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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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