Bought a new house, need real help with the garden!
Hey all,
I have attached some pictures so hopefully that helps. We bought a fixer upper house, very cheaply that was seriously neglected by the previous owners. Due to working from home for the foreseeable we have turned our attention to the garden. Whilst what I have done is not perfect, I’ve done it by myself and I have a budget of pretty much nothing as the whole house had to be refurbed as it was derelict.




I have attached some pictures so hopefully that helps. We bought a fixer upper house, very cheaply that was seriously neglected by the previous owners. Due to working from home for the foreseeable we have turned our attention to the garden. Whilst what I have done is not perfect, I’ve done it by myself and I have a budget of pretty much nothing as the whole house had to be refurbed as it was derelict.
The garden is approximately 70ft long by 17ft wise. The previous owner had attempted to do something with the garden and by that I mean it was completely destroyed, we have attempted strip it right back and I’ve attempted to build two retaining walls to tier it as it had a fairly steep slope, doesn’t look too bad in the pictures but eye level and sitting in a chair it was pretty bad.
in one of the pictures you can see where the old retaining wall used to be, I’ve just rebuilt this all the way along with a plan to patio for a bbq area once the tree is out.
we are considering following what I have attempted with the other two levels and replacing the bottom wall and bringing it up to try and level out the bottom level some more.
in one of the pictures you can see where the old retaining wall used to be, I’ve just rebuilt this all the way along with a plan to patio for a bbq area once the tree is out.
we are considering following what I have attempted with the other two levels and replacing the bottom wall and bringing it up to try and level out the bottom level some more.
Given what we have and the limited budget (first time buyers, spent most of our money indoors), what would you do with the space?
there is a concrete structure at the back which will be taken down and replaced with a summer house, in the picture looking down the garden the structure is behind me and about 5m by 3m.



The trees are being removed.
any questions or if you need different picture angles please do let me know! Thank you for all your help!
some pictures before we started working on it a month ago!
there is a concrete structure at the back which will be taken down and replaced with a summer house, in the picture looking down the garden the structure is behind me and about 5m by 3m.




any questions or if you need different picture angles please do let me know! Thank you for all your help!
some pictures before we started working on it a month ago!




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In order of priority, the big tree needs to come down asap (it will be very messy). Ask the contractors whether chipping the remains is included in the price and if so, bag this up and keep it as it might come in useful as a mulch.
Secondly, your boundaries need to be sorted with proper fencing. If money is tight and some existing panels are sound, they can be reused and if necessary, re-painted so it all matches.
Thirdly I would suggest that you need new, wider and shallower steps at your bottom level to make it look more attractive and safer to walk up and down.
I think that will do for starters, I suggest you sort out the practicalities first and the planting last.
The garden has been a god send, especially compared to what the house was like, but we got it for a steal and all of the work we have done including in the garden using free sites to source materials no longer needed or wanted etc.
I`ve always moved into houses where owners could`nt be bothered, one we had was
40 ft long and 16ft wide and contained 14 sheds! We sorted out fences first then a seating area to do some thinking in situ! We decided on most important area near house and worked our way from there. I could`nt `plan' a garden, never have. I live in it and plan as I go....small steps at a time or I would find it too overwhelming.
OR us folk on here could recommend you to Love Your Garden
I'd be very careful about what you do with the fence, fence disputes are not uncommon and can get really nasty. There's a whole forum dedicated to fences on gardenlaw.co.uk but to be honest it's confusing as hell.
Have to say though, I love your garden! It'd make an awesome secret garden, if you're into that sort of thing!
do you have any examples of secret gardens? They sound interesting!!
Just offer to replace it, then you can choose one you like, put the nicer side facing you and there will be no doubt that it’s yours!
I doubt your neighbour plans to tackle this infestation any time soon so I just wanted to highlight the fact that you will need to be vigilant and remove it as it arises in your plot. You don't want your hard work ruined.
I think the issue with the fence might be that although the boundary is legally your's, if the neighbour was the one who put the fence up, the fence itself may belong to them. If that's the case, doing anything with it could cause big issues. It's been a while since I looked anything up regarding fences so I wouldn't take that as gospel! If you offered to replace it as suggested by Flydragon, it's unlikely they'd object unless they're the really bloodyminded sort.
Pinterest is my go to for inspiration (also images on Google). Just search for secret garden ideas and it'll come up with a whole host of images. Generally, there's LOTS of planting, especially foliage. I'm hoping to give mine that look although don't have the money for all of the planting at the moment!