THREAD BUMP: New build garden - seriously where do I start!?

One More Solo · 13 Apr 2018 at 12:25

As above drainage will likely be a massive issue. We countered this by putting raised beds in for hedging around the outside of the garden and putting two drains in the lawn area which connect up to a sump pump and drain excess water into the drain.

Glaucus · 13 Apr 2018 at 12:34

If people think drainage is going to be such a massive issues well as mixing sand in, wouldn't it be a good idea to lay some perforated drainage pipe in connected to a drain?

platypus · 13 Apr 2018 at 12:43

samcat said:
Was just thinking this!

When we rotavated before putting manure into in in front garden when redoing it a few years back (1970s build) we spend quite some time pulling every stone larger than a large marble out and putting them in buckets/wheelbarrows and then into a skip we had at the time.

We're going to have tons of bricks and various bits of debris in our garden once the building work is finished, but it's sunken a massive amount in the middle so we are hoping to get it to a certain level, and then we'll be shipping in some new soil with sand/peat/manure

. I'm hoping it works!

AHarvey · 13 Apr 2018 at 13:17

Glaucus said:
If people think drainage is going to be such a massive issues well as mixing sand in, wouldn't it be a good idea to lay some perforated drainage pipe in connected to a drain?

Depends on the size of the garden, surface runoff volumes and drain size. No good having it all run into the drain if the drain can't take it and you end up flooding the area anyway.

Abyss · 13 Apr 2018 at 13:28

I will be watching this thread with interest. I've just moved into a new build also and trying to decide what to do with the garden.

I'm surprised you don't even get any turf with the house though. Both our front and back garden were turfed prior to completion and some basic landscaping was done out the front.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rxxpllc8nspkg4m/front garden.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dqwzh1fhrsswvzg/back garden.jpg?dl=0

samcat · 13 Apr 2018 at 13:37

Abyss said:
I'm surprised you don't even get any turf with the house though. Both our front and back garden were turfed prior to completion and some basic landscaping was done out the front.

With quite a few developers these days its an optional extra... And in many instances you are better off DIY, as you can remove the debris/rubble and level it properly before the grass goes down.

peterwalkley · 13 Apr 2018 at 13:55

I'd add to the advice above to make sure you have a lot of weedkiller spray ready. This is just the time when they'll start growing and bare earth like that is like letting kids loose in a sweet shop.

As already said, there will be a lot of builders mess buried in there - I'd suggest pile it all up in one spot as you dig/rotavate and you will likely have enough hard core for a decent shed base.

ritcH · 13 Apr 2018 at 14:35

I really appreciate all the replies sorry I’m at work so I can’t be more specific but I’ll try and keep the thread going to show what I do with it.

I queried why we don’t get grass and the sales people said they used to do that but they found everything would just die and people complained so in a way I’m glad I get to DIY it. Not saying I’ll succeed but I’ll have some fun along the way!

They have made a front garden but I think that’s looking a bit fragile so once I learn how to prepare the ground I might dig it up and do the same before replanting the turf, shrubs and tree that are there. Would be a shame to see a young tree die!

samcat · 13 Apr 2018 at 14:58

ritcH said:
I really appreciate all the replies sorry I’m at work so I can’t be more specific but I’ll try and keep the thread going to show what I do with it.

I queried why we don’t get grass and the sales people said they used to do that but they found everything would just die and people complained so in a way I’m glad I get to DIY it. Not saying I’ll succeed but I’ll have some fun along the way!

They have made a front garden but I think that’s looking a bit fragile so once I learn how to prepare the ground I might dig it up and do the same before replanting the turf, shrubs and tree that are there. Would be a shame to see a young tree die!

To get an idea of what to expect in the back garden, get a spade, pick a spot at random and start digging... You wont have to dig down far before you find the usual 'building site rubbish' hidden underneath your top soil. Normally the top soil they add is 15cm max.

Skiddley · 13 Apr 2018 at 15:14

Swimming pool

Abyss · 16 Apr 2018 at 18:40

I did some playing around over the weekend and this is what I have come up with currently. Hope this helps with a few ideas!

I overlaid two models so the walls/roof don't tie up in all areas but gives the idea.

Daaaavvveee · 16 Apr 2018 at 18:50

That looks really good!

koolpc · 16 Apr 2018 at 19:09

Drainage is very important. I bet there is a lot of clay in there! All compacted tight.

Definitely add grit / sharp sand / manure etc. Will be hard work as you will need quite a bit.

HungryHippos · 16 Apr 2018 at 19:14

Have a new build garden and it's not well drained as per other comments.

Came with hilarious amounts of rubble in the soil, big stones and junk.

Also find it a right pain to mow the lawn when the lawn is fence to fence, mowing along a fence line is annoying. Consider putting "something" on the left so that you don't have to mow right up against the fence.

samcat · 16 Apr 2018 at 19:43

And give thought to lighting/power... SWA cable run to the patio/decking area for some sockets (so you can have music/charge things) and some power provision for lighting the path/decking as well.

SPG · 16 Apr 2018 at 19:57

Hire a rotovator and a grab bag
Get rid of all the crap builder has left in back garden
Use the rotvator again with a 3-4 ton of manure and gravel
Leave it alone for a year with some black hessian on top.

Lay down slabs where you sit in the evening sun, while the above gets to work. It may not seem it but this wait will pay dividends for a much better garden area in a shorter space of time than just doing it now.

ritcH · 16 Apr 2018 at 22:24

@Abyss good effort!

I'll certainly post some pics when I do something / come up with designs but I appreciate all the ideas in this thread

samcat · 17 Apr 2018 at 07:36

ritcH said:
@Abyss good effort!

I'll certainly post some pics when I do something / come up with designs but I appreciate all the ideas in this thread

Just make sure whatever you do that you rotavate, remove the rubble/rocks/waste etc and add some organic matter (manure) and sand/gravel. You are at a point now where that is easy to do, it gets much harder once you have a garden of some sorts in place!

ritcH · 8 Jun 2018 at 14:19

I've been thinking about the garden for the past 6 weeks and this is version 3 of a design I've been tweaking. Thought I'd share to get some feedback

Quartz · 8 Jun 2018 at 19:21

That sketch looks far too busy. Keep it simple to start with. You can always add stuff later.

Anyway, a bog garden? Really?

Your renderings look much more sensible, though I would suggest climbing plants or trained trees on the fences and the walls, especially for that awkward strip between the patio and the far fence. A bed of some sort will be much better than a strip of grass. For the patio, instead of decking, consider coloured paving slabs.

Can you mount a trellis on the back wall of your house? Climbing plants could look wonderful, though you will want to ensure that there's no risk of dry rot from a raised bed beneath.