New Decking, Patio

Customer reference for Creative Garden Design as told to pickapro by Kieran Kelly from Naas on 25-Jan-2006

When was the work done?
The work was done in three stages between October 2004 and October 2005.

What was involved?
Creative Garden Design built decking at the back of the house and a natural stone patio area. They built further patio areas to the rear of house and cobbled paths. Creative Garden Design also created garden features such as a circular stone area and bird bath, a pond and fountain and a large gazebo at the rear of house.

How did you choose Creative Garden Design?
My wife heard of Sean through word of mouth. We had used a garden designer once before about 8 years ago and didn't have a good experience. This time, we wanted a garden designer with flair and imagination, who would challenge our views about what we wanted.

Had you definite ideas in mind before you talked to Sean Keighran?
Yes, we had a lot of ideas.

Did Sean Keighran introduce new ideas?
Yes. One of Sean's great talents is that he has no preconceived ideas about what will work. He took a lot of time to walk around, think about the garden and come back to us with new ideas.

His ideas were very different to what we would have thought of. He introduced features which made the garden as a whole more attractive and interesting.

He also sourced some very good materials for us from the UK. For example, he sourced "wirework" garden furniture which is very attractive - it's a very old Victorian craft which has largely died out now.

And he took us around Dublin to see fountains and statues which he thought would interest us.

How did the project run day to day? Was there any disruption?
The crew that Sean contracted to do the work were very good and we got on well with them. They came when they said they would and finished pretty well on schedule.

There were of course heaps of sands etc on site but they did their best to keep the place operational.

What was the biggest benefit to you of using Sean Keighran?
His original ideas and his ability to find materials and solutions that fitted but still exercised our imagination.

Lots of people use a fixed formula and produce the same result every time. Sean was very creative - the process was actually good fun.

What's your favourite part now?
During Summer, it's the deck at the back of the house which really brings the garden into the house. In the Winter, it's the patio to the side which is very useable. And even after dark, I can still enjoy the lovely circular fountain which is lit up at nighttime.

Would you recommend Creative Garden Design to others?
Yes, no problem. We are very pleased with the overall design and the result. We've got a garden that we can live with and enjoy.

Any tips for other people?
Don't try to rush the job. Don't go for instant solutions. Take time to work out the details. Just do it as well as you can rather than cutting corners because you'll be living with the results for many years. So if needs be, break it into stages.