This garden sits behind a row of modern three-storey townhouses in Pontypool, fenced on both sides with overlap panels. It is long and fairly narrow, with a timber shed in the far corner. The job was to rework it into a mix of grass and patio areas.
Before we started, the garden was a lawn edged with timber sleepers, a path of dark slate chippings along one fence, a small blue picket fence and a rotary washing line. The finished space is paved almost wall to wall in buff sandstone, with a neat raised grass area towards the back.
A framed grass panel
Rather than pave the whole plot, we set a rectangle of grass towards the far end, raised inside a timber frame. The raised edge stops the paving and the grass getting in each other's way, and makes the grass easy to keep tidy, even in a garden this narrow. Along one side, a planted bed at the same level softens the fence line.
Around it, the sandstone runs all the way from the back of the house to the shed. The slabs are riven buff and honey tones laid in a random pattern of mixed sizes. When the photos were taken the stone was wet from rain, which brings out the warm browns.
Gravel edges and room for a table
We left a narrow strip of gravel between the paving and the fence on each side. This keeps the fence posts and panels clear of the slab edges and gives rainwater from the patio somewhere to drain.
The open paving now takes a rattan dining set and a barbecue with room to spare. The shed stayed where it was, and the path to it is now paved all the way. In general terms, a patio and lawn job like this involves:
- clearing the old edging, chippings and clutter
- digging out and laying a compacted sub-base
- bedding the slabs with a gentle fall for rainwater
- building the timber frames for the grass and the bed
- finishing the edges with gravel
Planning something similar
Narrow gardens on newer estates often work best with one main paved area and a single, well-defined patch of green. Our landscaping and garden design page explains how we plan a layout, and our sandstone paving page covers stone of this type. For local ideas, see artificial grass or real turf for a Pontypool garden and our landscaping in Pontypool page.
Questions About This Job
Why raise a small lawn?
A raised, edged lawn has a clean line, stays separate from the paving and is easy to mow or brush. It also gives the eye something to settle on in a long, narrow garden.
Does sandstone suit a new-build garden?
It does. Buff sandstone looks warm against brick and timber fencing, and its natural variation stops a large paved area looking flat.
Why leave gravel by the fence?
It keeps the slab edges off the fence panels and posts, lets water soak away and makes future fence repairs easier.
How do I get a quote for landscaping like this?
Send us a message with a few photos, and Tony and the team will visit and give you a free quote.
