This landscaping project was very special to us. We love working with cedar wood decking boards, it's not very often that we get chance to do that either. Cedar wood is expensive, but it really is the 'Rolls Royce' of decking woods.

Cedar wood is the best wood to deck with, it's perfectly suited to the outdoors and doesn't require much looking after at all. The colours in cedar wood decking are fabulous - orange and red tones, very warm and inviting.

Mark asked for a decked area at the rear of his property - quite a large garden in Darlington, Cleveland, Teesside. We talked about exactly what style and design of decking he was looking for. Mark explained that he was keen to have a very different type of decking board. He wanted an up market feel to his decking.

Mark wanted a deluxe decking retreat where he could enjoy his garden and read on his days off and weekends. We ran through a few options and looked at several samples of decking boards. Eventually Mark decided that cedar wood was the decking wood for him. I can understand this, Cedar wood decking is stunning. Once you've seen cedar wood it's hard to want anything else. With the deck boards chosen we moved onto the style of the decking. Mark wanted to use the full lengths of the cedar wood to show off to a maximum the woods grain and colour. He also requested a 'picture frame' edge over hang on his decking.

The frame was constructed first using pressure treated deck joists. These were screwed in to place using treated posts and concrete. The decking frame was fixed with a slight fall away from the house. As with all decking the deck frame needed to be constructed with absolute precision, your decking frame is what will determine the end result of how your decking will look when completed. It absolutely must be 100% square and 100% flat.

Cedar wood decking, although a little more expensive than more common decking woods, looks absolutely spectacular when fitted correctly. It also has the most amazing smell which will always be present. It's rich and woody and makes you feel warm and comfortable.

Cedar wood needs no pressure treatment, it is the most durable and hardy wood in the world. Ideal for outdoor use and perfect for decking, as you can see from the pictures! Mark was thrilled to bits with his decking and has and still is enjoying the look smell and feel of his cedar wood decking!

Testimonial

" Thanks for the fantastic job you and your team did with my decking. I couldn't have hoped for anything better, it's absolutely stunning. Your attention to detail is outstanding. I love everything about it. I'm mesmerised every time I come out onto my decking. Wow - the wood is truly stunning, I definitely made the right decision going for the cedar wood.Thanks Again."

Mark Stratford

Middleton St. George, Darlington, Stockton on Tees, Cleveland, Teesside.

Steph and Anth were really excited about having their garden landscaped. They both had some great ideas. It was fun to work with them. They wanted us to create a landscape with a difference, something interesting to look at, different from the usual patios or lawns you might see in peoples' gardens. After many chats we decided to lay their patio using sawn purest one sandstone. This is extremely beautiful natural sandstone, it has lustres of pink, peach, cream, browns and light yellow tones running through it, each stone is different to the last. This patio stone has a very romantic look to it; it's soft on the eye.

Steph and Anth asked us to create a romantic garden patio for them. They wanted somewhere to dine together on the summer evenings. They also wanted to access their patio area through a wooden rose covered archway. They even requested a heart shaped retaining wall.

We decided while designing their garden wall to echo the wall shape with the newly turfed lawn, hence the heart shaped lawn.

The retaining walls were constructed in a soft curved 'V' shape - like a love heart - how romantic and in keeping with what Steph and Anth wanted. This heart shaped raised bed has now become a colourful purple heather garden - it's stunning!

A rustic wooden archway was embedded at the edge of the patio. The patio is entered via the wooden archway. Steph is growing a beautiful deep pink climbing rose up and around the wooden archway frame. When the rose is fully established this will be an outstanding feature of their garden.

We added a twist to their patio with a cobbled antique cobble edge. This gives the patio a more graceful feel. We used the same cobbles around the edge of the turf, see how this defines the curvaceous shape of the lawn and ties in the heart theme for Steph and Anth.

We chose Southern gold gravel to lay around the patio to create texture, colour and a definitive heart shape. The gravel perfectly compliments the beautiful sandstone and the newly landscaped garden.

This was a fabulous landscaping project to carry out. Steph and Anth were really interesting, fun people to work with. We really enjoyed the design element of this landscaping project. I'm sure you'll agree it looks beautiful in reality too!

Testimonial

“To Andy, We would like to say thank you for the wonderful work you have accomplished in our garden.
Your ideas were inspiring and produced a garden we could only imagine.
We were always kept informed of every stage and asked approval of all ventures.
We can not wait till spring to enjoy our beautiful secret garden. It's beautiful!
Thank you from both of us "

Steph and Anth Wardell

Dunedin Avenue, Fairfield, Stockton on Tees, Cleveland, Teesside.