West Ryde Landscape Design and Construction ​

Introduction ​

In todays world, it is increasingly difficult to control aspects of ones own day to day experiences, between pandemics and politicians there are constant uncertainties and changes happening that leave us feeling as if there is a lack of control over our own choices. One area that for most of us remains our safe space is our homes, and with more work happening remotely we tend to spend more of our daily lives in this space. It is important that this space is geared towards our particular needs and wants, this is where design comes in to play. 
Design allows us to shape and create spaces according to our whims and wishes, and in particular landscape design enables us to sculpt our environments beyond four walls and a roof. New Acre is privileged to be a part of assisting our clients in the design and creation of these spaces and the following project is an example of this. ​

Design Brief ​

The project is based in the Broxbourne area of Hertfordshire, the property bordering on the New River canal had a great ecology to begin with and we were excited to enhance this. The client had a rough idea of what they were looking for which provided us with a great starting point. The project was to encompass a redesign of the entire driveway area as well as the spacious garden bordering the canal, the clients main requirements included the following: 

• Sustainability and re-use of materials 
  
• Update aesthetics of the landscape to match the updated house 
  

• Provide structure in the garden that clearly defined usable and ornamental spaces with a focus on maintaining a large and flat lawn area for their children to play 
  
• Create a biodiverse landscape that attracted the local fauna 
  

With these key points in mind the design phase begun, and as with most design projects it consisted of back and forth communication with the client to ensure that the evolving design best catered to their requirements. ​

Driveway Area ​

The driveway had the original block paving installed with the house in the 70’s and didn’t allow much room for soft landscaping as it was a large swathe of cement blocks that no longer reflected the needs of the family. As the property is on a slight away from the road towards to the canal coupled with the large impermeable surface there was a significant amount of rain water runoff that overloaded the existing drainage and ultimately ended up in the canal adding to the risk of flooding down stream. The main steps in improving this condition were as follows: 

• The driveway area was reduced to little over half the original size, reducing the impermeable surface 
  
• Large planting beds were introduced with low retaining walls creating terraces which slowed the flow of water down the slope and increased  infiltration 
  
• Adjustments to the entry level of the driveway redirected runoff from the road to the correct inlets 
  
• Increasing the drain capacity on the driveway to ensure that extremey high rainfall events are catered for. 
  

In terms of the aesthetics of the new installation, high load bearing sandstone slabs were used for the drive itself, with a decorative slate border which doubles as an overrun area for the larger vehicles. The slate border also accommodated the electrical conduiting for the lights on the new gate pillars. Large boulders sustainably sourced added the final layer of texture to the planting beds. 

Back Garden ​

The back garden had overgrown and undefined beds either side of a large lawn area which lacked definition and created weedy areas where the lawn and decorative beds blended. A large conifer hedge on the south side of the property blocked most of the natural light from reaching the house and created shady and damp areas throughout which were not conducive to growth of other plants. The timber fencing had seen better days and contributed to a neglected look. The lawn was bisected by a slabbed pathway leading to the canal edge, this greatly reduced the usable area of the lawn. At some point in the past a patio had been added the full width of the house with steps down to the lawn that also spanned the width of the patio, this once again was largely unused and wasted space, particularly the steps. The corners of the garden were largely unused and neglected spaces. 
The redesign of this spaces consisted of the following main points: 

• The large conifer hedge was removed which completely transformed and opened the space, letting in sunlight and natural warmth. This also had the effect of reducing the heating requirements within the house and reducing the footprint. 
• The steps were reduced to a more realistic width creating the opportunity to break out the treads and re-purpose the structure as formal terraced planting beds which framed the patio and reduced the imposing and somewhat bland façade of the house. Helping with this was the introduction of strategic planting pots and a trellis for climbing jasmine to cover portions of the façade. 
• A pathway was introduced which circumvented the lawn area and made use of the previously unused border of the garden. The existing path through the middle of the lawn was removed and the grass re-instated which created a much larger usable area for the children. 
• As the client enjoys using the outdoor space in summer as well as hosting friends and family, a fire pit and seating area was nestled in the corner of the garden. 
• The waterfront area along the canal was largely overgrown and not able to be enjoyed, so the area was cleared and turfed along with the introduction of a low picket fence as edge protection for the children. 

• A small rockery was added as a textural layer to the space. ​

Sustainability and ecology ​

In terms of sustainability, the mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle was echoed throughout the project. Any waste generated by the deconstruction of the existing elements was repurposed and reused, this resulted in a large reduction in removal to landfill sites as well as reduced the amount of virgin materials being imported. Not only is this more sustainable, it also greatly reduced the cost to the client. The following steps were taken to maximise this: 

• The block paving from the driveway was broken up to form part of the base for the new garden path. 

• The existing sand under the block paving was salvaged and used in the mixing of mortar to correct the levels for the new sandstone slabs. 
• The existing base was strong and stable and therefore remained as the base of the new driveway. 
• The base in areas that were to become the new planting beds was removed and formed part of the base for the new garden path. 
• Solar lighting was used where suitable to reduce the electricity consumption. 
• The slabs removed from the old path through the lawn where salvaged and reused as stepping stones in the new pathway, the leftover slabs where used to the clad the exposed brickwork on the steps and terraced beds. 

Existing plants were salvaged and used in the new planting scheme alongside new indigenous species that would attract the local bugs and birds. Wild fruit trees were added strategically to provide summer shade as well as assist in the biodiversity of the garden. 
 
The end product was a successful re-design and construction of an environment in which the client now enjoys spending time with their family. The project was equally as fulfilling for New Acre as we got to test our skills on some intricate and complex pieces of the puzzle, working alongside the client to achieve the desired result. ​