Barbecue Heaven
· Domestic, Terrace
A landscaped barbecue terrace in Hertfordshire
“Steep banks can be transformed to add interest to a garden. Here we created an ‘entertainment hub’ nestled into an unused bank, complete with barbecue area for real outdoor living”
The garden design brief
This garden design brief followed the completion of an extension to the house that provided a beautiful summer room but left the owners with a steep and severe bank directly outside.
“Good use of different levels provides plenty of space for outdoor entertaining”
The approach
We needed to make the outdoor space usable which meant one thing – removing a lot of earth! Several lorry loads later there was enough space to build a retaining wall with a flight of steps leading up to the rest of the garden.
Nestled within the bank we designed a curved decked area to entertain around a table with a special space for the barbecue to the side. In addition to this useful family garden space, a private hammock area was hidden at end of the garden for extra peace and quiet.
The garden construction materials
Natural Indian stone paving was used for the garden terrace and southern yellow pine for the deck. It was important to use bricks for the retaining wall that matched the house and all was lit with subtle atmospheric garden lighting to enable evening entertaining too.
To complete the garden the existing borders were enhanced with new planting to add colour and interest.
The result
Good use of different levels provides plenty of space for outdoor entertaining and an interesting view of the garden from the house.