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Original poster

How important is a garden to you?

133 replies

Nosleepforthismum · 07/08/2023 22:29

Speaking with my BIL recently who is planning to substantially extend his three bed property into his garden which (I think) is quite small anyway leaving enough room for a table, 6 chairs, a shed and a small square of grass and nothing else. I said I’d be careful of extending too much as the garden will then be too small for the size of the house and his response was that most people don’t like gardens as they were too much work and they’d rather have a big house instead.

I’m wondering how many of you agree with this statement? I’m on the opposite end as I adore having a garden and my dream would be a house with a couple of acres of land. Maybe a stream and a huge tree for the kids to build dams and treehouses. A vegetable plot and posh greenhouse to grow our own fruit and veg. Space for a chicken coop and a field big enough to flick a ball for the dog without worrying about it going over the neighbours fence … but maybe I am in the minority! So, how important is a garden to you? Would you sacrifice space outside for space inside?

OP posts:
CoinsinaJar · 08/08/2023 09:22

I'm not a keen gardener, but I love our medium sized plot: nothing special, just grass and a few shrubs/roses etc. But I would not consider a house without some outside space which was proportional to the house. I would not consider buying a house which had been extended at the expense of the garden.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 08/08/2023 09:34

A house near us was massively extended twice, so that the already very small garden was reduced to just a patio, took absolutely ages to sell - for quite a lot less than the original price. IIRC it was nearly 3 years, in what is supposed to be a sought-after area, good schools, etc.

Generally IMO people prefer gardens in reasonable proportion to the size of the house, especially family houses.

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 08/08/2023 09:40

Very

a family house needs a garden for a family.
might not be huge, but somewhere for a bbq, a trampoline and a bit of running round.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Gardening
Bluevelvetsofa · 08/08/2023 09:44

We enjoy gardening, but wouldn’t cope with a large garden. Being able to open the door and walk outside to see flowers, shrubs and trees is very important though. We’d have gone mad during the pandemic if there’d been no outside space.

The first thing our neighbours did when they moved in, was to have a massive orangerie built and the turfed garden replaced with hard landscaping and a patio. There are lots of pots, but it’s not the same as grass and trees.

Boodahh · 08/08/2023 09:52

I like a garden, and preferably a view.

My aunt and uncle did what your brother did- extended their house and sacrificed garden. I did think it was a bit mad, but up to them.

There's a house near me. New build that is just being finished. The house looks smart and a good size but the garden is tiny and the view is crap. Still, someone will buy it.

MaMaMeeAah · 08/08/2023 09:56

I have a large enough garden to have separate seating areas , it's a life saver imo , I can get away from real life

BowRainBottle · 08/08/2023 10:03

For me and DS1, not important at all. DS1 plays a lot of sport away from home but likes being in the house when home. DS2 another kettle of fish entirely - in and out the garden all day, every day - checks the veg at 7am!

UsingChangeofName · 08/08/2023 19:34

Did he live through the pandemic? Gardens became prime feature of any property!
He will knock out plenty of families who will want more garden.

Everything I have read on line, on social media, heard on news articles and special reports, heard from colleagues and other people I've spoken to in the flesh, and read on the gazillion threads on MN about people moving to work at home during the pandemic was the single most helpful thing when wfh, was /is having a dedicated space to work in - preferably a room where you can shut yourself off to work in, and then shut the door on when you finish. Not having a huge garden. Remember, the OP is not talking about not having any garden, she is talking about having extra room(s) in the house and a slightly smaller garden - but still having outside space - vs having fewer rooms / less space to use inside, and a bigger garden.

Catwoman1985 · 08/08/2023 20:38

Personally, I love having a garden, both because I enjoy gardening and because I have small children but I guess for some people it just isn't a biggie. I'd feel claustrophobic if I couldn't get outside though

EarringsandLipstick · 08/08/2023 20:43

I love having a garden but would not like a large garden. I struggle to manage my small front & back garden.

However, even tho time is an issue (very busy single parent to 3 DC, garden always last on my list), I really enjoy gardening, and get a great sense of satisfaction from it. I'm an anxious, over-thinking type, always have to be doing something, love my exercise but gardening really calms me down.

I dream of the day one more time to properly look after my garden. It's the only thing I miss exH for. He was good at the mowing, cutting back etc, leaving me to happily plant, pot & prune.

TheDuchessOfMN · 08/08/2023 20:46

OP said that her bil has left enough space for a table and chairs, shed and very small square of grass. I think quite a lot of people would like that, actually, especially if it meant a larger indoor living space.

Personally, we love our large garden but we are keen gardeners.

Ghostlight · 08/08/2023 20:58

What he would have left sounds perfect to me, but I live in the middle of a city where nobody has gardens and the weather is awful most of the year so I would definitely get more use out of more house.

Justrolledmyeyesoutloud · 08/08/2023 21:11

My garden is a bit big for me - always working on it but l agree the size of the garden needs to be in proportion to the size of the house

ReignOfError · 08/08/2023 21:20

I like gardening, so a reasonable sized garden (and its orientation) are important to me. My current garden is the smallest I’ve ever owned - maybe 40 x 30ft - so I have an allotment as well.

OuiLaLa · 08/08/2023 22:06

I’m another one who prefers a large house and a smaller garden. I totally admire anyone with a full time job, kids, house to maintain etc who also has time for a large garden. I am in the arse end of parenting but I could not head out to the garden at 8pm after bedtime!

that said I will be making the most of my small patch with as many long flowering plants as I can stuff in the beds, borders, along the walls etc.

I live in a big city and someone will buy my house for the excellent school catchments and lovely independent high streets.

FrogFairy · 08/08/2023 22:54

My garden wraps around three sides of my house and frankly it is just a ball ache to keep is tidy.
I would keep my garage and be happy with just enough room for my bins and to peg out washing.

Saschka · 09/08/2023 09:42

Reading some of these posts, I realise that a lot of people’s idea of “a small garden” is very different to mine!

The four bedroom townhouse with a small garden I mentioned near me, that didn’t sell, had a 6x4m paved yard. Barely even space for a table and chairs, definitely no space for a shed. 40x30ft (12x10m) would be quite a reasonable size around here.

amusedbush · 09/08/2023 10:12

My parents' house (where I grew up) has a decent back garden, which my dad takes good care of. They have a shed, a summer house, a small greenhouse, nice beds full of shrubs, and a patch where he grows rhubarb.

I lived in flats for years after leaving home, so no garden. Then DH and I moved into our first owned house three years ago, to discover we both fucking hate gardening. Thankfully the back garden is only 5x5m and the lawn was completely dead when we moved in so I felt no guilt about slabbing the whole thing. The front garden is even smaller but my nemesis is a ridiculously overgrown hawthorn bush; I'm steadily chopping it down to the roots but the thorns are lethal and it's really difficult to cut it up for disposal Angry

Neither of us are Outside People. I'm not bothered about spending time in the garden - there are bugs and dirt out there Grin

mindutopia · 09/08/2023 10:56

Really important, mine is huge, more land than a garden, but I do have a proper lawned garden with beds, plus a veg patch.

But I think it depends where you live. I know plenty of people who live in more city/town areas who have little to no garden and are happy with that. I think it sounds like it's a risk he's willing to take in lowering the appeal of the property for some people.

ScribblingPixie · 09/08/2023 11:02

I think in London a lot of people have to take local parks into the equation to reconcile themselves to the space they can afford. It's not unusual just to have a bit of sitting space outside and no more - better than nothing and a lot of people have no outside space at all in London. I have a tiny flat but a decent garden by London standards and I wouldn't change that. It removes any sense of claustrophobia completely.

ChurlishGreen · 09/08/2023 11:13

ScribblingPixie · 09/08/2023 11:02

I think in London a lot of people have to take local parks into the equation to reconcile themselves to the space they can afford. It's not unusual just to have a bit of sitting space outside and no more - better than nothing and a lot of people have no outside space at all in London. I have a tiny flat but a decent garden by London standards and I wouldn't change that. It removes any sense of claustrophobia completely.

That’s the ‘wrong’ way round for me. Living half the summer in the London park across the road from my flat (eating dinner there on summer evenings, reading under a tree with my baby, chatting to groups of Turkish grannies (who thought I didn’t have enough clothes on DS) having a barbecue or people practicing tightrope walking between two trees) was never a way of ‘reconciling myself’ to outdoor space we didn’t have — it suited me. I enjoyed the collective liveliness and randomness.

To me, the way people disappeared into their private back gardens when we moved to a village felt like an impoverishment. It’s just a different way of thinking about private/public space.

(What also surprised me was that I met very few people, ever, on the field paths near the village, which was in lovely countryside, and which were my single favourite thing about living there. People seemed to walk their dogs around the football field in the village. I virtually never met anyone, other than an occasional lost D of E expedition.

thecatsthecats · 09/08/2023 11:57

Size of garden is a lot less important to me than privacy of garden.

I'd go for a small garden with good outdoor space nearby and not overlooked over our current decent-sized but tricky to manage beast.

Didn't realise until I had one how much of a swizz it was to be surrounded by green fields growing up, that my parents had zero responsibility for.

ScribblingPixie · 09/08/2023 12:43

I know just what you mean@ChurlishGreen (and I think we may have parks not too far away from each other!). I need a combination of both private and public for optimum mood, I think.

PonkyPonky · 09/08/2023 17:36

We chose our current house because of the enormous garden. It’s wasn’t a nice house at all and has no off-road parking but the garden is amazing. We left behind a nicer house with a tiny garden and I wouldn’t go back to that for anything. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the kids riding their bikes around the garden and having enough room to have all the toys out and a treehouse and the paddling pool. I wouldn’t even look at a house with a tiny garden now

Drknittingfrog · 09/08/2023 17:39

I love my garden and would not extend over it. One thing to consider is that if it is a family house then that outdoor space is invaluable for families/children ...paddling pool/trampolin or mini football goals... And space to grow some fruit and veg! Nope I would not want a big house with a tiny garden (unless it's a town house but then it would be a luxury 🙂)