Designing a family garden in a small space requires a lot of thought and consideration.

Grow Gardens completed a design and build project near Cambridge. A plain new build garden became a high-spec outdoor room with relaxation space for adults and play space for youngsters.

A Space For All The Family

Our clients had a stylish new build property in an exclusive area but the outdoor space simply did not meet their needs.

Typically for a new build, the garden was a poor quality lawn with a minuscule patio. The brief was to transform the plot into a relaxing space that could be enjoyed by the clients.

With a baby on the way, the family also wanted a child-friendly garden with lots of opportunities for the little one to explore the outdoors in a safe environment.

Soggy Ground And An Engineering Dilemma

One corner of the garden tended to be very wet and sticky. Our solution was to build a deck to span the area and transform it into living space.

The pergola design for the living space called for a span of 3m on a single cedar joist which would be supporting slatted screens. The team very cleverly machined a slot into the joist and concealed an aluminium section to provide invisible support.

The builders had installed a small stone patio which the clients wanted to keep. However the exact matching stone was no longer available. So Sam and the team adjusted the design and used a contrasting coloured stone to extend the patio and create a path to the pergola. Problem solved.

The garden makeover has provided our client with an attractive yet practical garden. It’s relatively low maintenance but has a strong focal point in the pergola area and plenty of soft surfaces for children’s play.

The use of natural cedar for decking and pergola is easy on the eye and helps the garden feature to blend nicely with borrowed views of mature trees. The pergola’s L-Shaped design is perfect for modern living and creates a feeling of warmth and privacy within the garden.

Thanks to Arbour Landscape Solutions for sharing this case study.