Hardwood Decking, Pond and Louvred Pergola, Skellingthorpe

A hardwood deck wrapped around a formal pond, with stepping slabs leading to a louvred pergola at the end of the garden.

Skellingthorpe

A water garden with somewhere to sit at every turn

This garden in Skellingthorpe was long and narrow, with a tired lawn and a pond that had become more of a problem than a feature. The homeowners loved the idea of water in the garden, but they wanted it to look deliberate, and they wanted somewhere sheltered to sit at the far end.

They also wanted the garden to work in all weathers: dry underfoot, easy to look after and good to look at from the house on days when nobody went outside.

Hardwood decking around a rectangular pond with stepping slabs, planting strips and a louvred pergola

The design brief

The brief was to rebuild the pond as a formal centrepiece, frame it with decking and give the far end of the garden a covered seating area that would draw people down the garden.

At the design visit we checked the levels along the length of the garden and where water collected after rain, and talked through hardwood against composite for the deck. The homeowners chose hardwood for its warmth and the way it ages.

The 3D design showed the deck, the line of stepping slabs and the pergola together, so they could see how the view down the garden would change before we priced it.

Hardwood decking with stepping slabs in pebbles leading to a dark louvred pergola with a rattan sofa

How we built it

We cleared the old pond and lawn, then dug out and lined a new rectangular pond with a clean, level edge for the decking to meet. Getting that edge right was the key to the whole design.

The hardwood deck sits on a treated frame on proper footings, so it stays level and solid underfoot. The boards run around the pond and finish flush with its edge, with hidden fixings wherever the boards allowed.

Down the centre we laid a strip of grey stepping slabs set in pebbles, which breaks up the timber and leads the eye from the house to the pergola.

At the far end we fitted a dark louvred pergola on concrete footings. The roof blades open for sun and close against rain, so the seating area underneath can be used whatever the weather.

Planting strips along the deck soften its edges, and we kept the site tidy and the route through the garden clear for the whole build.

Hardwood decking beside a rectangular pond with water lilies

The finished garden

The garden now has a clear purpose from end to end. From the house you look straight down the stepping slabs to the pergola, with the pond and its water lilies in between.

The deck gives dry, level walking all round the water, and the pergola has become the favourite spot for morning coffee and summer evenings alike.

With the hardwood oiled each year and the pond looked after, the garden will keep improving as the planting fills in. It carries our 10-year workmanship guarantee.

Why Fosse & Fen

The Fosse & Fen difference

Every garden starts with understanding how you want to use it. We visit, measure up and listen, then draw the garden in 3D so you can change what you like before we price it. You get a fixed, itemised quote, with no surprises later.

Our own team builds everything we design, from the dig-out to the last plant, so nothing is lost in a handover. You have one number to call, a tidy site every evening and a 10-year workmanship guarantee on the finished garden.

Gallery

Photos from this garden

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Reviews

What our customers say

They dug out the whole back garden and had the patio, lawn and lighting finished in four weeks. The 3D drawing meant there were no surprises. It looks exactly like the drawing.

SK

Sarah K.

Nettleham

Owen came out three times during the build to check on things. The lads were polite, started on time every morning and swept the drive every night.

DR

David and Helen R.

Heighington

Our resin driveway went down in a day once the base was in. Fixed price, no extras, and the guarantee in writing.

MT

Mark T.

Washingborough

Tell us about your garden and we will book your free design visit.