What Materials are available?
The main choice when looking to buy gutters and downpipes is between metal and plastic. And, as with all things, there are relevant pros and cons. Perhaps plastic guttering’s biggest pro is its price — which can be up to half that of metal equivalents. It is also easier to install due to its light weight, making it a relatively stress-free DIY job (as long as you don’t mind heights). Although not impervious to scratch
Unpainted metal guttering can also develop character during its lifetime: “Natural metals change appearance over time creating an elegant effect that works well with other materials which also weather, such as wooden cladding,” advises Lindab’s Nigel Stokes, who also recommends matching your guttering colour to other building materials used (see
are there alternatives to Gutters and doWnpipes?
For some, conventional guttering is neither desir-
Stylish outdoor living is proving increasingly popular and it’s easy to see why: imagine relaxing on a sofa on a warm terrace before supping a hot chocolate around the fire pit. Long summers spent in the sun in an outdoor space you enjoy using are almost as good as a holiday away!
A ‘room outdoors’ can also be designed to feel like an extension of the home (particularly important to urban houses where space is at a premium).
If you are keen to create a new room outside then there are a number of routes to consider. If you are relatively handy there are design options and ways you can build your own. If you are not, then there are a few things to weigh up before contacting a landscaper to realise the project for you.
What to Consider
Perhaps the first elements to consider are the most easy to miss: aspect and site. Think carefully about the times you will realistically be using this space. No one will enjoy sitting in glaring sun in the late
afternoon or be sitting in deep shade in the early morning if leisurely breakfasts are your thing.
The more level the site is before you design and build, the easier it will be to create, but don’t be put off if your garden requires some level changes. These opportunities create more potential for really dynamic design ideas alongside the additional costs of creating steps and retaining walls.
If you intend to involve a landscaper with this project, be sure to have researched and thought through the details. A rough drawn plan with some basic measurements will help you. Also consider factors such as the number of people you will have in the space, sizes of furniture and other items — especially if you are designing an outdoor kitchen or spa. Be clear about what you want to create, where steps may go, the depths of planting beds behind retaining walls, and the sizes of any structures before you meet a landscaper.
Many landscapers are real experts about the detail so while you may have a clear idea of your overall requirements, no one will expect you to have thought about the most beautiful laying patterns for paving or joints in timber work. Talk this element through with the landscaper and confirm clearly what you would like. Ensure all of this detail is included in the quote they give you and
ask that it is a fixed price quote against what was agreed to be completed, for everyone’s benefit.
As a reader of this magazine, you may be undertaking the work as part of an extension, remodel or new build project. In many ways, this offers an unrivalled opportunity to take a holistic view of how the garden relates to the house, and vice versa (not to mention, cost savings to create levels, etc, while diggers are already on site).
The location of your ‘room outdoors’ is one of the first considerations here, and this is most often informed by function. An outdoor dining space will be well placed next to a new kitchen diner, allowing food and tableware to be taken in and out the house with ease. Sometimes, depending on the shape of your house, the outdoor dining space can be around a corner, creating a private, secluded feel complete with outdoor kitchen. With city gardens, I have often done this to create the illusion of a garden much bigger than it really is. A quiet reading area, however, may be better placed at the bottom of the garden and away from neighbours or areas of the garden which are more noisy.
It can be worth finding a focal point when creating a room outdoors, whether it’s a great view, dining table and chairs, firepit, outdoor fireplace, sculpture or water feature.
And whatever size your home, given the British weather, designing in overhangs and/or veranda-style spaces can create sheltered outdoor spaces connected to the house. These can be enjoyed throughout the seasons to give you a space which is multi-use and offers a great escape.
Think, too, about how the design of the house – its materials, shapes and colours – can be used to make this space feel a coherent part of the overall design. And don’t forget the impact that well chosen lighting can have on your outdoor space, allowing you to spend many more hours outdoors. Considering this before first fix is undertaken on the house can be cost-effective.
Material Choice
Currently there are some amazing products on the market which will really add a high degree of personalisation — from hardwearing porcelain paving which has been developed to be non-slip even in winter and wet weather, to natural stone with its timeless beauty. Designers are currently exploring a mixture of naturalistic planting with either highly polished contrasting landscaping or rustic and loose natural stones and almost rock seating. This may not suit every home, so take cues from the style of your own home to help make this new outdoor room feel part of the whole.
When thinking about materials, another deciding factor will be the time of day you are using the space. Dark glossy paving looks amazing, bringing the fresh zing of foliage to life, but it’s unbearably uncomfortable in high sun so this kind of thinking needs to be added into the mix. White porous materials look amazingly Mediterranean, evoking the south of France or the Amalfi Coast, but in our slightly damper environment tends to stain and develop algae so if you’re not south facing it may well be worth a miss.
Rustic woods will add a real layer of sophistication but talk to your landscaper about long-term care and wear. Green oak, especially, looks amazing but tends to age, warp and move as it dries so be careful of its application in the design process. Lots of people are currently rediscovering cast concrete. This is easily cast on site, but do make sure that you are reinforcing the platforms or ter-
races you are creating to ensure they have a long life. Whereas rough cast concrete is relatively easy to make, polished concrete requires specialist work which is an additional cost to bear in mind.
Planting
Thankfully many hard-working shrubs such as rosemary and lavender can be used in an outdoor kitchen and these will provide year-round structure, not to mention scent. Other planting to consider in this outdoor space will be items that offer more than one season of interest. Amazing autumn tree foliage or fruits will extend your desire to be outside and so in effect add value. Additionally, water can play a part in offering seasonal interest: in summer its soothing sound can be incredibly cooling; while in winter it adds reflections, lifting light levels and potentially our moods.
budget and timing
In the whole planning and designing process budget always plays a part, and the most expensive items can often make or break a project. In my experience, the elements that will be there the longest – the paving, structures and any walls – are the things to really spend on. Getting a quality landscaper who makes a real art out of the component materials is the key. Timeless quality and elegance will always be the most amazing foil for the changing fads and moods of furniture, styling and even expensive items such as BBQs and hot tubs!
The other thing to consider, as always with any project, is timings. Generally we tend to consider changes just as we want to use the space (such as
Useful Contacts
Bradstone Aggregates bradstone.com Brett Landscaping brett.co.uk Devon Stone devonstone.com Ecospace UK ecospace.co.uk Marshalls marshalls.co.uk Millboard millboard.co.uk Stonemarket stonemarket.co.uk
A garage conversion – which involves changing the use of the space to a habitable room – will need to comply with Building Regulations. You must notify your local council of the forthcoming project by submitting a building notice or a full plans application. At the end of the project, the building inspector will inspect the windows, doors, fireproofing measures and foundations before they will issue a certificate of completion.
They will also need to establish whether the structure is in a sound condition for the conversion (i.e. the walls, floor and roof are sound and free from defect, and the foundations are adequate).