7 min read

Starting a Garden Makeover Without Wasting Money

Most garden money is wasted on sequence, not on materials. A new patio laid before the drainage is sorted, a lawn put down before the fence is replaced, a shed base poured where the steps needed to go. Getting the order right costs nothing and saves a great deal.

This is the order we work in, and the questions worth answering before you spend anything.

Start with how you will use it

Write down what the garden has to do. Somewhere to eat outside for six people. A run for the dog. Space for children now and a different use in eight years. Bins and bikes stored out of sight. Somewhere to sit in evening sun rather than midday sun.

This list decides the layout. Aesthetics decide the finishes, and finishes are the easy part.

Survey what is already there

Walk the garden after heavy rain and note where water sits and where it runs. Check the fence posts by pushing them. Look at where the sun falls at the times you would actually use the space. Note mature trees, since roots and shade constrain everything near them, and any that are protected.

Find your drains, manholes and any services crossing the garden before you plan structures over them.

Fix the invisible things first

Drainage, levels, retaining and boundaries. These are the expensive things to correct after the fact, and they are also the things that make everything else last.

If a garden falls awkwardly, resolve the levels with terracing or steps at the design stage rather than trying to disguise it with planting later.

Sequence the build

Access and protection first, then demolition and clearance, then groundwork and drainage, then hard landscaping, then boundaries and structures, then lawn, then planting, then lighting and furniture.

The reason is simple: everything above needs machinery, materials or deliveries crossing what is below it.

Deciding what to keep

Keeping a sound patio, a healthy tree or a solid wall saves real money and gives a new garden maturity. Be honest though about anything that is nearly at the end of its life. Building around a fence with three years left in it means dismantling new planting later to replace it.

Phasing over more than one year

Phase along the sequence above, not around the garden. Doing all the groundwork and hard landscaping this year and the planting and structures next year works well. Doing one half of the garden completely and then bringing machinery back through it for the other half does not.

Start with a conversation, not a catalogue

Tell us what you want the garden to do and we will tell you the order to do it in, even if some of it is for a later year.

Talk to us about your garden View Patio and Landscaping 07535 661664

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a garden designer?

For a complex or sloping garden, a plan pays for itself in avoided mistakes. For a straightforward reworking of a patio, lawn and fence, a good landscaper working to a clear brief is usually enough.

When is the best time of year to start?

Hard landscaping can be built year round in reasonable weather, while turf and planting establish best in spring and autumn. Booking early matters more than season, as good teams fill up months ahead.

How long does a full garden makeover take?

It depends entirely on scope and access, and the honest answer only comes after a site visit. What we do give you is a programme with the stages set out before work starts.

Should the fence go up before or after the patio?

Boundaries usually go in after the heavy groundwork and before planting, so that machinery and materials still have access while the digging is happening.

Can you take on a garden someone else has started?

Yes, though we will want to check what has been built before continuing over it, so that we can stand behind the finished result.