This was a typical new house garden, all lawn and fence - very bland with overlooking properties on all sides.

The cure for a small budget on a large plot (on a new house) was a simple contemporary patio and a raised bed clad in travertine. This gives a modern look and has a neutral colour, allowing the use of other materials. Black limestone was used to pave the utility areas around the house which in turn saved money, and yet its flexibility of sizes still allowed for that contemporary feel to be achieved.

Two large ligustrum ovalatum cubes on 2 metre stems were brought in to block out the sight of the overlooking windows to the rear. These were planted next to the patio rather than the boundary as this has a greater effect of obscuring a view you have no way of hiding. The canopy this creates also gives a greater feeling of privacy with the clear stems allowing enough light to still plant out underneath and preserve the views into the garden.

Furniture and a few sundries were supplied to add the finishing touches. BINGO... a relatively cheap solution with both an entertaining space for the adults to enjoy and a lawn for the kids to play on - an important consideration when there is a young family growing up.