extra parking space for a driveway in
Banstead

Brief

The brief was to create a new parking space for this front garden / driveway with plenty of planting to soften the hard landscaping.

The main entrance was to be slightly widened, with the pedestrian side entrance retained to give easy access for bins and to the side gate and back garden.

A new porch had recently been built and so a new step was required.

Design and outcome

Rather than re-landscape the whole of the large driveway which would have added substantially to the cost, it was suggested to keep the original crazy paving in front of the garage as the paving was generally in very good condition; it just needed some re-pointing and re-laying in part. It was an ecologically sustainable decision as well.

The original Yorkstone crazy paving was re-used (and some new Yorkstone added) to re-lay the pedestrian side access path plus a new brick path now leads to the front door, with a new step in the same bricks. All the materials were chosen to tie in with each other and also to the house bricks.

The new parking space of flint chippings with brick detail gives a variation in material and is permeable.

The existing heathers, mature palm, topiary holly bush and plum tree were retained and the new beds filled with roses, structural evergreen Pittosporum, Yew and Euonymous plus plenty of colourful perennials and grasses. Specimen shrubs such as Hydrangea 'Vanille Fraise', variegated Weigela and purple leaved Elder feature, also bee attracting plants such as Verbena, lavender and betony (stachys officinalis).

The driveway entrance is slightly wider and the whole garden now has the desired practical advantages plus an attractive 'kerb appeal'.

''Nancy tuned in very quickly to what we wanted and we are thrilled with the result. The landscapers she works with were also excellent and we have had so many admiring comments from neighbours and passers-by''

Mr and Mrs S, Banstead