Garden Design for Renovated Properties

Renovating a property can transform the way you live.

Rooms are reconsidered, layouts changed, materials carefully selected and every detail refined until the house feels completely different.

Then you look outside.

The garden may still belong to the property you started with.

Old paving, tired planting, awkward levels and an outdated layout can suddenly feel even more noticeable alongside a beautifully renovated home. In other cases, months of construction have left the garden damaged by machinery, scaffolding, temporary access and stored materials.

At Kirman Design, we provide garden design for renovated properties throughout North West England, helping homeowners complete the transformation of their property by giving the landscape the same level of consideration as the house.

Whether you have renovated a contemporary home, transformed a period property or undertaken a substantial whole-house refurbishment, we can design and landscape a garden that feels genuinely connected to the finished property.

Complete the Transformation Outside

A major renovation rarely happens by accident.

Architects, interior designers, builders and homeowners make hundreds of decisions about how the finished property should look and function.

The garden deserves the same consideration.

Rather than viewing landscaping as the final decorative element, we consider the outside space as another part of the property.

This means looking at:

• How you move between house and garden

• What you see from inside

• Where you entertain

• How external levels work

• Where privacy is required

• How the garden is experienced after dark

• How planting relates to the architecture

• Which parts of the existing garden should be retained

For some properties, this becomes a complete garden transformation, allowing the landscape to be reconsidered from the house outwards.

Why Renovation Changes the Garden

Even where a renovation doesn’t physically extend the property, it can fundamentally change how the garden is used.

A former dining room might become a large open-plan kitchen.

Windows may become glazed doors.

A room that previously had little relationship with the garden can become the principal family living space.

The garden that worked with the original layout may therefore no longer make sense.

Routes, terraces and focal points can all need reconsideration.

A successful garden design responds to the renovated property, rather than attempting to preserve a layout designed around the house as it existed before.

Garden Design After Building Work

Major renovations can be extremely disruptive to gardens.

Scaffolding, skips, building materials, machinery and repeated foot traffic can damage lawns and compact soil.

Existing paving may have been removed for drainage or utility work.

Planting may have been lost and garden levels altered.

Rather than simply repairing each damaged area independently, this can provide an opportunity to rethink the entire landscape.

Our landscape construction approach allows practical issues such as ground preparation, drainage and levels to be resolved before the finished surfaces and planting are introduced.

Creating a Relationship Between Interior and Exterior

One of the strongest opportunities following a renovation is to improve the connection between inside and outside.

Interior design may establish a clear architectural language through flooring, colours, materials and furniture.

The garden doesn’t need to copy this exactly, but it can respond to it.

Paving might reference the colour of an internal floor.

External walls might pick up tones within the building.

Planting can soften architectural lines.

The result should feel like a deliberate progression from interior to landscape rather than two unrelated environments.

Designing the View From Inside

The garden isn’t only experienced when you are standing in it.

For much of the year, you may spend considerably more time looking at it from inside.

A renovation often introduces new viewpoints.

Kitchen islands, dining tables, seating areas, picture windows and glazed doors can all frame different parts of the landscape.

We use these viewpoints when developing the design.

A specimen tree, sculpture, water feature or planting composition can be positioned specifically to terminate an important sightline.

The garden then becomes part of the interior experience.

Garden Design Around Large Areas of Glazing

Modern renovations frequently introduce large glazed doors and windows.

This increases the visual importance of the garden enormously.

Where a wall previously contained a relatively small window, the landscape may now fill the entire view.

Planting therefore needs year-round consideration.

Evergreen structure, trees, grasses and architectural plants can maintain interest beyond the main flowering season.

At night, garden lighting can prevent the glazing becoming a black reflective surface by revealing selected elements of the landscape beyond.

Reconsidering the Main Terrace

The existing patio is frequently one of the first things that needs reconsidering after a renovation.

Its position may have been determined by an old doorway or room layout that no longer exists.

It may also be too small for the way the renovated property is now used.

The new terrace should respond to:

• Door positions

• Internal rooms

• Sunlight

• Views

• Furniture

• Circulation

• Outdoor cooking

• Garden levels

Our approach to garden paving considers paving as part of the wider landscape rather than simply specifying a material for an existing rectangle.

Creating Level Access to the Garden

Renovation can provide an opportunity to improve accessibility between the house and garden.

Where appropriate, level access from house to garden can reduce unnecessary steps and create a stronger visual connection between interior and exterior.

However, the detailing needs to be correct.

Thresholds, drainage, paving falls and damp protection all need consideration.

This is why external levels should ideally be planned rather than decided when the paving contractor reaches the back door.

Resolving Garden Levels

Older gardens frequently contain a collection of levels that have evolved over time.

One patio has been laid over another.

Steps have been added.

Borders have gradually become raised.

A major renovation creates an opportunity to rationalise these levels.

In some gardens, broad terraces and generous steps can create a much stronger relationship with the house.

In others, retaining existing topography may be preferable.

The objective is to make the changes in level appear intentional rather than accumulated.

Garden Drainage After Renovation

Changes to a property can affect how water moves through the surrounding garden.

New roofs, altered drainage, additional hard surfaces and changes in level can all contribute.

This is particularly relevant in North West England, where rainfall and heavy soils can expose weaknesses in garden drainage.

Our garden drainage solutions consider how surface water should be managed before new paving, lawns and planting are installed.

Good drainage is one of those elements of a successful garden that should largely disappear once the project is complete.

Landscaping a Renovated Period Property

Period properties present particularly interesting opportunities.

The house may have been comprehensively modernised internally while retaining Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian or other traditional architecture externally.

The garden can bridge these different characters.

Our approach to garden design for period properties doesn’t assume that an old house requires an old-fashioned garden.

Contemporary paving, modern outdoor living and architectural planting can work beautifully alongside an established building when proportions and materials are handled carefully.

Landscaping Around a New Extension

Many whole-house renovations also include an extension.

This can change the relationship between the building and garden even more dramatically.

Our garden design for new extensions considers external levels, thresholds, views and terraces alongside the new architecture.

Where the building work is already finished, garden design after a house extension focuses on transforming the garden left behind and reconnecting it with the completed house.

Contemporary Garden Design for Renovated Homes

A renovated property can provide the ideal setting for a contemporary landscape.

Clean architectural lines can be extended into terraces, walls and paths.

Planting can then soften the structure.

Our contemporary garden design approach doesn’t mean creating a stark or minimalist landscape.

A contemporary garden can still be generous, green and heavily planted.

The contemporary character may come from the underlying geometry, material palette and relationship between spaces rather than from reducing the amount of planting.

Planting Around Renovated Properties

Planting provides the layer that helps new landscaping settle into its surroundings.

It can soften large areas of glazing, walls and paving while introducing movement, texture and seasonal change.

Our planting design considers the garden throughout the year rather than concentrating solely on summer flowers.

Depending upon the design, planting might include:

• Structural evergreen shrubs

• Herbaceous perennials

• Ornamental grasses

• Climbers

• Ground-cover planting

• Hedging

• Multi-stem trees

• Specimen shrubs

• Seasonal bulbs

The objective is to create planting that complements the architecture while developing its own character over time.

Adding Mature and Specimen Trees

A newly renovated house and newly landscaped garden can sometimes feel too new.

Trees provide an effective way of introducing scale and maturity.

Carefully positioned specimen trees can frame views, provide privacy and establish vertical structure.

Multi-stem trees can work particularly well close to terraces and buildings where a lighter canopy and attractive trunk structure are desirable.

Tree selection should always consider eventual size, growing conditions and proximity to structures rather than focusing solely on immediate impact.

Privacy After Renovating a Property

Renovation can change your perception of privacy.

Large glazed doors or new living spaces may make neighbouring properties more noticeable.

An area of the garden that previously felt sufficiently private can suddenly feel exposed.

Our garden screening ideas consider privacy within the landscape rather than automatically relying upon high boundary structures.

Trees, hedging, pergolas and layered planting can interrupt views while contributing positively to the garden.

Creating Outdoor Living Spaces

Renovated homes are frequently designed around open-plan living and entertaining.

The garden can extend these functions outside.

Depending upon the property, this might include:

• Outdoor dining

• Lounge seating

• Outdoor kitchens

• Fire pits

• Pergolas

• Water features

• Garden lighting

The important point is that these elements are designed as parts of a landscape.

An outdoor living space should feel integrated into the garden rather than like a collection of products placed on a large patio.

Outdoor Kitchens

Where a renovation includes a new kitchen, an outdoor kitchen can create a natural continuation outside.

The relationship between the indoor and outdoor kitchens is important.

The outdoor kitchen needs to be conveniently positioned without unnecessarily dominating views from the house.

Services should also be considered before surrounding paving and planting are completed.

Pergolas and Garden Structures

A garden pergola can define an outdoor room, introduce height and provide a degree of enclosure around a terrace.

Structures can be particularly useful where a large renovated property opens onto a substantial garden and the immediate outdoor space otherwise feels exposed.

The design, scale and material should respond to both the house and wider landscape.

Water Features

Water can create a focal point within a renovated garden.

Contemporary pools, rills and architectural water features can complement modern renovations particularly well.

Their position should be considered from inside the house as well as from within the garden.

A feature aligned with an important window or doorway can become part of the architecture of the view.

Garden Lighting

Exterior lighting deserves the same level of consideration as interior lighting.

It should not simply consist of bright fittings positioned around the perimeter of the terrace.

Carefully designed garden lighting can reveal trees, planting, walls and water while leaving other areas deliberately darker.

This creates depth and atmosphere.

It also allows the investment made in the garden to continue contributing to the property throughout the evening.

Large Renovated Properties

Substantial houses require gardens with appropriate scale.

A small terrace and narrow borders can appear insignificant alongside a large renovated property.

Our garden design for large gardens considers proportion, structure, views, circulation and planting across the complete landscape.

Large gardens also provide opportunities for secondary seating areas, orchards, meadow planting, woodland, substantial tree planting and different garden rooms.

Not every square metre needs intensive landscaping.

Retaining the Best of the Existing Garden

Renovating the garden doesn’t automatically mean removing everything.

Mature trees, established hedges, walls and good-quality planting can be extremely valuable.

They provide maturity that would take years to recreate.

Before developing the design, we consider which existing features should become part of the new landscape.

Sometimes the strongest garden combines carefully retained elements with completely new interventions.

Do You Need to Landscape the Whole Garden?

No.

Particularly with larger properties, investment can be concentrated where it makes the greatest difference.

The landscape immediately surrounding the house might receive more detailed paving, planting and lighting.

Further away, the treatment can become simpler.

Lawn, meadow, orchard, trees and naturalistic planting can create beautiful landscapes without intensive construction across the entire site.

Garden Design and Landscaping Under One Roof

A renovated property often requires more than cosmetic garden improvements.

Levels, drainage, construction, lighting, planting and structures may all need consideration.

Kirman Design provides garden design, planting design and landscape construction, allowing the project to be considered as a whole.

The design can therefore take account of how the garden will actually be constructed rather than separating the creative and practical parts of the project.

How Much Does It Cost to Landscape a Garden After Renovating a House?

There is no standard figure because every property and garden is different.

The principal factors include:

• Garden size

• Site access

• Existing condition

• Excavation

• Ground levels

• Drainage

• Paving

• Retaining walls

• Structures

• Outdoor kitchens

• Lighting

• Water features

• Planting

• Specimen trees

Our guide to how much garden design costs explains some of the factors involved in commissioning professional garden design.

A well-developed design can help establish where the landscaping budget will make the greatest contribution to the finished property.

Garden Design for Renovated Properties Across North West England

Kirman Design provides professional garden design and landscaping for renovated properties throughout North West England, including Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, the Ribble Valley and surrounding areas.

We work with contemporary properties, period homes, substantial extensions and complete house renovations.

Local conditions also form part of our approach.

Rainfall, heavy soils, exposure and drainage can all influence the construction and planting of a garden in the North West.

These considerations are incorporated into the design rather than dealt with after the garden has been built.

Why Choose Kirman Design?

A major house renovation represents a substantial investment.

The garden is often the final part of that transformation.

Kirman Design considers the relationship between architecture and landscape from the beginning.

We look at how the garden is viewed, how you move through it, how you want to use it and how the practical requirements of construction can be resolved.

By combining garden design, landscape construction and planting, we can take the outside space from the aftermath of building work to a finished landscape that feels entirely appropriate to the renovated property.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start designing the garden during a house renovation?

Ideally, garden design should begin before all building work is complete. This allows levels, drainage, services, access and external thresholds to be considered while there may still be opportunities to coordinate them with the main construction project.

Can you redesign a garden after the house renovation is already finished?

Yes. Many clients approach us once the building work has been completed. The finished architecture can then provide the starting point for the new garden design.

Can you repair a garden damaged by builders?

Yes, although we may recommend considering whether the existing garden still works before simply repairing it. Soil compaction, drainage, levels, lawns and planting may all need attention after major building work.

Should the garden match the interior of the house?

It doesn’t need to match literally. However, colours, materials, geometry and sightlines can create a visual relationship between interior and exterior.

Can you design a contemporary garden around an older renovated property?

Yes. Contemporary landscapes can work exceptionally well with period architecture when the proportions, materials and planting are carefully considered.

Can existing mature trees be retained?

Yes. Healthy mature trees can be extremely valuable within a redesigned garden and will normally be considered for retention where their position and condition are appropriate.

Can you include outdoor kitchens and entertaining spaces?

Yes. Outdoor kitchens, dining terraces, seating areas, pergolas, fire features, water and lighting can all be incorporated into the wider garden design.

Can you provide the landscaping as well as the design?

Yes. Kirman Design provides garden design, planting design and landscape construction, allowing the design and build to be coordinated.

Do you design gardens for large renovated properties?

Yes. Substantial gardens can be masterplanned as complete landscapes, including terraces, planting, trees, lawns, garden rooms and more naturalistic areas.

Where do you work?

We undertake garden design and landscaping projects throughout North West England, including Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, the Ribble Valley and surrounding areas.

You’ve Renovated the House. Now Complete the Property.

A beautifully renovated home deserves a garden that feels equally considered.

The landscape shouldn’t look like the part of the property that was left until last.

It should complement the architecture, extend the way you use your home and provide something beautiful to look at every day.

Whether your garden has been damaged by building work, no longer suits your renovated house or simply deserves the same level of attention you have given the interior, Kirman Design can help complete the transformation.

If you have renovated a property in North West England, contact Kirman Design to discuss creating a garden that belongs to the home you have created.

• Telephone: 01942 604976

• Email: info@kirmandesign.com

• Contact page: Contact Kirman Design