When faced with the challenge of turning an “unusable” three-metre-high sloping garden into something the homeowners could enjoy and be proud of showing off, Bradstone Assured Landscaper Paul Bignall did not shy away at the job.
Instead, he stepped up to the plate, with Bradstone Stellare porcelain chosen to create a show-stopping, multi-terrace outdoor living space.
A Bradstone Assured Landscaper of 17 years and counting, Paul Bignall, owner and founder of PB Landscapes of Melbourne, is one of the landscaping industry’s shining lights – and if the job doesn’t leave him at least somewhat scratching his head, he doesn’t take it on.
And with this particular landscaping project in Little Eaton, Derby, it certainly fit the “high difficulty” criteria bracket for Paul and his team. When called upon by the homeowners back in summer 2023, there was despair in the air. The garden Paul was faced with transforming rose three-metres-high from the house, and in his own words, was “practically unusable”. Tough to maintain, hard to cut, often waterlogged from high rainfall, and with little-to-no space for entertaining guests, it needed a complete makeover.
To give the homeowners something they could be proud of, Paul sent his garden designers round to start scoping out what could be done to transform the space, with the end vision being a garden containing multiple seating and entertaining zones, spaces to socialise, planting areas, artificial lawn, steps connecting levels together, and a garden that maximised sunlight and usability.
The significant level change in the garden was one of the trickiest that Paul had ever dealt with. Needing to create usable spaces across multiple tiers, it meant factoring in the removal of 250 tonnes of earth and then bringing in over 6,000 concrete blocks and bricks to create retaining walls that would be structurally sound to hold back the remaining terrain. These walls would then need to be cladded with bricks, while water run-off needed to be carefully managed, given it naturally travels down the slope and back toward the house.
Alongside this, every wall, stone, slab and paving course needed to be perfectly square with the house – any deviation from this would be obviously noticeable.
Naturally as well, the paving materials would have to be durable and robust enough to stand the tests of time, as if not, the cost of remedying the patio areas would be highly expensive. This is especially as the designated patio area of the garden measured at a sizeable 250 sqm.
To carry out the client and garden designer’s visions, Paul and his team developed a fully engineered landscaping solution that converted the steep and impractical garden into a series of functional outdoor living spaces. The design was everything the homeowner wished for, with all features carefully aligned to create a seamless and visually balanced finish.
To tie the design together, Bradstone’s Stellare porcelain tiles in grey were chosen as the main patio paver. Meanwhile, another popular porcelain choice of Bradstone’s - Mode Profiled in the graphite colourway - were used atop the brick-clad retaining walls as copings, and as edging around the lawn area. A total of 250 sqm of the Stellare and Mode Profiled slabs were used around the front, side and back of the house, helping create a seamless transition and wrap-around effect.
Weep holes were installed into the retaining walls, while the porcelain paving was laid with precise falls, with surface water travelling to planted areas to enable effective rainwater use and ensure effective water management. Every element was set out from a fixed datum point and built to exact tolerances, ensuring all walls, coping stones and paving lines remained perfectly square to the house.
To make sure the garden patio would stand the test of time, Paul chose the 20mm thick version of the tiles, providing additional robustness to the final finish.
To support Paul with his project, all the Bradstone products were delivered direct-to-site. Samples were also sent to the homeowners before the project began, to help ensure that the final colour scheme matched up with their ideas.
Paul said: “Our mantra is quality, and so we always use the best slabs and materials available on the market. Bradstone has long been our go-to choice for patio materials as we know they are manufactured with care and the additional services they offer with delivery, design and aftermarket care are exceptional.”
Matt Carroll, Head of Product Installation at Bradstone, said: “We’re delighted that our Bradstone products have been used in this project, and needless to say, Paul and his team have done a fantastic job with turning this challenging, sloping garden into something that is truly spectacular. We look forward to what Paul turns his hand to next!”
