Garden/Courtyard makeover

[LynR6]

Hi Folks I'm new to this site and still finding my way around. I typed out details of my request for advice already but when I added photos I managed to lose all the text! I am moving from a riverside flat and have a house in mind which needs TLC, central heating, kitchen update and a complete garden/courtyard makeover - it is just hideous! I want to conceal the backs of the garages at the far end and get rid of the solid shed. Also get rid of the unsightly paving/decking and strange balustrade. In all - a total makeover. I would be glad of advice re cost of this project and any design ideas. I thought of wood panel fencing/trellis to cover the garage backs? I suppose I really need a blank canvas and although I am confident in interior design I have no experience of garden landscaping. I am a fit, retirement age female who has done elementary DIY in my own flat over the years (see pics)
Many thanks for any advice.
Lyn
View media item 30609 View media item 30611

My old flat

• LynR6
• 30 Jan 2011
• 1

Raised balcony

My previous garden

• LynR6
• 30 Jan 2011
• 1

Don't laugh. Why have I moved? Cos I don't want to continue working until I'm 80! I miss the...

Sitting room (flat)

• LynR6
• 30 Jan 2011
• 1

All my own work - apart from building the cupboard under TV.

 

[RedHerring2]

You could make your post more user friendly by placing the images vertically, rather than horizontally.
Some labels or short descriptions on the images also would help, especially as the first two images appear to be a different house to the later three..
A simple edit will do the job.

 

[vv2806]

Are you planning to pay someone to do the job? I personally do such things myself, and if you are fit and have enough time (retirement age) perhaps you can do it too if you want.

Several years ago I had no knowledge about gardening and started with buying garden design books (look at the pictures in the books, they are a good indicator if it is a useful book for your purposes), also books for beginner gardeners. My previous house has now the best gardens (both front and back) in the neighborhood The current one is on its way to have a beautiful garden, too.

The outbuildings can easily be hidden with trellises and evergreen climbers. If you need info about plants for different locations (sunny/shady), their size, etc. there are some good web sites - bbc/gardening, crocus.

In you case I would start with deciding about the design. See if anything can be reused, there are some plants that look good on your pictures. Then do the hard landscaping, and finally put the plants.

Start going to your local garden centres for ideas about plants. No picture can be completely trusted, it is better to see the real plant. If you are not in a hurry, you can spend an year designing, then go to the garden centres in different seasons.

If you are in a hurry, decide about the skeleton - trees, shrubs, and if not sure about the rest, fill the gaps with annual plants, next year you can change them for something more permanent. Annuals are also useful during the first several years, as you have to keep the plants at distance to give them enough room to grow to their full size. It is a common mistake beginners make (I did it too) to plant too close, then the garden looks overcrowded and you have to move plants which is more difficult than planting them in the right location from the beginning.

Depending what you want, it might be cheaper to buy plants online. Register for free gardening catalogues - Bakker, Thompson and Morgan, Crocus, there are other but it is what comes to mind right now.

If you wnat, I can have a look at my book collection and tell you the titles I found most useful. It is cheaper to buy books online, too - ebay or Amazon. Sometimes there are good books in the charity shops. If you find a book you like in a normal bookshop, check if you can find it cheaper online, usually you can.

 

[vv2806]

Forgot to say, I am a female too, not retirement age yet but in my 40s. I did some hard-landscaping - a patio, 2 deckings, and a driveway but not on my own - some with my ex, some with my partner. I could do it myself but it wouldn't be a proper thing to do if there is a man in the house Anyway, in all the cases the design was my doing, and I did some research about the installation methods. At the beginning of the project I had a very clear idea what and how is to be done. Then we did it together. Many of those jobs are easier to be done by 2 people. It is possible to do them on your own but it would be more time consuming and some things would require more planning.

If you pay somebody to do the landscaping, it is a good idea that you become familiar with the proper way to do the job, so you can discuss with the contractors what exactly they are going to do. There are some horror stories on this forum - people pay a lot of money for a substandard job, a recent post is about a patio with loose stones and disappearing grout.

 

[LynR6]

Hi thanks for your reply. Sorry for the confusion.
When I posted the pics I did put captions but they only came out in My Album (I am not a computer expert and a bit of a novice on using these sites)
The 1st 2 pics are of the prospective 'project' - the front of the house and the view from the sitting room - the other 2 are of the flat I am selling to give an idea of my design capabilities. I have done all the decorating and most of the work in the riverside garden. I can't take much with me as it's a communal garden - just pots, tubs and maybe the odd rose bush. There are no plants or anything in the new place - just weeds and paving stones/wood/concrete.
I put most of the plants in the riverside garden and note what you say about using books (I have quite a few on plants/shrubs etc) I do frequent charity shops and Amazon.
It is more the structural/design part I am concerned with (getting rid of the ugly 'shed', the paving and the wooden decking.) I wanted an idea of what the cost might be to do the heavy work and some ideas about how to make the area attractive without being too 'twee'. I would do the planting and maybe the fencing. Does anyone know of an internet site or package that does 'virtual gardens' that you can play around with?
Thanks again for replying.
Lyn javascript:emoticon('')

 

[vv2806]

I think the bbc site has a virtual garden thing.

For getting rid of the old staff, try first freecycle. I have seen posts there when somebody offers for free the materials from an old decking, sheds, or patio slabs, or hardcore, or even soil. People who want them go and dismantle/dig/collect themselves.

Otherwise you have to either pay for a skip, they are different sizes, we paid £160 for average size one. Plus for somebody to do the labour, I suppose. Another option I found recently is a man who dropped a note in our letterbox - he has a vehicle with open back (like a small truck) and removes garden waste. We paid him £60 to get rid of some soil from the front garden. The amount of the waste wasn't enough to justify a big skip, for a small one we had to pay £50 and fill it ourselves, so we prepreferred pay him to do the job. Check the yellow pages or ask in the neineighborhood they know anybody who do this.

 

[vv2806]

And you did a good job by the way. Before your explanation what is what, I wondered why you want to get rid of the plants on pictures 3 and 4