Materials & Build

Stone, porcelain, timber and planting - the material choices and build details that decide whether a garden still looks right in fifteen years.

Reclaimed stone courtyard terrace with brick walls and planting

West Sussex · 7 min read

Choosing Paving and Natural Stone for a Sussex Garden

Paving is the largest single surface in most gardens and the easiest to get wrong. A practical guide to stone selection for Sussex homes.

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Layered planting scheme with grasses and perennials in a Sussex garden

West Sussex · 6 min read

Year-Round Planting Schemes for West Sussex Gardens

Most gardens peak for six weeks and disappear for the rest of the year. Structure, succession and the right soil match fix that.

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Natural stone paving on a garden terrace

Sussex · 7 min read

Porcelain vs Natural Stone Paving: An Honest Comparison

Both are excellent. They fail in different ways and suit different houses - here is how we choose between them.

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Timber-clad garden room with vertical Siberian larch cladding in a Sussex garden

Sussex · 9 min read

Garden Room Cladding: Every Option Compared, With Real Costs

The cladding is the first thing anyone sees and the first thing to fail if it is specified badly. Here is how the main options compare on cost, movement, colour and maintenance.

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Insulated garden room interior suited to a music studio conversion

Sussex · 9 min read

How to Build a Soundproof Garden Room

Soundproofing a garden room is a construction problem, not a product you bolt on afterwards. Here is what actually reduces noise, and by how much.

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Garden room with glazed doors suited to a plumbed annexe or shower room

Sussex · 8 min read

Garden Room With a Toilet or Shower: What's Actually Involved

A garden room with a toilet or shower is a genuinely different building to design and build. Here is what plumbing, drainage and regulations actually involve.

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Timber-clad garden room exterior comparing cedar and larch cladding tones

Sussex · 7 min read

Cedar vs Larch Cladding: Which Is Right for Your Garden Room?

The two most requested claddings for a garden room, compared head to head on the things that actually decide how they perform and age.

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Garden room set within a landscaped Sussex garden as an alternative to a house extension

Sussex · 8 min read

Garden Room vs Extension: Which Is Actually Cheaper and Better?

The honest comparison between a garden room and a house extension, covering cost, planning, disruption and resale value, without assuming one is always right.

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Garden pavilion showing a pitched roof form set against mature planting

Sussex · 8 min read

Pitched vs Flat Roof Garden Rooms: Which Should You Choose?

The roof shape you choose affects permitted height, internal head height, character and cost. Here is how pitched and flat roofs actually compare.

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Natural stone patio with steps and planting in a sunny garden

Sussex, Surrey & Kent · 7 min read

Patio or Decking? A Straight Comparison for a British Garden

One is not better than the other. They solve different problems, and your levels usually decide which.

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Oak framed luxury car port with a stone driveway in front of a country house

Sussex, Surrey & Kent · 7 min read

Driveways and Luxury Car Ports: What They Cost and What the Rules Are

Driveways are governed by drainage law as much as by taste. Here is what each surface costs and what you are required to do with the water.

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Layered planting scheme being installed in a Sussex garden on clay soil

Sussex, Surrey & Kent · 7 min read

Planting for Clay Soil in the Weald: Plants That Actually Cope

Weald clay is difficult, fertile and worth working with. The trick is improving it rather than replacing it, and choosing plants that want it.

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Land drainage trench being installed in a clay garden before landscaping

Sussex, Surrey & Kent · 7 min read

Garden Drainage Solutions for Waterlogged Clay Gardens

A wet garden is a levels and drainage problem, not a planting problem. Solving it in the right order saves rebuilding twice.

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Terraced garden with founded retaining walls and stone steps on a sloping plot

Sussex, Surrey & Kent · 7 min read

Retaining Walls and Garden Levels on a Sloping Plot

Most of the cost in a sloping garden is invisible. Understanding retaining is how you spend it well.

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