Ideas for using garden more

[birthdaywildlifefund]

I love spending time outdoors, I don’t really mind the cold and go for lots of walks etc. Ideally I’d like to eat outside more in summer.

We have a garden but it’s lower in level than our house, so about an eight foot drop from my dining room window to the ground. There’s six steps out of the side door (in the kitchen) onto a sloped driveway. We have a table and chairs that my DP likes to put away in the garage after use. Sandpit etc for my daughter and a grass area to play on. All very nice but we tend not to eat out there much as it’s a bit off a faff getting table out and carrying food down steps.

Just wondering what everyone else has in terms of seating area.

My ideas were:

1. raised decking at back of hour and French doors for direct access onto this so would be easy to pop outside and to have a table here - would be a lot of work to do
2. undercover area somewhere in garden for sitting/eating - would this be hard to keep clean during winter months?!

Anyone got any good seating areas in their garden to inspire me?! Any weatherproof furniture solutions?!

Ours is kind of the opposite as the garden is higher than the house, so up 6 steps!

We got a waterproof garden furniture cover off Amazon big enough to cover our table and chairs. It clips to the legs and provides enough protection against wind and rain etc in summer, meaning we only put everything away in the garage over winter. It's made a huge difference to how often we sit out there.

Thanks, I’ll have a look for something similar. I’m always envious of those with lovely outside cushions and rugs, but living in Scotland maybe that’s unrealistic for me! I might try and get a sturdy bench as well that can stay out!!

With an 8 foot drop could you get planning permission for a veranda with the bit underneath being covered (possibly glazed as a summer room / play room). An aunt had this setup with internal stairs and it was quite good.

you’d use decking and use the garden more. But if you don’t want to go to that expense we are the wet north west and have teak furniture, taBlue and chairs, we leave out all winter and they have lasted and weathered for 15 years now. Not treated at all. It’s great to just go out when it’s sunny or not raining. we use them all the time.

Ooh sounds lovely! There’s a house near here with a veranda that has a lovely cosy seating area that gave me the idea for the decking. It’s well out of budget though 😆.

Do you mean the covered area is underneath the veranda? Because my apprehension with the raised decking was losing the space underneath.

Sorry the above Q was for @Rollercoaster1920 .

@BarrelOfOtters will have a look for
something like that too.

@birthdaywildlifefund yes I did mean having the veranda and a covered area underneath. Or think of it as a rear extension with roof terrace!