Make the most of the home you own With the current financial challenges, people are looking to make the most of the home they own by getting better value for money. Extending homes has got more expensive.  So while additional inside space might be a nice, you can get more bang for your buck by making the most of your outside space. Careful design avoids costly errors, can develop a plan that can be achieved overtime in a more affordable fashion. Often the space you have outside is larger than the space you have inside. So smart design will create outside rooms that can be enjoyed on all b ..read more

Hot Tubs and Swim Spas Hot Tubs and Swim Spas are increasingly popular, they are much more affordable than a small but ever so lovely swimming pool and while the hot tub is for relaxation and a gentle bubble, a good swim spa enables you to properly swim for as long and as gently or as fast as you wish. How to integrate your hot tub beautifully with home and garden The biggest issue with hot tubs and swim spas is they are not that lovely to look at, to avoid the sight of a big mass of an object just sitting there, you really work hard on how they integrate with the garden, that’s where Dewlands ..read more

Do I Need Planning Permission For My Garden Room? Your Questions Answered Building a garden room is often a straightforward process that doesn’t involve the need for planning permission. But these garden rooms aren’t a one-size-fits-all matter, so it’s best to err on the side of caution to avoid any legal disputes. Wouldn’t My Garden Room Fall Under Permitted Development? Frequently, an outbuilding will fall under permitted development rights, but the scale and positioning of the building can affect this. But beware, here are some other things that could prevent your garden room from falling u ..read more

How to Create Your Perfect Garden Office and Take Your Home and Work to the Next Level 2020 – the year of the ‘Work From Home’ revolution. The pandemic has totally transformed how we live, commute and do our jobs, and perhaps for the better. Gone are the days of cramming onto rush hour trains and sitting in stuffy, artificially-lit offices. We’re welcoming this new era with open arms – an era of enhanced productivity, better work/life balance, and having the time and freedom to work how we like. For When the Kitchen Table Doesn’t Cut It Of course, like all good things in life, working from hom ..read more

Steam Bending Oak – creating beautiful garden benches How to get those beautiful curves A lovely curved steam bent oak bench. While I love a straight line, often a curve in the right place makes all the difference. However while making things straight is relatively easy (although evidently not so easy for some), getting bends and curves is a bit more involved. In the case of wood you need know how and, importantly, heat. If you can get wood above 90 degrees centigrade then the lignin that glues the cellulose fibres together in the timber starts to soften and eventually will allow those fibres ..read more

How to make the most of a small garden Per square metre, smaller gardens are typically more expensive than bigger ones because the land is limited and so it’s important to make the most of the space available. At Dewlands Garden Design, we understand that generally, if you have a small garden, it’s likely that you don’t have a massive house, and so the outside space is like gold dust. But if you design your garden properly, you could double your footprint and your useful occupiable space. The most obvious option is to design a garden which is very simple and practical; maybe all you want is a ..read more

Designing gardens with the house centre stage At Dewlands Garden Design, we love to make your house the centre of focus for your garden so that it works seamlessly with the surrounding domain for a picture-perfect view. When we design your garden, there’s a lot we can’t change – the house is where it is, and the garden plot is what it is – but we labour to make them work harmoniously together so that your house is framed beautifully by your garden space. Garden design to frame your house One of the key things we aim to achieve in a garden design is framing the house with your outdoor space. T ..read more

How to design an environmentally friendly garden The future of our planet is high up the news agenda – and rightly so. But what can you do to make a positive change? Designing your garden in a sustainable way and including features that give back to the environment can be a great way to support natural species in Kent and Sussex, and it’s something we at Dewlands Garden Design are keen to help you accomplish. Sourcing building materials When designing an eco-friendly garden, it’s great to start by using recycled and repurposed materials, particularly for your hard landscaping, such as paving ..read more

Top things to consider when planning your ideal outdoor living space Designing gardens is about providing a get-away space. It’s an aspiration people normally have after turning their house into their ideal home, but once you get to the stage of planning your outdoor space, things are a bit different. Your garden isn’t just a day-to-day living space, it’s somewhere to escape to, in which you can ultimately relax. That’s why it’s so important to plan your garden with functionality in mind before starting the building work of your garden design. Thinking about how you use your garden When you s ..read more

How our garden designs benefit from my corporate background At Dewlands Garden Design, we have processes in place that ensure all of our customers are delivered a project which runs smoothly, efficiently and to budget. A lot of that comes from the experience of our founder, Eugene Hill, who explains how his corporate background gives us the ability and experience to design and create gardens which our clients love. Experience working under pressure I’ve had the benefit of working for 20 years in a high-pressure corporate environment. As a rough-edged 21-year old I went into Proctor & Gamb ..read more