Would you say this is a small garden and will we outgrow it?

[Beanbeany]

It's roughly 45ft by 35ft. Sunny. Southfacing.

We like the house but the garden is smaller than any others we've seen. We had our eye on something with a much bigger garden but we may have just missed out on that. We live in a flat so any garden seems attractive to us, frankly.

We have two children (4yo and 12 wks) and not planning any more. We would hope to stay put until they are teenagers. We are not gardeners but happy to plant a few bits, especially veg. 4yo is desperate for a trampoline and we have agreed cos we think it is well deserved after 4 young years with no outside space to speak of. We would also like a small shed and possibly even a playhouse.

So, in your experience, is this garden too small? Will we outgrow it? Will a 10ft trampoline (plus net) dominate it?

TIA

[Fizzylemonade]

I would go with some string and a tape measure, mark out a 10ft trampoline, then think about table and chairs, BBQ, washing line, shed.

It honestly depends how much you personally will use the garden compared to how the children use the garden.

I have 2 boys who are constantly in the back garden. I sit out on a steamer lounger thing when the weather is nice. Our shed is hidden down the side of the house (we are on a corner plot) all my veg is grown in my front garden which is big. The back garden is mainly for my sons so they have a climbing frame and slide. We have table and chairs and 2 steamer lounger things.

My boys are 8 and 5. I think this garden will last us. It is a little bit bigger than the one you are talking about but not by much.

[Portofino]

That sounds slightly larger than our garden. We have a large patio and small area of grass. I have one 7 yo and it seems big enough. Next door have 3 and a largish trampoline. It does takeover a bit. A small trampoline would be fine. They also have a playhouse on one side of their patio and a slide/seesaw. I would say it was doable, but balls do tend to go over into the other gardens on a regular basis.

[Portofino]

Sorry - in fact I am doing my sums wrong and this garden would be much bigger than ours

[Beanbeany]

Thanks, Fizzy. It's difficult not having had a garden before but I'd expect to eat every meal possible outside in good weather, including breakfast; hang out the washing most days unless raining or in the depths of winter; a bit of relaxing on a lounger when I get time (so probably never!)

I'd expect/encourage the children to be out there a lot, come rain or shine, until they turn into monosyllabic, computer-obsessed persons - I have no idea at what age that happens!

We don't need to sustain the whole family with homegrown veg but I do like to grow a few things mainly to show the kids their food doesn't just come from supermarkets. We usually have a couple of big growbags on our balcony in the summer with tomatoes, lettuce and stuff.

BBQ? I hadn't even thought of that. Will I need a BBQ? I guess maybe I will.

I did basically "step out" a trampoline space during the viewing but when I look in other people's gardens the whole thing, complete with net, just looks so enormous and overbearing.

[Beanbeany]

Portofino, do your neighbours have the same size garden as you? I hadn't thought of the balls going over fences. That would definitely happen. I wouldn't mind them coming into our garden, no big deal to throw them back, but I hope others wouldn't mind when the situation was reversed.

[Portofino]

Yes neighbour's garden in the same size. But probably 18 foot by 30 foot - I need more coffee! It is big enough for us and we have an 8 ft by 6 ft pool that goes up in the summer.

[Beanbeany]

Oh, God, a pool. That's something else I forgot about. Am I going to have to declutter the garden on a regular basis?

Portofino, your neighbours have all those things in an 18ft x 30ft garden? That gives me a bit of hope.

Does anyone know if a trampoline can be easily dismantled during the winter so I wouldn't have to look at it year round? Or is it something that once built you never want to even think about taking it apart again?

[MollieO]

If I had a garden that size and wanted a ten ft trampoline I'd get one if those that is dug into the ground.

[charitygirl]

Sounds plenty big enough to me, but then I am in London. And southfacing is worth its weight in gold.

[Fiddledee]

The trampoline will completely dominate the garden, I had a garden that size and sw facing until recently. I found for one small girl that size garden was fine but for my toddler boy as well we really needed more space. To be honest if we had two girls maybe we wouldn't have moved. We have moved to a house with a huge garden and the kids spend all day in the garden, compared to our small town garden.

After just putting up a trampoline took DH all day but it was a very large one, you do not want to go dismantling every winter, where would you store it unless you have a garage.

[fancyschmancy]

sounds huge to me. Ours is 20 by 36 and is way too small for a 10ft trampoline, but we are in London in an area where no-one expects big gardens. We have a biggish patio, a small lawn, a slide and shed, and could probably just about fit in a small trampoline and a playhouse.

I'd say if it's bothering you now it will bother you even more when you move in. We're between 2 fab parks so it's OK, but I'd love to be able to let dcs kick balls around and disappear down to the bottom of the garden for hours on end like I did as a child!

[Beanbeany]

OK, so I think the trampoline is the main issue. I am a total trampoline novice. Could I get smaller than 10ft? Would smaller last until they were bored of trampolining? Could the occasional adult have a go? Also, I am uber-worried about the dangers. Having one dug into the ground sounds great - but presumably you can still bounce off it and on to the grass and injure yourself. Or would you still have the net? I wonder if the hole underneath would just fill up with water.

Lesson of the day: do not make rash promises to a small child about trampolines.

Actually, if it wasn't for that, I'd think the garden was OK really. I especially love the sunny aspect.

Fancy - I know what you mean about disappearing down the garden. I did that in my grandparents place as a child. My most treasured memories are of being in that garden. Gah, so frustrating. The house itself is great.

[angel1976]

Beanbeany You can get 6ft, 8ft ones too.

www.elc.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-ELCENGB-Site/default/Search-Show?q=trampoline

But I suspect that your DS is already too big for the 6ft one. My friend has one of those and they are quite sweet. Would say suitable for up to 4-5 years old. Can you convince him a playhouse or sandpit is equally as good? I don't like trampolines much either. I know what you mean about them domineering the garden!

[angel1976]

P.S. We are buying a house with an 85ft garden because we have two boys. Enough said!

[Beanbeany]

Ah, Angel, I think we need something that will last until about age 10, probably even older! DD wants a playhouse too but would be heartbroken if it was INSTEAD of a trampoline.

We have seen lots of houses with big gardens but the houses are generally too small or need some substantial money spending on them - which we don't have. So annoying. Big enough houses with big gardens are out of our league, pricewise, so I'm thinking if it's either or we should go for a bigger house with a smaller garden.

[angel1976]

Beanbeany I feel your pain. I honestly do. We looked at quite a few houses and discounted a few stunning ones because the garden was too small (there was a beautiful house, which the owners extended at the cost of the garden, the garden was teeny weeny but the price certainly reflected it). In the end, we went for this one, which I wasn't 100% about in the beginning as the loft conversion wasn't as big as in some of the others we have seen, because the garden allowed us room for expansion in the future (I could see us knocking through the kitchen to put a small extension/conservatory out there) and also for the boys to play out in. So, something had to go! But it was very close, we saw another stunning house that was bigger than the one we went for but with a smaller garden and it sold for more money than we wanted to pay so I think we realised then we had to accept some sort of compromise. Good luck, I know it's not the easiest decision. Whereabouts in London are you buying?

[IngridBergmann]

I think it will be fine. Ours don't use the garden much in the winter and in the summer it's massive for them...we have a similar age gap, ours now 3 and 7, and though they love the freedom (garden is about 100ft by 30ft) I am sure we could manage with a much smaller area. We've had to think of things to fill it with...chickens, climbing frame, swings, trampoline, playhouse. Or it seems just a vast empty space!

Most people we know have much smaller gardens and tbh when it's raining and muddy I'd almost rather it wasn't there

HTH

[IngridBergmann]

More importantly, is whether it's overlooked, sunny, that sort of thing. You will make it wonderful

[Beanbeany]

Angel - I know, it's deciding where to make the compromises! We've already had to compromise a little bit on area and are trying to come to terms with that. We're not in London at all. If we were, I would be supergrateful for a garden that size!

Ingrid - you have given me hope with talk of rain and mud I do get a good feel about this place, if I'm honest.

[angel1976]

Beanbeany I think you have made up your mind! Go for it. You will find a way of making it work. The house we are going for we can really see as our family home too. The family living in it has really made it home for them in the last 15 years they were there and it shows. It's nice, quality finishes they have rather than cheap, nasty stuff put in by developers... I swore I read somewhere you were in London! I think I am going mad!

[Beanbeany]

It was Charitygirl who's in London so you're only going a bit mad! Yes, this has quality finishes too rather than cheap, nasty, do-it-up-and-sell-it-on-quick stuff. I do sound like I've made up my mind, don't I?! I suppose I'm just scared to make a mistake cos it's so expensive to move mainly due to the stupid stamp duty we can't afford to do it again for many years, if at all.

[angel1976]

If it makes you feel any better, you are not the only one! This is going to be our 'forever' home or until the boys go to secondary school (they are only 3 and 17 months now) so we will be there for a while... We are so scared of making a mistake too but houses just don't come up that often in the area we are buying in and after 'losing' a few, we just had to bite the bullet! Do let us know how you get on.

[angel1976]

P.S. We are not gardeners either so we can see trouble coming up with an 85ft garden to maintain but hoping my dear MIL will come to the rescue!

[Beanbeany]

Aw, thanks for the support, Angel. We have been looking for months in the hope that our "dream" house will one day appear - where you just walk in and know it's "the one" however big or small or whatever! But having sold our place now (well, almost, fingers crossed) we are having to make some tough decisions or we'll end up renting temporarily which we really don't want to do. Will keep you posted. Have you moved in to your place?

[madhairday]

Our garden is about 35x35 ft and we have a 10ft trampoline, swing, slide and veg patch, plus patio with bbq/picnic table.

Yes it is somewhat crowded and not easy to play football in, but it's fine, easy to keep tidy and lovely to sit out in in the summer. The dcs are now at the age where I let them play out the front too so we don't need more space really. Sounds like it will be fine to me. Trampolines do dominate most gardens, I'm willing to put up with that for the exercise and enjoyment the dc get out of it.