From the drawing board

You may remember me blogging about this project in Leatherhead a couple of months ago but I thought it would be nice to share the final designs with you too.

The levels at this project are quite complex so it needed some careful consideration and lots of cross-section drawings to enable me to get my head around how the new design would work on the ground.

Getting the levels right is crucial to the success of the design and also ensures that it is built in the most cost effective way.  Ideally you want to keep as much of the soil on site otherwise the budget soon gets eaten up with the removal of any waste.

The main retaining structures were built some months ago when the client had a new extension built on the side of the house, but the remaining garden is still quite steeply sloped and in order to make it useable, we have created different terraces.

One of the main features of the garden is a mature willow tree and we really want to make a feature of it.  When you stand underneath the tree and look up, it’s wonderful.  The tree seat will provide a great focal point too.

The next stage of this project is to go through a tender process with a few contractors, but we should be ready to start the build in the new year.

Quite simply, the highlight of October was our holiday in Cyprus.  Waking up to this view everyday I would say was just about bearable and I now feel fully recharged and ready to tackle the winter. Read more

Hello! And thank you very much for welcoming me to the blog today. Read more

Back in May I had an enquiry from a couple in Telford who had just completed a house building project and were starting to work on the garden. Read more

September has been another busy month, but it’s been full of creativity.  I’ve been working on four new projects which has included putting together concept designs for each.  Working on the first cut of the design is the most creative part of the design process as it’s from this initial design idea that the garden develops. Read more

I have recently started working with a new client in Leatherhead and, very conveniently for me, they live within walking distance of my house.  This project has quite complex levels and it will be necessary to terrace the garden in order to make it more usable. Read more

I spent a day last week putting together the Scope of Works and construction details for my project in Horsley so that I could present the final drawings to my client and also send everything off to the landscaper who is now putting together a full quotation for the build. Read more

I have recently been working with a family in Wimbledon to help them to redesign their back garden.  They have extended the house at the back and renovated the inside and they’re now ready to tackle the outside. Read more

August was an exciting month in work terms.  Normally things start to slow down in the autumn but I think the late burst of summer has really got people thinking about their garden.  Let’s face it, the weather’s been pretty horrendous this year, so it’s hardly surprising! Read more

I popped back to see one of my Leatherhead projects last week.  I was commissioned earlier in the year to help my client to introduce some planting beds to her new garden.  It was a brand new house when she moved in so other than a terrace and lawn, there wasn’t much else there. Read more