The garden of a new build house may look pristine, but newly-laid patios and lawns can hide a multitude of sins. This blog looks at some of the aspects to consider when you buy a new build house and what to consider in the garden.
A new-build garden might seem daunting if its a complete blank canvass, but it’s the perfect place to find your inner gardener and put your creativity into practice. Some new-build homes, usually show homes, may have custom designed and landscaped gardens, but most new home buyers will typically be faced with fencing, basic paving, turf or bare ground and perhaps an original mature feature tree which planning was built around.
For any new build home buyer my advice, if updating the garden is to be done immediately, is to not pay extra for turf. The levels are often not suitable when a professional design needs implementing, and we often have to remove fresh turf for hard landscaping and use a digger to adjust the garden levels.
How and when to make the outdoor space in your new build your own
A common critique when it comes to new builds is the ‘cookie cutter’ bland approach, with houses and gardens often being very similar. However, you can quite easily put your own stamp on your new build property by transforming your garden, giving it character and adding some design flair shine through - truly making your home, your own.
Take a little time to assess the garden and any areas of damp or dry, shade or sun, where you might like various elements like seating or dining. Re-read all your property paperwork and be fully aware of any restrictive covenants in relation to the garden - there are often some surprising restrictions which will inform the design process. Design work can be carried out all year round and can take up to 3 months to complete in a way that decisions are not rushed. Hard landscaping work can also be undertaken all year round, weather permitting, with the coldest months of January/ February being the most tricky for cold/ wet weather. Autumn and spring are best for planting to establish before summer hot weather takes hold, but if you are able to support summer watering, planting can still be undertaken.
How to improve new build gardens
A new garden can seem daunting but, if you break down the task into simple steps, it will be much easier to tackle:
1. Site assessment and design
Consider what kind of garden you want and therefore what to retain. Many keen gardeners will want large planting areas or somewhere for fruit and vegetables if space allows; families may need harder-wearing lawns and more entertainment space. The first thing to do is to establish the areas of the garden you will use for certain things. You might decide to add a patio area to the place in the garden that holds the sun for the longest or you might decide to put a shed where the shady part is. Consider how many people need seating in each area and have a look for your preferred furniture so you have dimensions for the design phase. Live with the garden for a short while before thinking about plans so you can get a feel for the garden, where you might need privacy from neighbours and which areas you will use for which purpose. Be open to professional design influence, often the tendency is put everything round the garden perimeter with lawn in the middle which is fairly basic, however if space allows breaking up the garden into areas with carefully selected planting and hard landscaping it usually brings a more modern end result with 'wow factor'.
2. Lawns, trees and soil
Inspect the lawns and soil. If poorly laid it may be only a matter of time before defects appear. On heavy clay, lawns will also deteriorate with the winter wet while, over a sandy soil, they will become starved and prone to drought. It may be better to lift the existing new build turf, prepare the site and relay it to specific levels amongst your new hard landscaping. Changing the soil levels in a garden adds interest and the digger team can often redeploy poor soil as the hard landscaping is implemented, especially if the heavy developer construction traffic has compacted the sub-soil.
Compacted clay sub-soil can create a pan effect with poorly installed topsoil. When a lawn is placed on top, this can be exasperated when heavy rain is unable to drain away and the water fills the topsoil air pockets, making the lawn unstable when walked on. Sometimes land drains are needed to resolve the issue, especially if the land is low laying and acting as a sump for the surrounding area.
Raised walk ways, raised beds, tiered garden, ponds and planting which thrives in damp conditions are just some of the ways to create a design which will cope in the space. I've even designed around ground complications (a buried swimming pool with a shingle dry garden and a buried redundant driveway with hard landscaping) to avoid removing them.
Topsoil is often a poor medium for growing plants in. Areas of poor soil composition, like clay or buried rubble, can be designed around to help reduce the build cost instead of complete removal. More often than not, adding considerable tonnage of sterilised manure is the only thing that will create a growing medium suitable for planting into new build topsoil.
Check the identity and suitability of any trees and shrubs the developer or neighbours may have installed. Only smaller trees are suitable near buildings. Tall growing trees a few metres from the house are best removed promptly. This includes trees newly installed next to or just outside of your boundary and building lines. Your garden designer will have an expert opinion and can point out any areas for concern.
3. Patio's and pathways.
If the basic patio which developers installed is not going to be suitable for you long term, often a new build patio slab can be easily lifted and relaid in a shed or storage area. Reusing as many materials as possible may be essential for budget control. Any surplus slabs are often gladly shared amongst neighbours who have matching patios they want to extend.
If you are happy with an existing patio or pathway installed by the developer, keep an eye on these structures during considerable rain. Does the surface drain effectively or are there areas of standing water? Are any slabs rocking already? Often new build patios are built quickly and to limited budget, meaning issues are immediately obvious. Be aware of your rights to bring build quality or snagging issues up with your developer for rectification, as this is often within a specific timeframe. Take pictures and videos of your areas for concern at regular intervals. Your garden designer can advise if it appears areas are of poor construction and the method which should have been followed.
4. Restrictive covenants.
Restrictive covenants are often in place for new builds to protect the developer from ugly garden adjustments while they are still selling the rest of the new build estate or put in place as part of the planning application. Discussing this with your garden designer is essential to inform the design and avoid upsetting new neighbours. For example shed or patio size is sometimes restricted, summerhouses or garden rooms not allowed, the list can sometimes be surprising.
5. Pests.
In areas of new lawn, especially open spaces like front gardens next to common or farm land, you will often find creatures love the opportunity to eat bugs and larvae. Badgers can tear up turf looking for grubs. Moles can burrow channels. Leatherjackets (crane fly larvae) can take residence, eating the new lawn as they mature. In some cases the issue can be dealt with, in others you will need to let nature take its course.
*** New build gardens can be tricky so consider utilising a professional designer to create a garden design with 'wow-factor'. Contact Zoe to get your free initial design consultation conversation on 07860283761.***
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