Wednesday 28 July 2010

Planning Issues for Garden Construction

This is a really useful site all about garden buildings. It's got an excellent section on planning and building regulations - people are often confused about the difference between the two - setting out what doesn't need planning permission. When I designed a garden room for a Maidenhead (Berkshire) garden I checked with the planners. I was told that as well as the total square metreage and other planning considerations the structure has to be more than 5.5m away from the house.

When you're doing anything major in your garden a phone call to the planning office in your local Council is always worthwhile. Some things need planning that you would not expect. Under certain circumstances you may need planning for decking. A quick call will clarify the issue, and if you need planning permission I know it's a nuisance and slows things down, but at least you will avoid expensive alterations or even being made to remove the structure entirely.

For driveways even if you're sure you don't need planning permission, it's worth applying for a permitted development certificate, so that there can be no doubt whatsoever in the future.

Sunday 25 July 2010

Changes to Planning Legislation - Will New Houses Get Larger Gardens?

I’ve lived in my current house in Bracknell, Berkshire for longer than I originally intended and am considering moving – I need a bit more space. It will be with great regret that I leave this house. I bought it because it has a lovely feel to it and a great sized garden – not too dauntingly huge, but large enough to create some interesting, distinct areas and grow loads of plants. I’ve got room for two sheds, a greenhouse, three seating areas at different levels, a herb garden, a pergola and plenty of interesting plants. I’ve spent countless hours excavating, constructing the different levels (well, recently paying other people to do the construction), building the pergola, laying a pretty brick and pebble mosaic seating area, fiddling about with the planting and growing stuff in my greenhouse. I’ll hate to leave my garden; I love it and it gives me an emotional connection to this house.

However, looking around for a suitable new house has filled me with despair. I may be getting a detached house, and for that privilege I’ll have to pay a lot more, but they all seem to have miniscule gardens. What I really want is a detached three bedroom house that has a third reception room which I can use as an office, and a nice large garden. Such a property does not seem to exist. The main problem is that a lot of the new houses around Bracknell have tiny, in some cases almost non-existent gardens.

It was therefore encouraging to read in The Garden recently that the Government has decided to scrap housing density targets for councils that currently require 30 dwellings per hectare. This, according to Greg Clarke, Minister for Decentralisation, was forcing councils to build houses without gardens. The theory is that this will result in the creation of new houses with larger gardens.

I’m encouraged by the change in legislation, but call me skeptical if you will, when I say that I’m not convinced this will result in a sudden proliferation of new houses with generous-sized gardens. I think that developers will still try and maximize their profits, which means cramming as many houses as possible on any given piece of land.

If you'd like to talk to me about making the most of your garden, however small, contact me through my Web site.

Tuesday 20 July 2010

Victorian front garden design in Chiswick

On the surface this Chiswick front garden doesn't look like it needs a plan. However, the plan although simple was used to get quotes from landscapers and help the clients visualise the garden and choose materials.

Designing a Victorian front garden is all about the detail. Wall to railing height ratio depends partly on individual taste and partly on the depth of the garden. An elevation of the wall and railings was used to show the clients how different wall and railing heights would work in the garden.

It's the details that are so important in designing a small Victorian front garden. Choice of path tiles, rail heads, railings and in this case designing some simple new gateposts to complmement the scheme.

I chose a different tile to give the garden a modern twist, but the client was unsure and decided to go with a traditional checkerboard pattern. We scoured the James Hoyle catalogue and found the cast iron urns for the tops of the gateposts, and some unusual railing heads. To keep costs down we had the railings and new gateposts made in mild steel, but the urns and rail heads are an original Victorian pattern and made in cast iron.

Also important is knowing the maximum distance apart for railings in a public place. The railings must be no more than 100mm apart. The reason for this is so that children cannot get their heads stuck in them - really! Then bearing this in mind, rail heads need to be chosen that will work in scale with these distances and the height of the railings.

The rest of the paving is black Limestone which blends really nicely with the black and white Victorian tiled pathway.

The client decided to spend a little more and use re-claimed London stock bricks for the front wall and re-claimed York stone for the wall capping. In such a small space it is important to ensure a high quality of finishes and build.

I finished this small Victorian front garden with some simple planting. A half-standard Magnolia grandiflora sits in a circular planting pocket in the centre of the garden. Box balls and Lavender 'Hidcote' give an elegant and timeless finish to the perimeter borders. The client also requested a Wisteria which will be trained along the neighbouring fence and up a trellis boxing in the downpipes.

Ideally, I would have liked to re-instate the railings on the boundaries with the neighbouring properties. These would have been full height with no wall at their base. Unfortunately, the neighbours were not keen on the idea, so we had to work with the existing boundary fences.

Take a look at the before and after shots:-

Before


After


Before


After


Before


After


Urn detail


Railing head detail


If you need help designing your garden whatever it's size get in touch via my Web site.

Welcome back Large Blue butterfly

This is an amazing story of perseverance. The reintroduction of the Large Blue butterfly to the UK where it was extinct. The key lay in understanding the latter part of it's caterpillar phase. Its a fascinating story of tricking a single species of ant into believing it is an ant grub. It does this by singing to the ants and secreting honeydew. The ants take it down into their nests where it feeds on ant grubs before hatching out into a buttefly.

Read the full story here.

Monday 12 July 2010

My Garden

My garden is looking very pretty at the moment.

Free Garden Design Advice

I have been asked to take part in the Love Bracknell, Love Summer Livin’ event being held in Bracknell town centre next Friday and Saturday 16 and 17 July. I will be dispensing free garden design advice to anyone who needs it. All you need to do is come into Bracknell town centre and find me (I will be near the central clock water fountain) and ask me anything you like about your garden project. I will be able to give you advice on any aspect of getting the best out of your garden, such as preparing a scale garden design plan, designing and maintaining appropriate planting, DIY garden construction, and selecting good contractors.

I have designed a garden to demonstrate what can be achieved in even the smallest space – in this case 5.6m x 5.6m. Landscaper Greg Tranckle will be building the garden which includes raised beds, paving and decking. Sadly, we won’t be able to put up the pergola on the day because Bracknell Town Council won’t let us dig up the block paving to get the posts in – spoilsports! Obviously we can’t use mortar, but the walls will be built, paving laid and decking constructed to create a useable outdoor space. Come along and have a look.

Check out my Web site for other examples of my work and in particular how to cope with tricky spaces and steeply sloping gardens.