2x Gold Rules for a New-build House Garden Renovation

New-build gardens are my absolute favourite projects to work with as they offer a complete blanc canvas and lots of opportunity for creative layouts.

However, there are 2x important factors you need to keep in mind when you are planning to improve your New-build house garden.

A - be realistic about the costs

Whilst new-built gardens offer the perfect blanc canvas to work with, it also comes with a long list of potential problems that can be costly to fix. Here are the 2x most common issues to look out for, which will add extra cost to the build: *is any part of your garden sloping? Sloping gardens are more challenging to work with as they offer a less useable space and can be harder to maintain. Tiering your garden would be the obvious choice to make the most of your outdoor space , but it does come with significant cost. *drainage problems. Majority of new built sites will have challenging ground conditions - uneven and/or compacted ground, poor quality soil and buried builders rubble are just a few of the issues you can expect to come across. A scale of the issues usually becomes obvious when your efforts to maintain a healthy lawn is failing and you start to notice water pooling and not draining through over the autumn/winter periods. Introducing appropriate drainage and improving soil condition are two vital aspects for a successful garden reno to ensure your new garden looks great through the seasons and new plants can thrive.

B - focus on structural planting

Unfortunately new-built site gardens rarely come with any structural plants or trees and therefore lack privacy and sound insulation. Mature trees and shrubs will give the look of well established garden and offer some much needed privacy, but will also take a big chunk of your budget. For an average size garden, I would recommend allocation of £3000 - 5000 for trees and plants which will instantly transform your garden space.