Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2007, 06:31 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2007
Posts: 1
Default Tips on how to redeem a badly designed garden?

Below is the plan of the garden of a house I have just purchased. The
conservatory is just an oblong shaped bricked wall of approx 5 foot tall as
a base which holds up the glass frames. The garden is level with the top of
the base, so that it has stairs leading up to it:-

approx 35 foot
--------------------------------------------
| | |
| |____________ |
| h | |
| o | |
| u conservatory | garden |
| s | | approx 20
foot
| e ____________| |
| |__ |
| stairs |
| |--- |
-------------------------------------------

First impressions are that the conservatory is far too big for the garden,
and I'm tempted make it smaller and put it in the corner where the stairs
are. This has the advantage that it could be used for storage if need be, as
could the walkway next to the house back wall.

There is the temptation to just pull the whole thing down so as to open the
garden up, but there is still the problem of the garden being five foot
above the walk way, and level with the neighbours' gardens on both sides. If
I lowered the garden, it would effectively increase the height of the
boundary fence to 5 foot over what is now -6 foot, making 11 foot in total.
So that I may end up plunging the garden into a dark pit.

Does any kind people have any advice on what they would do or what I could
read to consider my options?

Thanks in advance.


  #2   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2007, 09:28 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,407
Default Tips on how to redeem a badly designed garden?

"Jason Hallway" wrote in message
...
Below is the plan of the garden of a house I have just purchased. The
conservatory is just an oblong shaped bricked wall of approx 5 foot tall
as
a base which holds up the glass frames. The garden is level with the top
of
the base, so that it has stairs leading up to it:-

approx 35 foot
--------------------------------------------
| | |
| |____________ |
| h | |
| o | |
| u conservatory | garden |
| s | | approx
20
foot
| e ____________| |
| |__ |
| stairs |
| |--- |
-------------------------------------------

First impressions are that the conservatory is far too big for the garden,
and I'm tempted make it smaller and put it in the corner where the stairs
are. This has the advantage that it could be used for storage if need be,
as
could the walkway next to the house back wall.

There is the temptation to just pull the whole thing down so as to open
the
garden up, but there is still the problem of the garden being five foot
above the walk way, and level with the neighbours' gardens on both sides.
If
I lowered the garden, it would effectively increase the height of the
boundary fence to 5 foot over what is now -6 foot, making 11 foot in
total.
So that I may end up plunging the garden into a dark pit.

Does any kind people have any advice on what they would do or what I could
read to consider my options?

Thanks in advance.



Which way does it face and what do YOU want of the garden and/or the
conservatory?
Family?
Dogs?
Garden parties?
Entertaining?
Easy maintenance?
Someone at home all the time?
Always away?
Flowers?
Veg?


Mike


--
.................................................. .........
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com


  #3   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2007, 11:50 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,995
Default Tips on how to redeem a badly designed garden?

On 19/2/07 17:31, in article ,
"Jason Hallway" wrote:
snip


There is the temptation to just pull the whole thing down so as to open the
garden up, but there is still the problem of the garden being five foot
above the walk way, and level with the neighbours' gardens on both sides. If
I lowered the garden, it would effectively increase the height of the
boundary fence to 5 foot over what is now -6 foot, making 11 foot in total.
So that I may end up plunging the garden into a dark pit.

Does any kind people have any advice on what they would do or what I could
read to consider my options?

Thanks in advance.


My advice is to live with the situation for at least a year. You will see
then how you use the house, how it all looks in summer, how much storage
space you need and how much living space your conservatory adds to your
house when you spread yourselves out in both. It must have been quite
expensive to build, so I wouldn't start off by destroying it just yet. The
previous owners built it for a reason so living with it for a while might
show you if their reasons are yours.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

  #4   Report Post  
Old 20-02-2007, 01:24 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
K K is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,966
Default Tips on how to redeem a badly designed garden?

Jason Hallway writes
Below is the plan of the garden of a house I have just purchased. The
conservatory is just an oblong shaped bricked wall of approx 5 foot tall as
a base which holds up the glass frames. The garden is level with the top of
the base, so that it has stairs leading up to it:-



First impressions are that the conservatory is far too big for the garden,
and I'm tempted make it smaller and put it in the corner where the stairs
are. This has the advantage that it could be used for storage if need be, as
could the walkway next to the house back wall.


Do you mean a conservatory (in the sense of a glass roofed room attached
to the house) or do you mean a separate greenhouse?

I wouldn't reduce the size, since the one thing I know about
greenhouses/conservatories is that they are never big enough! But that
depends on how much you enjoy the process of gardening and how much you
see a garden as simply something to be kept tidy.

There is the temptation to just pull the whole thing down so as to open the
garden up, but there is still the problem of the garden being five foot
above the walk way,


That gives the opportunity to grow plants cascading down the wall

and level with the neighbours' gardens on both sides. If
I lowered the garden, it would effectively increase the height of the
boundary fence to 5 foot over what is now -6 foot, making 11 foot in total.
So that I may end up plunging the garden into a dark pit.


Could also get problems with run off from both gardens after heavy rain,
and you would have to provide a substantial retaining wall all around
your garden otherwise you would cause subsidence of your neighbours
gardens.

You could dig out part of the garden to a lower level, so the low part
wasn't sop small and poky - you'd still need retaining walls. Having a
change of level adds interest to a garden.

I wouldn't be in a rush to change things. Give yourself time to see how
you settle into the house, what windows you spend time looking out of,
what you use the conservatory for, and so on.
--
Kay
  #5   Report Post  
Old 20-02-2007, 10:04 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 412
Default Tips on how to redeem a badly designed garden?


"Jason Hallway" wrote in message
...
Below is the plan of the garden of a house I have just purchased. The
conservatory is just an oblong shaped bricked wall of approx 5 foot tall

as
a base which holds up the glass frames. The garden is level with the top

of
the base, so that it has stairs leading up to it:-

approx 35 foot
--------------------------------------------
| | |
| |____________ |
| h | |
| o | |
| u conservatory | garden |
| s | | approx

20
foot
| e ____________| |
| |__ |
| stairs |
| |--- |
-------------------------------------------

First impressions are that the conservatory is far too big for the garden,
and I'm tempted make it smaller and put it in the corner where the stairs
are. This has the advantage that it could be used for storage if need be,

as
could the walkway next to the house back wall.

There is the temptation to just pull the whole thing down so as to open

the
garden up, but there is still the problem of the garden being five foot
above the walk way, and level with the neighbours' gardens on both sides.

If
I lowered the garden, it would effectively increase the height of the
boundary fence to 5 foot over what is now -6 foot, making 11 foot in

total.
So that I may end up plunging the garden into a dark pit.

Does any kind people have any advice on what they would do or what I could
read to consider my options?

Thanks in advance.


Live with it for a year, make constant plans and the argue them to shreds!
Don't under any circumstances reduce the size of the conservatory (they are
never big enough)

Can you organise access to the garden from upstairs in the house?

The wall that retains the garden at present could probably grow a fern
collection and be a really attractive feature in its own right.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea




  #6   Report Post  
Old 20-02-2007, 08:03 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,423
Default Tips on how to redeem a badly designed garden?

On 19 Feb, 20:28, "'Mike'" wrote:
Which way does it face and what do YOU want of the garden and/or the
conservatory?
Family?
Dogs?
Garden parties?
Entertaining?
Easy maintenance?
Someone at home all the time?
Always away?
Flowers?
Veg?


I must say - as much as Charlie and K are right in letting a year pass
by and see how the garden develops, what comes out the ground, which
way the sun faces and what does the OP feels and see from each windows
and especially from the conservatory etc. you have asked all the
questions that a good garden designer would ) The client brief from
the course I'm doing has made me do this exercise a couple of weeks
ago, though the questions ran in the 100s, you however asked the most
important ones. You must have had a missed vocation there Mike ;o)

  #7   Report Post  
Old 21-02-2007, 10:55 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,407
Default Tips on how to redeem a badly designed garden?

"La Puce" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 19 Feb, 20:28, "'Mike'" wrote:
Which way does it face and what do YOU want of the garden and/or the
conservatory?
Family?
Dogs?
Garden parties?
Entertaining?
Easy maintenance?
Someone at home all the time?
Always away?
Flowers?
Veg?


I must say - as much as Charlie and K are right in letting a year pass
by and see how the garden develops, what comes out the ground, which
way the sun faces and what does the OP feels and see from each windows
and especially from the conservatory etc. you have asked all the
questions that a good garden designer would ) The client brief from
the course I'm doing has made me do this exercise a couple of weeks
ago, though the questions ran in the 100s, you however asked the most
important ones. You must have had a missed vocation there Mike ;o)


Have done consultancy work :-)) Does it show?

We had new neighbours in quite a few years back. Young couple with one boy.
Very much into sport. Gardeners? NO! (I think they were something quite high
in Babmington) They knew from the start what they wanted of their garden, so
everything came out, we had some lovely plants and shrubs from them,
rotovated from top to bottom and turfed. Football Goal posts and a net put
up and that was it. Another boy was born and in time he was out there
kicking a ball as well. They knew what they wanted and it is the same
everywhere. Do you walk into a car showrooms and buy the first car the
salesman offers you without him asking any questions or telling him some
form of guideline?.......... No.

I have been dealing with the public for 60 years since my parents bought a
hotel and later I had my own businesses :-)))

Mike


--
.................................................. .........
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cheapest Websites: Only for 100USD: Fully designed and Fully registered Anees Gardening 0 14-03-2012 07:57 AM
Tools that ae designed fot us! SimplyGardening Gardening 2 25-06-2010 03:10 PM
5 TIPS FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT OF HOME BUSINESS...5 TIPS FOR BETTERMANAGEMENT OF HOME BUSINESS...5 TIPS FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT OF HOMEBUSINESS... Tonya Thompson United Kingdom 0 28-04-2009 02:30 PM
Badly weeded area Bobby United Kingdom 5 21-04-2003 02:33 PM
OT-Pennies, how do I redeem 'em? TOM KAN PA Gardening 22 13-03-2003 11:44 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:34 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017