Help! The builders have ruined our garden

Before

After

Before

After

After building an extension our client's large suburban garden was looking rubble strewn and neglected. Their brief included a terrace for entertaining and a water feature ("one where you can hear the water") to replace a dilapidated greenhouse and add interest further. Many of the existing plants were well established, but several were seriously overgrown and so the brief included hard pruning, maintenance and a new "low maintenance" planting scheme.

A week after our first meeting we presented outline sketches and sample materials. After a couple of further meetings , our clients opted for a contemporary scheme which included 45sq.m wrap-around terrace in black quartzite, a low brick wall which curved around the new terrace and doubled as seating, and a striking moated patio with waterfall . The planting scheme comprised reds and yellows to add bright splashes of colour around the garden. We also re-turfed the lawn.