‘We brought summer getaways to

The plot was tired and uninspiring, and had been used as a dumping ground during the house renovations – a far cry from the family-friendly, relaxed outdoor space Monika and Konrad wanted to create. So, they came up with a plan to maximise their tight schedule and budget to make it a garden they could enjoy spending time in after a busy year of house renovations.

THE PROJECT

Before the couple could start creating their outdoor scheme, they needed to do some structural work on the garden wall. ‘We realised that we’d have to get the back wall fixed, as it was falling down in places,’ says Monika. ‘Obviously, as it was during lockdown, we were pretty restricted with

A keen crafter, Monika made her own versions of stylish cushions she’d seen on the high street using jute bags and rope, tassel, and raffia grass trims

getting supplies, so knew we would have to be really organised.’ With Monika leading the project, they decided that they would split the garden into two areas – a patio seating area, and a grass area for the kids to enjoy – but, most importantly of all, it needed to be low-maintenance. ‘While I love gardening, I don’t have much time for it, so I wanted the space to be easy to maintain, but still look gorgeous and inviting,’ Monika explains.

WHAT WE DID

Taking care of the practical elements first, the couple started with rebuilding the back wall. They knocked it down, cleaned the bricks and, with the help of a local bricklayer, it was rebuilt and made safe. They then spent a week removing all the rubble and concrete slabs, before laying the patio and building the pergola. ‘Luckily, Konrad is really hands-on and confident working with wood, so he did all the building himself,’ says Monika.

The couple built raised flower beds at the side of the garden and added some wide ledges to use as seating. The building work lasted three weeks and, in this time, they had rebuilt the wall, laid the patio, put the pergola up and built the flower beds. ‘We used reclaimed bricks and wood to keep the