Summer projects for the garden

Summer is the season for building in the garden: the ground is dry, the days are long and concrete and wood treatments cure well. Each job needs a quantity before you can order, and the usual problem is buying the surface and forgetting the base, the posts or the fixings. Measuring once and working out each figure together saves a lot of trips.

The planner starts with the seating area, then the boundaries and the shed, then the lawn and water, and finishes with solar panels.

Step 1: Choose and build the seating area

Decide whether decking or paving suits the garden: decking copes with a slope, paving with level ground and heavy use. Count the boards and joists, or the slabs and the sub-base, and allow for a fall away from the house.

Step 2: Put up the fence

Count the panels and posts for the run, and a gate if you need one. Check who owns the boundary and the height limit before you start, and set the posts in concrete to the depth the supplier recommends.

Step 3: Lay a base for the shed

A shed needs a level, firm base, or the door will stick and the floor will rot. Work out the base size and materials before the shed arrives.

Step 4: Lawn, artificial grass and water

A new turf lawn needs watering all summer, and artificial grass needs a firm sub-base. A water butt collects rainwater for the plants, which helps in a dry spell and a hosepipe ban.

Step 5: Think about solar panels

Long days are a good time to see how much a roof could generate. Work out roughly how many panels fit and what they might produce, then get a proper survey before you commit.

Before you start

• The length and width of each area, with a sketch.
• A dry spell in the forecast for concrete, paving and wood treatment.
• Who owns each boundary, and any height limit or planning rules.
• The route for deliveries, since slabs, sand and panels are heavy.
• Cable and pipe locations before you dig.

Mistakes that cost people money

• Ordering the surface and forgetting the sub-base, joists or posts.
• Laying paving with no fall, so water collects or runs towards the house.
• Putting a shed on soft or uneven ground.
• Laying turf in hot, dry weather and then not watering it enough.
• Fixing fence panels to posts that are not set firmly in concrete.

Frequently asked questions