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Tools and materials

Although you can borrow tools and use found, salvaged and gifted materials, such as old bricks and left-over sand, you will inevitably have to buy some new tools and things like cement and wood. Tools and materials come from DIY outlets, builder’s merchants and local suppliers. You can make savings in time and energy if you buy the best tools for the task, and in money if you purchase the materials in bulk from local suppliers.

What will I need to buy?

TOOLS

Measuring and marking

You need a basic kit for measuring, marking, checking levels and setting out the site. Spray paint or chalk can be used for marking out straight and curved lines (not illustrated).

Large tape measure

Tape measure

Pegs and string

Spirit (carpenter’s) level

Preparing the site

These tools will enable you to dig, move and level earth. You can hire (rent) a compaction plate (power tamper) for preparing large patio foundations (not illustrated).

Spade

Fork

Shovel

Sledgehammer

Rake

Gloves

Bucket

Wheelbarrow

Brick and stone

This toolkit will allow you to break, chop and cut both stone and brick. You may want to hire (rent) an angle grinder or a cement mixer for big projects.

(Stone) mason’s hammer

Club hammer

Bolster (brick) chisel

Bricklayer’s (mason’s) trowel

Masonry drill bit

Wood

If your designs include fences, gates, pergolas, sheds or decking you are likely to need the tools shown here.

General-purpose saw

Jig saw

Electric (power) drill

Cordless driver (drill)

Twist bit (for drilling holes in wood and metal)

Flat bit (for drilling holes in wood – not for metal)

Gardening

Apart from items like a spade, a fork and a pair of gloves, you may also need a mower and a small number of dedicated tools like those shown below.

Garden shears

Straight-bladed saw

Long-handle secateurs

Hand fork

Trowel

Secateurs

Hoe

Safety

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Always protect your eyes, ears and hands when using power tools. Wear a dust mask when using cement powder. Wet cement is corrosive. Always keep children out of harm’s way.

MORE TOOLS

Often the best way of getting tools is to buy them when the need arises. For example, you have a spade and fork, but you soon find that you need a shorter, lighter spade, or a fork with a more comfortable handle, so you get another one. If you are less keen on the construction aspects, larger and/or more specific tools like a compaction plate (power tamper) or cement mixer are best borrowed or hired (rented). You could also borrow a few tools, and then buy your own when you know what it is about the borrowed tools that you like.

MATERIALS

Brick and stone

Brick and stone can be purchased direct from the producer, from builder’s merchants and from architectural salvage companies.

Concrete paving block

Selection of bricks

Flat stone

Rock

Building stone

Walling blocks

Cobblestones

Artificial stone paver

Imitation setts

Decorative gravel

Border tile

Edging and corner post

Buying earth and turf

Earth is best purchased by the cubic metre or yard in a giant bag or by the truckload. The more you get, the cheaper it will be. Be careful that you do not buy in poorer-quality stuff than you already have.

Turf is sold in rolled-up strips about 30 cm (1 ft) wide and 60–90 cm (2–3 ft) long. The cheapest way is to buy it direct from the grower. They are usually quite happy for you to pick up a small number of strips.

Concrete and mortar

While there are as many ‘best’ recipes as there are builders, the following work well. The numbers signify the ratio of ingredients (by volume) to each other, measured in the same manner (such as by the shovelful).

Concrete

3 aggregate + 2 sand + 1 cement

Mortar

3 sand + 1 cement

Wood

Wood in all its forms can be obtained variously from timber (lumber) yards, builder’s merchants, garden centres and specialist suppliers.

Useful wood sections

Trellis

Bark chippings

Log roll

Sleeper (tie)

Ponds and water features

All the items and materials needed for creating ponds and water features can be obtained from garden centres, water-garden centres and specialist suppliers. For large ponds choose a flexible liner. Geotextile is a soft textile material that is laid underneath flexible pond liners and helps prevent the liner from being damaged by sharp stones. A sump is often used in small water features.

Geotextile and flexible pond linings

Rigid liner (formal shape)

Rigid liner (informal shape)

Plastic sump

Rigid cascade liner

MORE MATERIALS

As garden design is becoming more and more popular, so many materials and products, such as decking, garden shelters, butyl pond liners and concrete sculpture, are being sold by dedicated specialist suppliers. The recent popularity of decking has meant that decking companies and companies only selling decking materials are springing up everywhere. You can make contact via local directories or by the internet; that said, however, one of the pleasures of garden design is travelling around searching out good suppliers.