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“design & build” garden service which makes your garden work for you. If you live in Tynedale, Northumberland, and have a garden that is a nuisance rather than a pleasure, we may be able to help. We provide a personal service, looking at problems of access, levels, layout, too much maintenance, etc, and providing plans and a quotation before you decide if you would like us to do the work. Call John McKee on 07724146089 to arrange an initial visit. We carried out our first contract in 2005, and details and photos of this are given below. We are currently arranging contracts for 2006.

GGW1: A garden in Hexham was identified for a pilot project. The customers accepted the quotation and work commenced early in July 2005. The team carrying out the work was managed by Growability (independent from THS). Three people with learning disabilities worked on this project for 3 days per week for 3 weeks. The work was completed on time and to a very high standard. The customers were delighted with the result and the Hexham Courant provided some publicity.

GGW1: - photos
These first three photos show the garden before work commenced. It was mainly a sloping lawn. The owners wanted some level spaces in the garden for seating, and they also wanted to avoid cutting the grass.
A design was prepared and agreed with the owners. All grass was to be removed, and by excavating at the top of the garden and moving soil to the bottom corner, level areas were to be created.
All seating and walking areas were to be covered with gravel, and new planting areas covered with bark mulch, with membrane under both areas to prevent weed growth.
Work is in progress in this and the next picture. The team experienced some unexpectedly hot weather, which made the hard work of excavating and barrowing even more tiring.
These photos show the completed garden (22^nd July 2005) – before the owners returned from holiday to “move into” it. This photo shows the lowest corner which has been raised and levelled to form a seating area beyond the rose arch.
This area is directly outside the conservatory, where a circular seating area has been levelled after excavation, with the formation of a ramped terrace behind it retained by a dry stone wall.
The planting areas are covered with membrane and bark mulch, and the accessible areas are covered with golden gravel on a dolomite base. Low woven willow hurdles (manufactured at Sleekburn HTU) form a neat edging between bark mulch and gravel. The owners were delighted with the result, and now find that they use the garden much more as an extension of their house. Return to home page

GGW2: A front garden in Stocksfield needed improved access for maintenance, and a steeply sloping lawn converted into a planted area.

GGW3: - April – May 2006
Our 3^rd contract was a patio refurbishment in Hexham. This involved laying a significant amount of new paving – a new departure for us, and building a wooden balustrade and steps. This is the “before” photo – taken in January 2006.
And this is one of the “after” photos, taken in May 2006.

GGW4: Likely to be a decking job at a house in Bardon Mill – June 2006.

GGW5: Likely to be redesigning and paving a courtyard within a home for older people in Hexham: June – July 2006