26 Portfolio
BEFORE
T DURING
he garden is located in Pett’s Wood in Kent and is fortunate to include part of Pett’s Wood which is an historic ancient woodland. Half the garden includes oak and other trees dating back more than 300 years and these were to be preserved and enhanced with further tree planting and woodland groundcover. The key development – and where most of
the budget was to be spent – was next to the house where successive owners had laid different levels of concrete paving. The brief here was to substantially sort these levels out creating two new levels for entertaining, leveling the lawn and incorporating simple water features, storage and a new kitchen garden.
DEVELOPMENT TIMING Design – Summer 2009 Start construction –Winter 2009/10 Pause for construction of side extension to house – Late winter 2010
Final phase and completion – Spring 2011
APPROXIMATE COSTINGS Construction costs Clearance and waste removal – £17,000 Retaining walls – £80,000 Surfaces – £70,000 Garden buildings – £20,000 Lighting – £15,000
Soft landscaping Plants and planting – £10,000 Lawn – £10,000
THE KEY PROJECT ELEMENTS INCLUDED: Improving circulation around the garden, keeping the sense of space there is and creating new levels for entertaining, seating etc.
Creating a new entrance from the house into the garden and looking at the areas around the house, particularly to the side and where the glasshouse is currently located to create a new kitchen garden
Retaining a large lawn but leveling it to take a marquee in the future.
Giving more planting interest including year round colour and enhancing the existing woodland.
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SOURCING MATERIALS FOR THE JOB Bricks were selected to work with the colour of the existing red brick on site.
The paving was Deep Lane Yorks stone, Summerhouse and greenhouse were custom made by English Garden Joinery
Plants supplied by Johnsons of Whixley and Palmstead
Drainage As soon as we started to excavate for walls we quickly realised that the main part of the garden was on a bed of sand up to 2.5m deep (see image). However the lowest level where the kitchen garden was to be located had a water table just inches below the surface. With the garden draining quickly through the sand this lowest level was almost acting as a sump before draining downhill beyond the garden’s boundaries. We therefore quickly abandoned an initial idea for surface level vegetable beds and raised them. Drainage was also resolved and incorporated pumps in cases of excess water levels.
Retaining walls
Existing retaining walls on the higher lawn level were restored rather than re-built which gave some challenges in matching brick type and required a high level of expertise to prevent over- restoration.
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