Grove Place - Rear, Twickenham
Service
Garden Design and Build
Timeline
3 Weeks
Initial Valuation
Forever Home
Investment
Not disclosed
Result
N/A, Forever Home
Our client had recently moved into their forever home and wanted to transform their rear garden. Given our client was new to owning an outdoor space, they left the design very much to us. However, there were a number of factors which needed to be included:
- low maintenance
- dog and cat safe and friendly
- a place to relax
- a place to dine
- storage
There was an old decaying tree in the decking and we recommended that this was removed - given it was taking up valuable space, it was dying and it also allowed the cat to potentially climb up it and escape.
We set about coming up with a design which catered for the client's specific requirements and the final design means that:
- the garden is low maintenance for a number of reasons - there is faux grass, the borders are contained and planted with low maintenance plants and planted in bark, composite decking was installed which cuts down routine maintenance and is slip proof.
- pet friendly - we installed an oscillating fence to stop the cats leaving the garden, the faux grass is dog friendly and we also added a designated drainage area below the faux grass for the dog.
- we built a corner seating bench to capture the evening sun, we also extended the decking to allow more room for dining and lounging.
- we constructed a lockable shed to house the client's bikes and also added a secure lock to the garden gate to minimise risk of theft
We came across a number of challenges:
- originally the client had asked that we reuse the decking framework, however it became appartent when we removed the old wooden decking, that the underlying framework was rotten. We advised the client to replace this so we created a new framework before adding the composite. We also allowed access to the drainage (for future maintenance).
- the tree in the garden was rotting away and was taking up valuable space. We recommended that the tree be removed so called in a tree surgeon to extract it. Once it was removed, including at root level, the feel of the garden changed considerably - much more free flowing.
- the existing fencing was to be upgraded and additional privacy to be added. We therefore added waterproof board and on top of that added horizontal wooden strips to create the additional privacy needed.
So what did we do ?
- removed the old decaying tree
- removed wooden decking and underlying framework and built a new framework on concrete posts and then installed composite decking (and extended it beyond the original footprint)
- removed the old render on the raised beds, added new metal corners, created housing framework for corner seating area, created a "floating" corner bench, rendered and painted the walls and stained the bench
- built a new shed and painted and added lock
- added a new gate and lock
- added new fence panels and wooden strips and paint
- removed content from old raised beds, added membrane, new soil and planted out
- add electrics - outdoor sockets and focus lighting around the permiter
- created drainage and grill to allow for dog to use a designated space in the garden
- turned over, levelled and compacted floor prior to installing faux grass
- added oscilating fence to prevent cats from trying to escape
- selected and styled outdoor accessories
What a transformation!
Review
sort style and stage helped re-invigorate both my front and back garden after moving into a new property. Throughout the project the team were fantastic to work with.
Ceri brought great ideas to the table, enquired and listened to my own personal tastes and created a lovely space for me to sit outside and relax, as well as making it both dog and cat friendly.
Both an efficient & cost minded approach, coupled with a personable style & excellent end result means Ceri and team were a pleasure to work - I would recommend highly!
S Moore