The back garden

The garden in it's original form

Early this year we decided to landscape the back garden. It has been a problem since we first moved in as it sloped quite steeply away from the house. This meant it was difficult to play in the garden. The garden is surrounded so is ideal for the kids, but it just wasn’t really safe for them. Especially with Joel being so young. The hard standing we had outside the back door was also just too small for us all to be able to sit out on the table and chairs comfortably.

We decided to level the back garden, build a planter at the bottom of the garden and then build some decking from the back door out over the current hard standing and into the garden a little bit. Then we would gravel the garden so we didn’t have to worry about grass anymore. The main thing this would all provide is a nice big flat area for the kids to play in, and also a wider area for us all to be able to sit out on.

We started work digging out the bottom lawn and then building a planter against the back wall. Then we dug out the top of the garden slope and back filled the bottom thereby levelling the ground. Then we built the decking out over the hard standing and onto posts sitting on concrete panels in the garden.



The planter area being dug and the rear wall painted



We started in early March, and discovered the digging in particular took a long time and was backbreaking. Theresa did a fair amount of it during the days when it was dry. We desperately wanted the garden to be finished before the Summer so that we could enjoy it this year. My aim was to complete it by the Easter week-end as I had a few days off work to be able to get on with the building. We therefore faced a race against time to complete the digging so that we could start the decking.



Alf and I building the frame for the decking - April 2012



After a month of on/off digging Alf, Theresa and I built the decking over the Easter week-end. It was hard work and long days, but I’m pleased to say we managed it. We then had the gravel delivered and got that on the ground in mid-April. Theresa went and found some plants for the planter and started turning that into a cottage garden type bed.

Unfortunately we’ve not had the greatest Summer, but the work has definitely been worth it. The children love playing out there and it’s reassuring for us to know that they’re safe.

Joel enjoying the extra space

Making the most of the decking with a rare family BBQ