Posts Tagged ‘Front Garden Design’

I have recently been working with a new client in Sutton.  She’s a neighbour of a previous client and, following the conversion of her garage into a new living room, she’s keen to transform the front of the house.

Here’s how it looks now…

when the developer built the houses, the driveways were installed at the width of the garage and this means that when there’s a car parked on the drive you have to walk across the grass to get to the front door.

Additionally, the ramp to the front door not only looks unattractive, but it also encroaches out into the garden a long way.  These are modern town houses, set over three floors so it’s a bit strange to have disabled access anyway when there are two flights of stairs inside the house!

Now that the living room is in place it means that the garden will be viewed from inside the house more regularly.  The existing shrubs have become untidy and overgrown and it was a planning requirement for converting the garage that a second parking space be installed.

Here’s the concept design…

There’s a limit to what can be done with a small garden, especially when you have to accommodate two cars, but this simple layout will lift the front of the house and make it much more welcoming.

We have removed the ramp and replaced it with a simple step that covers the whole porch area.  This will enable room for a planter on the step and also make access to the side gate much easier.

We are looking at using an aggregate for the driveway as this of course provides a permeable surface and also helps to keep the cost down.  This will be edged with some sort of cobbles or setts to retain the gravel and frame the driveway.

The narrow bed between the neighbouring property needs to be neat and simple so that it’s easy to maintain and doesn’t encroach on the neighbours driveway.

The build phase is scheduled to take place after Christmas so I’m working on the final drawings now and we’ll also finalise the materials next week when I meet at site with the landscaper.

I have recently been working with a family in West Horsley to help them create a design for their garden that they’ll be able to implement themselves. Read more

I went to see a potential client in Clapham on Saturday. They live in a beautiful Victorian town house and are slowly restoring its original features. They’re very keen to improve the look and feel of the front garden first, the back garden will come later. Read more

A week or so ago I blogged about the terrace redesign at my Wandsworth project, which has come on a treat over the last couple of years.  Whilst I was there I also took some images of the front garden which, since it was planted in December last year, has really started to fill out too. Read more

I’ve shared pictures of my Sutton project a few times, but I was there yesterday morning and I think it’s looking really fabulous. Read more

We finally got around to doing some work in our own garden this weekend.  The sunshine and warmth helped to get the motivation going and we spent a bit of time in the front, weeding and moving a couple of things around. Read more

I have recently been working with a new client near Muswell Hill to help them to redesign their front garden.  At the moment it’s quite scruffy and there’s not really enough room to park the car comfortably. Read more

I went to see a new client in North London before Christmas because they wanted some help to improve the front of their house.  Front gardens can often be challenging because they are predominantly functional spaces, but they must also provide curb appeal because they are the window to your home. Read more

The front garden of my Wandsworth project has been finished for a couple of weeks, but as it was so dark by the time I’d finished the planting, I wasn’t able to take any photographs. Read more

I just looked back at my October highlights and saw all the photographs from our holiday in Cyprus – it sure feels a while since we got back, but I guess that’s the thing with holidays, they soon become what seems like a distant memory! Read more