2 level garden worth converting to 1?
gardenwish
Posts: 1
Hi all.
We have a 2 level garden at the back of our home. The back door opens to a patio and 4m in there is a step up approx 30cm and the rest of garden continues.
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We will now be extending 4 metres and the builder would need to dig out 3 m of the raised garden to create new patio. He has suggested that whilst he has the digger there to dig out the whole garden and make it one level. He says garden will feel larger if all level.
Dont know if relevant but our street is a slight hill so my neighbors garden is different level to mine. The neighbor on left is lower. By digging out I would become level with them and my right hand neighbor would become higher.
As part of the job obviously he will replace the current low fencing with 6 foot replacement to retain any exposed boundaries.
An additional consideration is because I would like to build a garden office at some stage so if we keep at 2 levels I would lose the 'stretch of garden, because after extention would need to be 3m of patio and then steps up. Current garden is 21 m. after extention will be 17, so if make 3m patio and then 4 m garden office at back would leave with 10 m arden for the kids vs if one level would be 13m stretch from back door to the garden office.
Sound good?
I suppose my question is (besides for £'s) are there any downsides to this plan?
Posts
My first thought would be to investigate the current water table ... you don't want to have water draining from the neighbour's garden to yours and then down to the other neighbour's garden.
Also, a 6 ft fence will not 'retain any exposed boundaries' ... you'll need something much more substantial.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My immediate concern is the same as that raised by Dovefromabove. Lowering your ground level may result in water from the adjoining garden gathering in yours. The next question is what the quality of the soil would be if you take off 30 cm of topsoil. If you are going to lower the garden I would be inclined to get the topsoil removed and set aside and then remove some of the sub-soil and replace the topsoil.