THINK IKEA FOR THE HOME, DC GARDEN DESIGNS FOR THE GARDEN, GREAT DESIGN FOR AN AFFORDABLE COST
YOU TOO CAN HAVE a designer garden for a lot less than you may think. The PRECONCEPTION is that a designer garden costs an arm and a leg, some do but for the majority of us that do not have a huge budget there is NOW a way.
In this piece I will propose a practical way in which you can attain that stunning designer garden for far less than you think. Great design for an affordable cost.
The garden you see here in the photographs is one we built for a young couple in Cork earlier this year, they were fortunate enough to have a good budget and were able to afford the best of materials for their garden.
TO BRING THE PRICE DOWN for this garden design, and still achieve a similuar effect I would propose using the same design but using less expensive materials, for example using cavity block for the WALLS, plastered and painted in a good quality outdoor paint. Capping the walls with a natural stone slab of your choice, by doing this we have a little of the expensive material but with out the huge cost. By adapting the design we get a lovely contemporary look whilst still keeping all of the elements ie. The structure, the curves of the original design. The recessed lights are still an option if the budget allows.
A further saving method would be to use upright treated timbers (there are lots of choices out there) and line the bed with heavy gauge polythene to allow the bed to be filled with topsoil, the polythene will also stop the soil from rottting the timbers. Again the timbers can be painted any colour to match your overall colour scheme or left natural depending on the type of timber used.
The OUTDOOR KITCHEN shown here is built from larch and balau teak, this is the best timber for an outdoor kitchen but agian the same design can be used for a kitchen using ordinary well treated deck boards for example. Again the timbers for the kitchen can be painted any one of the beautiful colours that are now available for outdoor furniture.
The BAR –B-Q has a lovely Kilkenny cut stone slab as its top and it does look stunning, but again any other paving slab will be lovely. Using any natural material as part of a good design looks really well.
The RAISED BEDS have been covered with mypex weed mat, planted with some stunnning tree ferns, bamboos and some unusual rhododendrons and then covered with a red gravel. To cut down the budget you could leave out the mypex , the gravel and use smaller plants of your choice. Be prepared to do a little weeding down the line!
The PAVING is Indian Sandstone tinted mint which is very reasonably priced. I like to use large slabs in most of my projects as I feel it creates a no fuss look of a well laid patio that will blend with both traditional and contemporary gardens. I buy all of my paving & stone from O’Connell Stone near Killumney in Cork. I find their prices and quality of service to be second to none, they also have a great display area which really helps when choosing a stone or slab.
Lastly, if you are looking out at a boring piece of grass or worse still a heap of earth, have a look at the photo gallery page on the website and look at what can be done, remember that most of these gardens can be adapted in size and cost.
Remember ‘THINK IKEA FOR THE HOUSE, DC GARDENS FOR THE GARDEN, GREAT DESIGN FOR AN AFFORDABLE COST’.
Give me a call on 086 3345071 for a chat if you are thinking of planning a new garden in the coming months. First visit is FREE of charge.
Dominick Cullinane
