About This Project

Back garden design Colchester

Clients brief

The client required a new driveway and entrance to house, a secluded area to be used for dining and entertaining and to be an extension of the kitchen and back room, further terracing of the garden, large lawn areas and planting to soften lower garden and drive as well as to provide privacy from the neighbouring houses. This back garden design was carried out by the team at Tapestry Design Studios.

Type of property

Large detached house built in the Edwardian era, extended recently to the rear and side of the original property.

Location

This back garden build was carried out in Colchester.

Time taken to build

End of November 2015 – Mid April 2016

Designer

Tapestry Design Studios

Original garden

The garden build had been started by another company, but the client was not happy with the works carried out. The previous company had built a section of retaining wall, roughly levelled the top area, laid an inadequate sub base to the patio and driveway areas and laid edging blocks to the driveway.

Features retained

The design incorporated the existing retaining wall and the multiple level changes. The rest of the garden was completely cleared.

Materials used

Red stock brick to match the existing retaining wall.

Egyptian limestone for paving and step treads pointed with exterior tile grout.

Mild steel edging, fabricated on site.

Bespoke Iroko trellis and gate.

Bespoke Iroko side gate and driveway entrance gates.

10mm gravel in gravel stabilisation matting.

Challenges overcome

The main challenges of this build were access for lorries to remove waste and storing materials for the upper garden area. We overcome this by removing two fence panels and created a temporary hard standing on which lorries could reverse onto safely to collect spoil and crane off materials.

Planting

The driveway area was planted with a combination of shrubs to provide structure against the retaining wall and perennials to provide seasonal interest. The lower garden was planted with Buxus balls as feature planting and a variety of perennials for colour in the spring and summer. 5 large Catalpa bignonioides aurea were planted in positions to provide privacy from neighbouring houses. The rest of the upper garden will be planted at a later date.

We also landscaped the front garden at this property. See the portfolio of this project here

What our client says

“Thank you so much for our garden, we are really happy with it. We use the patio area all the time and we couldn’t imagine our house without it.”

VH Colchester