What should we do with our back yard?

[Dysgu]

We have a small courtyard garden - well, just a back yard really but we want to turn it into more of a usable space.

At the moment it is concreted and there are 3 broken concrete steps leading from the back of the house to the ground level of the yard. We have a huge shed in the space at the moment which came with the house but is really not needed - but it would be useful to have a small storage unit type thing to store what would ultimately be 4 bikes and probably a step ladder!

Size - it is roughly 3 metres across and about 5.5 metres long.

We just want an outside space that e could actually use. We have 2 daughters - currently 17 months and 3.9 years, and would like to have a safe place for them to play whilst they are young. We live in the south of the country - very close to beaches and lots of parks so the size of the garden is not an issue for enabling the girls to run around, we just want to maybe be able to sit and eat out, put down a small paddling pool, read etc.

We are open to all ideas - budget variable depending on what we opt to do.

Oh and we have already done the work inside the house so the large room at the back of the house is now a kitchen/diner with the kitchen being in the middle of the house and the dining area at the back of the house with the sea view.

so basically you need to get rid of the shed and get one that is a more suitable size, fix the broken steps, get an outside table/chairs and some pots.

Not exactly sure what help you need as you have stated what you want in your OP.

Ditto get rid of the shed. Dig up some of the concrete and plant directly into the soil, pave the rest of the area. My parents-in-law have tiny back yard and they dug up the concrete along one side of the length of it, about 80cm wide and planted that full of cottage garden type plants (or you could do exotics or architectural, whatever is your taste but keep to one "sort" ifyswim and tall thin rather than ground cover) and stuck some large containers in the remaining corners and a table and chair in the middle. You cannot believe the difference it made and, because it's so small, it wasn't brutally expensive either.

Thank you for your ideas - I know we could just get rid of the shed (it was meant to go before we moved in ) and fix the steps but the place just looks so sad and dingy. The ground is also not level. The concrete it pitted and stony so I think it either needs digging up or covering.

We have thought about decking all or part of the yard - can you deck an entire yard?

Someone also suggested we put a small lean to type conservatory on the back of the house - after all, we bought it for the indoor space rather than the garden, so if/when we move, nobody else would buy it for the garden (or lack of!) either.

The opportunity to grow some stuff might be nice - more for DP and DDs really, my hands are so-not-green (but might be nice to try).

I wouldn't suggest decking, I think it can make an area look a bit bland unless it is really fantastic hard wood with lots of interest in the colour and grain. I would think about paving - big york stone slabs with thyme growing in the joins, or granite setts perhaps. You could design a little storage box against a wall that would double as a bench providing you only want to keep a few hand tools and a bit of creosote in there. Don't see the point of a conservatory myself if the yard is already tiny.

I think you should have the concrete dug up. May also be worthwhile getting some landscapers around to give you some ideas and sometimes they work with garden designers. Garden designers needn't cost the earth either and though your space is small it will work really well for you and be an asset.

What is the drop from your back door to the yard? You could deck out by the door, say a meter, so you step out on to the deck with steps at the end of the deck going down to your yard. You could then have storage built under the deck, depending on how high? Bamboos in troughs/planters - lovely russle in the breeze and lovely shadows. Raised beds for flowers, veg. Artificial grass?

Thank you again for more replies - it might be interesting to ask some experts round and see what they suggest.

We have previously considered building some type of decking or bench type thing with storage underneath.

I have to admit that I am not into plants but it would be nice to introduce some colour or greenery into the space.

And the rain came back today so perhaps DP's motivation for getting it sorted with disappear until the sun returns.

Decking is great and gives you the raised option.

Are the three concrete steps down?

If so the decking could be flush with house level from the back door.

Sunken into the decking; a sandpit with a removable lid, paddling pool with same (don't forget to put a drain plug in the bottom of the pool so it can be emptied without removing)water reservoir and pump producing a fountain that appears from no where and disappears back down through the deck into the reservoir, raised seat boxes with hinged lids - with the deck already being raised this would give you depth for adult bikes and your ladder), a hole and bit of pipe for your washing line, lots of deck lights so you can create different effects for when you're barbequeing or showing of the fountain at night.

And running through the garden a pergola. This can have a sail attached to give you shade, be wired for plants for height interest and also for throwing sheets over to become caves and dens.

imo, I would avoid spending any unnecessary money. Is the shed empty? will you need it for storage? If not is there any scope for taking off the doors/ a side, and making it into a playhouse? I would avoid taking up the concrete, you can cheer the space up by getting pots here and there and moving them about. If you were to spend any money, get the steps fixed if you are not into diy and that way you will have a better entrance into your outside space. Maybe hanging baskets on the walls.

We have something similar, but our is smaller (3m x 3m approx) There's a small area out the back and then annoying concrete steps up to the level of the garden.

We're digging out the garden, and lowering it all to the same floor level as our conservatory, decking the lower bit, and having a big raised bed at the back (back onto a big wall). Lot of mud to shift, but will be worth it for the space. Decking will hopefully suit our garden, there's lots of green and it won't be cheap decking we're getting either

Thanks for even more ideas - ANTangony has certainly got me thinking that we could, perhaps, be more creative than we had originally thought of. Also, Chatelaine, I like that idea about the shed as a play house.

We had considered about putting decking up tot he level of the house and having storage underneath - and if we put some hinged seating in then we could easily hide the bikes - good idea!

I did read, though, that decking can only be 30cm high - is that right? The different between the ground and the back door is 3 breeze(sp.?) blocks.

You need to be a little bit careful with decking in some areas, as (sorry to say this) it can provide a nice hidey hole for rodents to nest under, run along from one garden to the next, and snaffle the bits of your barbeque that fall through.

There's a book by Matt James called The City Gardener: Urban Oasis that would be worth getting out of the library - full of lovely ideas.

Decking is out...its never been in with me (sorry guys). You are talking about rat runs, maintenance, slime, things falling through etc..sorry I'm very pratical and we run a groundworks company.

My first throught was a mediterran backyard with herbs, baskets on wall. Small aluminuim table made to look like cast iron(cotswold garden company). Also thinking about reclaimed bricks and sandstone slabs (ebay - cheap) tad of gravel. With a square angular area you want to bring in circles. A pergoda with some floral trailing plants. Like the idea of converting the shed into a playhouse at least you can store toys and clutter.

Perhaps paint one wall a lovely med colour?

I have a lovely image in my mind!

I'm with Bacon.

I have just sold a house with a fully decked courtyard with different levels lights raised beds etc and the buyers had 3 kids and loved it.If you get someone good to do the decking and lay it correctly it looks great and is non slip easy maintenace and when filled with pots and buddhas is really peaceful.

There are 2 pics on my profile where you can see it HTH

We have a patio'd courtyard with border around the edge on 1.5 sides. It was expensive to get all the concrete dug up, levelled off etc but well worth it - you could still put in a sandpit etc if you wanted.

Mine loved it when they were little - all year around riding on trikes/bikes/cars etc

I would get rid of the shed first.It all depends how much money you want to spend.The cheapest option would be to gravel over the concrete and install some raised beds using railway sleepers- fill with soil and plant with perennials and maybe leave some space for child planting.Get some brightly coloured pots-blue comes to mind if you are by the sea and plant with annuals.decorating with shells /driftwood is another idea if done tastefully.Painting walls is a good idea and it looks lovely in a courtyard garden as do wall-mounted baskets/pots.The one problem with gravel and young kids is they like playing with it so it depends what age your kids are!.You can get shell shaped plastic paddling/sand pits at toys r us.We have had one for years and fill one side with sand and use other for water.You wil also need a outside water tap as well.

sorry to hijack, but - noddyholder, I love your pictures. I'd be really grateful if you could tell me what paint colour you used for your living room walls, and how did you do the floating wooden shelves in the alcoves - I need something just like them.

After stalking you searching, found that it's Dulux Dusted Moss - will get a tester as it looks fab!

Hi ange thanks!Yes its dusted moss looks lovely.I have left that house but will be using it in my new one too

You can get floating shelves in loads of places ange - mine are from Ikea but Homebase definitely do them too. They are not that straightforward to put up though!

I am a big fan of decking - we have had ours for 10 years and it is still in good nick. I like the look of flagstones too. Raised beds and trellising to grow stuff up. There are loads of books and magazines out there to give you ideas - you just need to decide what sort of "look" you want.

I had those shelves made as the carpenter was doing the whole thing iygwim.They are mdf boxes covered in oak laminate I have never found the ikea ones strong enough for heavy stuff.

sorry oak veneer not laminate

I've seen the ikea floating shelves, but I suspect they would not be easy to fit in alcoves as you can't cut them down - perhaps solid wood is the way to go?