Small garden help!

[Ljhunt]

So we are renovating our house, garden is small, approx 5x5m (bit under). We were going to decide the layout later on but we need to decide where the drains manhole goes now so the layout will impact this

we’d like a big comfy outdoor corner sofa back right as that gets the sun for the longest. BBQ back left so it’s not too close to the house?

question is, do we therefore have this part paved and the beginning of garden grass? Is this the wrong way around? It will be such a small grass area do we even need it? First baby due September so I’m conscious that grass is maybe nice when you have kids? Do we just grass the whole thing and have bbq and sofa on top of the grass? How does this work with manhole?!

what does everyone think? If you have a similar sized garden please do share pics!

I personally don't think that 5x5 is big enough to have grass make sense. I would personally pave most of it and have largeish flower beds. When your baby is around, you can get a large outdoor carpet that you can lay on the paving stones for baby to play on.

Thank you, that’s helpful. I have this idea that when older kids will run around in garden and therefore grass is safer but it’s probably too small for running around in, particularly if we have bbq and sofa!

Forget grass in such a small space. You'd have to have a mower or strimmer for one thing and then you'd need a shed...
Pave it and have spreading plants between pavers like creeping clover.

I'd leave it as paving slabs, but just to make sure they are flat. As kids become toddlers they can ride bikes/scooters around on paving slabs. I'd add pretty wooden box planters and plant some trailing petunias in a riot of colours. Also some hanging baskets of bright coloured petunia's too.