct. This will tell you how high any retaining walls need to be for any given distance away from the house. For example, with a garden that slopes away from the house, if you are trying to create a patio area directly outside the house the further away from the house you wish the patio to extend, the higher the retaining wall you will need. A higher retaining wall needs more steps to access the lower/higher level. If possible, avoid very high retaining walls, and split the garden into fewer, shallower levels.

Sloping garden design Ascot, Bershire

You will need to decide what material you want to use to build the walls. There are many different options – rendered blockwork, brick, stone, gabion cages, railway sleepers, timber and even compacted earth. Your choice of building materials will depend on your budget, the look you’re going for, and what the wall is to support.

 Sloping garden design Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire

Getting rid of any earth excavated is another consideration. You will need to dig footings for the walls and excavate the levels and this will create a pile of excess soil. So, don’t forget to factor into your costs the price of skip hire or a grab loader to dispose of the soil.

Sloping garden design Basingstoke, Hampshire

In my opinion, gardens with different levels are the most interesting. The level changes dictate that the garden is split into different areas each with its own distinct character. You can use the level changes to create gorgeous water features. Paths can weave gently down through the levels. You have many design options. My garden in Berkshire is very steeply sloped, and although it’s not huge, I’ve managed to create several different areas and a lovely journey around it.

If you would like help designing your garden, or if you simply want a new planting scheme please drop me an email, or visit my Web site for telephone contact details.  You can also see examples of my work on my Facebook page and Houzz profile.

Start Planning Your Dream Garden Now

There’s a thick carpet of snow everywhere and apart from the odd sledging trip with the kids and maybe an impromptu snowball fight, no-one feels much like going outside, or thinking about their garden. However, within a few short weeks Spring will be upon us bringing longer, warmer days and then our short, sweet summer will arrive. Having been shut indoors all winter, I know I will want spend as much of my time in the garden as possible and I’m sure I’m not alone.

This is all well and good for me. I have a lovely garden with a gorgeous black Limestone terrace right outside my dining room with a simple water feature and plenty of room for entertaining a large group of friends. At the top of the garden there is a romantic, secluded seating area with a pergola and lots of scented climbers, paved with reclaimed brick with a hand-laid mosaic centrepiece - at night it’s the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine, lit with a simple string of fairy lights and some hanging lanterns. In the rear garden the planting is exhuberant, ecelectic, colourful and low-maintenance, including a herb garden from which I collect fresh herbs daily. In the front garden, pretty mixed shrub and herbaceous borders surround the house and path leading to the front door.

If you’d like a beautiful garden with space for the kids, which is also a great place to eat, relax and entertain then you really need to start thinking about it now. So many people look out into their gardens in May, realise they want to make some changes and contact me, by which time it is too late to get the garden designed and built before the summer. The three excellent landscape contractors I work with are currently booked up until April, and by May they will be booked well into August.

The best time to think about how you want to use your garden in the summer and what changes are required to make this possible is now. You have time to think through your requirements, change your mind a few times, and get the plan drawn up in time to ensure that you get one of my thoroughly professional and experienced landscapers to do the work for you. If you want to do the work yourself this is fine, but you’ll probably be doing it in your spare time, and it always takes longer than you think. So, get planning and don’t leave it too late.

You might just want a new planting scheme, you may wish to address one problem area of your garden, or you may decide that nothing but a full re-design will suffice. This is fine. You can use all or part of my service to get your dream garden, so give me a call and let’s meet up for a chat to ensure you get your garden in time for the Summer.

Have a look at my Web site to see some of the gardens I’ve designed.