Client Brief A love of Africa, adventure, and the great outdoors… Rustic, charming and perfectly placed. Outdoor cooking in all weathers and sufficient room for a tented party palace over a deck. The materials would be preferred second time around or reinvented and recycled. New products didn’t seem to do the trick no matter what… Material journey began Inspirational decking ideas Decking selection should be a journey. There are far too many manufacturers shouting pick me… pick me… most of

Decking at the Tower of London “Building a deck terrace for Her Majesty has to be one of the most prestigious proposals ever”… said Karl Harrison. He’s designed and built some of the most expensive, complex and luxury decks there are… but nothing prepared him for this one. The Savoy, The Corinthiaand countless penthouse apartment rooftops. When interviewed by Mark Gregory, whilst onsite, he said “it was nothing short of a privilege and that there was no better locale on

Client Brief A swim spa was high on the agenda for this new garden design in Heronsgate. A beautiful backdrop, covered lounge area, pool decking and make this fit into their beautiful garden. The project began with the decking to support the glass box garden room. Specialist pad stones had to be carefully constructed to provide supports for the structure. A decking frame to withstand the dead load weight of this project was carefully planned. Managing Garden Drainage To make

Set in sunny Uxbridge this long Victorian garden is full of colour and fragrance in the summer. Sat at the end of the garden was an old shed and a bit of unutilized space. Client Brief The client asked Karl to get rid of the shed and make the space into a private seating spot where they could enjoy a G&T after gardening. Following the current code of practice for paving, promulgated by the Association of Professional Landscapers, a patio

It isn’t every day you work in a garden that has the Grand Union Canal running behind it… Client brief Over time the original grooved composite decking had moved considerably making the client question its safety; especially being right next to a canal. It had also discoloured and taken on a lot of stains which didn’t really complement for the stunning backdrop of the Grand Union Canal. On Karl’s initial site survey, he brought samples of several suitable composite decking

Throwback to 2004. Karl had just finished transforming this garden. Karl built a large softwood cedar deck, on which sat a hot tub surrounded with plants. He also built a matching cedar clad summer house. Client Brief Over time the hot tub became faulty so the client decided to get it removed. After not using the space for years the client got back in touch with Karl to get it transformed once again. The summer house was still in perfect

Recycling a 100-year-old garden The owners of this 300-year-old home set in the beautiful countryside of Amersham needed some ideas to revamp the front terrace. This project would require careful consideration to construct something fitting with the historic surroundings. Client Brief The client called Karl in to advise on what could be done with their existing reclaimed York Stone terrace. This terrace wasn’t constructed incredibly well and over time became precarious, moss-covered and generally dangerous to walk on. The clients

The clients called Karl in to help make their garden a usable space again. They had a range of animals including guinea pigs, rabbits and even a tortoise named George. These guys all live in the garden, so it needed some careful consideration on how to make this a safe space for both humans and animals. Client Brief At the top of their list, they needed the decking replacing because the existing pine deck was falling apart. The tired astroturf

This garden was initially designed and built by another company several years ago. Since then, elements of the garden have weathered and stained; some rotted. The client found Karl, called him in to advise on how to revitalise everything, and make some additions to make way for a new pool cover. Restoring and maintaining Ipe hardwood decking with Owatrol There are several areas of Ipe decking here.  One of them, next to the pool, was fitted with little to no

Accoya Decking Installed with Precision Brief The clients knew they wanted a decking terrace and gave Karl the following instructions. We want the decking to be made from timber.  This timber must look and feel as natural as possible. Imagine stepping into your garden barefoot, to be greeted with warm smooth undulating decking. Karl came up with some creative concepts to get this natural timber texture in the form of decking. After researching and developing his ideas with James Latham

Brief Replacing a composite deck in London. Their existing composite decking had been fitted under 2 years ago by their builder. It was already failing to the point where it needed replacing promptly. Situated immediately outside the back doors this had to be remedied in order to use the garden at all. They decided to call an expert and found Karl. He advised that replacing the existing composite and installing a new one would be the best option. This isn’t

From the outset, this garden needed… a bit of a face lift. The monstrosity of a storage hanger inherited with the property took up over half of the garden. At first the clients thought this would be great for storage. It ended up just accumulating rubbish and becoming an eye sore. Brief The clients had recently completed their new extension. The builders also built a porcelain patio to immediately step out on to. We knew the patio would stay but

Brief Composite Decking Warrantied for 25-years. Initially the clients wanted more spaces in their garden to entertain. Their children are now young adults and want to have their friends over. Ultimately it would be nice to have a completely separate space so everyone can enjoy the garden at the same time. Design The entire garden is set on a moderate slope so Karl thought the best approach would to carve into the lawn and build a decking structure. This can

Low maintenance garden in Amersham. This garden looked very much like your stereotypical new build garden. The vast majority grass and a small flagstone patio. Other than that, an existing raised planter and path. Simple but a bit mundane and regular maintenance is needed at least through the summer months. Client Brief The number 1 priority here is making this garden low to no maintenance. The clients also wanted somewhere to sit to get the most of the sun, perhaps

Charred Timber garden rooms in London A creative Architect, an exciting garden and a charred timber garden room in London. Michaelis Boyd Architects were thinking well outside the box for this garden room. Their clients wanted a one of a kind studio situated within their garden. The space would be used for gym workouts and a home office. Karl was eager to help bring this project to life with handcrafted charred timber cladding. Designing a Garden room When designing a