what style of house?...some photos and a description of the climate and how you want to use the space will help and please show the distance to the side and rear boundary fences

The house is a 1930’s weatherboard cottage which we going to be renovating - don’t have photos as yet sorry. Character style with modern interior though if that helps.

I should have explained that the courtyard boundary lines drawn are the boundary - there is a 1.8m high brick wall all around as per those lines.

hopefully that helps?

Thanks!

Hi Alex, think about function of this external area/space, the same as how you would need to do for an internal space, define your requirements, such as "to accommodate an outdoor dining table to seat X people" or a BBQ etc..do you have kids, do you need this to be a play area? All these things will influence how best to landscape and decisions on surfaces, soft/hardlandscaping, paths, plants, features etc.......if you don't clarify this then any suggestions are kind of just random/hit&miss and simply throwing ideas around willy nilly.....what ideally you want is to enable others to provide suggestions for an appropriate/potential layout/solution....and this will be derived from ultimately your needs.. good luck :) PD

Hi Paul,

thanks for the feedback - first time poster as you can tell.

the function of the space is primarily an outdoor dining/entertainment and relaxation area that flows naturally from the indoor kitchen/lounge zone.

A bbq is a must, table for 6 and additional seating/reading/relaxing area

no kids, preference to atleast some soft surfaces eg. Grass

climate in Perth is very conducive to outdoor living about 8-10 months of the year so we want the zone to be an extension of the indoor living/eating zones

hope that all makes sense!

Alex, your courtyard area is probably too tight to achieve what you want plus a workable grass area, which will be a hassle to maintain for a small benefit. The first step would be to consult an arbourist about the health condition, longevity and potential to trim any branches below 2m of the existing two trees. No point in landscaping around two old trees if they are in poor health.

At the same time confirm with your arbourist how close to your tree trunks that you can pave. In keeping with the period of the home I would probably use second hand bricks from the same period of the home, laid on a sand base to pave most of the area to provide good access between the entry gate and front door, as well as the dining and BBQ area.

Don't pave near your tree trunks or under low hanging branches that will be kept. Keep a planting bed at least 600mm wide adjacent to the boundary fence and between the brick paving and house to soften the look.

Select plants for your planting beds based on needs, probably low level shrubs between the house and paving, and vertical growing evergreens along the boundary fencing where you may need privacy. Shade loving ground cover under your trees, and mulch everything.

Keep it understated and simple, and make the retained tree(s) and your house the feature with garden lighting. In a courtyard this size you don't need to introduce a feature.

Best of luck,

Dr Retro
of Dr Retro House Calls

"no kids, preference to atleast some soft surfaces eg. Grass"

Pets? Or for aesthetics? Grass needs mowing, space to store lawnmower, consider the value for only a small area. Alternatives are groundcover plants, some can even take a certain amount of foot traffic.

consider a French style gravel ground surface or loose laid pavers with some dainty steel furniture ...no mowing and cheap and easy easy to manage, pet friendly and doesn't create drainage problems and allows rain penetration to subsoil

We do have a dog, primarily for aesthetics though. As it would be such a small lawn area I think we would just use a push mower (currently am doing about 150sqm lawn with this so I think the transition would be pretty easy!)

I just recently saw the garden Guru off the Block using man made grass on a small job, looks brilliant, he couldn't believe it himself. some lovely ideas as usual Julie

I think you might need a doggie toilet for this small patch, it could end up very smelly and kill the plants, sorry to your doggie