It’s been several weeks since my last update a Snapshot of our Garden Transformations in Progress and our projects have come a long
way! On the left you can see this traditional Cheshire garden (before)
has now been stripped, reshaped (below) and is being given a more
modern look.
The renovations need to be completed on the house before we can put down the ipe hardwood deck.
On the same site the new driveway is coming together; here you can see the
natural stone border, which surrounds beautiful buff coloured Cotswold stone
chippings.
It may not look like much yet, but this terraced
garden in northwest Lancashire is taking shape. The top tier will provide a
deck with views, the bottom will have a natural stone patio seating area and
the middle will bring in colour with lawn and plantings. Below you can
see the before image and on the right is the work in progress.
Check back soon to see photos of the finished
gardens . . .
Getting Your Garden Design to the Build Stage
0 comments Posted by David Andersen at Wednesday, June 20, 2012So you've finally got your garden design!
Now comes the really tricky part: getting it built!
Let’s look at the two main ways that you can go
about this and some of the advantages and pitfalls of each:
Do it Yourself
The
main advantage here is that (providing you have some technical expertise and
muscle power!) there will be a great sense of achievement, a feeling that the
garden is very much 'yours'.
Of course it may be cheaper, that is as long as you have a
good ability to interpret the design properly and avoid making the many
mistakes that even experienced landscapers make.
Most landscape schemes are very multidisciplinary, and you
would have to be the proverbial 'jack of all trades' to do everything, but
using skilled sub-contractors for say brickwork may work well.
You would also need to be aware of health and safety
requirements, particularly with regard to hiring in diggers and all things electrical.
Using a Landscaper
Perhaps the obvious choice. Make sure you use a reputable
contractor, preferably one who has been recommended. A list can be obtained
from BALI (The British Association of Landscape Industries). It’s always a good
idea to get competitive quotations from up to three different firms, your
designer should be able to prepared tender documents (There would normally be a
charge for this).
Be aware that using a contractor your designer
recommends is OK, but there maybe some financial arrangement
between them. (The designer getting a 'sales commission' that is.) This
may be seen as a controversial
arrangement, however if the various parties tell the client about this, it is
often seen as 'above board' otherwise it maybe seen as non-competitive.
Be aware that cheapest is not necessarily best. A few years
ago, when times were hard (wait a minute times are hard now!) I remember
quoting to build a medium sized garden (£10,000 I recall), I had gone in very
competitively since it was January, I had not much else on. Two weeks later I
was informed that a competitor had been awarded the contract for around £5,000.
Given that I had worked out that materials were £5,500 (trade price) I was a
bit mystified. Some weeks later I had a phone call from the tearful wife saying the landscaper had been desperate for that deposit cheque and had gone in at
under cost price just to keep himself afloat and soon abandoned the garden.
Also with landscapers make sure that they have proper terms
and conditions, proper, well laid out terms of payment, public liability
insurance and written guarantees.
To put the landscapers side for a moment it would be most
unfair to expect them to do things not in the contract. Time and time
again, I get client’s saying (usually on the first day) "Oh while you're here
could you just……..prune that tree". It
can be really unfair, especially as you are trying to create a good
atmosphere within your working relationship.
The most common 'extra' to emerge usually quite early on in
the contract is to do with a badly drained or waterlogged site. When I first
started in business over 20 years ago I was struggling to landscape a really
wet garden, using a lot of my own money to put in land drains. I then realised
that another landscape firm were doing a similar garden next door. After two
days I saw them packing up "What’s up?" I asked "Well" replied the boss, "that garden is too waterlogged to landscape. I asked my clients before I
started to get it sorted and so I am pulling off until they do so!" My lesson was learned.
I hope this helps. Happy landscaping!
First off: to save money
"What?" I hear you say.
Well it goes like this: you spend a bit on a well-detailed, well-conceived garden design (well most garden designers charge between £400 -£1,200
pounds for a design. If you are lucky or talented enough designer to have won a
few Gold Medals at Chelsea or had you own TV show you probably charge upwards of
£1,200 per day for your time).
The thing is, if you have invested money in a good design, you are most
likely going to end up loving he scheme when it is finished and it will give you
years of pleasure. If it is not well thought out in a masterplan then you could
spend far more than the design fee on putting the mistakes right (or even
re-doing the schem altogether).
The other things is this: last year I had a young couple come to me for a
garden design. They proudly showed me a huge stack of slabs that they had bought
in, in readiness with the phrase "we knew they were good cos they were
really really EXPENSIVE! ". Well ...NO! Expensive does not equal GOOD! I have
some news: CREATIVITY is relatively cheap, compared to acres of the wrong
type of slabbing (thats 'flagging' to you if you live north of
Birmingham).
You would never try building a house without using a good architect, so why
try and build an expensive garden without the garden designer.
Secondly: An Integrated Design
One of the biggest mistakes that people who devise
their own gardens is that they over-compartmentalise everything.
Example: as a designer I never design a garden with say a lawn over here, a
deck over here, some planting over here, etc, etc. I always make sure there is what I
call an "Integrated Whole", so that the scheme flows together, it's not always
a logical process but one that needs a bit of inspiration.
Time and time again I see the wrong proportion of hardlandscaping vs
planting. (OK, a masculine priority vs a feminine one ). If the husband has his
way: lots of walling, paving, etc. If the the wife has her way, lots of
planting. Getting the balance right is the challenge. Planting is a great
'harmoniser' and will always work best when given a strong structure to work
with.
Thirdly: Let's Get Bold
As a designer, I do love raising eyebrows and hearing the question
"What?!" when I suggest, for example clearing out some ageing, overmature
lavender. Sometimes people get attached to things simply because they have been
there for ages, when a good clear out helps create 'an artists empty canvas' and
becomes the basis for real creativity.
I love the sharp intake of breath when I suggest, say water in garden or a
well thought out, dramatic lighting scheme. I enjoy the process of getting people
to 'loosen up' about the idea of change.
It's always a wonderful moment when we have finished a scheme and the
client's (or even client's children) start to use their new outside space. I
believe that a good well thought out garden can be a great asset to be enjoyed by
all.
A Snapshot of our Garden Transformations in Progress
1 comments Posted by David Andersen at Tuesday, May 15, 2012There has been a hurricane of activity at Garden Magic this
spring. We have garden design projects currently covering the entire Northwest:
Lancashire, Cheshire, Liverpool, Manchester and even Yorkshire!It is always fun to see the transformations in progress,
so here are a few pictures of gardens before and during construction . . . and
soon we will share the finished spaces!
More updates coming soon . . .
After the long, but thankfully not too cold winter, the prospect of warm sunny days fills us with anticipation. We have been busy through the fall and winter preparing gardens for spring. And now that we are enjoying a taste of the warm days to come things are getting into high gear as our clients all want to have the perfect garden for relaxing and entertaining this summer.
This time of year, with mild temperatures and moist soil, is the ideal time to put plans for your summer garden in place. Planting and preparation done now will reward you many times over when the sun shines and you want the garden to look its best.
Before and After Images of Our Favorite Designs
1 comments Posted by David Andersen at Wednesday, March 28, 2012Here you can see the dramatic transformations created with these before and after images of a few of our past garden design and build projects.
One project has a series of spectacular canals and waterfalls in a minimalist setting, another an elemental garden and fish pond, there is a contemporary deck with a beautiful bright green water feature back drop, an Edwardian courtyard made modern and a large family garden that is both stunning and functional.
New Contemporary Garden - Just Completed!
0 comments Posted by David Andersen at Friday, March 23, 2012Check out this recently finished garden complete with waterfeature, garden lighting, topiary, decking and fine cream coloured contemporary sandstone slabs.
The semi-circular deck has been designed using specially machined, tapered hardwood deckboards. This smaller deck is positioned to catch the morning sun...perfect as a breakfast terrace!
The individual topiary standards (photinia 'Red Robin') make an excellent strong statement....each has a stainless steel spike spot uplighter....helping to create drama and atmosphere.
(Planting is complete but needs time to mature)
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