New Build Garden Advice

Inforapenny

Hi, recently moved into a new build in a housing estate. Garden is south/south west facing.

Garden is relatively small and there is a bit of a patio down one side and outside the back door. Gate at the end of the garden is to access side entrance.

Looking for any helpful advice to a few questions as gardening knowledge and experience is non-existent. I have attached a few pics to give some context. Builders/Builders landscapers planted a load of seed in the garden before they left, seems quite a few small stones in the garden too - but maybe that is to be expected on an ex-building site.

1) We are thinking of extending the patio by maybe two paving stones to enable us to have room for a garden table & chairs, BBQ etc. In the picture you will see at the edge of the patio, is a few stones going the width of the grass. The stones are about 1 inch at most in depth and there is a piece of wood going the length of grass on the far side of the stones as a border of some sort. Would these stones be just for decorative purposes and not for any drainage reason (may be a silly question) ?

2) We will need a garden shed (planning for wooden, steel is out of the equation) for storage and plan to put it into the bottom left corner as you look down the garden with the front door of the shed facing the entrance gate on the fence. Two questions/concerns we would have here:

2A) They planted a tree down around there and it will need to be moved if we want to put the shed there. Don't particularly want to put the shed anywhere else as it would be bringing it up closer to the house. Any suggestions on where we should or could move the tree too?

2B) The ground seems particularly wet down that corner compared to the rest of the garden after some of the recent heavy one-off downpours we have had. Also, it does seem to probably get less sun directly on it as the sun would only be shining on that corner in the evening time. If we were to get a wooden shed is there anything extra we should do to the ground in that corner of the garden before placing a shed there?

3) It is only early days but you can see from one of the pictures attached that there has been a bit of grass growth in areas. The builders lashed a load of seed down and in some areas where the grass hasn't grown yet it is like a slugs trail of seed altogether (nearly like it is having the opposite effect of trying to grow the grass as there is so much of it). The seed would have been planted when the weather was particularly warm, we have tried to water daily and we have had a couple of downpours too. Any advice on what we should be doing to help the grass grow? Remove weeds as we see them, put down more seeds where it looks like no growth, water daily etc. etc.

Three pics attached to give context (apologies but for some reason the pics are appearing on their side and not as they look normally)

Many thanks

GardenMainView.jpg

GardenLatest.jpg

GardenStones&Tree.jpg

looksee

I would be inclined to wait and see. It does look as though they have done a half decent job of the garden, though its amazing what you can cover up with a half inch of decent top soil and a rake. See how it comes up and what it looks like by next season. If it is poor by next summer you may have to dig it over and remove rubbish, sort out compacted spots etc.

It will be difficult enough to get another row of paving down to blend with the existing paving, getting it level and spacing etc. If the guys are still around the estate they might come and put down another row for you as a nixer, which might be the best solution. The row of stones is supposed to have a purpose but I have no idea what it is, unless it is supposed to take rain water off the paving rather than turn the edge of the lawn into mud. I am not convinced of its effectiveness and no doubt it will grow a fine crop of weeds. It should have been a drain grid (don't knowwhat they are called).

Inforapenny

Thank you for your helpful reply.

Funny you say that about a half inch of decent top soil and rake, because the few days before they put down the top soil & raked it over before putting down the seed, there was a ridiculous amount of rocks/stones and I doubt they lifted them up, so they are most likely under the top soil.

Interesting point on the paving, I just presumed it would be easy enough to bring the additional paving stones in line & level with the existing ones. I might see if they are still around the site & willing to do a nixer.

Regarding the row of stones, they must have lashed a load of seed into it as already there is now grass growing there, which I am sure is not the intention.

Just wondering where the water is going to drain to in that bottom left corner. Is that the wet area? Looks like the garden is sloping away to that corner and water will have nowhere to go in heavy rain due to the concrete panels in the fence. Keep an eye on this. Easily solved but requires a bit of work.

Inforapenny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790342#Comment_120790342

Thanks for your reply. I take your point on where will the water go when the rain is heavy. I presume that is the same for most gardens in new builds that are concrete fenced in?

Yep, it is the bottom left corner that feels a bit damper alright. It would only get the sun shining directly into that corner in the late evening, so not at the warmest time.

Looking at it again in person, it doesnt seem particularly slopped, maybe slightly but not outrageously.

The plan is to put a shed in that bottom left corner.

Is there anything simple (simple for complete novice "gardeners") we could do to potentially mitigate against any flooding down there.

Thanks

Hi there,

Sorry for not replying, busy house with kids off for the summer.

You should notice water gathering there after a heavy downpour if it is an issue. Keep an eye now but the real issue will probably only come to light in the winter.

Is it a steel or wooden shed?

The easiest way to deal with a drainage issue without connecting to the main drains or putting in French drains is to put in a gravel drains against the concrete fence.

You can also dig a soak pit quite easily. Lots of planting and organic materials will also help with the issue.

I have done all of the above and dealt with a very similar issue in my garden.

I hope that helps.

Inforapenny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120805499#Comment_120805499

Many thanks for your reply.

Havent decided yet between wooden & steel shed. Shocked at the price of wooden sheds, it nearly seems better value to pay the extra for the steel shed. Though, dont plan to stay more than 5 years in the house so getting a standard basic wooden shed might make more sense €.

Either way, the shed will be going in that corner.

Easiest sounds best in terms of drainage correction.

Is gravel drains, simply gravel a few cms below the current soil? Or is it a bit more complex with a pipe too? If so, where does the pipe drain out too?

A little advice. Ditch the tree. Its placement in a small garden is not a good idea.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120810990#Comment_120810990

I bought a second-hand shed for maybe 1/3 the price of new.

I put on a coat of paint, some roof slates and gutters I picked up on DoneDeal and proper glass in the windows and it looks better than new for probably half the cost all in.

Inforapenny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811013#Comment_120811013

It's shocking, it is even in the way. It seems to be their signature as they planted one in all the gardens.

I think a relative will take it.

Inforapenny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811032#Comment_120811032

Was this a wooden second hand shed? Did you have to put it together again to get it into your garden?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120810990#Comment_120810990

Dig out at least a foot of soil and fill with gravel. No drains needed.

I'd also add a bed with lots of organic material such as compost, manure and mulch. Getting worms in to break up the compacted soil is important.

With a soak pit, dig a much bigger hole (Youtube is your friend) and fill with rocks etc.

In the attached photos, I had an area that flooded badly and then how I dealt with it. Haven't had any drainage issues since.

Inforapenny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811833#Comment_120811833

Thanks for your reply.

Great before & after pic of yours.

Is the bed in your garden on top of the gravel drain?

Did you have to do some drainage work before placing your shed there?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120819014#Comment_120819014

Gravel drain runs along the fence and the shed. The soak pit is under the bed. Took a huge amount of rain here last Autumn without any issues and the planting is all happy there.

Didn't do anything special under shed - base of 104 and then poured concrete. It's not going anywhere.