Help with garden layout please

[Unorganisedchaos2]

Could I be cheeky and ask your ideas / feedback please?

We moved into our house in September and I really dislike the garden, Im having a complete mental block about where the start and how to lay it out, things I would like:

• Outdoor kitchen/BBQ area
• Lawn for DD
• Raised bed for growing veg (I had 2 1/2 x 1 meter one in my old garden which was perfect)
• We are very overlooked at the back, so something to help with this.
• Remove all the gravel

I've put on my drawing where I think I would put these but Im not sure...

I love gardening and its not massive so maintenance isn't much of an issue, Its aprox 6.5m from the house to the end of the garden and aprox 8m wide.

The garden is south facing so the patio gets very hot in the summer.

The shed is in a bad state of repair and we have a garage so don't need it for storage so would rather have the space.

Also if anyone can recommend garden design apps, I've spend ages losing my head with the Gardiner one 😖

I'd get rid of that tree by the water butt, before it gets any bigger.

I feel that a separate patio and outdoor kitchen uses up too much space, can you blend the two together.

It's all very square! Can you put some curves in there. to soften things. Or use a diagonal axis.
Following on from this, it commits the sin of being 'Bam! All available to see in the blink of an eye'. It would be nice to have a few corners, a bit of a journey, a bit of mystery.

It might be difficult and expensive to get rid of the gravel and create a lawn. They may be a reason why they opted for gravel. The soil might not be in a great state underneath.

The garden isn’t that big. The only option that would give you total privacy with so many houses is trees but they would take up a lot of space and create shade. You could try and create a feeling of privacy with evergreen climbers on all the fences, maybe some pleached fruit trees and some judiciously placed tall thin trees or shrubs. A banana or cypress or bamboo in a pot. I would curve the corners and back bed to create some interest.

It’s more practical to have a BBQ/kitchen by the house but that isn’t the most attractive view. You might want to hide it in a corner behind shrubs. Do you want the dining/seating area near the BBQ (convenient but smoky)? I like to have it in a spot where you get evening sun, when you want the warmth. If the patio gets too hot, you can create shade with a gazebo and plants or awning.

You need to chose the best spot for growing fruit and veg. I find morning sun is important for fruit to stimulate flowering. Veg patches aren’t pretty 😂 I quite like integrating fruit and veg into flower beds but that is less practical.

I suspect the garden would look and feel a whole lot bigger if you go for curves rather than straight lines.

Perhaps rather than an app, what you could do with is a long tape measure, a pencil and some squared paper; and this book, which I have recommended a number of times on here and which is outstanding: Making a Garden by David Stevens. It talks you through the entire process from the beginning. I did a C&G garden design course some years ago, and this is far and away the best garden design book I have ever read.

I agree with another post that the tree near the house (bay tree) is liable to get much too big and should be cut back or removed.

if the garden is overlooked, I'd put one tall-ish tree (birch, crab apple, rowan) at the end to block the view of whoever overlooks you.

then I'd get a builder to get rid of the awful raised patio in the middle and see what the quality of the earth is like underneath to put in lawn or raised beds etc.

looking at your plan, I can't tell which end is the house. and can you draw on some of the existing trees which look nice and should probably be kept.

So sorry, these replies got lost in other notifications but I appreciate all the suggestions.

Totally agree that its too square, its actually bigger than it looks but the space isnt used well.

Im going to have a proper look at your suggestions - thanks!

Many gardener designers will do an hour's consultant for a fee. They would give you lots of ideas and could be money well spent to avoid costly mistakes. Look for a designer not a landscaper.