Deck Path & Indian Sandstone Patio - Wood Deck Design

Category: Wood Deck Design & Wooden Structures

Garden Design Project: DKGGRL001

The two before photographs show a typical family garden in need of a garden makeover. A balance was required between entertaining and accommodating the needs of the children. The plot was a medium sized garden with a southwest aspect to a 1930's family house. The clients were a working couple with two teenage children. The garden suffered from noise pollution due to its close proximity to the busy A2.

After receiving the brief we set to designing the garden the traditional way - at a drawing board - then converted into 'Illustrator', a vector based design programme.

Once the plan view was complete we created a number of hand drawn illustrations to show the client to give more of a 3D perspective incorporating a Wood Deck Design.

The brief was to create an inviting low maintenance family garden that incorporates areas for relaxing, entertaining/dining, trampoline, storage, lighting and an irrigation system, addressing the problem of noise pollution from the A2.

There was a large height difference from kitchen door to the garden and the boundary was made up of different materials.

Two of the unused sheds were removed, and the one remaining was turned 90 to maximise the space. To disguise the shed from house and trellis attached and climbers planted.

Concrete blocks were used to build raised planters incorporating treated softwood seating and a letter-box style brushed steel water feature.

These walls were later rendered to create a smooth finish.

Decking was used to give ease of access and to allow the clients to enter the garden from the kitchen, which led down onto an Indian Sandstone Patio large enough to accommodate the client's exterior dining table, chairs and BBQ.

The decking adjoined the Indian Sandstone Patio which also gave access to and from the main house and garden via the conservatory.

New steps were built to provide access from the patio to the conservatory with sandstone steps. The paving was cut with a curve to match circular design.

Bark roll screening was used to disguise the various materials of the boundary perimeter, unifying the space and creating the allusion of a much larger, wider garden.

A decked pathway was built to partition a large flowerbed from the lawn area and linked the house to the new seating area at the rear of the garden, which covered the existing concrete base.

The deck path was fixed to concrete blocks which were set about 3 inches above the lawn.

The rendered walls were painted cream which created a contemporary feel to this now modern family garden.

Originally, dominating the rear of the garden was a concrete base housing 3 sheds with no link from the house to the rear of the garden. The overall impact made the garden untidy, cluttered, noisy and small, and was un-inviting.

What a contrast this wood deck design makes!

Two water features - one at the rear of the garden and one at the front of the garden by the patio - were used as a gentle distraction from the noise of the A2 and to create a sense of peace and relaxation for the clients.

The clients now have the option of relaxing at either the top or bottom of the garden.

Amongst the flower beds we placed pebbles over the monolith water feature to disguise the grate. Low maintenance planting with all year interest were used, offering low screening from the patio to the lawn, taller visual screening from the upper wood deck design to the rear seating area and visual and sensory displays softening the edges of the patio and decked pathway.

The plants used for this garden were a mix of low maintenance scented shrubs, grasses, ferns and perennials and annuals.

Some of these included:

• Acer Palmatum 'Osakazuki'
• Cornus
• English Lavenders
• Choisya
• Phormiums
• Astrantia
• Astilbe
• Crocosmia
• Heuchera
• Helenium
• Festuca
• Helichrysum Italicum (curry plant)
• Hosta

Submitted By: Elizabeth Peck BA(Hons) Garden Design
Website: www.greenroomlandscaping.co.uk

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