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Large patio area design

richard_markhamrichard_markham Posts: 15
in Garden design
We have a large garden, mainly lawn. There is a large old patio area which is due for replacement.

I have drawn up some rough ideas on sketchup.


We have just built the orangery and I like the idea of having a raised area which is level with the floor inside, so when the doors are open, there is almost no step at the threshold. There will be a slit drain at the threashold. As the patio level should be at least 150mm below the DPC, the raised areas will only be at the doorways.

The green area is lawn but in reality, this extends out much much further.

I'd like a pool of some sort, purely ornamental as we already have a nature pond full of fish, newts, frogs etc.

The house is 1900's, but I don't mind a modern look.

We want an area for a table and chairs, but dont want acres of paving.

We do need a path down to my workshop on the left and down the sode of the house to the right.


Just looking for views on these layouts and maybe other ideas?

I have looked at paving with black limestone, but don't like the fading it suffers. So we are looking at porcelain in dark grey/green. I know this is a modern style, but I like the low maintenance of porcelain.

Aspect is full sun most of the day. In the drawings, the long edge faces south, the sheds etc are to the north. Left is west.

We are out in the country so not overlooked. It's quite an exposed location.

We have nice views out to the west so don't want to obstruct them with any constructions like pergola's etc.
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Posts

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    You may want to elongate the new patio area a bit as it is surprising how much room a table and chairs take up especially as you have to allow passage all the way round them when people are seated. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Hogweed's right.  Measure your table width and length, add 60cm per chair plus room to pass round the outside safely when people are seated so at least a metre.

    Choose materials that go with the building materials of your house walls or else carry on the colour of the floor in the orangery so it all looks like one.   

    As for the rest, I think it's crying out for some taller plants to give height and create barriers to both eye and wind and make you want to explore beyond, not to mention being good for wildlife.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • richard_markhamrichard_markham Posts: 15
    hogweed said:
    You may want to elongate the new patio area a bit as it is surprising how much room a table and chairs take up especially as you have to allow passage all the way round them when people are seated. 
    In the first pic, the table & chairs are in an area that's 3.2m deep and 5.7m long.

    I think that will be large enough, but you're right, you don't want chair legs dropping off the egde of the patio!
  • richard_markhamrichard_markham Posts: 15
    Obelixx said:
    Hogweed's right.  Measure your table width and length, add 60cm per chair plus room to pass round the outside safely when people are seated so at least a metre.

    Choose materials that go with the building materials of your house walls or else carry on the colour of the floor in the orangery so it all looks like one.   

    As for the rest, I think it's crying out for some taller plants to give height and create barriers to both eye and wind and make you want to explore beyond, not to mention being good for wildlife.

    If it helps, I'll post some pics of what we have now.

    Widelife abounds! (Deer, foxes, birds, hedgehogs etc...)

    Regarding plants, we will have pot's etc.

    There are 3 established camilias just at the edge of the patio where the person is stood in the sketch. 

    The old patio had low walls at the edges made from those patterned breeze blocks which were in vogue in the 70's.

    This means lots of extra strimming, so I'm keen to have a patio level with the lawn.

    The garden is getting on for 3/4 of an acre, so keeping on top of it can be time consuming!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Well, obviously none of those show up on your designs.  Maybe mention everything when asking advice?   Good idea to include aspect and general location too as that will affect how much time you spend out on the new terrace and what you can plant successfully.

    Why have plants in pots?  Most do much better in the ground so maybe think of including planters or planting spaces in the design.   If the building is rectangular I would go with the top design, softened with plants.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I too, like the top design better. The curved bottom layout doesn't seem to sit well with the angular buildings.  Obelixx is right, plants would do better in the ground and be less maintenance.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • richard_markhamrichard_markham Posts: 15
    Don't know if this helps, but here is the view from the Orangery looking west:


  • richard_markhamrichard_markham Posts: 15
    And looking south:


    Loads of brambles to come out, you can just make out the three camilias.

    One day, I would like to have a formal garden in the lawn area to the left in this picture.

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Your situation looks rural to me so I would be tempted to get less and less formal as you get nearer to your boundaries and then "borrow the landscape" to make you garden seem to flow seamlessly into the surrounding views.

    As for your terrace design, have alook at the images on this link so you can get some idea about how to make it work best for you, with or without planting holes/pots/pergola/pleached trees to delineate areas with different functions such as dining, entertaining, relaxing and so on.

    https://www.pinterest.fr/eliz1newman/garden-patios/ 

     
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    I definitely like the first design best and think it would look good framed by some borders, in between the pond area/end of the seating area and the rest of the lawn, with a gap for a path somewhere framed by a couple of topiary/taller structural plants to create a sense of enclosure and intimacy within and a doorway into the rest of the garden beyond. This would make a good transition from orangery to semi-enclosed courtyard then on to more relaxed areas.

    The planting around the end/edges of the courtyard could be formal, clipped ilex crenata, more relaxed lavender, or mixed perennial planting, whatever you fancy.

    I think curves work best when they are informal and sweeping, there is something about the second drawing, I don’t know what it is, but it kind of looks ‘municipal’ somehow, like you would expect to see a floral clock there or something. If you fancy a round pool, personally, I would put it within the rectangle of the first drawing which does fit better with the surrounding architecture.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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