Encouragement or a reality check

Hello!

I’m new here, and I came because I’m feeling very tentative about starting to do something with my garden. I have ADHD and tend to go from huge project to huge project - I do finish them and usually find it worthwhile! For example, my last huge project was to learn to sew, and now I make all my own clothes. My last, smaller project was to reupholster my giant sofa with a patchwork I made myself, and I managed that too. So, in terms of being realistic, that’s the context - I tend to use my hyperfocus to my benefit. (I am putting this up front because I have parents who tend to roll their eyes and say things like, “don’t be ridiculous, you can’t reupholster a sofa by yourself”, about almost anything I decide to try - which means, when they have told me my current garden plan is ridiculous, it makes me doubt myself without actually making me believe them…

When I moved into my house, the backyard was a mess. Render crumbling away from the garden wall, and the whole yard covered with slippery and in some places, rotting decking. The decking feels too high - when you look out onto my garden, you feel like you’re missing a ton of space under your feet.

I want to remove all the decking, entirely, and start over again, preparing the ground and learning to plant seeds/bulbs, and do actual gardening. I also want to remove all the render from the garden wall, and depending on what’s underneath, either leave it as bare brick, or get someone in to re-render it.

Can I ask - what is the worst that could happen? Is there anyone out there who’s tried creating a garden from scratch, like this? I don’t have the money to pay an expert landscaper, though I would love to! But I do have an eye for design and a fair sense of what I’d like it to end up like, and I don’t mind taking a long, long time to get where I’m going.

One of my worries is that it may be solid concrete underneath the decking and I wouldn’t know how to remove that - or even how to find someone to remove it. Another is that I don’t know how to prepare the bare, compressed earth that is probably underneath all that, so that I could plant grass seed for a lawn, or create flower beds. These are things I could research and work out, of course, and I do expect to pay experts to do specific things along the way. But I would like to DIY all the things it is sensible to DIY, even so.

I know this is partially a DIY question, not just a gardening question, but I wanted to ask it, as I suspect people here will have knowledge about some of the difficulties I’ll be facing - and I could do with a good awareness of these issues in advance

If this is a totally stupid idea, I need an expert to tell me so, and explain why, so I can accept it and move on in my thinking! If it’s not a totally stupid idea, it would be great to know that too!

I’d really appreciate any comments or advice!

 

Hi Lucy, welcome to the forum .

First of all, I don't think it's a crazy idea at all. It may have challenges along the way but you're clearly up for that.

I think it's best to start with the decking, there are almost certainly people on here who have removed it and can advise you on the best way to tackle it.

If there is concrete underneath, a lot will depend on how much there is and what condition it's in. It may be possible to incorporate some of it into your new garden, such as a patio area, or somewhere to display pots of flowers, herbs or mini vegetables.
You may have to look into hiring a breaker to break it up, or a sledgehammer may be sufficient if the layer isn't too thick.

I'm sure others will have plenty of advice, the only other thing I would say is if possible can you upload a couple of photos just to give some idea of what you're dealing with ?

 

Hi,

Thanks for this! I will upload a photo, but it is very bad - please don’t judge it! As I say, it was like this when I moved in. (Except for the green paint - before I painted, it looked as though the render would probably be all right if I sanded it down thoroughly. Obviously, it was not all right! Lesson learned. It looked lovely for about three minutes though.)

I tried to take some others but there aren’t really any good angles to take them from!

Hope this helps to show the work that will need to be put in.

The decking does have screws, which is one thing. A bit less prying up than if they were nails, I think.

 

I think some pictures would help regarding giving advice.

 

Hiya,

I think I’ve been able to just add one - see above!

 

Perhaps lift a plank or two at the far side from the gate and see what is under there. The screws might be difficult to remove, but there are ways to get them out. We had decking here that the previous owner had for access reasons. It was very slippery, cleaning down worked for a while, but only a while. We removed it at first opportunity, for you my worry would be why the decking is there. Good luck!

 

Ah, interesting point! My yard is on a very steep hill, so I thought it might be to level the garden off a bit. Have you heard of decking being used to cover certain things up? Any idea what I should be preparing myself for?

(When I bought the house, I remember telling my friends that the decking looked so unnatural to me I was worried it might be there to hide a body. But I was only joking, so I hope that’s not what you meant!)

 

No nothing as awful as that! Perhaps a manhole or two or just a mess of rubble. Best to know before you start and see what you are up against.

 

Oooh, I hope not a manhole! I think there isn’t loads of rubble, as I can see through the gaps in quite a few parts, and when I shine my torch down, I can see ground underneath. Not in enough detail to know what it is, but it’s not completely obscured, at least!

I suppose, if I’m removing the render, I could hire a skip for both lots of rubble, but that would require some very speedy work, or keeping the skip for quite a while!

 

It's quite possible that whoever decked it was someone who didn't like gardening and decided it was the easiest option. It really was all the fashion some years back.
It does sound hopeful that you can see what looks like ground underneath.
Looking forward to seeing what's hidden beneath it .

I see what you mean about the render !

 

Thanks! Just need to find the charger to my drill now!

 

Your garden has what an estate agent might describe as " considerable potential" !
First thoughts :
render is failing because wall is damp through lack of anti-damp course (garden walls never have this) Its not the best but is made worse by vinyl paint covering, meaning it cannot dry out .Only be concerned if signs of cracking/leaning etc. of the wall.
Decking may be rotted but if not, could be retained as access path to the gate, at least.Partial removal may prove that additional support of the joists beneath is needed if you cut/remove parts of them. This is not too difficult for a lay-person.
First job is to decide upon a layout you will be happy with. Then report back with a budget available and any additional assets to hand (partner, toolkit, previous experiences etc)
Gardening is not a project, rather a lifestyle. Redesign/reconstruction is the project.

 

Is it overhung with trees.
Does the garden get much sunlight, it looks a bit green.

 

Oooh ok, so I didn’t cause my render issues, but I worsened them. Whoops. Oh well! It would have needed redoing either way.

I have big dreams for layout, including stone patio area just outside the door, with stone path to the gate, a lawn, and raised flowerbeds to either side. However, the space is very small, so I’ll have to compromise somewhere. Still, I always find it’s best to start off with huge ideas, and not shrink them until you’re a fairly long way into research and planning. Otherwise, I just get unnecessarily despondent. (By the time I’ve done a bit of research, I usually know my alternatives a bit better, so it’s not giving up, it’s just adjusting my vision.)

No partner (probably no unpaid help at all - my family are at a distance and I wouldn’t like to ask friends), yes toolkit, also a circular saw, jigsaw, electric drill/driver, sander, chisels, hammers etc. DIY has been a recent project, so I’m still a beginner there but maybe an advanced beginner. (I built a gigantic indoor rabbit hutch and run, with connected tunnel, and human sized door. But not very neatly. I think that’s advanced beginner-lower intermediateish).

At present I have no budget - by which I mean, my ADHD makes planning with money, really, really, really hard. I can’t visualise it, and it feels a bit like time - like, if you work hard enough, it will stretch surely?! So, it would need to be done a little at a time with a focus on smaller budgets (how much will it be to remove the concrete under the decking? Ok, then how much will it be to lay a path? For each step. Otherwise I get very overwhelmed!) for what it’s worth, this rarely means any great delay due to running out of money. I usually do manage to make it stretch - or I change my plan going along!

 

Hi,

Not really, re the trees. Some of a neighbour’s branches hang over just slightly but not enough to annoy, or to block out sun. It gets a lot of sun, for a garden in the UK. It is ______ facing (I always forget, but anyway, the garden and the back of the house get a lot of sun and are warm, while the living room and the front of the house get no sun and are cool. That should mean the garden is south facing? Is that right?)