Turning Our Garden Into A Useable Space

One of my biggest home related goals for 2026 was to get our garden renovated. We didn’t know if we’d be able to do a full or partial renovation, but thankfully we managed the former.

Our garden before we okay but there were some key things we didn’t like.

Firstly because our garden (and the surrounding area) isn’t flat our fences were all over the place and not all the same height. So we wanted this fixed. And the big one was our decking. It was getting old, starting to rot and I didn’t like the huge step between that and the grass. Plus the people who lived there before us had a huge pond so there was just a massive hole in the corner of the decking. So we wanted this fixed.

What we had done

The gardeners we use are fab and chatted through all the plans with Luke.

The work was split into three parts. Part one included adding new concrete bases and brand new fence panels all around the garden. What we actually ended up doing was installing these a few CM in front of the existing ones. So technically we have double fences. It meant we didn’t have to dig up or cause any disruption in numerous neighbours gardens. Our garden backs onto another street so the fences are all our responsibility and back on to around six different properties. So doing this made the most sense to us.

Next up was replacing the decking with a patio. Our gardeners dug up and got rid of all of the decking (including whatever surprises were underneath). Then they levelled it out and installed new gray porcelain tiles.

We opted for porcelain tiles because they were super durable, UB-resistant (so the colour won’t fade), ultra-low porosity (resisting frost damage/ moss etc), and they are slip resistant. Alongside the patio we had a path made going from the patio to our log cabin. Some steps were built from our two back doors onto the decking and they look so neat (even though the doors are at different heights).

Then the final part was to dig up all of the existing ‘lawn’ and lay new turf. Now of course this ended up being done right at the start of the first week of heatwave. So we were out there watering it every morning and every night to make sure it took. Thankfully we have saved pretty much all of it.

Using our garden now

We couldn’t be more over the moon about our garden and being able to use it comfortably. A few weeks after we knew the grass had survived Scarlett’s birthday present was built (a slide and swing set). And while she’s not had much of a chance to use it as it’s just been too hot, I can’t wait to spend time out there with her to enjoy it. Especially as she starts to get a bit older and can climb up the steps etc.

We had a BBQ a few days after getting the work completed and it was such a lovely space to use. We had plenty of space, and didn’t have to worry about anyone toppling over on the steps.

I go out to our log cabin quite often and having a continuous walkway without pesky steps from the decking makes it so much nicer. Now I can’t wait to spend more time out there (when it’s not quite as hot!)